Rachel Bolan has no idea what makes Skid Row’s first two albums so timeless

Rachel Bolan has no idea what makes Skid Row’s first two albums so timeless

Skid Row bassist Rachel Bolan was recently interviewed by Andrew Daly for Vinyl Writer Music. Bolan was promoting Skid Row‘s upcoming new studio album The Gang’s All Here, which will be released via earMusic on October 14, 2022.

Daly noted that Skid Row‘s vintage sound is present throughout The Gang’s All Here. On whether this was a conscious decision, Bolan indicated (with slight edits): “Honestly, it wasn’t. We couldn’t even if we wanted to. It was so long ago for us that we can’t go back and say, “You know, let’s write another, “I Remember You.’” We can’t do that, and we don’t do that. We write the way we write, and if we like it, then we have a good feeling that our fans will like it too. [Producer] Nick [Raskulinecz], again, he made us Skid Row again. He brought this back out of us because he was a fan before he was a producer. We all have that album that changed our lives when we were young, and I think our early albums were that way for Nick.”

On whether there was one album that did it for him, Bolan revealed: “There were a couple for me, but one stands out: KISS’ Rock and Roll Over. Time froze the first time I heard that album from start to finish. I still remember the very first time I listened to that record. I remember exactly where I was, exactly what I was doing, what my room looked like at the time, and what the weather was like outside. I don’t have that with Skid Row because I’m in Skid Row, but Nick has that with our first album. So, it’s easier for him to retrace our roots than for us to retrace our roots, if that makes any sense. So, we don’t intentionally go back and say, “Okay, let’s do something like we did on the first two records.” If it happens, it was a natural progression and probably something Nick pulled out of us.”

Daly asked Bolan what is it about Skid Row‘s first two albums — Skid Row (1989) and Slave To The Grind (1991) — that make them so timeless to which Bolan replied: “Man, I wish I knew. I wish I knew because I would bottle it and drink it every single morning. [Laughs]. Sure, I could tell you the records that did it for me, but with my own records, I have no idea. I’m glad it happened. I’m glad they’re important albums to people. But I don’t know; I don’t know what it was. Maybe it’s the attitude; like I said, it’s that mental photograph that stays in people’s heads like KISS did for me. I think that over time there will always be a sort of energy that comes out of that music, and these memories will always be there for people when they think of those two albums.”

You can read the rest of the interview with Rachel Bolan at Vinyl Writer Music‘s website.

Skid Row‘s “I Remember You” video (from Skid Row album):

Skid Row‘s”Monkey Business” video (from Slave To The Grind album):

Skid Row‘s “Tear It Down” video (from upcoming The Gang’s All Here video):