AOR: Anteater's Guide To The Best Of 80's Melodic Rock

Anteater · 12-12-2010, 10:22 PM

8.

FM – Tough It Out (1989)

1. Tough It Out (5:33)
2. Don't Stop (3:55)
3. Bad Luck (4:07)
4. Someday (3:58)
5. Everytime I Think Of You (4:38)
6. Burning My Heart Down (4:02)
7. The Dream That Died (4:37)
8. Obsession (4:09)
9. Can You Hear Me Calling (3:40)
10. Does It Feel Like Love (4:22)
11. Feels So Good (4:09)
12. Let Love Be The Leader (3:45)
13. Love Lasts Forever (3:52)
14. This Could Be The Last Time (3:44)
15. Hurt Is Where The Heart Is (3:58)
16. Everytime We Touch (4:46)

And coming up at number eight -- I present one of the more intriguing British/American crossover melodic rock groups to hit the airwaves back in the 80's, a band whose sound is almost as straightforward and honest as their market-friendly moniker....FM!

Despite how obviously the bunch was marketing themselves, it's difficult to deny that there is quite a bit of appeal to FM's larger-than-life bombast, a trick to the trade if you will. For one thing, vocalist Steve Overland is one of the three or four most vivacious individuals to get behind the mic for this sort of music, a monster who pulls out so much panache and theatrical beltage that he's almost unparalleled. He's got a bit more power than Journey's Steve Perry and a bluesier, less annoying delivery than people like Michael Bolton or Jon Bon Jovi...which is probably why these guys are quite tolerable while other bands in the same genre might induce more blatant cringing.

Anyway, 1989's Tough It Out was the sophomore followup to their reasonably successful 1986 debut Indiscreet. Evidently it didn't do as well as the band wanted though, so they changed over to record label Epic and went to the U.S. to lasso in the help of studio wizard Desmond Child to help them craft the sound they wanted. He did a damn good job too - everything sounds cushy as fuck.

This record, for me at least, represents what might have been if Bon Jovi had a better vocalist and songwriting team. Not every track is a winner, but when 3 out of 4 songs are catchy and headbagin' in a 16 set, you know somebody is doing something right. Overland's voice soars over slick guitar and keyboard leads, bringing some real weight behind arena rousers like the classic title track and some of the particularly catchy ballads such as 'The Dream That Died' and 'Hurt Is Where The Heart Is'.

I won't say this will chart high on too many people's radars, as most people have a low tolerance for the cheese+sappy 80's equation in general. For those of you with thicker skin however, I guarantee this album might end up charming you more than you expect.

Oh, and it's an AOR classic too, for better or for worse.

Batty · 12-12-2010, 11:01 PM

I have On a Story Teller's Night and Chase the dragon, enjoy both records

Anteater · 12-16-2010, 10:37 AM

7.

Dan Reed Network – S/T (1988)

1. World Has A Heart Too (1:17)
2. Get To You (4:17)
3. Ritual (4:24)
4. Forget To Make Her Mine (4:08)
5. Tamin' the Wild Nights (4:14)
6. I'm So Sorry (4:27)
7. Resurrect (5:42)
8. Baby Don't Fade (4:55)
9. Human (3:40)
10. Halfway Around The World (4:36)
11. Rock You All Night Long (5:45)
12. Tatiana (2:47)

One of the more interesting crossover bands from the 1980's, Dan Reed Network are often considered to be a 80's rock/hair-metal fan's interpretation of early Faith No More, RHCP, or even Living Colour -- in other words, funk rock mixed with AOR. Tight, punchy basslines lead songs that get either weird or anthemic depending on the track itself, and the whole shebang is more eclectic and interesting in retrospect today than people might understood back when these guys debuted.

History-wise, the band is interesting too: formed in Portland, Oregon, they were signed AND initially produced by Derek Shulman, who is perhaps better known for his lead vocals and guitar work for Gentle Giant back in the 70's. Furthermore, this was one of those rare arena rock albums that Rolling Stone magazine awarded 4 stars to upon release. Guess it got ol' Robert Christgau's blood pumping or something?

Understandable of course - these songs are all quite good, with a few even bordering outright genius in places. Initial highlights to a new listener will be the Mike Patton-esque swaggerfest 'Get To You' and the New Wave blitz of 'Ritual', both of which were singles that catapulted this self-titled to success in the first place. Still, there were plenty of rock albums from the 80's that had a great single or two, but you won't see most of those albums making this list. So what makes Dan Reed and his big-haired compadres so special?

For one thing, the funk elements infest everything here to at least some degree, even the sappiest ballads. The titular Dan Reed is factor numero dos that really works here: he sounds like a cross betwee Prince and Axl Rose, with a tighter baritone than the former and a bit more laugh than the latter. His charisma is such that even the formulaic becomes entertaining, and the usual cynics of 80's everything can be converted without too much trepidation due to his presence.

So therefore, as potentially cringeworthy as a funk rock/metal - AOR hybrid sounds, Dan Reed Network really made it work back in 1988, and in my humble opinion it still sounds utterly fantastic today.

jackhammer · 12-21-2010, 07:07 PM

I could never get on with Dan Reed Network at all

I presume you have heard this:

jackhammer · 12-21-2010, 08:14 PM

Oh and this one even though it is not really what U.F.O were about:

Anteater · 12-21-2010, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

I could never get on with Dan Reed Network at all

I presume you have heard this:

Lol Lee, that one is my #1!! Nobody did AOR better than Strangeways in my opinion.

Oh, and that UFO track is certainly interesting. I wouldn't have expected them of all groups to transition to the 80's all too well at all!

Anteater · 12-26-2010, 05:34 PM

6.

Tim Feehan – S/T (1987)

1. Where's The Fire (4:57)
2. Listen For The Heartbeat (4:17)
3. Vanna (4:00)
4. Loveline (4:28)
5. Read Between The Lines (3:47)
6. Mean Streak (4:21)
7. The Painter (5:00)
8. One Step Away (4:23)
9. Isolation (4:13)

In the 1980's, it wasn't a walk in the park to escape AOR. This is because when there weren't hair metal bands pouring out power ballad after ballad, there were usually mullet-donning people with vaguely unmemorable names merging West Coast pop with big-arena production of AOR and getting it on your T.V., commercials, movies, everything. However, for every two dozen wannabe singer-songwriters that attempted to take over the world from 1980 through the early 90's, there was usually one or two such individuals who upped the ante just a bit more than their contemporaries, usually due to better written songs, better arrangements, vocals, etc.

One of these exceptional individuals, in my humble opinion, is a Canadian producer/singer-songwriter named Tim Feehan, who through this 1987 debut proved that he could do the Adult Contemporary game better than pretty much anyone else in the business. Musically, he comes across as a mix between the atmospheric melodic sense of a group like Mr. Mister/Simple Minds and the songwriting kick of such institutions as Sting and Go West at their best.

That being said, such a sonic concoction can be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of listener you are. To enjoy AOR-lite of any kind requires zero preconceptions, an ear for hooks and production, and a strong tolerance for cheese and excessive reverb. If you meet these criteria, then you'll find a lot to like here: opener and initial single 'Where's The Fire' takes a punchy drum-machine cadence, Tim's confidant delivery and the occasional stratospheric keyboard and forges the elements into one of the better songs from the A/C spectrum of popular music. It later would gain notoriety for being the main theme to cult classic 80's film The Wraith.

The other eight tracks are highlights in their own way though. 'Loveline' is reminiscent of The Police with its tremolo picking echoes, but laced by an odd-metered synth note that gives this MOR some sparkling edge in terms of rhythm. On the more laid back side of things, 'Listen For The Heartbeat' is probably my favorite of the quiet storm pieces here due to its refrain. It reminds me of the stuff my Dad would pop in during car rides when I was a toddler in the early 90's, stuff that still sticks with me all these years later: pop music on the radio these days just doesn't have atmosphere anymore. Things were different a generation or two, once upon a time...

Again though, I know that this album is a hard sell for many of you. The idea of listening to Adult-Contemporary of any kind (unless its for the laughs like the stuffz of Rick Astley) might seem to be an inward betrayal to your usual tastes. Still, in terms of what the hallmarks of an 80's West Coast pop-rock AOR album was -- big keyboards, spacious production, layered vocals, anthems galore -- I consider this album to a particularly excellent representative of the style, if not THE best of all time.

Those tolerant of romance, "dated" production and who don't mind the periodic guilt trip down memory lane will find Mr. Feehan enduring. The rest of you, stay tuned for sleazier stuff coming later on!

jackhammer · 12-26-2010, 06:35 PM

I love the track Where's The Fire and first heard it from the cheesy B movie The Wraith which has a decent AOR/Rock soundtrack so I wouldn't mind checking out that album

The Wraith by Various Artists : Reviews and Ratings - Rate Your Music

Unknown Soldier · 12-31-2010, 04:33 PM

80`s melodic rock or soft rock as I like to call it, is without doubt one of my favourite rock genres and this thread covers some of the lesser known or not so well remembered artists.

I`ve always been a fan of Magnum, as throughout their discography you hear a huge amount of the bands that influenced them such as Styx and Foreigner etc. They were a unique band, as they were doing an English take on what was a very American sound, a sound that has largely always been unpopular and shunned upon here in the UK. I think "On a Storyteller`s Night" to be a great album but their classic album is "Chase the Dragon". Apart from these albums, the rest of their discography doesn`t really match upto their American rivals of the time.

Anteater · 01-06-2011, 09:15 AM

5.

Asia – S/T (1982)

1. Heat Of The Moment (3:54)
2. Only Time Will Tell (4:48)
3. Sole Survivor (4:51)
4. One Step Closer (4:18)
5. Time Again (4:48)
6. Wildest Dreams (5:11)
7. Without You (5:07)
8. Cutting It Fine (5:40)
9. Here Comes The Feeling (5:40)

When you think of 80's rock, there are a few albums that come to mind to nearly everyone who was growing up around that time. For a lot of people, those albums would probably consist anything by Journey, Survivor or possibly Van Halen after Sammy Hager took over lead vocals.

And yet despite the prominence of groups like those, in 1982 the top selling record in the U.S. was the draconically adorned self-titled from a bunch of prog. rock dinosaurs who decided to form a supergroup together. Thirteen years later, this same album would be 4x Platinum and even in the 2000's it gets referenced quite a bit in television and other media.

I'm talking about Asia's 1982 debut of course, which for a brief moment in time took over the world with a punchy little lead off single called 'Heat Of The Moment', and thus cemented itself in the DNA of popular culture forevermore.

So, a few of you are probably thinking as you read this -"Considering how well known this album is, why is it #5 over bands like Magnum?"

Well, for one thing, this album is still considered to be the single best selling AOR album of all time. It's prominence and subsequent influence over music for the rest of the decade is nearly inescapable, and therefore I consider it essential listening for those with an interest in this kind of music. And secondly, despite your average person's preconceptions about this album, it's one of the most instrumentally technical efforts in the 80's melodic rock canon thanks to presence of Yes's Steve Howe on guitar with his razor sharp improvisation, John Wetton (formally of King Crimson) with his bass and Carl Palmer of ELP on the drumkit. Helluva lineup all in all.

Putting it simply, Asia is arena-prog. The endless jamming you'd expect from a prog. band gets to raise its head now and then amongst nine relatively straight up pop-rock songs, and thus a contrast is created between the musicians and the songs themselves: they seem simple on the surface, but below the main melody line you'll be surprised at how busy some of what you hear is. Geoff Downes's keyboards certainly add to this impression with how he colours these tracks, like the opening flourish to 'Only Time Will Tell' or his work on 'Without You'.

John Wetton's vocals are the only thing that I could really see driving off melodic rock fans -- his timbre doesn't really fit this kind of music too well even at the best of times. However, even that perceived weakness ends up being part of the charm as you listen, contributing to a distinctive sound that not even Asia themselves were able to really capture again in their subsequent decades-long career. Probably because the songs would get more and more formulaic until John Payne took over as lead vocalist in the early 90's and brought some of the progginess back.

My verdict: forget 'Heat Of The Moment' (unless you already love the song that is) and give the rest of the record a fair shot. Regardless of what others might say, this is an early melodic rock classic that deserves its place in history as much as anything else you'll find.

12-12-2010, 11:01 PM	#12 (permalink)
Batty Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Australia Posts: 194	I have On a Story Teller's Night and Chase the dragon, enjoy both records __________________ http://www.last.fm/user/Batt1958/charts Earworms Rool.

12-21-2010, 07:07 PM	#14 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	I could never get on with Dan Reed Network at all I presume you have heard this: __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-21-2010, 08:14 PM	#15 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Oh and this one even though it is not really what U.F.O were about: __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-26-2010, 06:35 PM	#18 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	I love the track Where's The Fire and first heard it from the cheesy B movie The Wraith which has a decent AOR/Rock soundtrack so I wouldn't mind checking out that album The Wraith by Various Artists : Reviews and Ratings - Rate Your Music __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-31-2010, 04:33 PM	#19 (permalink)
Unknown Soldier Horribly Creative Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: London, The Big Smoke Posts: 8,265	80`s melodic rock or soft rock as I like to call it, is without doubt one of my favourite rock genres and this thread covers some of the lesser known or not so well remembered artists. I`ve always been a fan of Magnum, as throughout their discography you hear a huge amount of the bands that influenced them such as Styx and Foreigner etc. They were a unique band, as they were doing an English take on what was a very American sound, a sound that has largely always been unpopular and shunned upon here in the UK. I think "On a Storyteller`s Night" to be a great album but their classic album is "Chase the Dragon". Apart from these albums, the rest of their discography doesn`t really match upto their American rivals of the time.