Various Artists MONSTER BALLADS PLAT

Before Nirvana came along in the early 1990s and effectively vanquished pop-friendly metal, the bands on MONSTER BALLADS ruled the airwaves. While most of the acts on this compilation were very much at home playing glammed-out rock & roll, these leather-clad, bouffanted rockers all found that getting in touch with their sensitive sides could prove equally lucrative. Among the many guilty pleasures on the disc are Skid Row's dramatic "I Remember You," Whitesnake's wistful "Is This Love," Extreme's acoustic anthem "More Than Words," and, of course, Poison's pensive classic, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." Get ready to raise those lighters high.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Rock