by Justin Bartz

Created on: May 02, 2010

For every band that succeeds in the music industry, there are hundreds (if not thousands) more that never came close to that level of success, fame and fortune. They're destined to be lost and forgotten in the annals of rock n' roll history. But so what. It happens. Everybody has a favorite band (or ten) that should be more popular than they are. The good thing is that in today's digital and online world, it's much easier to re-discover those forgotten gems that may have passed us by the first time, often by bands with less talent who got that big break at the right time and rode it as long as they could. My first "hidden gem" is Wildside's 1992 release on Capitol Records: Under the Influence.

When searching for information on the rock band Wildside, you'll that there are two artists with this name (along with countless cover bands likely inspired by the Motley Crue song of the same name), an American rock band (this one) and an Italian Eurodance band from the 1990's. Sadly, if one was to judge popularity by the most popular songs on iTunes, the Eurodance band would come out on top. However, they most certainly do not rock, and they never released one of the most underrated albums of the era.

Formed in L.A., Wildside consisted of Drew Hannah (vocals), Brent Woods (guitar), Benny Rhynedance (guitar), Marc Simon (bass) and Jimmy D. (drums). They came onto the scene late in the game when the era was dying down and the energetic melodic metal on their debut album was slowly becoming a thing of the past while the grunge era was ushered in.

Originally known as Young Gunns, a bidding war would form between Capitol Records and Polygram in the summer of 1990. By August, Capitol would win the bid with a seven figure and five album deal (which was a lot more in 1990 than it is today!), making Wildside the biggest signing of a Hollywood rock band since WASP in 1984. The band was destined to succeed and was finally getting well-deserved attention.

Throughout 1991, Wildside recorded their debut CD at Eddie Van Halen's personal home studio and at A&M Studios in Hollywood. With the prolific Andy Johns (who engineered or produced records by Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Rod Stewart, and many others) at the helm, and with Steve Thompson and Michael Barbierio mixing the CD to near perfection, Capitol Records had the newest "sure thing" to market to rock fans everywhere. Wildside was going to be huge!

Unfortunately, with a release date of May 1992, a little band

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