By 1988,
Kix
had only managed to squeeze out three modest-selling records for
Atlantic Records
. Led in tandem by the endearing frontman
Steve Whiteman
and chief songwriter and bassist
Donnie Purnell
, for years,
would be unfairly categorized as a supposed "hair band." Worse still,
Whiteman
would later wake up to find his dancing-on-my-tippy-toes stage act (just think
Steven Tyler
meets
Johnny Thunders
on uppers) stolen and carbon copied for the masses by a host of other inferior frontmen including
Poison
's
Brett Michaels
. After playing the East Coast club circuit for ten-plus years (with little commercial success to show for it),
's own brand of infectious
AC/DC
power rock-meets-New York, black-hair-dye-glam would finally see its big payoff with the release of 1988's,
Blow My Fuse
. Produced by hard rock stalwart
Tom Werman
,
may have proved to be the band's biggest-selling record but not necessarily its best. Featuring ten solid songs, including the first single/video for the very
-sounding
"Cold Blood,"
the infectious
"She Dropped Me the Bomb,"
and the excellent title track
"Blow My Fuse,"
the album's big boon would manifest itself in the form of a monster-power ballad,
"Don't Close Your Eyes."
The track ultimately proved to be
's coming-out party and their graduation into the big leagues. Sadly, it would prove to be the band's sole bona fide career hit even though
"Cold Blood"
made a few tremors here and there. Almost overnight, the band was now travelling on luxury tour busses and effortlessly holding its own as an opening act in arenas across the United States. Embraced with open arms by
MTV
"Don't Close Your Eyes"
finally allowed
to open for the likes of
David Lee Roth
, heroes
, and
Aerosmith
, as well as other soon to be forgotten acts like
Ratt
and the horrific
Britny Fox
. After years of hardship, the band could breathe easy (if only for a brief 18 months or so). Just two years later, like many of their other so-called hair rock contemporaries,
would see their fortunes crushed with the advent of grunge. The band would solider on with the release of the more mature
Hot Wire
. ~ John Franck