Pretty Boy Floyd
"Live At The Pretty Ugly Club"
(Perris Records)

The leather boys with the electric toys have returned with a new live album (their first), but first let's have a look back. For those unfamiliar with Pretty Boy Floyd, they are survivors of the glam slamming 80's. They debuted in '89 with "Leather Boys With Electric Toys", and actually made a bit of a splash (I remember seeing them interviewed on "Headbanger's Ball" when Adam Curry was hosting it!). But then along came grunge and that was all she wrote! Pretty Boy Floyd fell through the cracks along with many of their hair farming compatriots. Too bad, really, because PBF was a pretty damn cool band! Among the multitudes of 80's hair rockers around at the time, PBF did kind of stand out. They took their image to the extreme, being one of the glammiest of the glam! As for their music, it was hard rocking, edgy, raunchy, had attitude (more so than many other bands of this ilk), and, above all, was fun! They were influenced by bands like Motley Crue, Kiss, Poison, Aerosmith, Sweet, Slade, etc. Now, they're back, setting the night on fire once again with rock and roll! There are still two original members in the band, singer Steve Summers and guitarist Kristy Majors, and two newer guys, bassist Lesli Sanders and drummer Dish. Aside from the lineup, they haven't changed much! They're still the same old Pretty Boy Floyd they were in the 80's, sticking with their glam rock/pop metal style. And as pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Page would say, "That's not a bad thing, that's a good thing!" This is their latest recording, and as I said, it's their first live album. It rocks! It contains classics like "Rock And Roll Outlaws", "Set The Night On Fire", "Leather Boys...", "48 Hours", and "Your Mama Won't Know", and some newer tunes like "Junkie Girl" (the album's opener), "Good Girl Gone Bad", "Shock The World", "Shut Up", and "7 Minutes In Heaven" (this one really rocks!). There are also too new studio tracks, "Don't Save Your Love", which sounds almost identical to Firehouse's "Don't Treat Me Bad", and a cool, rocked up cover of Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me". Pretty cool, Pretty Boys! The sound quality of this album is bit on the crude side, but the band sounds good live. They sound like they really kick ass in concert and put on a great show! Wouldn't mind seeing them myself sometime! They've always been good at what they do, and are quite talented. It's good to have them back. It's almost like they never left. Even though they've been around for a while, they still have it in them! I'm glad to see they're not ditching their classic sound, or trying to jump on any trend bandwagons, just to sell records. It's clear they love playing this style of music! Props to 'em! My only complaints are, as I said, the album's sound quality, and the fact that they ripped off Firehouse on "Don't Save...". Try some more original songwriting next time, guys. Aside from those things, however, they did a good job with this album. Anyone who is a PBF fan or who likes 80's "hair metal" should dig this album! Keep rocking, Leather Boys!

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