This book is billed as "The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion", and I think it partially lives up to the name. It's clear that the authors got access to all the big names of the scene, as well as lots of smaller bands. However, the format really turned me off. I enjoy oral histories, but usually they are interspersed with text about the period and historical context. This book is pure oral history, delivered in a longwinded and unedited manner, and it didn't keep my interest beyond 3 chapters. 1 star for a DNF.

I also took issue with the way the authors just said "not our problem" to the undercurrents of sexism and misogyny that run through this time period. In the introduction, they say that these musicians have evolved and become parents and grandparents, and use this excuse to hand wave away any discussion of the topic. Sure, people change, and you also have to judge these things by the standards of the time, but the dismissive attitude felt really tone deaf to me.

You don't need to make people apologize, but looking back at history is the perfect time to think about how one's actions had unintended effects. It's also clear from some of the present day interviews that the way many of these men think about women has not fundamentally changed - one section of the book talks about being kind to "ugly fat chicks" because they were more loyal fans. Yikes. If you really loved this time in music, you may enjoy this book, otherwise, I would skip it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Nothin But A Good Time" traces the journey that heavy metal rock took from the explosion of Van Halen in the late Seventies until the days of Nirvana and the grunge monsters bands heralded the dawning of a new generation of rock. Told not in expository fashion, but through interviews with artists, managers, and industry people, what this book does is give the reader a hands-on view of life in the metal trenches in the Eighties. For those not too familiar with the numerous hair metal bands of the Eighties like Motley Crew, Vixen, or Guns and Roses, this format might leave you a bit lost at times. For those who lived through the era and remember what the Sunset Strip was like in those days, it might just be a trip down memory lane. There are no secrets here. Every excess of drugs, sex, fame, or straight-out idiocy is laid out in these pages as remembered by those who were there.

For the ultimate 80s hair band fan! Quick, fun read provides insight into all of the 80s biggest bands. A must read for any fan of the era.

I was a teenager in the 80s when most of these bands in this book were popular so naturally, I wanted to read it. I liked some of the bands so yeah, cool, right? No. This book's format was strange to read, it was boring and I felt like I was once again in a boring class in high school trying to look like I was actually reading the material. This book early on became a big "nope" and even though I finished it, I only remember being interested in just a few paragraphs.

Not cool.

Five Stars

Back in the 80's I was a yuppie working in the Wall Street Area, and I have very fond memories of listening to so called metal "hair bands" on my Sony Walkman cassette player during my commutes. I had grown up on The Beatles, transitioned to The Bay City Rollers and then KISS, back to The Beatles again...and then it happened: Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Cinderella, Stryper, Poison, Guns n' Roses, Warrant, Skid Row, Europe, Ozzy and others. This melodic heavy rock music made me feel alive like no other, and I still react that way to it today. When I'm working and I feel like I'm getting drowsy, all I need to do is launch my ipod on the playlist I created called "Metal Orgy" and the blood starts coursing through my veins again. These were bands who teased their long manes of hair to the max and kept it there with Aqua Net spray, wore leather or colorful tight stretchy pants, and makeup. It was an androgynous look, but seemed to attract scores of women to their audiences. I became a devotee of watching the "Headbangers Ball" on MTV every weekend and subscribed to magazines such as Hit Parader, RIP and Creem (I still have every issue). I read these magazines cover to cover, even if I wasn't familiar with all the bands. They were still interesting to read about. They weren't just a bunch of guys in jeans, they were eye catching and each had their own mystique and schtick. People who don't know me that well are surprised when they find out what a penchant I have for these bands, as they know me primarily as a huge Beatles fan. I still am, but I'm also a big Hair Band fan! So I gasped when I saw this book dedicated to the story of this music genre and jumped at the chance to read it.

The book is delivered in oral narration format, which I love. The band members told their stories themselves. I know the history well of how up and coming bands flocked to LA where they held court at venues such as Gazzarri's, the Whisky a Go Go and The Cathouse to name a few. Bands would room together in mostly poor conditions relying on the patronage of female groupies who would bring them groceries, etc. There was a system of bands printing up flyers and posting them all over town. It was extremely competitive and bands would often find the fliers they had just posted- posted over by someone else. There was a signing frenzy for a period of time where record companies were snapping these bands up one by one. After awhile the genre became over saturated and their wave of success came crashing down with the advent of Seattle grunge bands. But years later, people who had grown up loving this music were nostalgic, and some of these resurfaced on package tours. A lot of bands had to seriously downgrade their venues if they wanted to play, as Nirvana spearheaded the next big thing with other bands like Soundgarden, Faith No More and Alice in Chains.

An iconic moment is emblazoned on the book cover that reminds me of my favorite guitar solo. When Ozzy Osbourne went solo he had an amazingly talented lead guitarist named Randy Rhoads. Randy was in his early twenties with soft, long blond hair and was very petite. There is a photo of Ozzy holding Randy up on his shoulder during a concert (see "Ozzy Osbourne Randy Rhoads Tribute" album cover) If you ever want to hear an incredible guitar solo that meshes classical and metal music, play the video of "Mr. Crowley" in concert from 1981. As soon as the music starts, you will recognize the sinister organ intro and you'll be on your way! Quite tragically, Randy died in a plane accident after only being with Ozzy's band a short time, but his flying V polka dotted electric guitar will never be forgotten.

If you ever wondered what really took place behind the scenes with your favorite 80s rock bands, you will want to read this book. There is a lot of fun and interesting information packed inside. I only thought I knew a lot, but this book was a real eye opener. You will learn the good, the bad, and everything in between, about your favorite rockers. This book is a must read for anyone who loved, or still loves, that era of music.

I wanted to read this book because it was about music from the 80’s. I am not a heavy metal fan but I truly enjoyed this book. Wonderful addition to a music lover’s library, especially if heavy metal is your thing. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

I loved this book! As a big fan of rock and specifically 80s rock, this book took you back to those crazy times. I have read other books chronicling these times and this one is the best. The author had great access to the bands and told their story, both good and bad. And it is not just the bands, it is the scene. You go behind the scenes with the venues the bands played, the people who made the costumes, the people at the labels, the magazines, and MTV. It wasn’t all about the bands. I found myself looking up old videos and recalling where I was at in my life when I heard these songs. Well worth a read.

Incredible oral history of an overlooked period in musical history, when the hair was tall and the riffs were crunchy. It took me right back to my high school days.

The 80s Metal Scene was not my cup of tea but I am a huge music fan and I lived through this era. Anyone who was anyone in the scene was interviewed for this book and not just bands but also scenesters, costume designers, producers and more. It's a real look at what that era was like. It was sex and drugs and rock n' roll and they make no apologies for it. If language offends you, this book probably isn't for you.

I've read other books that attempt to take on a music scene (like Meet Me in the Bathroom - the story about the scene in the 90s in NYC) and there is so much ground to cover and it can get muddled. "Nöthin' But a Good Time" avoids that and is laid out in an easy to follow way. One thing this book does correctly is to include a glossary of everyone interviewed and what bands they were affiliated with. You'll read about the big names - Guns n Roses, Poison, and Mötley Crüe, but you will also hear from members of Tuff, Bang Tango and even Pretty Boy Floyd.

This is a hefty book and you might be sidetracked by google searches or Spotify/YouTube playlists. I was constantly looking up bands to see what they looked like then and now as well as playing their hits to refresh my memory.

This was so fun to read and I am recommending it to anyone that loved Hair Metal. I wish this was out in time for Christmas because I know a few people this would be perfect for!

I've read lots and lots of musicians' memoirs and books about rock music. During the years when I was in high school (1987-91) I read every rock/metal magazine I thought was worth reading (so, no Circus or Hit Parader), over and over, because I managed to be both a headbanger and a bookworm. However, <I>Nothin' But A Good Time</I> still managed to teach me a few things about the bands of my era, and keep me enthralled for the weekend it took me to read it. (That I got through it so fast is proof of how difficult it was to tear myself away.)

I enjoyed the format (using the words of the people who were interviewed, instead of hearing the authors' voices directly) because it made me feel closer to the musicians and others who were there for all this. (However, it did get confusing at times to remember who each person was if they weren't one of the band members whose names were engraved in my brain 30 years ago.) I particularly like that it doesn't just end in the early 90s and blame the downturn in hair metal completely on grunge bands, but spends some time on what else happened, and a little bit about what figures in the scene did later. It's as much of a happy ending as the facts allow.

This book definitely isn't for everyone, but it definitely is for me. I gave it four stars but if you weren't part of the metal scene - either professionally or as a fan - don't bother reading this book. If you were part.of either, by all means pick it up and you won't be able to put it down.

It's long, but it doesn't drag at all.

I was in the music industry frrom 1987 - 1998. As an A&R person I spent nights upon nights on the sunset strip - Roxy, whiskey, troubadour, rainbow, Central, etc. I personally know and had worked.with more than a handful of people in the book.

That aside, it was a wacky time with wacky looks, loud guitars and lots of attitude. Its the perfect book version of Decline of Westwrn Civilization Part II. It's a train wreck and you can't look away.

Loved this book. Well done on bringing the decade back to life. I've been listening to 80s rock on Spotify since I started the book.

#netgalley #nothinbutagoodtime

With more information than any other rock and roll memoir I've seen before, this is a book sure to grab the attention of the boys in my class. However, I won't be adding it to our class shelves purely because of one thing -- the language. This book could be so much more without the excessive use of foul language. There are some great stories includes - such as the one where Gene Simmons was forming a band called Daddy Long Legs. Interviews come from bands all across the big hair genre, and there are very interesting sound bites included! If only the language was tampered....

Absolutely the best book written about the Hollywood Rock scene of the 80's. Fascinating and entertaining, I couldn't put it down! I loved this book! Such a magical time for fans of Hard Rock!!!

First let me start out by saying I love 80s metal so I was really looking forward to this book when I saw it available for review on NetGalley. It’s a really interesting read and now I’m spouting off facts and info. I rounded up my rating to 4 because it really gives a good accurate account of what was happening. The reason it’s not a 5 for me is because it’s really long and the flow isn’t terrific. It’s not awful but some chapters have multiple bands and I had to try and remember where I knew the name from (may be helpful to say the band each time).

All in all I enjoyed this book and would recommend to people that love the music.