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Post by jaxxalude on Feb 28, 2007 18:32:16 GMT -5
Yep, all of a sudden I'm in an AOR mood. For some reason, all I want lately are some fist-pumping, arena-ready hooks and choruses! Still, forget Journey, Boston, Styx and all the obvious ones. See if you can remember some of the forgottens, could-have-beens or never-weres. |
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Post by mst3k on Feb 28, 2007 19:49:44 GMT -5
"I'll See You In My Dreams" is one of my favorite songs from 1990. |
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Post by Chato on Mar 1, 2007 7:12:47 GMT -5
Prism! Don't Let Him Know is one of my favorite AOR songs ever.
Pretty much any post-1992 AOR band somehow got lost in the shuffle although I think many of them would have suited the AC format pretty well.
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Post by irock on Mar 1, 2007 10:12:47 GMT -5
"I'll See You In My Dreams" is one of my favorite songs from 1990. Ditto. I'm trying to remember a particular forgotten act from the '90s, one that I myself have forgotten. I remember a song, but neither its lyrics nor artist. Hmph! Oh, and another one: Kingdom Come. They had a big hit that sounded an awful lot like it could have been by Led Zeppelin: Get It On. I remember Crown of Thorns but they weren't a big favorite. Drawing a blank on HOL, though. Since I grew up in the 70s and was a young adult in the 80s, I best remember the forgotten acts from that era. A few that come to mind: Stillwater - had one of the best of the so-called "talk-box" songs, performed live and titled Mindbender. This track met or surpassed the more popular entries in this catagory, like Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain Way or Peter Frampton's Do You Feel Like We Do? It's well worth seeking out if you like this type music and ever visit a second-hand vinyl record shop. Quicksilver Messenger Service - some stuff is unlistenable, but there's a also a good collection of interesting and diverse songs including one of the finest love ballads I've ever heard: the mid-70s' Don't Cry, My Lady Love. Black Oak Arkansas - almost anyone my age would remember them, but I don't know anyone much younger who does. They used to appear on Don Kirschner's Rock Concerts a lot. Known for uptempo southern rock, they had a hit with a song called Jim Dandy. The Blue Ridge Rangers - actually John Fogerty w/ studio musicians; they had a hit with an absolutely fantastic version of Jambalaya back about '72 or so. Marillion - Obviously and heavily influenced by Pink Floyd, this group's themes were more gothic. Most of the early albums are excellent. The Violent Femmes - I wasn't all that crazy about them but I had a boyfriend who was. If I remember correctly, they were a kinda, sorta edgy AOR-type group, but I could be wrong. I just remember that I didn't like them much. Echo and the Bunnymen - a few young people I know are familiar with them, so they're not quite as forgotten. Some of you folks might know these, but in my experience most young people don't. It's a fact that most gay people don't like rock music as much as pop, so I could have a skewed view of what is or isn't forgotten. |
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620 Soul Train
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Post by 620 Soul Train on Mar 1, 2007 12:35:50 GMT -5
Marillion : I remember "Incommunicado" from I believe 1987 or 1988 when it hit the UK Top 40. This guy reminds me of Meatloaf, really.
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irock
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Post by irock on Mar 1, 2007 13:10:24 GMT -5
Marillion : I remember "Incommunicado" from I believe 1987 or 1988 when it hit the UK Top 40. This guy reminds me of Meatloaf, really. I'd forgotten about that song. It was kinda atypical for them, but it was their only hit in America besides Kayleigh. It marks a cut-off period for me - I like the stuff from before that song more than after it. I believe this group had much more success in Europe. |
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cartman2002
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Post by cartman2002 on Mar 1, 2007 13:40:50 GMT -5
How about a band called New England who had a song out called "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya" back in 1979 which was produced by Paul Stanley of Kiss
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Post by joker on Mar 1, 2007 13:44:12 GMT -5
I'm familiar with just some of their songs, "Fresh Air" for example. Pretty good, but then I'm into that late-60s San Francisco vibe.
One of my favorites. Excellent group.
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Post by jaxxalude on Mar 1, 2007 15:11:37 GMT -5
Um... guys, when I referred to AOR, I was really referring to what became commonly known as the AOR music genre. You know, the big, melodic, arena-ready rock of Journey, Boston, Styx, REO Speedwagon and their ilk. You know, stuff that derives from hard rock, but really can't be considered hard rock music. If you will, it's pop/rock music with a hard rock edge. I wasn't exactly referring to AOR as in Album-Oriented Rock radio and all the variety of acts that the format encompassed.
This means stuff like Violent Femmes, Echo & The Bunnymen, Marillion and all their more College Rock-related ilk is automatically disqualified from consideration here, OK? And yes, Bryan Adams-like acts are also allowed, since those were stylistically and aesthetically close to the AOR sound and ethos.
This also means that what I'm looking for here is more akin to Peter Frampton or 80s and early 90s era .38 Special than Tom Petty or Lynyrd Skynyrd, OK?
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Post by Libra on Mar 1, 2007 15:53:21 GMT -5
In otherwords, the sound you're looking for is theoretically the predecessor to today's Hot AC genre, yes? (I'm not talking about Hot AC as it started out when it became recognized as a genre, that was much more AC-sounding)
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Mar 1, 2007 17:13:50 GMT -5
AOR started in the early 80s(or late 70s) as an FM-radio format suited for bands like Yes, King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer and those types of prog-rock, wasn't it?
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Post by jimmy74747 on Mar 1, 2007 19:36:24 GMT -5
Oh, and another one: Kingdom Come. They had a big hit that sounded an awful lot like it could have been by Led Zeppelin: Get It On.. I love this song. They also had a nice power ballad, "What Love Can Be" |
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Post by irock on Mar 1, 2007 22:40:54 GMT -5
This means stuff like Violent Femmes, Echo & The Bunnymen, Marillion and all their more College Rock-related ilk is automatically disqualified from consideration here, OK? Consideration for what? You giving out awards or something? |
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Post by jaxxalude on Mar 2, 2007 6:51:52 GMT -5
AOR started in the early 80s(or late 70s) as an FM-radio format suited for bands like Yes, King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer and those types of prog-rock, wasn't it? I guess you mean late 60s/early 70s. ;) In a way, yes, it was. This Wikipedia entry and this AMG entry can be helpful to define the original concepts of what AOR was. And also shed a light on what the various meanings AOR gained with time. |
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Post by jaxxalude on Mar 2, 2007 6:57:45 GMT -5
In otherwords, the sound you're looking for is theoretically the predecessor to today's Hot AC genre, yes? (I'm not talking about Hot AC as it started out when it became recognized as a genre, that was much more AC-sounding) If you mean Triple A in the matchbox twenty/Collective Soul/Third Eye Blind/Live aception, then yes. Those bands are the modern take on the type of AOR I'm looking for here. This means that AOR staples such as Led Zeppelin or AC/DC are not also what I'm looking for. What I look for are the bands that took that hard rock template and mixed it with classic pop/rock hooks, choruses and structures. There you go: Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Boston, Bryan Adams, Peter Frampton, 80s-era Don Henly. But, of course, what I want you all to do is to throw out acts in that vein that aren't quite so remembered these days, or that didn't make much of an impression in the mainstream. |
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jimmy74747
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Post by jimmy74747 on Mar 2, 2007 18:59:49 GMT -5
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Post by jaxxalude on Mar 4, 2007 12:14:15 GMT -5
Even though Rainbow started as a balls-to-the-wall heavy-metal act (I mean, it was former Deep Purple's axe-grinder Ritchie Blackmore's vehicle after he left the Purple; and their first lead singer was none other than Ronnie James DIO!), it's in the vein of what I'm looking for, yeah. By that time, with singer Graham Bonnet onboard, they pretty much had turned into an AOR/melodic rock outfit. "Since You've Been Gone" is also from that phase. |
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Post by jaxxalude on Mar 4, 2007 12:24:10 GMT -5
If there's a country that has given its fair share of forgotten AOR acts, that one is Canada. Bryan Adams and Loverboy are pretty much the exceptions that confirm this rule. Don't believe me? See if you can actually remember these: I'm pretty sure our esteemed moderator eyeMax TM will recognize some of these names here. ;) |
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Post by Pipa on Mar 4, 2007 13:43:42 GMT -5
I know Sheriff, Glass Tiger and Honeymoon Suite. Two of those get played a lot here.
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Mar 4, 2007 14:55:17 GMT -5
Those were the ones I recognized too. Glass Tiger the most though.
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Post by Pipa on Mar 4, 2007 14:58:53 GMT -5
How about The Headpins? They probably made the first rock song with the f word in it.
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Mar 4, 2007 20:04:47 GMT -5
The name sounds familiar but I dont' recognize the song title.
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Post by jaxxalude on Mar 4, 2007 20:17:07 GMT -5
Just so you know: Harem Scarem has, during a brief period, changed direction and adopted a new guise: Rubber. Although I believe Harem Scarem's records are still released as Rubber in Canada. |
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Post by Pipa on Mar 5, 2007 9:26:39 GMT -5
The name sounds familiar but I dont' recognize the song title. It's called "People". You might recognize "Don't It Make You Feel", it gets played every once in a while here. |
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Post by jaxxalude on Mar 5, 2007 20:22:17 GMT -5
Quite a list coming right now! |
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cartman2002
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Post by cartman2002 on Mar 5, 2007 21:02:47 GMT -5
How about Steel Breeze, they released one album and had 2 top 40 hits and then all but disappeared.
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Post by jaxxalude on Jun 18, 2007 16:59:16 GMT -5
Three more for the count: |
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cartman2002
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Post by cartman2002 on Jun 18, 2007 21:06:22 GMT -5
What about The Call?
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Post by johnnywest on Jun 18, 2007 22:07:26 GMT -5
Yep, all of a sudden I'm in an AOR mood. For some reason, all I want lately are some fist-pumping, arena-ready hooks and choruses! Still, forget Journey, Boston, Styx and all the obvious ones. See if you can remember some of the forgottens, could-have-beens or never-weres. The only one on that list I've heard of is Giant and that's because they hit the Top 40. For a second, I thought I'd remembered House of Lords but I was actually thinking of Army of Lovers. |
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Post by unicorns on Jun 26, 2007 14:09:24 GMT -5
What does AOR stand for anyway?  BTW, I love Naughty Naughty and St. Elmo's Fire from John Parr. |
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