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Of all the hair metal bands that were struck down in the early 90s, it was Winger that suffered the greatest humiliation.

After a poster of frontman Kip Winger was seen pinned to a dartboard in the video for Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters, and a Winger T-shirt was worn by the wussy whipping boy Stewart in Beavis And Butt-head, there was no band in America as uncool as Winger. And yet, before their fall, their first two albums sold a million apiece, and Kip was a sex symbol to rival Jon Bon Jovi.

1988 debut Winger (⁶⁄₁₀) is all-American arena rock, comparable to Bon Jovi and Ratt, with one outstanding song in Headed For A Heartbreak, plus a dreadful version of Hendrix’s Purple Haze.

1990’s In The Heart Of The Young (⁶⁄₁₀) is more of the same, with a brilliant Def Leppard knock-off, Can’t Get Enuff, and a classic power ballad, Miles Away. Winger weren’t so bad after all./o:p

Freelance writer for Classic Rock since 2005, Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis. He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss, and currently works as content editor for Total Guitar. He lives in Bath - of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Roman of you!”