Anteater

4.

Journey – Raised On Radio (1986)

1. Girl Can't Help It (3:50)
2. Positive Touch (4:16)
3. Suzanne (3:38)
4. Be Good to Yourself (3:51)
5. Once You Love Somebody (4:40)
6. Happy to Give (3:49)
7. Raised on Radio (3:50)
8. I'll Be Alright Without You (4:49)
9. It Could Have Been You (3:37)
10. The Eyes of a Woman (4:32)
11. Why Can't This Night Go on Forever (3:43)

Although it's to be expected, I suppose I'm in that rather small camp of eclectic individuals that actually thinks highly of much of Journey's recorded material throughout the years, from their Santana-esque jazz-rock early albums through their superstardom AOR stints of the 80's.

However, its the latter of these eras that gets all the ridicule from many professed "real" music fans, and I think that's a rather ignorant point of view to have unless you know a band inside and out. What tends to be the case is that a lot of smart people know Journey about as far as 'Don't Stop Believin' and subsequently write off everything else the band did, which is a tad hypocritical: what if I decided that Pulp was a shitty band just because I wasn't the biggest fan of "Common People"? Childish...right?

Anyway, if you asked anyone who grew up in the 80's or looked back on those times today, Journey were generally considered to be the most popular and well known AOR band in the commercial spectrum. The reason for this can be traced back to a lineup change in the late 70's when the group ditched the jazz influences and brought in an unknown young tenor named Steve Perry to take the reins on the mic, and the results were astounding - Journey would rule FM radio to one degree or another from 1980 through 1986 with four major releases (Departure, Escape, Frontiers and Raised On Radio). The last of these releases is #4 on my list for a rather good reason - I consider it the group's most underrated release and a wonderful showcase for the band on quite a few songs that haven't been milked to death via overexposure. Oh, and it's a pretty damn nice slice of melodic rock as well.

Raised On Radio was this commercial juggernaut's swansong twenty-some years ago, and there are a number of things about it which stand out compared to their earlier, more popular recordings. First of all, American Idol judge Randy Jackson plays bass throughout the album, and he's pretty fucking good, elevating tracks like 'Once You Love Somebody' and 'Suzanne' from memorable adequacy into ideals that few bands reached songwriting-wise from the same time period.

Second of all, vocalist Steve Perry had more creative control on this album that on any other beforehand: he produced everything and had a hand at crafting all eleven tracks, and as a result I think the album has a certain consistency to it that Escape and Frontiers don't completely possess, probably because those albums were so single-oriented compared to this one.

I guess what I enjoy most about Raised On Radio though how fluid the songs sound from number to number: people who might not think much of Journey might find it interesting to hear an album where Perry isn't overemoting as much and Neal Schon's guitar shears through the proceedings like a scythe through swaths of wheat, yet at the same time there's all these other little touches (such as the harmonica featured in the title track) that make you think this band was flexing some against the confines of their particular style. It makes you wonder where they might have gone if A. They kept this lineup into future releases and B. They had shifted their focus to less commericial territory later on.

Oh well. This album won't convert people who already hate Journey into rabid acolytes, but I can certainly say that it will annoy those people less than anything else the band cut after 1980, and as far as AOR goes its among the best executed I've heard out there.

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Anteater

3.

Saga – Worlds Apart (1981)

1. On the Loose (4:11)
2. Time's Up (4:05)
3. Wind Him Up (5:47)
4. Amnesia (3:27)
5. Framed (5:43)
6. The Interview (3:52)
7. No Regrets (Chapter V) (4:42)
8. Conversations (4:45)
9. No Stranger (Chapter VIII) (7:08)

1981: The Year Of The Music Video. MTV launches on August 1st and pretty much every person below the age of 30 with a television set in the U.S. would be watching it before too long. The format? Music video after music video, 24 hours a day, following one another like Rubix cubes down an assembly line, broken up on occasion by commercials and annoying looking VJs who would introduce the videos. Thanks to this network, many an unknown band, good and bad alike, would explode into the spotlight and rule a radio station near you for a few weeks with just one or two hit singles (accompanied by music videos) under their belts.

For Canadian AOR/progressive rock crossover band Saga, that hit single was "On The Loose", a cantankerous concoction that blended gratuitous proggy pomposity with the sheen of a good first generation New Wave beat. The video, detailing a guy getting incarcerated and subsequently breaking out of jail, wasn't too bad compared to some of the visuals accompanying other seminal MTV singles (Video Killed The Radio Star....ughhh!). But I have Saga at #3 for a reason: "On The Loose" is merely the opening act for Worlds Apart, a nine-song extravaganza of atmospheric awesome...as well as one of the best early 80's examples of how eclectic poppy arena-oriented music could be given the opportunity to prove its mettle.

If you were aiming for the top in the 1980's, you needed to have one (or more) of three things - a major label, a proven track record, or a helluva lot of novelty value. Saga had something of the first criterion: Portrait were owned by Epic Records who in turn is owned by Sony, but Portrait weren't exactly raking in the dough off anyone under their umbrella beyond female-led act Heart, so we'll rule that possibility out. Checkpoint #2 is impossible as well because everything that Saga did before Worlds Apart was too overtly progressive to gain any real airplay.

Therefore, we are left with novelty value as the main reason Saga hit it big for a couple of years in a decade of commercial overindulgence, and that's not too far from the truth. After all, nobody else who was on MTV at the time sounded like Saga: their closest contemporary would be Rush circa Permanent Waves and beyond.

Being a crossover record of sorts, Worlds Apart has appeal beyond the AOR/melodic rock spectrum. Songs such as 'Time's Up', which sets up themes of directionless despair against a funky synthetic groove and the flailing paranoia of 'Framed' both bring Talking Heads and some of David Byrne's solo material to mind tone-wise while 'Conversations' would strike listeners as The Human League gone baroque.

Still, the makings of a grand AOR are record are built right into the instrumental makeup of the recording: the guitar playing sizzles from lead to lead throughout these compositions, leaping like a fat tuna right out of one's speakers thanks to the production work by synth-pop mainstay Rupert Hine. His glossy, often indulgent layering, a feature that might be considered a detriment for some other band, actually brings out the best in these songs, especially in the case of the 7-minute 'No Stranger', a number that feels content to plod along upon the twinkling of a keyboard motif before kicking up past the 2 minute mark into a killer finale...as well as being my personal favorite among the tracks here.

It really was a no-brainer for #3: Saga walked a fine line between the commercial and artistic for Worlds Apart and ended up crafting not only one of the best pop albums of the decade, but a set of songs that easily surpasses most of the melodic rock that would follow throughout the decade.

Unfortunately, the band passed into relative obscurity soon after their followup album to this one, Heads Or Tails, putting an end to their 15 minutes in the spotlight. Such is the world of popular music. In quoting "The Interview", track numero seis-

Lights have dimmed and times have changed
And the world is watching a different stage.
Don't you think it's time we had a younger face?

Enjoy!

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Unknown Soldier

Great review on the Asia debut album which is full of stellar tracks. Sadly they would never reach the heights of the debut again and the rest of the John Wetton era became very formula like.

Surprised on you choosing "Raised on Radio" Its got some good material on it. But behind both "Escape" and "Frontiers" in terms of quality. Hell...not only do I think of "Frontiers" as the best Journey album, but one the greatest rock albums of the 1980's and its an album I still constantly play.

Keep up the great reviews.

Anteater

2.

Dare – Out Of The Silence (1988)

1. Abandon (4:36)
2. Into The Fire (4:53)
3. Nothing Is Stronger Than Love (4:42)
4. Runaway (4:30)
5. Under The Sun (6:14)
6. The Raindance (5:24)
7. King Of Spades (4:45)
8. Heartbreaker (3:39)
9. Return The Heart (5:10)
10. Don't Let Go (5:58)

In the wake of Thin Lizzy's mid 80's breakup, keyboardist Darren Wharton wasn't quite ready to call the music industry quits. A husky and interesting singer in his own right, Wharton assembled himself a new band and dove headlong in the world of area rock under the moniker Dare, landing a record contract with A&M within a year or so and letting lose a debut record, Out Of The Silence, in 1988...and nobody cared. Tis' a common story in the music biz: a big successful band breaks up and the ex-members all go off to become part of bands and projects that never do as well as the original group.

In the case of Dare however, the lack of commercial success really was particularly unfortunate...because as far as arena rock goes I can only think of one or two bands who cut a recording as fine as this one. The fact that it was ignored at the time, even by self-professed fans of arena rock, is an utter travesty.

Furthermore, although Dare continues to exist and create music today, never again would they cut a record quite as appealing, catchy or interesting as this one. As the cliche phrase goes, "it's a one time thing".

Sonically, this record isn't too different from any other AOR record you might run across in terms of instrumentation: you have the cheesy guitar leads, the uncomplicated punch of the 80's drum sound, etc. etc.

The key to this album's success, as well as the reason why it's #2 on my list, lies entirely with Darren Wharton himself. His keyboard work is pretty nice in a rhythmic sense, but it's when he embellishes it in near gridlock against the excellent production work, his beautiful rasp, and finally the arrangements themselves that Out Of The Silence comes alive. Just listen to that opening line from 'Abandon' that weaves between the first verse and subsequent bridge/chorus. Fuckin' classic from start to stop, and worth the price of admission in and of itself. Or how about the Gilmourian 'Under The Sun', clocking at six minutes yet justifying it's run time with flying colors? Hell, even "filler" songs like 'Runaway' and 'Heartbreaker' could have been the radio's plague back in the day when considering how infectious they are. Madness indeed!

Throughout the 1980's, moreso than even the U.S., the United Kingdom produced some of the best rock-oriented music of the decade, from post-punk to New Wave to early alt. rock. With records like Out Of The Silence around, I think you can add AOR to that list of genres where my homeland got shortchanged, because it's just one damn good song after another.

Looking for atmosphere? Heartfelt sentiment with some catchy songs to back it up? Great production? It's all here kiddies.

And yet there's still one band that who reigns far above these blokes in the realm of 80's AOR....and who have never been surpassed since...

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Guybrush

Great review as always, Ants Looking forward to seeing what your numero uno will be!

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Something Completely Different

Anteater

1.

Strangeways – Native Sons (1987)

1. Dance With Somebody (4:26)
2. Only A Fool (4:44)
3. So Far Away (4:58)
4. Where Do We Go From Here (4:00)
5. Goodnight L.A. (5:03)
6. Empty Streets (4:22)
7. Stand Up And Shout (3:30)
8. Shake The Seven (4:36)
9. Never Gonna Lose It (4:49)
10. Face To Face (4:42)

The big kahuna of AOR canon isn't something I can fully do justice to in a short review. I could languish endless praise upon the flawless production work courtesy of John Punter (Roxy Music, Japan), who turned all ten songs throughout Native Sons into larger-than-life aural monsters. I could pontificate for centuries at the merits of signing on vocalist Terry Brock (who in the 80's was one of the music industry's best kept secrets) and his phenomenal work throughout this album despite the fact it was the first time he had performed lead vocals on a studio recording. The rest of the band kicks ass too: brothers Ian and David Stewart are top-class in their guitar and bass-work respectively, while drummer Jim Drummond brings it all together into groove heaven, even managing to steal the show at times.

At the end of the day though, my praises are arbitrary: these were the songs that got me into AOR and flipped some kind of switch inside of me that made me hunger for anything else even remotely like it. Funny thing is though, I still haven't found a band since that initial acquisition of this record (and the equally excellent 1989 follow-up Walk In The Fire) that hits all the cylinders like Strangeways do.

Every track here is a devil, a killer, a classic. You won't catch me saying that too often, but it's the truth in this case. Hell, had the damn album been marketed properly, anything here would have blown everything on the charts away back in 1987. Yet in a recording full of standouts there are three pieces which might have even dethroned Journey in popular consciousness (crazy as that might sound) - 'Where Do We Go From Here' is a blistering hair-metal/AOR hybrid with an unbelievably good chorus, 'So Far Away' is easily the best ballad ever cut to sonic posterity in the world of FM-rock, while 'Empty Streets' cuts straight to the bone of what a good mid-tempo slugger is supposed to be, but goes a step further by bringing some surprisingly poignant lyrics to the table. It helps that the riff sounds gorgeous too!





For one reason or another though, Strangeways never did become particularly successful back in their heyday despite their amazing material. Plenty of live gigs were had in Scotland and a few other places, but besides Derek Oliver of Kerrang!, nobody seemed to give a shit...and that's one helluva tragedy, folks.

I remember seeing a retrospective article in Rolling Stone (or some other big mag.) about two years ago that said that if any band could have changed the tides of popular music in the late 80's from moving to grunge and kept AOR going strong into the 90s, Strangeways would have been the group to do it.

For the most part, I agree with that assertion from a publication I usually think is off somewhere in cuntville. AOR as a genre needed a kick in the ass to stay interesting and relevant to a fickle audience, yet nobody was willing to give a hand to a group that could pull such a thing off like this bunch. 1980-1986 were melodic rock's prime years, and in every year subsequently up until the grunge explosion in 1991, FM rock/metal would become less and less prominent before vanishing completely from the world stage. One can only wonder how things might have changed if Strangeways had just been given a chance on radio.

Alas, it was not to be....and thus another splendid gem got lost in the ever changing world. That's all folks!

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Howard the Duck

I'm disappointed - no Styx or REO Speedwagon?

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto

Unknown Soldier

I agree "Kilroy Was Here" was a great album!!! As was most stuff by Styx.

Anteater

Lol, Styx and REO Speedwagon? Really guys, come on! Styx haven't done a good album since 1978 and REO are easily outclassed by Foreigner and Huey Lewis and The News for the whole "bar band" schtick. And lets not even get started on quality comparisons: Toto, Yes and Rick Springfield could have easily made my thread for some of their stuff, so they'd all be getting a mention from me before anything else.

Stay tuned for a couple of Overtime posts over the coming weeks.

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Trollheart

Yes indeed. I reviewed this a while back in my journal, and while I found it slow to start (other than the opener) it certainly developed. When I was listening to it for the review (first time) I couldn't get my head around why this album is so revered in AOR circles, but by the time it had ended I definitely understood. Great album. Overland is a god. Steve that is, though his brother on guitar ain't no slouch neither.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018