Because Pop Rocks

February 15, 2010 4:05 PM

In 1989, Hollywood heavy metal band Rock Sugar was stranded on a desert island. For the last twenty years, the only music they had to listen to was the 80's pop CD collection of a 13 year old girl. And now, Rock Sugar has come home.

Left to their own extremely questionable survival skills, Rock Sugar managed to salvage several items from the sunken yacht. In addition to their instruments, they retrieved a hot pink battery powered boom box covered with stickers of Hello Kitty, a crate of batteries, 158 cases of schnapps and numerous articles of teenage girls clothing, most of which the band admit to trying on and several pieces of which apparently fit and looked “pretty frickin’ awesome."

While you may be able to at last take the metal band off the deserted island, apparently you can’t take 20 years of exposure to 80’s pop out of the metal band. Prepare to have the line between pop and metal blown to smithereens and pour yourself a shot of Rock Sugar.

Because Pop Rocks.

posted by netbros (46 comments total)

\;;/(*..*)\;;/
posted by fairmettle at 4:11 PM on February 15, 2010 [2 favorites]

I am getting so tired of preciousness.
posted by Pope Guilty at 4:24 PM on February 15, 2010 [3 favorites]

My mind is slightly blown to learn the lead singer is Jess Harnell, voice of Wakko Warner on Animaniacs. Who would of thought he can sing like Bruce Dickinson? Rock out with bologna in your slacks!
posted by skullhead at 4:25 PM on February 15, 2010 [3 favorites]

A lot of professional voice actors can do ridiculous amounts of things with their voices. Frank Weller alone could probably voice several shows by himself.
posted by Pope Guilty at 4:27 PM on February 15, 2010

I found it hilarious, myself, and surprisingly listenable. Of course it helps that the musicians are all good at their craft, and they're obviously having tons of fun up on the stage.

Of course now I'm thinking that heavy metal must be the musical equivalent of vodka; you can mix it with pretty much anything.
posted by happyroach at 4:31 PM on February 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yeah-heaa-ah!
posted by bwg at 4:32 PM on February 15, 2010

they should do some animaniacs songs in a metal style
posted by nomisxid at 4:34 PM on February 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

I wish posts like these came with disclaimers for the highly gullible (me).
posted by a.steele at 4:40 PM on February 15, 2010 [2 favorites]

I just heard the new version of 'We Are The World' this morning. Do the members of Rock Sugar have directions to that desert island?
posted by spoobnooble at 4:51 PM on February 15, 2010 [3 favorites]

This is a stupider than average mashup band concept.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 4:52 PM on February 15, 2010

Shit, I think I'm going to have to buy this album.
posted by Decimask at 4:57 PM on February 15, 2010

One of the few acts I've seen in the past couple of years where I thought "Okay, gonna buy their CD" within the first 3-4 minutes.
posted by mrbill at 4:57 PM on February 15, 2010 [2 favorites]

Cite please.
posted by kylej at 5:13 PM on February 15, 2010

Reminds me of an album that came out maybe in the late '80s. The gimmick was that the band--can't remember the name--had been lost in Vietnam since the 1950s. After they got back to the U.S. they started playing new songs, but all in a '50s rockabilly style. I know they did "Jump" (maybe that was the one that sounded like Jerry Lee Lewis) but I can't remember what else. I do recall that it was a pretty funny album, though.
posted by Man-Thing at 5:26 PM on February 15, 2010

These guys might just have to compete with Lady Gaga for the tiny, tiny cockle of my heart devoted to musical fandom. I think only Major Lazer has won me over faster.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:34 PM on February 15, 2010

you can mix it with pretty much anything.

Witness Pink Steel and Steel Panther.

After they got back to the U.S. they started playing new songs, but all in a '50s rockabilly style.

That's Big Daddy.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:40 PM on February 15, 2010 [2 favorites]

I am reminded of Smash Up Derby, which I don't really know anything about.
posted by Western Infidels at 5:52 PM on February 15, 2010

"Shook me like a prayer" made me simply giddy, combining as it did two guilty pleasure songs that I somewhat ashamedly will belt out to my own piano accompaniment when I think no one's listening.

Squee!
posted by hincandenza at 5:55 PM on February 15, 2010

They went to a lot of trouble to promote some kind of boring mash-ups.
posted by cow at 5:57 PM on February 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

netbros' final link to The Story of how the band was shipwrecked is freaking hysterical.
posted by avoision at 5:58 PM on February 15, 2010

Horace Rumpole: Witness Steel Panther .

Y'know, a friend keeps telling me how awesome(ly cheesily authentically bad) Steel Panther is but I hadn't really ever given them a listen.

However, the lyrics of "Community Property" had me rolling...
posted by hincandenza at 6:00 PM on February 15, 2010

Jess Harnell is a total bohunk.
posted by zizzle at 6:02 PM on February 15, 2010

However, the lyrics of "Community Property" had me rolling...

I didn't realize until after I posted that that's the SFW version of the song. The real one substitutes "cock" for "dong", which I think is clearly the way it was meant to be heard.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:03 PM on February 15, 2010

been here, done this.
posted by Primofex at 6:09 PM on February 15, 2010

I hate myself for liking this as much as I do. I absolutely LOATHE myself for liking this as much as I do, though.
posted by deadmessenger at 6:12 PM on February 15, 2010

Are these mashups or recorded from scratch? Because that's one freakily realistic Steve Perry...
posted by Slothrup at 6:13 PM on February 15, 2010

This may not be to everymefite's liking but I sure am glad it was posted. You rock netbros!

Primofex: Beatallica is pretty cool as well.
posted by djeo at 6:42 PM on February 15, 2010

I didn't really get it until "Rock Me Like A Prayer". Yes.
posted by DU at 6:46 PM on February 15, 2010

A lot of professional voice actors can do ridiculous amounts of things with their voices.

You aren't kidding:

Jess Q. Harnell (born December 23, 1963) is an American voice actor, best known for voicing Wakko Warner on Animaniacs and Hunter on Road Rovers. Jess has been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos since 1997.

posted by DU at 6:48 PM on February 15, 2010

Okay, here's the thing. This should be right up my alley. I really, really dig covers in different styles. But these--or at least the ones I've listened to so far--aren't really out there. They don't do much to actually change the way the song works, the way it feels. Okay, maybe the guitars are a little heavier. Maybe the harmonies are a little shinier. But the songs still feel the same.

It's a shame that all I can think is, how long until I hear the opening riff of "Enter Sandman" from a shitty cover band, followed by "Don't Stop Believing?" I wouldn't be surprised if they lifted these arrangements from a bar band someplace, actually.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:23 PM on February 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

Are these mashups or recorded from scratch? Because that's one freakily realistic Steve Perry...

These aren't mashups. The singer does a good impression but he's not Steve Perry. If you can't tell naturally, compare the way he ends his longer phrases differently from Steve.

Also, the drummer is ignoring Lars' double bass stuff from Enter Sandman. There are other differences as well, but these were the most obvious to me.

Anyway, I simultaneously like this more than I thought I would and less than I wanted to.
posted by herodotus at 9:45 PM on February 15, 2010

This is a stupider than average mashup band concept.

I think you mis-spelled "awesomer".

Not as awesome as Hayseed Dixie's bluegrass covers of hard rock and metal standards, but certainly awesome.

\m/
posted by rodgerd at 11:50 PM on February 15, 2010

(Of course, if I want to listen to 1986 all over again, I can always get Wig Wam.)
posted by rodgerd at 11:57 PM on February 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

It's like Def Leppard did Molly Ringwald and they had an awesome baby.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 12:25 AM on February 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Talking of covers, I'm quite partial to Iron Horse's special brand of silliness. Here's Enter the Sandman, although their Modest Mouse and Shins covers are even better.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 12:43 AM on February 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Seconding the \m/. Darn it, netbros, now I'm going to have to buy the CD.

(Personally liking Heaven and Heaven and I Like Sugar a whole lot.)
posted by The Shiny Thing at 1:16 AM on February 16, 2010

Damn you Metafilter, why must you give me more bluegrass/metal awesomeness to buy when I'm broke?
posted by rodgerd at 1:46 AM on February 16, 2010

I Love Sugar On Me (I Love Rock n' Roll vs Pour Some Sugar On Me) was the only one I didn't like. No clever mixing here, no one song's lyrics over another's riff; just one, then the other, back and forth with a disjointed cut between them. Pity, it was the one I was looking forward to the most.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 2:45 AM on February 16, 2010

(OK, the end bit is good.)
posted by obiwanwasabi at 2:49 AM on February 16, 2010

I want to hate this. I really do. So why can't I stop smiling like an idiot and forwarding this to all my friends?
posted by slimepuppy at 3:53 AM on February 16, 2010

Thanks, le morte do bea arthur. Now you made me find a bluegrass Def Leppard tribute album.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 3:58 AM on February 16, 2010

Thanks, Mr. Rumpole. Them's the guys.
For some really great cover songs, I recommend Paul Anka's Rock Swings. I realize Pat Boone did something similar, but Anka's album has some truly excellent arrangements. It sounds great. I prefer his version of "Wonderwall" to the original Oasis (and I like Oasis). "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Jump" are excellent, too.
posted by Man-Thing at 4:28 AM on February 16, 2010

Can't say that I like all (or even most) of these, but We Will Kickstart Your Rhapsody (Motley Crue's "Kickstart Your Heart" crossed with a medley of Queen) was worthwhile.
posted by namewithoutwords at 6:35 AM on February 16, 2010

My absolute favorite cover / mash up band right now is BreadStyx.
posted by emhutchinson at 7:09 AM on February 16, 2010

I too wanted to dismiss this with a wave of my hand and scathing comment about how I didn't even like any of this music when I was in grade nine. But it is so fucking awesome. Damn my atrophying sense of taste.
posted by Keith Talent at 8:25 AM on February 16, 2010

Fuck, fuck, fuck this is great.
posted by filmgeek at 4:46 PM on February 17, 2010