Faster Pussycat is a hard rock band that formed in the mid-80s and is often associated with the glam metal scene, belonging to the sleaze subgenre alongside bands such as Guns N' Roses, L.A. Guns, and Dangerous Toys. They're best known for their 1989 album 'Wake Me When It's Over', which has been certified as gold by the RIAA. The name "Faster Pussycat" was taken from the 1965 cult film "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!", which was was originally meant to title Tracii Guns' new band after leaving Guns N' Roses. However, after getting financial backing if he used the L.A. Guns name again, Tracii's friend Taime Downe took the name and formed Faster Pussycat in 1985 with lead guitarist Brent Muscat. Muscat has been the only member to perform on all Faster Pussycat releases besides Taime. The band released their self-titled debut in 1987, gaining some commercial success. The album reached the #97 slot on the Billboard 200 chart, and it has received praise from music critics such as Steve Huey of Allmusic, who praised it as "party-hearty" and "fun". The group's follow-up, named 'Wake Me When It's Over', came out in 1989, during the last years of glam metal's commercial viability. Still tapping into a big audience for their type of sleazy hard rock, they had a hit with the power ballad "House of Pain". 'Wake Me When It's Over' was even certified as gold by the RIAA. Yet, with the rise of grunge in the early 90s, Faster Pussycat's style of music fell out of favor, despite having little in common with several of the chart-topping glam bands at the time, such as Warrant and Slaughter. They released their third album, named 'Whipped!', to little success in 1992. Sensing the change in musical tastes, they disbanded and went on to various other projects, with frontman Taime Downe going onto form an industrial rock band called Newlydeads. In 2001, Taime released "Between the Valley of the Ultra Pussy" with some former members of Faster Pussycat under the moniker, which contained newer versions of older songs. The band has since reformed and has recorded a new album, "The Power and the Gloryhole," which was released in 2006. The band's style of music has shifted from the Aerosmith influenced rock to a more industrial one, much like Taime's Newlydeads.
