Vintage Spotlight: L.A. Guns Part 2

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Find Part 1 Here

Yesterday we looked at the formation and early years of L.A. Guns. After releasing three studio albums and touring the Guns were a well known band. At this time the first member of the “classic” lineup was fired from the band. Drummer Steve Riley left the Guns after their European tour with Skid Row to support Hollywood Vampires. (Little piece of trivia from the Part 1 post)

After parting ways with Riley the other band members were relatively quiet for the next few years. Grunge was king at the time and many hair bands faded into obscurity. In 1995 the guys got back on track to make their fourth studio album Vicious Circle with Michael Gersema on drums.The album did not do well and the tour to support it included replacing Gersema with the previous drummer Steve Riley.

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This period of time was tumultuous and the band, as fans knew it, was soon to become a thing of the past. Mick Cripps and Phil Lewis left the band. A replacement singer and rhythm guitarist were added and although the guys had already begun working on their newest album they were dropped from their label.

Kelly Nickels left the band and making for a four piece lineup that contained only Tracii Guns and Steve Riley as original members. The sound of this version of L.A. Guns was much different as evidenced on their 1996 album American Hardcore. The Panetera influenced, heavier, album failed to chart.  

There were a few more lineup changes including adding former Love/Hate frontman Jizzy Pearl to man the mic. This version of L.A. Guns released an album in 1999 called Shrinking Violet. They also went on tour with Poison. But the touring group was not the one that had made the album.

​Yes, another lineup change that included Guns and Riley reuniting with Phil Lewis, Mick Cripps and Kelly Nickels taking the classic lineup on the road!  What a way to kick off the new millennium! ​

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Just before kicking off a summer tour in 2000 Mick Cripps and Kelly Nickels both left the group. They were replaced by Brent Muscat of Faster Pussycat and a bassist named Muddy.

Their next album release in 2001,  Man in the Moon reintroduced Cripps and waved Buh-bye to Muscat. Again, more lineup chances, Muddy left, Keff Ratcliffe from Pretty Boy Floyd joined, Adam Hamilton Joined, Ratcliffe and Cripps left. This is where it gets really confusing. There was a side project that ended up being called Brides of Destruction with Nikki Sixx, John Corabi and other members while L.A. Guns was still happening as well. 

L.A. Guns released Waking the Dead in 2002 then hit the road on the Rock Fest tour with Warrant, Ratt, Dokken and Firehouse. The guys pulled out of a tour with Alice Cooper later in the year amidst some controversy. The remaining members claimed that Tracii Guns left to concentrate on Brides of Destruction and he claimed he never left the band. 

We’ll stop there for today, I know it’s a confusing whirlwind of lineup changes but the thing that remains is that despite the upheaval L.A. Guns has always put out great music, even albums that were different from their usual style had some amazing songs. 

Be sure to check out Part 1 of our Vintage Spotlight on L.A. Guns and come back on Thursdsay for Part 3.  ​