This album contains live versions of some of Black 'N Blue's most popular hits, performed in Detroit. Black 'N Blue was formed in November, 1981 by high school friends Jamie St. James and Tommy Thayer in Portland, Oregon. The band chose the name Black 'N Blue based on their 'in-your-face' sound and denim and leather look. The band got their first break in 1982 when heavy metal fanzine editor Brian Slagel heard their song demo of "Chains Around Heaven" and subsequently added the track to his first edition of Metal Massacre - an independent compilation album that also introduced newcomers Metallica, Ratt, and Malice. Black 'N Blue moved to Los Angeles in 1983 making an immediate name for themselves in the Hollywood club scene. Within six months the band signed a worldwide recording contract with Geffen Records, releasing their self-titled debut album, Black 'N Blue, in August 1984. The Dieter Dierks-produced album included "Hold On to 18" which was released to radio and MTV and the album became a moderate success. A follow-up album, entitled Without Love, was released the following year. A track from this album, "Nature of the Beach" appeared in the film Vision Quest and also appeared as the B-side to the Madonna single "Gambler" from the same movie, although it was not included on the soundtrack LP. In 1986, Black 'N Blue gained the attention of Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, who would later take over as the band's producer for their next two albums. The band would go on to release two more albums under the Geffen label, Nasty Nasty in 1986 and In Heat in 1988, both of which saw them making a conscious effort to return to the original raw power that characterized the music on their debut. Songs such as "Nasty Nasty" and "Rock On" were minor hits for the band, but neither of the albums could recapture the Black 'N Blue sound of old, and this line up of the band parted ways in 1989. After several reunions and reissue releases in the interim, Black 'N Blue released the Hell Yeah! album with a new line up in 2011. The band remains active and continues to tour and play live shows.
