BulletBoys: The Volatile History of the Band Behind Smooth Up In Ya/For The Love of Money
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- the history of the band BulletBoys who were best known for the songs Smooth Up Inn Ya and the O'Jay's song For the Love of Money
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#bulletboys
I cite my sources and they may differ than other people's accounts, so I don't guarantee the actual accuracy of my videos.
Bulletboys emerged from Los Angeles, California as part of the last wave of hair metal, which occurred in the late 1980’s to early 90’s. Although they’d show promise during this time, their success would be brief, while continued bad blood and an ill-fated reunion would cause the original lineup to implode. Today, let’s explore the history of Bulletboys.
In 1987, Bulletboys would materialize when several members of the band King Kobra, a splinter outfit of drummer Carmine Apeace, opted for a fresh start. Mick Sweda, who’d put together Bulletboys as their lead guitarist, discussed the state of King Kobra at the time, telling the publication Full In Bloom,
“The band was kind of in trouble and trying to keep its head above the water, and Carmine was willing to do anything to secure some kind of deal and keep it going. He ended up getting in touch with Gene …and we ended up recording some songs that he and Paul had written.”
“At the time, he was planning on signing us to Simmons Records, nothing really came of that, so I’d form the band shortly after that.”
Alongside Sweda came frontman Marq Torien, second guitarist David Michael-Phillips, and bassist Lonnie Vencent. David would be the first to leave this new configuration. Meanwhile, the three members proceeded to play several shows with a temporary drummer, but the group would keep Torien’s long-time friend Jimmy D’Anda in mind, after he impressed them during a rendition of the song Misty Mountain Hop by Led Zeppelin. Once the drummer’s seat was vacant again, Torien encouraged D’Anda to audition. Initially, D’Anda would express having reservations, as he was committed to his own band Nasty Habit, telling Vinyl Writer Music:
“Honestly, I didn’t wanna, because I thought I had [something]. [My idea] ended up being what Rage Against the Machine was. “
“When I listened to [their first album], I was like, “Holy shit! This is kinda what I had!” You know, big guitar, but a guy who raps and has a scream. I was like, “Oh my God.” But of course, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one that thought of putting that peanut butter and jelly together. That’s why I hesitated to join BulletBoys because I thought I had a really good idea.”
But after D’Anda’s hesitance caused bassist Lonnie Vencent to storm out of the room, the band’s manager, Dave Kaplan, ultimately convinced him to join, with D’Anda recalling,
“I remember I walked outside. The manager had already talked to Lonnie, and then he pulled me aside and said, “Jimmy, can I talk to you for a few minutes?” I said, “Sure.” And after we talked, he goes, “How would you like to have free drums and free cymbals?” I go, “I would love that.” He said, “Join the band, you’ll get ‘em.” And I go, “I’m in.” That’s how simple I was,” he’d say.
As fate would have it, D’Anda would be the right fit for the Bulletboys, since they’d play only about a handful of shows before commanding the attention of major labels. But they’d be especially lucky, considering that most of their energy went toward rehearsing and songwriting rather than playing gigs. The band eventually settled on Warner Brothers, and were signed to the label in 1988 by Ted Templeman, who’d also step in as their producer. Guitarist Mick Sweda would recall the experience of when they got signed, while also elaborating on their circumstances, saying,
“I remember our manager bringing out the advance check, looking at it, taking pictures with it and everything.”
“You have to understand that when we started this band, none of us had jobs; we didn’t have any money coming in. In fact, I was driving, picking up Lonnie in my old 65 mustang and maxing out a gas card that I had no idea how I was gonna pay off. We’d just…spend 6, 8, 10 hours a day rehearsing and writing songs.”
Sweda would go on to mention that despite their advance being six figures, each member couldn’t really afford to spend any money outside of the band, adding,
“At that point, I had enough to buy a little Nissan pickup truck, but you have to [stash] a lot of that money away just to keep things going. We were given pretty meager salaries, and it wasn’t a ‘go-out-and by-your-mom-a-house’ kind of moment,”
The same year, Bulletboys headed to One To - Hudba
I clicked immediately. I love Bullet Boys. Marq's voice is fantastic. Smooth Up is one of my hard rock all time favorites. 🤩🤩🤩
An Kermit the frog sounds better then he 😊😊😊😊😊
@@thumperthummper9030 Go watch your cartoons then.
Unless you can do better can it Nobody likes a trash talker of others.
He sucked
And looked like a little girl
The music was lame
Loved the Bullet Boys, especially when the original lineup was firing on all cylinders. First saw them on the Cinderella, Winger, and Bullet Boys tour. That was an amazing triple bill rock show.
Wow. U must b 50. 😅😅😅
The bullit bugs wasn't that gr8
@@thumperthummper9030Dude you cant even spell out a word. They rocked hard back then and yeah most of us are about 50ish now. Yourself?
And they really played their instruments! No dj, no sampling, no computers or cell phones. Just plug and play rock and roll. Nevermind the troll on here, I half expect a boomer comment lol. Imagine this younger generation looking back… lol nothing of substance to see.
@thumperthummper9030 you must be 12
Well, that's certainly an interesting story. 😄 Thank you for filling us in on literally the last 33 years of BulletBoys' history, lol. I heard that Marq Torien was pretty-much a train-wreck to deal with, and your comprehensive, detailed video certainly proves that. He was an incredible screamer but it's no surprise that he lost that fairly early on. I mean, he *REALLY* screamed like no other. Sounded great, but a voice like that can't last. "Smooth Up In Ya" is such a great song, easily one of the Top 10 late-80s Metal tracks, and their cover of The O'Jays' classic "For The Love of Money" was 🔥 and nearly as great as the original, although being VERY different. The BulletBoys really made that song their own. Too bad they just didn't have the staying power to be a successful band.
I got to play with Jimmy Deanda in a Thin Lizzy tribute band in the early to mid 2000's and he was such an amazing drummer and overall really cool dude.
When I first heard the debut album I thought, This is Van Halen 2.0. It kicked so much ass. Then never to be.
As a teen I saw them in concert. The loudest band I have ever seen live.
Badass🔥
Parents would smash every record I took home back then....going to a concert never happened
Say what you will about Bulletßoys, those first two albums are Great! Mick Sweda is an awesome guitarist. I still play them regularly.
God I hate that label "Hair metal" donned from corporate scumbags.
Agree, incredible talent. Wore all my tapes out back in the day with greats like these guys.
Was so sad when rock in general disappeared from the air waves. Good memories, great times.
I like bullet boys I got their first album on CD 💿 .😀👍🤘🎸
I’ve only ever heard of these guys through ads in my dad’s comics.
🪰
Loved them dudes! Especially the self titled debut...🔥
Always been a fan. The current lineup is awesome.
Saw them twice back in the day. Great show
I've been waiting for this one!! SMOOTH UP IN YA!!
I've always liked these guys 👍.
I saw them with Winger and Cinderella...great time!... we missed most of Winger... Bullet Boys were good.. Cinderella blew out my eardrums(course I was standing next to their amps at the front)- loudest concert I've heard at 18 years old... worth the hearing loss!- 😁
They rocked! Smooth up in ya was just such a great song! And to tell you the truth, ZaZa is a really good album. I listen to it all the time, one of my top ten for sure. The depth these guys have just gets passed on buy dj's, it's a shame!
Familiar story. It was about impossible to get signed as a metal band back in the same time.
Crazy competition and metal was on its way out. Got lucky myself due to our drummers connection but it was short lived.
Drugs...OD death and egos, done before it got started lol
Love the tune talk to your daughter, simple yet done so right
The song title "Smooth Up In Ya" always makes me chuckle.
Definitely an 80s phrase. Played a ton at strip clubs haha
Nowhere near as classy as "W.A.P." from 2023, right?😂
Pretty obscure band from the tail end of the glam/hair metal era. If only these bands knew about the grunge train about to run them over. They did make a little splash and interesting to know what happened.
Kind of a one album wonder.
Yep tail end, same time I got signed, we went nowhere quick
The grunge era sucked big time! Rock was dead far as I was concerned. COuldnt get into that dark depressing poor me crap.
THanks for killing metal reagan Look at the garbage being played over the airwaves today its a joke
Grunge sucks. Metal music was about good times and that's what music was about. There's enough depression in this world.
Not enough space here to list all the grunge one-hit "wonders"...
Every era comes to an end. Did people really think hair metal was going to be popular forever? By 1990 it was on its last legs and the bands were getting stale and boring. It needed to be put out of its misery.
I was sooo excited about the reunion in 2019!! And then super bummed it collapsed shortly after that... I still love that band after all these 40 something years!! The 1st 2 albums, that is...
Loved the song smooth up in ya. Great guitar too. I was a budding guitar player in 80s and was in a band. I knew a couple of guys in other bands that released albums and toured. I remember talking to them and they both said they hated it after awhile. They both said pretty much the same thing. It was fun for the 1st few months and then it got old quick. They were both broke all the time and contracted STDs. I think at times they were so broke they had to sleep in their van. My band never toured. Probably because we sucked.
In truth. They suck. ..your band is probably better then them.
You your band probably had more heart. They had nothing
Not even music if u want to call it that. Today. They really not that gr8 they granpas not originals 😊😊😊
Thank you for this. I'm hoping Marq will release more than of their concert video.
Saw them in 1989 open for Winger, Cinderella and Bon Jovi. Great show. Full stadium. Front row.
I think all those bands are far superior. lol
Well, yeah. That's why they were the openers...
Love all their stuff 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
He was great at M3 Festival. They were also great when they played at the Cellblock in Bensalem,Pa great Show 🤘🏽❤️😊
They were second wave. The last wave was bands like Steelheart, Roxy Blue, Mr Big, White Trash, and Firehouse. Bulletboys were part of the wave that followed in the wake of the original hair bands. The wave that produced Skid Row, Winger, Stryper, and Tesla.
Good point, especially about the 3rd wave.
@@clovers-zi5fe I think the second wave started following the release of Metal Health by Quiet Riot. From 84 to 90. That was the peak period. Bulletboys were at the tail end of the second wave
They were 2nd wave, you are right. First wave was Glam Metal, which evolved into Sleaze Rock/Metal ( La Guns, GnR) and Pop-Metal ( Commercial Hard Rock). Bulletboys is one of those late 80smcommercial Hard Rock bands. The 3rd and last wave is: Firehouse, Love/Hate, Steelheart, Wildside etc
Btw, Tesla has a classic Hard Rock style, they don't belong to any Glam wave imho
@@LuchaLibertaria you are correct, however they get lumped into that because they toured with those bands and came from the same time and place
I remember their cover of Rock Candy from the Wayne's World soundtrack album. I had it on cassette when I was an 8 year old little girl. 👧🏻🤘🏻
A 8yr old. Listening to that.
Sad. ...
Way better bands then they lol..
At age 8 I was learning music I play a few instruments percussionist..an other. My hair is thicker then them. An longer lol..I'm 33. Lol
@@thumperthummper9030 You sound like youre 13 nobody cares what you did anyways.
They do killer cover songs, Rock Candy was outstanding .Hard to top the original but they did.
Wow great band and story🎸🎶
Bullet Boys Rocked!
Simple fun music that rocked all night. Era gone forever
Even as a young metal fan, I do like BulletBoys. They were the first band I've ever heard use the lyrics "1, 2, f-ck you" in their song "Hell On My Heels", so that's enough to earn my respect.
Really?
How many other songs have you heard with the lyric "1,2, f*ck you"? 🤔😄
@@lordpaul0420 I don't and have never listened to music dumb enough to have such lyrics. When we were little kids we sang nursery rhymes with lyrics like, "1, 2, buckle my shoe. 3, 4, knock at the door. Five, six, pick up sticks", but we grew out of those during early elementary school.
@@lordpaul0420
•BulletBoys - Hell On My Heels
•Psychostick - Cockblock
•Some band I saw in a "band fails" compilation.
@@riproar11 I personally like dumb music under the notion that it's not annoying.
Although I’m a huge fan of Freakshow, The BulletBoys are one of the very few bands getting better with age and killing it with their best new lineup yet.. ❤🎸😎👍🏻
The bus driver for the Bullet Boys hid a big gun they didn't know about. Oh the irony.
Awesome 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
THC Groove!!! ……TEA TIME ! 😎
Say your prayers!!!! And
Laughing with the dead
Turn it up and fucking rock!!!
Seen them with Quite Riot They Really Tanked on that concert!
Great songs with too much drama
They were a great band with lots of potential, too bad egos got in the way
Nice informative video. Obviously you put a lot of effort & research in making this.
The thing I wanna add: Bulletboys belongs to the 2nd wave of Glam Metal (1986-89). The last wave would be 1990-92. Describing them as Glam or commercial Hard Rock is more accurate. Anyway thnx for the video!🍻🍻👍👍
SMOOTH UP IN YA!!
They ROCKED lex, ky back in the day and I still got the shirt, "What did I say?!" T-shirt to prove it!
Bullet Boys Use To Kick Ass And Take Names.....💪...🤟
The solo in Smooth up, my GOD!
Great video.
ZaZa!! When pigs fly ! Cross tops.bunch of great tunes
Igot this cd cause I liked Bullet Boys. This put me off of them!
I use to be roommates with Lonnie in 2006. We had some good times together!
Marq was lead guitarist in the band Kagny and the Dirty Rats,who put out an lp on Motown pre Bulletboys. If you can find it its a pretty good lp. There I've done a little work for this channel.
Haha thanks
Mexican DLR with his producer and ego…. what could go wrong?🤷🏼♂️
Egos....biggest problem with bands at least then. Our group got chit canned shortly after signing due to the same.
FIrst contract they are gonna say what gets changed how etc, guys just couldnt roll with it. Thankfully I had a day job still.
Johnny G' was their best drummer.. Rest Easy G'. Best of Luck Bullet Boys..
First 2 albums are gems
Great tight band! I just couldn't take all the Air Humping!!
A friend of mine toured with them one time and had to share a bus with BB and Marq was a total piece of work. My friend ultimately had to sue them.... now I can't think of this band without getting tge "ick" when I think of Marq....
Weird that I just bid on a vinyl copy of their debut album about an hour before this video dropped. Hmmm….
Dude allsome
You forgot Marc Torien sang on the Rocky IV soundtrack with the band Touch. The song was The Sweetest Victory.
Marq's voice is UNIQUE, Lonnie had one of the best head of hair 😅
I liked the interesting images/art on the first album.
Ya. His voice is lame. I can out vocal granpa. My hair is thicker then they longer lol...I'm 33 lol..
At age 10 took a interest in music. An a few instrument percussion..an sorts. Lol..I can possibly out play them.
...granpas. lol
dude what do you think about a vid about Wrathchild America / Souls at Zero? I worked two shows that they played and they were awesome man. Cheers dude!
That first SAZ album smoked
❤❤
Would really like to see Jimmy D'Anda get in a solid band. I hope either him or Zoltan Cheney are with Lynch Mopb when I see them.
SMOOOTH UP IN YAAA!!!
KNAC
Always viewed these guys as just a one-hit wonder.
Barely that.
Two hit wonder
Back then yes but they had a number of good hits, they just came in as that type of music was being phased out.
I remember this band. However, I don't remember any of their songs.
Memory loss... same here had too much fun in those days...til it wasnt fun anymore
Love the Bullet Boys....... FUCKIN ROCK.......❤️💪💯🇺🇸💯🇺🇸💪❤️....... NO QUARTER ASKED, NONE GIVEN...
What about drummer Joaquin Revuelta? I didn’t catch him being mentioned here.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of these guys. Not a huge fan of hair metal, but 🤷♂️
Love Smooth up in ya, but when they were on MTV I remember the name was changed to Smooth Opinion. Its been 35 years so maybe Im misremembering but its wasnt Up in YA
That was the dawn of the pc hurt feelings culture its only gotten worse since then.
That period of time late 70s-80s rock was incredible..and pretty much vanished.
Love The BulletBoys! Too bad that they didn't make it as big as they could, or should, have.
Came out too late thats all, metal era was being canned by gov and the media. God forbid songs were about getting out, having fun partying or getting laid. Oooh so bad!
Cinderella, at peak form, selling $17 tickets...
That stabbing occured in Peoria, Illinois.
Weird band. I've heard a few contradictory stories about them getting together and the first album. 'For the Love of Money' does nothing for me, but 'Smooth Up In Ya' and 'Hard as a Rock' kick arse. The production on their debut is right up my street (similar to Vain's 'No Respect'), nice and raw. Oh, and 'Za-Za' is better than you might think.
Hang on St Christopher has some hook to it also. Lots of good hits so to speak just came late in the game.
Had a guy working for me (had pool routes) back then he looked exactly like this guy....or David Lee Roth
Nice guy good worker, dumb as a bag of hammers but the ladies loved him .lol
They’re inherently legendary just for having a song called “Smooth Up in Ya.”😂
That's the only song.
An its just barlie a hit.
It was pushed. 😊😊😊
@@thumperthummper9030 Yeah, I’m not a fan of it.
Their ep LICKING THE DANISH is quite good. And Smooth Up is a banger.
🪰
I liked Acid Monkey
Marq Torien had great stage presence.
Do one on the time that megadeth guess star on a episode of the cartoon show Duck Dodgers. 😀👍🤘🎸
The giant spaceship shaped like a saxophone, orbiting Earth while piping out lite jazz was hilarious.!
@@riproar11 yes it was very funny. 🤣👍
Marq is a stand up guy. I net him in a gas station I worked at and he invited me to a bar room show he was doing with members of Cinderella.
One thing that would've been good to mention was how they were dropped by M.T.V.
After the release of Freakshow, the band had made an appearance on the network when Marq Torien got into a fight with a crew member backstage. After that, MTV stopped supporting them, and that was a factor for why the Freakshow album tanked.
Never heard that before, any details on what, why?
I don't know anything on how it started. Just that the two of them had a fight.
Dude The Original Bullet Boys Lineup Kicks Ass and Takes Names....✌️
What a shame. A bus stabbing is so metal!
Bullet Boys couldn't touch King Kobra. That's where Smooth up came from, King Kobra.
They did a killer cover of montrose’s Rock Candy on the Wayne’s world soundtrack
😂 Smooth up in ya indeed lol 😅
As long as marq is fronting go watch ANY lineup… all killer no filler 💯
honestly have not heard any other song they did beside smooth up in ya. and even then, that was the perfect time to go take a piss.
Are you normally dishonest that you feel the need to announce when you are being honest?
Just like a lot of bands, they are more than that.
@@lorddrac_dontaskmetodance was just odd to see them on HBB. they seemed like much more of a band whose videos would play throughout the day rather that get mixed in with the heavier stuff. they just werent my thing.
These guys along with the likes of Bang Tango, Britney Fox, and Trixter were really the bottom of the barrel of the hair metal era.
@@DT-wy1wp hahahahaha
I always hoped Eddie Van Halen would ask Marq to join Van Halen, he had that DLR look, but a hell of a better voice.
But just as much of a headache
Marq also hoped that EVH would call him and give him the VH gig.
My old band opened for The Bullet Boys at a festival in 2019. Never got to meet them but their driver sent their associate to get weed from my bass player 😂 🤘🏻
What was your band name?
5:18 "Smooth Up IN Ya" not "Smooth UPPIN Ya" 🙂
Was gonna say that..Makes me think he's never even heard it.
Goes to Detroit. Gets stabbed, by someone you brought to Detroit.
A lot of these bands had the misfortune to come at a time when music and culture totally changed.
Accurate statement, I think the period with the biggest changes in decades going on. Stopped being fun.
Indeed. I grew out of it and I got into AIC, KORN, and other bands of that genre, hair metal just looked silly by then.
⁷
Sorry but, “Smooth Up In Ya”?… hat have missed that one.
Doads
"Bullet Boys released their first album to critical acclaim."
Critical acclaim? i don't think that's accurate.
Kerrang gave it 4.5/5.
It's the 1980s..any act on a major label gets reviewed. Most of their reviews upon release were positive.
They WERE a great bluesy/hard rock band for their time. Better than most of the era.
Marc probably felt like Bullet Boys was his project since he'd already signed to Jive records before joining the group hence his insistence on control of the band. 🤷
I don't care what anybody says Marq Torien has the best voice in metal
*had- that set of pipes didn't last. He can still definitely sing but not at the level of that first album and tour.
Oh no! Drugs, drama and mediocre talent destroyed a band! Say it ain't so!
Oh no! Ignorance, arrogance and clearly no judge of talent in another mediocre comment, imagine that! I'm not even a Bullet boys fan but where's your album pal? Let's hear about your talents or is your only talent when others run "smooth up in ya" (couldn't help myself)
@@robsim4692 Lol you went full throttle on your reaction to my sarcastic comment. Why?
@@robsim4692 wheres yours for demanding a person with a critique show theirs?
@@nwerd7584 where's my what exactly, Mr. Rocket scientist? Where's my album or where's my degree? I can actually provide both along with something else you would without question love! We could listen to my album while I stared at my degree and you gobble it up!
@@robsim4692 how about you let people share their opinions and go back to not reading them.
I understood the glam metal look but the singer just looked too much like a chick.
Was there an actual *reason* for this video? This band wasn't even a one-hit wonder.
several people requested this. If you don't like it, don't watch. You get these videos for free.
I mean if you want some episodes request them man.
Rock and roll guy is a bit sensitive for a CZcams creator. Buck up lil' camper.
@@rnrtruestories Thank you! Some of us like these bands, even if they didn't have chart success. Chart success is nice, but if you're dependent on chart success to deem bands worthy of your listening time, then I feel sorry for you!
Oh god so you must love Madonna and Poison and U2 then huh? 🤣🤣
I remember being like 12 years old and being put off by how dumb the whole thing was. The band name, the song, everything. It has to be pretty bad for a dim witted 12 year old to notice.