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ROSEVILLE/EASTPOINTE — This week’s Looking Back section rewinds to the hair band frenzy of the late 1980s. The era was loud with music fueled by shredding guitars, aggressive backbeats and singers belting out the high notes. The amps cranked to “11,” and the power ballads brought a sense of romance under teased hair and denim jackets.
During the height of hair metal, sometimes simply known as hard rock, Harmony House Records and Tapes held various in-store events in 1989 so that fans could meet their favorite bands.
On a spring day in May, the band Warrant did a meet and greet at the Macomb Mall store, located in Roseville. As their album, “Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich,” boomed over the record store’s loudspeakers, fans ventured where the “Down Boys” go to meet Warrant, get autographs and take photos with the band.
In September, music fanatics “Addicted to That Rush” headed over to mingle with Mr. Big at the Harmony House store in East Brooke Commons in Eastpointe, known as East Detroit then. Mr. Big’s debut album was highly anticipated because of the popularity of bassist Billy Sheehan, who recently had been a member of David Lee Roth’s solo band.
The rock ‘n’ roll vibe carried over in November when glam rockers Faster Pussycat stopped by the Macomb Mall Harmony House to sign albums and pose for pictures with their fans. The foursome was on tour to promote their second album “Wake Me When It’s Over,” which included the tracks “Poison Ivy” and “House of Pain.”
While in town, all three bands played shows at the Ritz in Roseville. The concert venue, which was later called the Palladium, closed in 1998. The hair band era lasted until the early 1990s and has experienced a resurgence over the years.
At one time, Harmony House Records and Tapes had about 40 record stores, primarily operating in Michigan. Local businessman Carl Thom opened his first Harmony House location in the 1940s in Hazel Park. According to legend, a coffee tin served as his first cash register.
