We’re cracking open Hit Parader – March 1988: Def Leppard on top (Hysteria era), Guns N’ Roses changing the game, Dio’s Dream Evil, Whitesnake’s MTV reign, Mötley mayhem, Poison party, LA Guns, Black ’n Blue, Dokken centerfold, and all the glorious mail-order ads, spandex, and hairspray.

🎥 Shot in 4K — if you’re watching on TV, bump your settings so you can read the tiny print.

👇 Tell me in the comments:
• Did you own this issue?
• Favorite band/album here?
• Concert memories from ’87–’88?

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Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 Intro & why we’re bringing flip-throughs back
00:37 Weekly magazine series + Zoom invite (book a 15-min chat)
01:25 Hit Parader – March 1988: cover scan (Joe Elliott @DefLeppard)
02:03 “$2.50 then vs $20 now” + Robert’s Circus vs Hit Parader confession
02:27 Contents rundown: Def Leppard, Striper, Metallica, KISS, W.A.S.P., Rush, Poison, Bon Jovi, Megadeth, Aerosmith, Whitesnake, Guns N’ Roses, Dio, L.A. Guns, Yngwie
03:36 Columbia House/club ads nostalgia (tapes for a penny!)
05:08 Rapid-fire albums: Sabbath, Maiden, QR, Aerosmith, Ozzy, AC/DC, Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, GTR
06:02 Feature list: Joe Elliott cover story; Striper’s Michael & Robert Sweet (@StriperOfficial)
06:14 Savatage shout (cult-favorite discovery)
06:43 Robert’s Stryper take: love the concept/voice/marketing more than the tunes
07:53 Tommy Lee drum-solo as event (spinning/roller-coaster kit) @MotleyCrue
08:55 Gear geekery & corrections: Mick Brown = Tama (not Pearl) @Dokken
09:24 Tawny Kitaen / Whitesnake MTV era @Whitesnake
10:26 Les Paul Custom Light + the weight-on-shoulder life
11:02 Black ’n Blue love letter → Gene produces → Tommy Thayer path to KISS @KI SS
12:15 Warrant club show & Jamie St. James autograph moment
12:35 CALL-TO-ACTION: Book your 15-min Zoom (what I want to hear from you)
13:07 Rudy Sarzo sightings + Slaughter/Mark Slaughter threads @SlaughterVEVO
14:31 Guns N’ Roses (Appetite ≈ 10 months old): the vibe shift away from hairspray @GunsNRoses
16:24 Steve Vai Ibanez handle ads + Alcatrazz memory @SteveVaiHimself
16:52 Dio – Dream Evil era thoughts; Holy Diver/Last in Line ranking @OfficialRonnieJamesDio
18:16 Enigma Records pocket: Death Angel, etc. @DeathAngelOfficial
19:06 L.A. Guns: “Zep + Bon Jovi + Pistols” energy @LAGuns
19:12 Doug Marks/Hawk ad nostalgia
19:30 Mötley Crüe – Girls, Girls, Girls era; the legend and the headlines @MotleyCrue
21:20 Odd ads: skulls/daggers/leather—glorious ’80s ephemera
21:31 Mullets, recording-school flyer, DW5000 kick pedal
22:06 Rat pack of drummers: Ricky Rockett, Tommy Lee, Bobby Blotzer @Poison @RATT
22:42 Two-sided T-shirt snobbery (the teen logic checks out)
23:37 Roadrunner/Noise adverts (King Diamond, etc.) @KingDiamond
24:01 Video mail-order (Bon Jovi/Cinderella/KISS/Mötley)
24:55 Columbia House vs other clubs—fine print comedy
25:34 Megadeth – So Far, So Good… So What! + “Anarchy in the U.K.” lineage @Megadeth
26:56 Underground → mainstream pipeline (Sex Pistols → Big Four; Metallica stadiums) @Metallica
27:03 “Boomer strings” joke on Bon Jovi ad @BonJovi
27:22 Ace Frehley with Peter Criss highlight; Rock Hall solo debate banter @AceFrehleyOfficial @PeterCriss
28:26 Audiomover 15% off promo (digitize your tapes/films)
29:17 80s fashion catalog (studs/spikes/spandex)—post your photos in the Community tab!
30:05 Spandex mail-order & blank photo IDs (lol)
30:31 Letters page: “Mötley Crüe over?” + Robert’s album-rank hot take
31:39 “End of the Rainbow” import bins—microscopic fonts for teenage eyes
32:02 Hit Parader sweepstakes—“we should mail this in”
33:14 “Highest screams / fastest solos” ad—the maximalist breaking point before grunge
34:17 Twisted Sister: makeup, MTV dominance, Dee on Letterman @TwistedSisterNY
35:39 Rudy Sarzo in Whitesnake; Coverdale’s shift from blues-rock to MTV mainstream @Whitesnake
38:06 “Here I Go Again” re-cut history + Vandenberg/Vai
39:04 Metallica article—missing page heartbreak
39:35 Def Leppard cover story: Pyromania vs High ’n’ Dry love; Steve Clark, Phil Collen @DefLeppard
40:27 Dokken centerfold: Tooth & Nail worship; Lynch vs Don, later-years sightings @Dokken
41:46 Wrap + Part 2 teaser → Like/Comment/Subscribe/Zoom invite
Back with another **vintage magazine flip through**, diving into the cool world of **rock music** history! Get ready for a dose of **nostalgia** as we explore **old magazines** and uncover **80s rock** . Join in as we check out some **rare magazines**!