America 250 Rocktober Song #7: "Chains Around Heaven" by Black 'N Blue

For our second Hair Band Friday of this Rocktober celebrating American rock and roll, we're going to stay in the Pacific Northwest.  Glam metal rockers Black 'N Blue formed in Portland, Oregon in the early '80s before moving to L.A., as was the style at the time.

They first received attention when their song "Chains Around Heaven" -- the very song I have embedded below -- was included on the now-legendary original Metal Massacre compilation in 1982.  That compilation also featured then-unknown bands Metallica and Ratt, among others.  After moving to L.A., they were soon signed by Geffen, and they put out four records between 1984 and 1988, though none cracked the top 100 of the Billboard album chart.  Their third and fourth albums were produced by Gene Simmons.

The band broke up in 1989, but has gotten back together at various points and in various iterations over the decades.  In 2002, lead guitarist Tommy Thayer became a member of his old producer's band, KISS, playing the role of Spaceman ever since.

But back to the song.  "Chains Around Heaven" is a nice, hard-driving early '80s hard rock song with a catchy sing-along chorus -- a harbinger of what was to become of rock over the next decade.