80s AOR/FM rock/Arena rock (a guilty pleasure)

[PeterG]

There were some absolute killer tracks on those 80s studio albums, amongst the overwhelming weight of all the dross.

Foreigner - That Was Yesterday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxz7UkOQ5v4

Supertramp - Crazy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah-NfleOgtA

Journey - Edge of the Blade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpa2ZSgGd6M

Toto - Africa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTQbiNvZqaY

Mr. Mister - Broken Wings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBal8eNGBWU

Styx - Too Much Time On My Hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNYKxiRJ2LA

Fleetwood Mac - Little Lies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf63D4EQtV8

Europe - Carrie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmWE9UBFwtY

REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgT_mJXbvCQ

Meat Loaf- Modern Girl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCHWD9HeRKY

[SteveSly]

I still like some Foreigner, most Supertramp, most Journey, a little bit of Toto, Styx, Fleetwood Mac, REO, and Meatloaf. They all had their ups and downs, but put out some great stuff.

Steve Sly

[profusion]

Foreigner's Cold As Ice is from the '70s, but I'm with you otherwise.

I grew up being sort of "meh" on most of that stuff when it was new, but I find myself really digging '80s production and writing styles these days. A lot of the late '70s/early '80s AOR was really pretty good stuff prior to MTV turning everything to shit. Those bands knew how to write and play tight, well-constructed rock songs at a very high level. Yes, it was somewhat calculated and "corporate," but it often worked very well. Even the later MTV-era stuff can be pretty good.

As a pleasure, it's almost not a guilty one for me, since I enjoy being a contrarian. :

[trurl]

Well, imho most of the Welcome To The Real World album is better than Broken Wings. I really like that record but BW is one of the weaker songs on it, though that's probably my reaction to hearing it 1,000 Billion times.

[JIF]

[progeezer]

It's only a guilty pleasure if you relate to it that way. I've never felt guilty about loving Boston, Mr. Mister (agree that BW is one of their weaker songs), some Styx, and especially Toto (Luke, 2 Porcaro's & David, Son of Marty the arranger, and Kimball was a pretty good singer......come on). Africa remains one of a few songs I've heard a million times that I'm not tired of hearing.

[JIF]

Africa remains one of a few songs I've heard a million times that I'm not tired of hearing.

I've only recently become a fan of that song. Doesn't sound like anything else from the '80s.

[trurl]

[GuitarGeek]

[JIF]

You read my mind, Mr. Geek. I was actually going to post the last video that you did. I love that video because Brad is in it. Plus, it's a spooky song.

[klothos]

These always came on AOR stations in my neck of the woods during the early 80s

[GuitarGeek]

You read my mind, Mr. Geek. I was actually going to post the last video that you did. I love that video because Brad is in it. Plus, it's a spooky song.

Ya know, I saw One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest sometime back in the 90's, but I didn't realize that Brad Dourif was in it. Nor did I realize that he was also the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play movies (though I do remember a stunt that Joe Bob Briggs pulled on his show where he was meant to be "interviewing" Chucky, though Joe Bob actually spent most of the piece taunting Chucky saying things like "Everyone knows you're really just Brad Dourif's hand").

But after seeing the Lord Of The Rings movies, I thought "That guy playing Wormtongue looks familiar...", and of course where I recognized him from was the Toto video.

[trurl]

Damn- Donny Iris is 61 in that clip!

[iguana]

PeterG – i don't agree with every song that you list (can't stick foreigner in any way imaginable) but our musical preferences seem to be somewhat along the same lines. early-period AOR-rock (still untarnished by MTV’s seizure of image and peroxide-dispersion) represents some very fine songwriting and performing. in hindsight, TOTO have remained/evolved as my favourites.

ASiA, anyone? ;-)>

[Rufus]

Yeah, I was a sucker for the AOR Power Ballads put out by REO Speedwagon, Foriegner,Boston, FM, Poison, Heart et al!

[PeterG]

Foreigner's Cold As Ice is from the '70s,

Oh right, I always think of it as coming from about 80-81, I think becasue it was played so much on radio in the UK then. In fact I think it might have been re-released as a single about then, following on from the success they were having with 4 and AP.
I've put in That Was Yesterday as an 80s replacement

[PeterG]

ASiA, anyone? ;-)>

Absolutely! Love all that 80s former prog-band radio-ready AOR as well

ASIA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKAYzdMYWnY

YES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcSLb2phjDk

SAGA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQLWMvJ3sp4

MAGNUM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCrqpV1zfCU

[Rufus]

Oh right, I always think of it as coming from about 80-81, I think becasue it was played so much on radio in the UK then. In fact I think it might have been re-released as a single about then, following on from the success they were having with 4 and AP.
I've put in That Was Yesterday as an 80s replacement

That was Yesterday is my favourite Foreigner song. Still have the 12" single & the expanded intro takes it to an even higher level. Fantastic song!!!!

[PeterG]

Bloody brilliant isn't it!

[ChrisXymphonia]

About 10 years ago I slowly started getting into Barclay James Harvest. I knew them by reputation, knew the song Titles. As soon as the Harvest remasters appeared I bought them as they appeared and fell in love with this band. Then came the Polydor remasters of all the albums that still had Woolly Wolstenholme involved (up to XII) and these are still of my most played albums that I bought the last 10 years. I also knew that the band from 1980 became a huge act in the German speaking countries but that it was also due to a slightly changed musical course. Not much prog anymore but a more sleak, commercial sound. So I was a bit weary about moving forward. Thankfully Esoteric was able to re-release all these albums in excellent editions with nice booklets telling the story behind the albums so slowly but surely I have been buying these as well and so far I haven't been really dissappointed with them. In fact, there is something about that sleak, melodic sound of BJH in the 80s that I find particularly comforting at this point in time.

The 1981 album Turn Of The Tide is one of those albums that has really started growing on me and this is one of the more atmospheric songs from the album:

[Scott Bails]

I grew up on this stuff, so I love an awful lot of it. Don't really listen to it too much anymore, as a lot of it hasn't aged well and I'm just in a different space now, but when I hear something on the radio, etc. it definitely brings me back.

Foreigner 4, Asia's debut, ALL of Toto, Boston's first 3, Perry-era Journey, Night Ranger, Kansas' Power - love all of it.

Although, I was never much of a fan of most of the "power ballads." Night Ranger's "Goodbye" (video above) was pretty damn good, however.

[trurl]

That's me- I never play stuff from the 80s voluntarily but when I encounter it I always enjoy it. The good stuff, I mean. Not Bon Jovi or Culture Club.

[Progmatic]

I do not mind to listen to it, occassionally when on radio or so, but I would never spend the money on it...

[PeterG]

It's fundamentally a more slick, pop midway between hard rock and progressive rock...but I can't deny how good the best of it was.

'Hold The Line' is a brilliant record too.

There is a strand of AOR I can't be doing with at all though, that Desmond Child, Diane Warren, Starship sort of stuff.

I never felt BJH quite fit into the AOR mould. Les Holroyd's 'power ballads' sometimes did, but John Lees' songs were almost always more offbeat than anybody working in that AOR style...even when he was writing supposedly 'commercial' material.

I agree with all those points. I'm not sure, but I think BJH only had 1 or 2 lps in the 80s, and I don't really hear AOR on either of them.

[PeterG]

Foreigner 4, Asia's debut, ALL of Toto, Boston's first 3, Perry-era Journey, Night Ranger, Kansas' Power - love all of it.

+1 oh yea!