Love/Hate
Wasted In America

THE REVIEW

The early nineties were dark and transformative years for American street glam bands. They had to come up with something to stay afloat; parties and, in general, the "good" life of the Los Angeles boulevards seemed to interest no one anymore. The leading figures of the movement were all or nearly all in crisis... while Guns'n'Roses were overreaching with the gigantic "Use Your Illusion" (1991), Motley Crue were about to kick Neil out to also pivot their sound, and Skid Row released that heavy monument "Slave to the Grind," abandoning the street metal of their debut. There is a band in Los Angeles that stands out for the uncompromising nature of their shows and the rawness of their sounds, which hardly catered to the catchy choruses fashion in the eighties.

Love/Hate made their debut with a small street masterpiece, "Blackout in the Red Room," back in 1989. They were bolstered by at least two prominent personalities, such as bassist Skid, the true leader of the band, author of all the lyrics and music, cover art designer, and a genuine madman when it came to jumping on stage, and singer Jizzy Pearl, charismatic and provocative, with a vitriolic voice that in this second work tones down the shouting to focus more on the voice. The band is completed by talented guitarist Jon E. Love and drummer Joey Gold.

"Wasted In America" saw the light after complicated disputes with the record label Columbia in 1992 and immediately stood out for not a radical but significant change. The hard and sleazy sounds of the debut were made modern and heavier. In short, when it's time to get heavy, Love/Hate fears no one. Thus, real salvos that border on metal and nearly punk in nihilism such as Spit, Happy Hour (with vocals reminiscent of Axl Rose), and Tranquilizer are paired with more cunning and commercially appealing songs like the title track, Miss America (with a vaguely oriental riff), Time's Up, and Evil Twin. The more streetwise and rocking Love/Hate can be found on tracks like Yucca Man, Cream, the semi-ballad Social Sidewinder, and the ironic anti-racist ballad Don't Fuck with Me.

The album, buoyed by good sales, led the band to open for Ozzy Osbourne's "No More Tears" tour, of which I recall a stop in Milan. Subsequent works never saw Love/Hate reach the heights of their debut and this second album, which, though of lesser quality, showcased a band with good individuality, capable of continuing their career at a good level. But that wasn't the case. After three other forgettable works, they disbanded. Only recently has there been talk of a reunion that will remain limited to a few live dates. A few years ago, their entire discography was available for free download in MP3 format from their website, a way to spread their music further given the near impossibility of finding their works on CD.