Badlands: The Sad Story Of the Band & Death of Ray Gillen
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Today we take a look at the band Badlands from the late 80's and early 90's. The band had some success and exposure with their first two albums, but tragedy struck the band as Ray Gillan left the group and died following the group's second album. The band tried to regroup but would disband by 1993.
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#badlands #raygillan #jakeelee
The first Badlands lp was on a completely different level! Jake E Lee is one of the best guitarists from the 80's and is still crushing it!
It is on a completely different level but I feel the same way about VooDoo Highway...it was like Led Zeppelin got all modernized and refined. I mean, I don't see much correlation in the drumming but that's not to demean the Badlands drums, just not Bonham-like.
Anyway, love the band.
I remember Eddie Trunk telling Jake E. Lee that the Badlands first two albums are out of print because of Ray Gillen infecting Women with AIDS so the record company pulled them out of print at the request of the victims families
If I understand it correctly, I think there was actually a court order that any proceeds from those songs went directly to the women/families of the women who were infected by him... which sucks for the rest of the band.
Who sleeps with any of these guys without a condom and back up condom???
@@sburris65 Probably hoping to get pregnant and get a easy mill-ticket.
I heard that same thing about a year ago. If you go to a bar or anyplace that has a new style "internet jukebox" where you can download specific songs or search by artist,you can't find any of their stuff either.
@@sburris65 Especially in the late 80's.AIDS was killing people like crazy.
Badlands self-titled first album came out around the same time Dangerous Toys and Skid Row's first albums hit. Skid Row overcame the Grunge invasion that was happening at the time and got pretty big. But Badlands were never given the attention they deserved ! And their music was Leaps and Bounds above anything Motley Crue or Aerosmith were putting out at the time. Dangerous Toys Self-titled first album was killer from start to finish, without one weak song ! Felt like a Hammer !!
My best friend Doug and I drove 3 or 4 hours from Richmond, VA to see Dangerous Toys at Hammerjacks in Baltimore in '89 or '90. They were there along with Tora Tora and headliners L.A.Guns. We got pretty lit - I even did Kamikaze shots with Toy's singer Jason McMaster while Tora Tora was playing !
I really hit it off with a smokin' hot redhead whom I met there. She had apparently come down from NYC to see the show, and she invited me to come home with her (Giggity giggity !) but like an idiot I didn't go ! I was a young and inexperienced 21 year old and had only heard stories of the scary ole Big Apple ! Turns out she was the singer in a band called Pretty Poison, who I hadn't yet heard of...
So now, in addition to remembering how great the bands were and what an awesome time I had, I also kick myself every time I think of the night I screwed up the chance to really get to know such a gorgeous, sexy and super cool girl - who just happened to be the singer for a band that actually had a video or two on MTV ! Talk about regrets !!
Oh and Jade - if you happen to read this and remember me (Tommy from Virginia) Just know I wish I'd have had the balls to come with you to New York that night ! Who knows what mighta happened .......
"Sacred Groove" is the first solo album by George Lynch, not a Lynch Mob release.
Scared Groove is a damn good album
@@fatalstep1870 That album is one the best by Mr. SCARY. Killer tone
Well, despite what Ray did with him being HIV positive, he was a hell of a singer. Sounds little like David Coverdale to me on Dreams in the dark. But i dig the whole band and first album for sure! did not know Eric Singer was their drummer on first album. i saw him all the time in KISS after death of Eric Carr
Eric Singer didn't leave the band, he was FIRED. Jake even says it in the same interview you mentioned. Oh and Phil Soussan was fired BEFORE Jake, not after Jake.
Met Jake once, quiet, had nuttin to say. I wasn't going to ask any of the same million questions everyone asks either. It was after Gillen died, They played at the Al Rosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. Terrible mix on the board and the sit in singer was just growling the same growl with no difference hardly at all in his attempt. I actually said to him How in the heck did you get this job? Being very sarcastic. He took it as a complement and said " you can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it". I was like, buddy ya better start applying yourself because your road says dead end!
Badlands were hard blues rock in the vein of early Led Zeppelin, but with an American flavor. I saw them at their peak at The Stone in San Francisco. It was a good show but not as intense as I expected. Ray was a little lackluster in fronting the band, but I enjoyed it. They sounded just like the album and Ray sang well. I was hoping for them to really branch out and grow, but it all went sideways. Jake has not done much in the public eye since. He has an "inner Jeff Beck" in him that never has been tapped. He could do an album like Wired or Tommy Bolin mix of solo and heavy fusion. He has those chops.
Yeah poor Jake. I mean THIS album is just one of the greatest rock albums ever. Truly a sad story.
I wouldn’t call it one of the greatest rock albums ever. It’s pretty generic hard rock… typical of the era.
In my opinion Badlands was more of a hard rock band, not a hair metal band
Exactly.
Yep. There was a very cool bluesy tinge to them. Same vibe would grow into Cinderella.
Rumbling train is a good example
It's not just your opinion - it's FACT.
The ignorant, uneducated and otherwise clueless morons label them as "Hair Metal".
I feel like Badlands and Tesla(Sacramento band)reflected that even before grunge had come along, hard rock fans were tired of all the pomp and glitz associated with hair metal. They wanted a more stripped down approach.
Jake and Badlands is one of the best. Personally, Voodoo Highway was one the best hard rock albums ever. An assault on the genre of blues rock, Jakes playing has that massive tone and soul, Greg's bass lines are to be studied with how well they grooved with the immense sound Jake had and Ray's vocals were on point as usual.
I think Dusk is better
Voodoo Highway is such an excellent album it never gets old.
Voodoo Highway has my favorite Badlands song The Last Time. Also Whiskey Dust, 3 Day Funk, Fire and Rain (cover) and Heaven's Train. Ray Gillan was to me one of the best singers, period. I heard an interview with Zakk Wylde. The interviewer sad that Ozzy was blessed with having 3 great guitar players over his career. Zack corrected him and said 4. Then he mentioned Jake. I really wish Jake E Lee got the respect and recognition he deserves.
Just because they had long hair doesn't make them "Hair Metal" Far from it.
God I hate that label, Hair Metal.
Dude, it's the worse description in the world!
I would call them more blues metal.
@@TheJpybus282 Right, or Heavy Blues.
Right. POISON is hair metal.
I saw Badlands live once, opening for Great White and Tesla. Although they only had about 30 minutes to do their set, they did a great job of firing up the crowd. It's a shame that they're not better remembered, since their debut album was indeed amazing.
I saw them when they did that tour too !!! I think it was 1987 or 1988 maybe? I saw them in Norfolk VA and that was one of my all time favorite concerts 🤘❤️
@@staceyoneal3175 , August 27th 1989, the Norfolk Scope Arena.
Ray was a beautiful person. I will never believe he knowingly or intentionally infected anyone! He was one of my ex husband's best friends. Like a brother to him. I was present in Ray's last recording session in NYC. We did not know he was ill, but he looked strange. When he said to me: " Take care of my brother" chills went tbrough my spine... I knew something was wrong. That was the last time I ever saw him. No friends were let to see him in a hospital...
Google Sun Red Sun albums for the recording. Also google 5th Anniversary Memorial Tribute by Ray Gillen.1998.
My ex organized Ray's memorial concert at Irving Plaza in NYC. Ray's beautiful Mom was present. Ray is truly missed. One of the sweetest caring guys I have ever met. He passed away too young. One of the best rock voices ever!
He came into where I werked many times in Hollywood with his GF. It was a 7/11 on Sunset blvd just up from Guitar Center.
Ray would always hang out for a few minutes and just chat, even asking questions and such.. very down to earth. If Ray had a rockstar ego, I never saw it. Was pretty bummed when I heard he passed.. thnx for yer story about Ray..
🤘🤠🤘
Thank you so much for this… I hate all the disparaging stuff
I think you are right. I don't know all for certain, but I'd bet my bottom Dollar that he would go celibate before passing AIDS to anyone on purpose. Doesn't seem like that type of guy. Not to mention, while sick you do not feel like fucking every hot girl in the room anyway. If his band and label had supported his band and him, perhaps he could have afforded those wonder drugs that saved :Magic Johnson" (which he surely used as an enticing weapon against women- i.e. his "magical dick"). I do not think Ray was that kind of a man. I think he would have sacrificed all of his carnal pleasures to protect others, and not have spread it around. I don't like seeing him slandered. Good people often are after they die. It is fucked up.
Ray was amazing. I was lucky enough to see him with Black Sabbath add Badlands. I got to meet him a couple times you're right he was amazing.
So sorry for the loss of your old friend. 💔🙏His beautiful eyes told the story for me. You could see into his soul. I could tell he was a sweet and gentle, caring man. ❤️🩹✨His voice was golden and anointed 💫May he continue to rest in eternal peace.🙏💐🕊️🕊️
I'm a Fan of Jake and Ray but Ray Gillen was the Voice in an Era of Many Great Guitarists and Make No Mistake it was that RARE Beautiful Voice that Drew Most to Badlands Ray Gillen was Something Super Special
*_I love their first album. I played it all the time on cassette back in the day._* 🤘🏻💀🤘🏻
Me too.
That first album smokes!!!
Yep. Wore that tape out.
I enjoy it as much today as I did 30 years ago.
Great band
Awesome band, music. Ray has to be one of the top.vocalists of all time.
I was cranking them and Dangerous Toys around the same time
Same here. Saw Dangerous Toys live and was impressed.
@@angusorvid8840 hahaha wonder if she was asking people to take her drunk...
@Lebo leigh Leigh That's cool they weren't for everyone 🤘
Still have em and the dangerous toys album with sportn a woody, feels like a hammer tunes etc in my vehicle since their inception. What gems.
Yep, I remember going out and buying both Voodoo Highway and Hellacious Acres together since they were released the same day.
Ray Gillian was/is still one of the best rock singers ever. He was awesome
Anyone wondering why Sharon is the way she is and does people dirty? She gets it from her dad. He did the same thing to Black Sabbath.
Her dad told her she could manage ozzy if she could keep him alive.don arden screwed black sabbath so bad that.they wrote a whole album about it..Sabotage...
Sacred Groove was a solo record by George Lynch. It wasn't a Lynch Mob album.
I still listen to it. Amazing!
Good start...but you kinda missed the HUGE settlement that happened after Gillen had infected some unknowing young ladies with HIV. Albums pulled from shelves and $$$ to the victims. Really tragic.
That IS the story. R&RTS is a turd for leaving it out.
Yep. Totally missed the boat on that part.
Also why Atlantic won't let anyone re Release the first two albums
I'd like to hear more. I've heard there were lawsuits, but can't find any details. And what's the point in suing Atlantic Records? They aren't responsible for what Ray did. You sue his estate. But then again, there's probably not much there. Then again, I've heard one of the women infected was the daughter of a bigwig from Atlantic.
One of the girls was a daughter of someone who was a higher up in Alantic records.
Badlands was a great band. They had awesome guitar riffs and Ray Gillen had a great rock n roll bluesy voice. They were one of my favorites from the 80s. If you can get their albums Badlands, Voodoo Highway and Dusk, you will not be disappointed. They rock.
No one in 1989 (when I was 14) sounded anything like BADLANDS..they sounded like they just dropped out of 1971, while everyone else was busy playing fast, wearing lipstick, HUGE hair (wasn't badlands), and just making pop rock. Badlands were reinventing raw in your face rock n roll and probably didn't even know it! Had Ray not died it's hard to tell how far they would have gone. R.I.P RAY... no one will ever sing like you!!
Kingdom come
Wow, you were 14 years old.
Respect my friend !
I was 27 at that time. Still, feel the same way live you Do!
I was lucky to get the vinyl about a year ago for 60 Euro !!!
By the way, at Amazon it cost at least 100 bucks.
Record company stoped selling it because of Ray's death.
It's framed hanging at my wall.
Keep on rockin' and greetings from germany
Badlands first album completely blew my mind and I became obsessed with it right after the first time I listened to it.
I’m 60 now, and I still thoroughly enjoy the album to this day. ✌️
Jake replaced Brad Gillis, not Randy Rhoads. And Jake got along with everyone, he wouldn't give up his publishing right.
Brad Gillis was just a fill in, though.
He didn't record any studio albums with Ozzy.
Jake was always considered Rhoads official relacement.
No, he replaced Randy Rhoads as the permanent guitar player. Brad Gillis was only brought in to do the tour, he was never meant to be the permanent guitarist. He was a temporary guitarist until Ozzy found another one.
@@tonyiacomi4822 And did an awesome job on tour and Speak of the Devil.
His sound was killer.🤟
Just think of what would have happened if George Lynch had got the job instead of Jake. Cuz George was the front runner for Randy's spot.
@FloodyBoy Randal And just look at current guitarist Andrew Watt's hair! Was he on break from the Marines when he got the call from Sharon?
Badlands played at the bar my ex-husband worked at in Houston Texas circa 1990 and I met Ray Gillen and he was one of the most down-to-earth genuine nice guys in a rock band I had ever encountered. I was truly saddened when he passed away some years later. I will always remember hugging him at the end of our conversation and his parting words to me, which were "I will always remember you." Sadly I never got to see him in person again to see if that were true.
Badlands was great. I got to see them live 2x. You left out the part of how Ray knowingly infected multiple girls with HIV on the last tour. He killed more then 1 girl and the record company was sued. That's why they wont re release any badlands in the us. The parents of the dead girls didnt want them making money off of badlands and it was part of the law suit. Very sad. Kinda hard for me to enjoy badlands and Ray's work after hearing of this sad news.
Completely agree Freebird 🥺
Ray Gillen "knowingly infected these young women".
I too, cannot listen after knowing that 🙀.
@@FrostedSeagull I couldnt believe it when I first heard the news. So freaking sad. He would have gone out a legend! I was lucky enough (on there last tour) to watch them do there set from the stage hanging in the back because my friends band opened. It was a great ripping set. I'll never forget it. Ray was like a foot away from me talking with people. Kinda crazy thinking he might have hooked up with a random drunk fan girl that night. I havent been able to listen after hearing eddie trunk talking about it. Like rumbling train says " every night a dirty lady in a different bed" man the 80s were a crazy.
Thanks for explaining this, I searched them a few years ago and people were talking around this but not stating it so I never knew exactly why they wouldn't re-release their albums.
As a result, their albums are very hard to come by to a point where if you're lucky enough to find a copy, it'll probably cost more than half the price of the Earthbound video game. At a local record store eight years ago, I was lucky enough to find one on C.D.
As shocking as this will sound to a lot of people, I found it in the bargain bin for a dollar, and after purchasing it, I told a friend who was shocked and informed me on how expensive it normally is. Eventually, I as able to get Voodoo Highway on cassette and hopefully, will get to purchase it on C.D. as well.
Was totally waiting for this too. I have a hard time listening to them too. Great band, brilliant sound, tragic end.
Lucky enough to see Badlands back in the day at Baltimore's legendary Hammerjacks. What a show!
I knew Ray and was friends with him when he lived at the Oakwood Apartments on Barham Boulevard in Los Angeles where I lived at the time as well. All the bandmates from Alice in Chains as well as many other partiers were living there at the same time (circa 1989-90). Many of us hung out by the resort-style pool and jacuzzi quite often drinking and smoking. Ray was always very cool to be around and was extremely down to earth without exhibiting any drug or alcohol-induced behavior or star ego at all. I saw the band at the Palace and his presence on stage, as well as off stage, was that of a confident person that didn't have to act. Life moved on and everyone moved on and I forgot about him for years until I heard he died of aids and read the wiki page. Today, this is the first time I've read this story and the comments, and I'm saddened by it for sure and even more sad for the women he afflicted. The story doesn't match the Ray I knew but I was only a short time neighbor. He was very focused on his career and he didn't exhibit any drug-induced behavior when I knew him other than typical poolside drink and pot. He would bring model type babes to the pool and on one occasion I did exhibit some questionable kinkyish behavior but I took it as something you could expect from a rock star (I guess) but now maybe question it a bit more.
It sucks what happened. But. I'm gay and am lucky to have survived those early years of AIDS when it was killing people like crazy.I turned 21 in '86 so...
I was not that overly active because I hated wearing condoms.So.I abstained.Or had long term relationships.
It's been 30 years since this incident with Ray.Speaking ill of him sucks.I doubt he was the monster people are making him out to be.He was probably in denial.
Kinkyish behavior isn't making him guilty. Ray propably realised he had hiv around the time you knew him 89-90. He's uncle (Nelson Bellper) from whom Ray most likely got the disease cause they shot heroin together was diagnosed Aids in 89-90...according to a interview by Jake. E Lee. If he used condoms with the women at that time he isn't guilty. If he didn't he was irresponsible but those women who supposedly got hiv from Ray could have gotten it from somewhere else too just saying. It's very unlikely that virus would spread already from the first sex time between man and woman.
@@mickeyguide3112 Huh? Of course AIDS can spread from first-time sex between a man and a woman.
@@lisellesloan3191 yes true, I just meant it's unlikely though still possible. People are condemning Ray so fast without really knowing what happened. Those scenarios I mentioned are also possible. It's almost impossible to know for sure did he infect other women knowingly he had Aids or not. Or did he infect other women at all...
It sounds like the rumor mill is that he infected other women but people who know him don’t think he did. But I guess there was a lawsuit.
As an aside, back in the 90s it was not unheard of for men who were infected to knowingly infect women. Aids does affect your thinking process and also some men had this kind of “if I’m going. I’m taking others with me”mentality. There were several lawsuits back in the 90s where men were being sued and actually I think one guy went to jail for doing this. I think they got him on some kind of intended murder charge.
Badlands was an incredibly awesome band. One of the most underrated of all time. Agreed they were not hair metal. Very bluesy and can definitely see the humble pie influence especially in the vocals. Voodoo highway is in my top 10 greatest hard rock albums of all time. Jake E. Lee is one of hard rock/ metals greatest guitarist ever. Saw his first tour with Ozzy and opened with bark at the moon....unbelieveable. he. Had big shoes to fill and did a great job.
You should cover Jason Becker. Such a tragic tale
good call
Tragic, but also inspiring.
Coincidentally, I enjoy listening the two Cacophony albums the last couple of days.
If we're talking TRAGIC guitar players than look no further than ALLEN COLLINS from Lynyrd Skynyrd. Great story all the way around but cry in your beer sad.
Greg just messaged me after watching this and said there is a whole lot of bullshit in here. Just putting that out there.
Myself and a close friend of mine were HUGE fans of Badlands when their first album came out. I think their 2nd album, while having a different sound than their first album, was equal in quality to their first. The death of Ray and break up of the band was a huge bummer for me. I still listen to their music and am still influenced by Jake E. Lee's guitar playing.
Badlands is my second favorite rock band of all time, behind Led Zeppelin. Considering Jake E Lee's intense, blues-infused hard rock project produced only 3 albums, I think that says a lot. Jake created awesome material with other projects and bands but he reached deep into his soul and found something unique and truly special with these 3 albums-- especially the Badlands debut. The second album seems to be trying to appeal to a broader audience but is still very very good. The third album is excellent and it's a total shame so few have heard it. The song, 'Sun Red Son' is SOOO FREAKIN AWESOME! The guitar solo breaks rules and throws music theory out the window as it screams for your soul. Similar to but different from how this was accomplished with Jake's solo in the earlier, Dancin on the Edge'. IMO Ray Gillen had vocal talent and ability in a league with only a handful of incredible voices-- Robert Plant, David Coverdale, Freddy Mercury, Geoff Tate...
Thank God these artists came together and created this small catalog of incredible blues rock music. None of these men are wealthy as they ought to be.
Are you crazy; they all made millions. Just not Ray Gillen.
I loved the first album of Badlands. I still have it and still play it. Ray Gillian was a great vocalist.
The 2 nd album was voodoo highway not voodoos and no mention of ray gillen knowingly infecting women with aids, that is one of the reasons his badlands albums will not be reissued
Have you ever done a video about the band House Of Lords? I really used to love their music back in the day! I think their most popular song was I Wanna Be Loved. Thank you for helping me to remember a lot of bands that I had completely forgotten about! Keep on Rockin dude!! 🤘🤘🤘
Don't forget their incredible cover of the legendary Blind Faith classic "Can't Find My Way Home."
I’m a huge fan of Ray Gillen’s vocals. This was a very interesting story. Thanks for putting it together.
Jake E Lee was actually fired for wanting credit for his work in writing Ozzy's songs. Also Ozzy was not easy to get along with. Jake E Lee was so upset with the way Ozzy treated him that he didn't touch a guitar for two years. Gillan talked him into playing again.
If I'm not mistaken, Jake was picked over George Lynch for being Ozzy's guitar player.
Jake e Lee Ripped off by Sharon and ozzy
That not really what happened. And Jake put Badlands together not long after he was fired from Ozzy. There is a lot more to the story. I was Jake's guitar tech from 84 until he was fired and then shared a house with him form 88-94.
@@mikerush2959 that's pretty cool. Let's hear some good Jake stories from when you lived with him, etc.
@@coreydm1969 There really isn't much to tell to be honest.
Yes!At least someone finally acknowledged Ray Gillen's talent..
For sure! 👍🤘
Yeah, too bad for the partying and eventual AIDS and all. AIDS
I saw Ray in Texas when he was with Black Sabbath - great show in a smaller venue...
Hmmm. Badlands were not a hair metal IMHO. They were more rock or classic rock.
Saw them on that last 1992 tour in UK, Newcastle Riverside, they sounded amazing, like they were trying to prove to each other how good they were. It was well known they were splitting up and before the gig we wondered if they would just be going through the motions. A few seconds after they finished Ray Gillen was heading out of the main door through the club, to get away quick, he was looking for a taxi (cab). We spoke to him briefly and he said he was looking forward to "Pastures new".
As well known and appreciated as Badlands' first album is, it is still highly underrated, imo. It's one of the greatest efforts to ever come out of hair metal genre, and to me it's right up there with Ratt's "Out Of The Cellar" and Whitesnake's "Whitesnake." Jake E. Lee Is still one of the greats and Gillen had that haunting quality in his vocals that was every bit in the same powerhouse which spawned Robert Plant.
Even though their collaboration was short-lived, their material, especially the first album, still remains a staple. You must go find it. Jade's Song and Winter's Call will convince you.
The Black Sabbath Eternal Idol expanded edition has the Ray Gillen version on disc 2.
PLEASE, quit calling BADLANDS a friggin "80s band!" SMDH 😒🙄 OR even lump them into quote -unquote "a hair metal band"...... NOT at ALL a hair band, and their debut album didn't even come out UNTIL late 1989, with their 2nd release in 1991. Often overlooked, forgotten, and even unknown but DAMN, they SURE left THEIR mark! ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY JAKE E LEE! 🤘😠🤘
Congratulations to the poster of this video, who clearly spent 20 minutes researching Badlands to make a 6 minute video. It’s not even “the tragic story of ray gillen” it’s a six minute story about the history of Badlands.
This is flawed. No mention of the lawsuits against Ray, the band and Atlantic from Ray’s victims and why they refuse to re-release the band’s records? What Ray did while infected was awful.
Agreed, a great talent but will always be tainted.
Well no one has proven that he even knew he had the disease when he slept with those girls. and where is their responsibility in all this? Wanting to sleep with a rockstar and. not use any condoms? they own some of that responsibility.
Most underrated band in history. Don’t believe me? Go listen to all 3 of their albums.
@FloodyBoy Randal Chaisson is bad ass!
@FloodyBoy Randal he’s still bad ass when he played with Jake again live with Red Dragon Cartel!
Not even close. Budgie, Riot, Y&T, GIFT, Leaf Hound, JPT Scare Band, and others are all more underrated
@Randy Randal Slade and Sweet are definitely in the running. Tucky Buzzard and Blue Cheer as well. I'd put Nazareth up pretty high as well.
@Randy Randal We definitely could! Moxy, BTO, Savage, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Leaf Hound, Cactus, Wicked Lady, Buffalo, Free, Black Cat Bone, The Sonics, man I could go on forever!
Badlands WAS NOT a hair band! They were a hard rock band! J.E.L. WAS NOT fired because he didn’t get along with Ozzy and other members of the band! Sharon & Ozzy screwed himout of THOUSANDS of dollars and when he bitched...they canned him! Get your facts right!
I was at the Astoria show. What a performance!! We all expected a black female soul singer which Jake had stated had replaced Ray (NOT John West as reported…he was later).
Was amazing when Ray ran in stage and produced a very intense performance.
Am I the only one here who uses the term "hair metal" in a positive way? To play hair metal, people had to really know how to play instruments. The lead singer had to have a really good voice (most of the times). You had to look good, to dress up - hair metal was all against the low-effort music and image. And the songs were great - the riffs, the hooks, the solos. What's wrong with you, hair-metal-haters?
Please fact check before publishing or posting. Lots of inaccuracies
Inaccurate indeed!!
I had the tab songbook for their debut album in 1991/1992 and I poured over it every day. Between that and Ozzy/Randy Tribute, my high school days were packed with playing those albums over and over and over. I never could nail that solo to Rumblin' Train.
Me too ha ha
They are not a hair metal group! They just had hair😁
RAY with RONDINELLI we’re wonderfully, Wardance album❤️WOUAHHHH 🙏30 year’s later it’s pleasure listen HIM😹KISSES, RAY💋👩🏼🦰
That first album is a hard rock guitar master class.
Far from a hair band. Those first two albums are simply incredible.
I was lucky to see Badlands at The Bristol Bierkeller..I have a signed 8x10 bw,a drum stick and a t-shirt ❤❤❤❤❤
They were AMAZING..Voodoo Highway is one of the best albums ..period!!!!❤❤❤❤❤
Sound familiar .. the part of writing songs .. I wrote more than 800 songs during the 80s and it is first now, some 30+ years later that I thought that re-recording them could be fun .. so did my friends (there's a reason for the long break) but hey .. :-)
One of the most badass bands of the 80s, America's answer to Whitesnake.
Wow , did not expect this video! Great background on a band I knew very little about.
Maybe a video on all the common members of Deep Purple, Rainbow and Black Sabbath?
Oh; and a Talk Show video would be cool too.
The REAL tragedy is the label's refusal to remaster and re-release their debut album, because of their perception of Gillen post diagnosis.
By far the most underrated album of the era. It's pure gold.
Yeah man but Ray Gillian did some awful stuff knowing full well what he had and how he spread it. Many law suits STILL surrounding those 2 Albums
@@STETTRACE not the fault of the rest of the band. It's their livelihood. Ray's been dead for a long time.
zepsett I agree 100% my friend. 100%. Poor Jake.... definitely one of the best straight up Rock guitarist EVER!! You would think after getting screwed By Sharon and Ozzy he has paid enough on the cosmic scale that he deserved to have success with such a Killer rock album!! He is still very unique when just comparing the first album to every thing else at the time he was so far ahead of the others. His own sound. Very well crafted songs. But his guitar is UNMISTAKABLE!! You just KNOW it’s him. It’s raw it shreds. It’s melodic. It’s got everything. And he is really a virtuoso. It’s even sadder considering what was stated earlier, with Ozzy being screwed over before by his wife’s father.... then he turns around and does the SAME thing to a young guy? And Ozzy KNEW how hard it would be for Jake no matter HOW GOOD he was. There is ZERO reason for a SINGER to get ALL the writing credit. ESPECIALLY when he can’t play a G chord!! It’s wrong. It’s not wright. A just because you use a euphemism and say “ business “ it is STILL wrong. It will NEVER be right. Under any circumstances. Jake put all he had in those 2 albums. At least Zakk has always give him his props. I’m sure that’s small comfort indeed when your broke after going triple platinum with 3 years of SELL OUT shows. Jake deserves the best
The record company won’t re-release the albums because all sales would go to the lawsuits and rightfully so.
@@TheIkaika777 release it. Recoup. Pay the families. They deserve something.
You did not talk about why we cannot find their albums anymore because the families of the victims that Ray infected with HIV while on tour. Those albums still can't be released to this day even though Jake has offered all the profits to those families.
Offering money especially back in the 90's when there was much less treatment options for AIDS/HIV is noble by Jake, but hardly a solution...even now. Frankly, for the victims and their families that suffered, pulling the albums from the shelves was probably the best solution...but would still be just a marginal solution...since Ray Gillen could not be held to criminal charges since he was dead. It is also a terrible situation for the other band members who had nothing to with Gillen's behavior or acts, and the fallout following. It was a tough situation.
What blows my mind is all the justifications behind some of the comments here, where people who CLEARLY know he was a monster, but trying to make justifications as to why we should still support Gillen with arguments like "let's separate art from the artist" to "he's so handsome."
Frankly, I want to puke everytime I see things like this...or the lack of R&RTS to acknowledge the things Gillen did or even mention that part of the story.
I think I said it all regarding this nonsense at the end of my original comment directly addressing R&RTS:
"...to not acknowledge Gillen for being the monster he was as part of the overall story is not only irresponsible, but dishonest to your viewers.
GO TO HELL."
1sliiver yeah,they left out quite a bit of the story...Gillen was a piece of shit..
I am surprised this was left out of this report.
I can go to any library and read Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’. Gillen’s actions may have been wrong and illegal, but IMO it’s no justification to ban those records. Particularly after he could not profit from them.
Ray had a phenomenal voice
What about when Ray was brought in at very short notice, after Glenn Hughes was fired from the 'Black Sabbath' tour in 1986? Glenn only managed 5 shows because of a combination of addiction issues and broken nose, following a fight with the tour manager.
There's actually footage of one of the Sabbath shows with Ray Gillen here on TH-cam. Was a very interesting choice for the band at the time, but I'm glad they finally got Tony Martin on vocals.
Anne Boleyn from Hellion certainly was not a fan. Badlands made some great music.
Ray Gillen was arguably the best lead vocalist in rock
During Badlands all too brief history
Greatest singer I've ever heard.
I was, am a huge Badlands fan.
Saw Badlands on their 1st tour at Rock and Roll Heaven in TO. Great show. Gillan was super charismatic onstage. There's no way this was a hair metal band.
SO TRUE. Beautiful charasmatic frontman. period. what he died of is irrelevant.
@@sensualcory5423 Here's a story: my mom saw a picture of him and said 'that is a damn good looking guy' This was back in the 80s and I was like Mooooooom!?
Le sous-titrage🤷♀️parle de Gillan... Existing🤷♀️IAN GILLAN, but RAY... is RAY GILLEN🤷♀️🔥for ASHLEY 💥
The Jesus Lizard....got any stories?
@@sstaners1234 i love you
TJL is a great fucking band!!!
Badlands' first album was definitely a cut above the rest, kind of like Blue Murder in the quality of the songs and music. The later hair metal scene was so bereft of genuinely good bands as the labels just catered the music to a female audience. As for HIV, it was not only a death sentence, but also a source of shame for those dealing with it. Sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov contracted it from a blood transfusion and his family kept the diagnosis under wraps until well after his death for fear of the diagnosis ruining his professional reputation. In that sense, those were bad times.
At first I thought you were joking when you said Eric Singer played in black sabbath, but then when you said another person played in sabbath who actually did, and delivered both lines with "you guessed it" that was a script error. Many errors in your vids, still love em though no hate.
Badlands is the greatest band that never got to make it big. These guys were INCREDIBLE. Jake is the best guitarist Ozzy ever had (hey, I'm a RR disciple, but it's true), and Ray Gillen has possibly the greatest voice in rock history.
Badlands only mistake was coming out one year too late. Had they been just a year earlier, they could have built enough momentum to survive the Grunge era, similarly to Guns N Roses. These guys are a lot like Beck, Bogert & Appice, in that they were packed with greatness, but it just feel a few feet shy. Too bad though. I love Jake A Lee and the rest of the band.
Absolutely love the first lp. The second sucked. Just corny!!!! Ray was right. Too bad a group with so much talent couldn’t keep it together. Fuckin egos!!! Now the first album cannot be released because of Rays incredible selfish behavior of having sex with groupies while having hiv. Today some of the lp has aged like milk. But I still hold it in high regard.
Badlands were foolishly put in the "hair metal" category, except that they sounded nothing alike.
In fact their third record, the darker Dusk, wich included all demos on one take (!!!), would fit well with the alternative bands of the 90s, like Alice In Chains for example. But with elite musicianship.
What could've been. In my opinion Badlands were the best rock/metal group of their era easily, 80s and 90s. Jake and Ray were an unbeatable duo.
Can you do the story of Scott Weiland / Velvet Revolver?
You forgot to mention that their replacement for Eric singer was Jeff Martin the former singer of Racer X at the time
No wonder no one knows or cares.
What about Rob? Fuck Rob!
Record companies a reputation of fudging numbers...this band easily went gold (500,000) which would've pushed them into gold status....who may have influenced this demise?
An unsuccessful audition with Ozzy doesn't make anyone linked with Black Sabbath
It's a hard rock not hair metal
Gillen is dead so why continue to punish the rest of the band....they wrote and recorded those albums can't make any money of their work is straight BULLSHIT
You should do a documentary on Savatage, the Death of Criss Oliva & their Evolution into Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Savatage were also managed Paul O'Neill, and had a track called Strange Wings, which featured Ray Gillen on backing vocals.
3 amazing albums! One of my favorite bands of all time
Great video! A tragic story for what could have been a big big band. Cheers!
Jake told me that SHARON FIRED him because he made Tommy Aldridge uncomfortable when Jake would watch Tommy practice. Tommy went to Sharon and complained, then Sharon forbade Jake form even TALKING to Tommy!
I was one of the 400k who bought that first album...I had forgotten about Badlands and didn’t know about this story
I had that album too.
Stopped it right after you said Jake was fired for not getting along with Ozzy!! That’s a lie, he got along with Ozzy, Sharon was the problem!! Do you not know the legal situation with The Ultimate Sin album & why it’s not been given the same treatment as Ozzy’s other albums? Check into all that & you will find out why Jake was ousted!!
I am close friends with the Bassist Greg Chaisson, I am gonna have him watch this and see how accurate this is!
that would be great, let us know .im so interested and nozy after all these years.. ray just seemned like a nice guy , ;ike the rest of the band except for jake. who seemned like an arrogant ass. i remember his daughter commenting years ago how he never spent any time or did anything with her as a child and at that time when she posted this she rarely if any bothered with him.. jakes interview with ray was so annoying to watch as jake was throwing things in rays hair and yu can feel and see how the energy was flowing.. good guitar player yes. ass hole a bigger yes. i dont even like hearing his voice.
Well he is badass! great bassist great songs
I'd say it is off the mark. Tell Greg he still has a fan in me! Love his bass playing on those records, I drum and do vocals in bands in my area and love bass players that understand the groove and he most definitely does!
RIP Ray
He appeared before me recently yes 🙏♥️🌒💕♥️
Sometimes wish he was here just like the crow 🌒🙏💕🐬🌍🌞♥️😊😇🏡🌍💥🤗♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
I love both of their records. VooDoo Highway is full of songs that I absolutely adore. I am happy that I was not aware of the tension between the band members at the time. I never knew about that until today. I loved the band too much so it would have been heavy for me.
same here and I agree wih you
do one on how bad Black Sabbath screwed over Tony Martin.
Badlands was such an amazing group. I wouldn’t exactly call them hair metal though. They truly were a special band that deserves much more recognition than they get.
Love Dreams In the Dark.
knew Ray a bit in the latter years of his life... solid guy and funny as shit.
I love their second album a lot.
This band had so many zeppelin elements and was so unique on their own. They could have conquered the world