I remember when The LA bands started getting more press in the 80's. Bands like Faster Pussycat , Poison , Guns 'n' Roses , and already - old guard bands , like Motley Crue , all that stuff , people were calling it the second coming of The New York Dolls. I still can't get my mind around THAT one. Hanoi Rocks were the only band I could think of that really carried on in the spirit of The Dolls , while maintaining their own unique sound. They got lumped in with Heavy Metal , just because they had long hair and wore makeup. It's true , they were a band that was cool to reference during the LA 80's Metal Scene , but , I did'nt hear their influence in any of those acts , even though Michael Monroe and Sam Yaffa (Hanoi Rocks' Singer and Bassist.)were based in L.A. at the time (Yaffa joined the locally popular Jet Boy. Their record just scared me.). There may have been lesser known bands that "Got it" , but , when I went to L.A. in '87 , if you were'nt playing BUTT ROCK , you were'nt gigging. The Rockabilly and Garage scenes that city was known for were virtually nonexistent , and ,it only got worse in the ensuing years that I went there.
I mighjt have been able to dig some of that 80's Metal , wherever it was being played , if it had just been RAW....oh , YEAH , AND Heavy. Listen to Killer Kane and Blackie Lawless' band , Killer Kane , or the commercially unsuccessful Stooges/MC5 "Supergroup" , The New Order (Both bands were based in LA) . Even if it's too Metal for YOU , IT WAS RAW.
I neve really got into Motley Crue at all , but , their first album had that crust....but , only , because it was comprised of demos.
What was being called Glam or even Metal , generally was'nt.....Now there's a name for it , BUTT ROCK , thank you.