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Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II.
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September 21, 1987 - 2022: 35 years of: Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II.

The excellence of execution in sports entertainment.

After WrestleMania III, in front a world-record 93000+ ultra-hyped Detroit working-class crowd, the World Wrestling Federation would now bodyslam the music-business. The WWF already had collaborations with pop-queen Cyndi Lauper, but after 1985's The Wrestling Album LP, the rocknroll stakes were sky high.

The record blast-off with an AOR cut, Strike Force's "Girls In Cars". All the 80s clichés are there and they are all wonderful. Deep in the wrong neighborhood, the Doctor Of Styles: Slick, raps his strut on "Jive Soul Bro", while the cool, cocky and bad Honky Tonk Man revvs his pink Cadillac from HONKYWOOD thru downtown on the Sun Records-rhythmnblues "Honky Tonk Man". Elvis who ? ...let's shake, rattle & roll !

In the hardrock genre, Jimmy Hart's "Crank It Up" could have been a W.A.S.P. track, the rough hitting title-track "Piledriver" displays Koko B.Ware's strongest asset, his James Brown soulful voice, while the heavymetal thunder of Demolition, devastates everything above sea-level with their jack-hammering cut "Demolition". The LP closes with "If You Only Knew" ...a testosteroned "We Are The World"-type, where 20+ superstars claims to be the best of the beast, by pumping iron in a showing and pushing no count-out exhibition.

American heritage Rick Derringer handles all of the guitars, while creator Jim Johnston handles the writing. Derringer's iconic "Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo" gets revamped, courtesy of fan-favorite announcer Mean Gene Okerlund. Johnston would continue for decades with the WWF as creator of 80% of all of the wrestler's entrance theme-songs.

The VHS home-video counterpart is a collection of ...videoclips that embraces the MTV format. Released at the height of the decade's superflux, the WWF's corporation was not only ruling the squared-circle, but headbutting the pop-rock modus-operandi. They had no chance, no chance in hell !

Rocknroll, TV dinners, pay-per-views, V8 cars, mullets, Reaganomics, arcades and wrestling ...the summum of the 80s cool culture. The Federation would eventually release more yearly CDs as part of their elaborate product-catalog.

RIP Junkyard Dog (1952-1998)
RIP Davey Boy Smith (1962-2002)
RIP Miss Elizabeth (1960-2003)
RIP Sherri Martel (1958-2007)
RIP Randy Savage (1952-2011)
RIP Bobby Heenan (1944-2017)
RIP Dynamite Kid (1958-2018)
RIP Mean Gene Okerlund (1942-2019)
RIP Butch Reed (1954-2021)

*
Girls In Cars = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSHJc59jm6s
Piledriver = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFcMZRy4yNI
Honky Tonk Man = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlyM0drxwyk
Demolition = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S43yIrLHbZk
Jive Soul Bro = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypriog7h2OQ
Stand Back = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMFm73OiGqI
Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5mA1_YBufE
If You Only Knew = video
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3zgyy
Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJzdIm1fjqo&list=PLKfCbyMyyIb9cXGJJWdmmLmdXyem_gHbs
Piledriver: The Music Video = full VHS
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x203w4
Slammy Awards in 1987
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh-J9sRHhyg

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Jacques Rougeau