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

Anteater · 12-07-2010, 05:00 PM

Anteater Presents:
10+ Essential 80's Melodic Rock Albums For The Curious Chimp

Yeah, I know what most people think about 80's rock. "Gay", "Wimpy", "Overproduced" etc. What if were to tell you that, just like any other genre, there were gems and cult classics on par with any of your favorite records? What if I told you that even a few of those forever-hated well known arena rock albums were actually better than their reputations would tell you? Would you believe me?

On that inquisitive note, welcome, biased and nonbiased ladies and gents alike, to a relatively short review-by-review look into the psyche of 80's rock and 10 or so albums that are a cut above the rest...and most definitely worth being in your respective collections!

On a secondary note, anyone is free to PM me for said albums I review if they find themselves intrigued by what I say or what they hear.

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10+ AOR Guidepost Reviews

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10. Phenomena - S/T (1984)

9. Magnum - On A Storyteller's Night (1985)

8. FM - Tough It Out (1989)

7. Dan Reed Network - S/T (1988)

6. Tim Feehan - S/T (1987)

5. Asia - S/T (1982)

4. Journey - Raised On Radio (1986)

3. Saga - World's Apart (1981)

2. Dare - Out Of The Silence (1988)

1. Strangeways - Native Sons (1987)

jackhammer · 12-07-2010, 06:49 PM

I am not a huge AOR fan but I do like a couple of albums and a few songs. Fair play to you for starting a thread like this.

Q5- When The Mirror Cracks
Berlin- Count Three and Pray

Not quite AOR but they teeter on the genre precipice and are genuinely great albums.

Anteater · 12-07-2010, 06:55 PM

Haha, the main point of contention for a thread like this is separating AOR from hair metal. As a result, there won't be any Ratt or Guns N' Roses or whatnot.

In any case, anything I post here is subjective: there are probably going to be loads of albums that people will think I should have mentioned that probably won't see a shred of recognition here.

Oh, and Q5 are awesome. Thanks for the recommendation Lee!

Urban Hat€monger ? · 12-07-2010, 06:58 PM

I think the only AOR I can stand is Angel's first album.

But that came out in 1975 I won't hold my breath on it being included.

jackhammer · 12-07-2010, 07:06 PM

The album was patchy but this is a great song. Alcatrazz featured Graham Bonnet (Rainbow) and one Steve Vai too.

Anteater · 12-07-2010, 07:31 PM

10.

Phenomena – S/T (1984)

1. Kiss Of Fire (4:54)
2. Still The Night (3:28)
3. Dance With The Devil (4:44)
4. Phoenix Rising (4:44)
5. Believe (5:53)
6. Who's Watching Who (3:41)
7. Hell On Wings (3:56)
8. Twilight Zone (4:14)
9. Phenomena (2:06)

Where better to start on our odyssey into 80's overindulgences that a concept album featuring lead vocals from the former mid 70's singer/bassist of Deep Purple?

That said, Phenomena itself was certainly an interesting..phenomenon when it reared it's head initially in the early 80's. So much so that Kerrang! magazine and a variety of other publications ran front-page stories on it. It's both a band and a multimedia project created primarily by Wilfried Rimensberger (the founder of Metalhammer magazine), his brother and a few other producers in order to tell some kind of batshit horror story through audio/visual media. The result of their collaboration was a revolving door that would bring in bucketloads of prominent musicians over the years (such as Queen guitarist Brian May and former King Crimson vocalist John Wetton), as well as the creation of a film script which would gain interest from various prominent actors and actresses over the decades, including Sean Connery!

This debut recording, however, is arguably the strongest musically of the Phenomena six-album discography (thus-far), so we'll focus on that.

AOR is a rather troublesome acronym for many people -- nobody seems to know exactly what it stands for (generally either Adult-Oriented-Rock or Anthem-Oriented-Rock). The style's trademarks are all over this record though -- slick production, razor sharp guitar, multilayered vocals for both lead and backup vocalists, etc. Plus there's that general 80's reverb hangin' around which sounds so damn cool to these 2010 tired-of-fuckin'-Autotune ears. Quite oomphy indeed!

Although these nine songs are supposedly telling the story of a certain supernatural phenomenon taking place, you probably won't care too much about the lyrics when Glenn Hughes is on the mic: his voice is one of the most distinctive and well-timbred in the world of 80's melodic rock. His delivery is often accentuated by floating keyboards and the ever-present guitar bravado of Mel Galley, and the songs aren't half bad themselves. In particular, 'Still The Night' is one hell of a mid-tempo rocker and 'Dance With The Devil' features a heavily processed fiddle which sounds utterly deranged but becomes extra awesome when the guitar comes in a bit later and follows the same melody line. Excellent!

Basically, this record has a vaguely campy haunted quality to the proceedings, kind of like Journey gone Dead Can Dance in a weird way. That's not to say any of it isn't cheesy, but there's a certain gregariousness at work here that lets Phenomena weather their decade a little better than most of their contemporaries. And that, friends, is why you should give this debut record a look-hear. It's as credible an introduction to AOR as you are going to find!

Guybrush · 12-07-2010, 08:16 PM

Brilliant review! I'm determined to get my hands on Phenomena now.

As you mention, the AOR acronym is a troublesome one - and for me too as I have no clear idea of what it actually means, but I do indulge in some bands that I believe are AOR on occasion, like Boston and .. ehr, Toto, so I'll keep an eye out for your next reviews.

mr dave · 12-08-2010, 05:53 PM

my only real question is will Phil Collins or Don Henley get top spot? Seuseudio or Boys of Summer?

Anteater · 12-09-2010, 02:11 PM

9.

Magnum – On A Storytellers Night (1985)

1. How Far Jerusalem (6:26)
2. Just Like An Arrow (3:23)
3. On A Storytellers Night (5:00)
4. Before First Light (3:52)
5. Les Mort Dansant (5:48)
6. Endless Love (4:30)
7. Two Hearts (4:24)
8. Steal Your Heart (3:59)
9. All England's Eyes (4:47)
10. Last Dance (3:44)

I've got to hand it to the British -- few did the whole Arena Rock thing better than they did twenty five years ago. While America was on the verge of being enraptured by crap like Bon Jovi and Stryper, the U.K. had kickass groups like Magnum to lead the AOR vanguard, and it's telling indeed that they made it to my list here: 1985's On A Storyteller's Night is one of the decade's arena rock pinnacles, blending Queen-like theatrical pomp with gorgeous keyboard atmospherics to paint some rather interesting pictures in the heads of prospective listeners, me included!

For starters, look at the album cover by fantasy artist extraordinaire Rodney Matthews: fucking fantastic! It brings to mind all sorts of fantastical allusions, from bards and beasts to those wonderfully darksome yarns that the Brothers Grimm would make famous in their collections.

As for the songs, highlights for me include the anthemic title track (Keep your night light burning!), which builds wonderfully for about a minute and a half before leaping into such a fist pumping calling card, and the strangely medieval 'Les Mort Dansant', groteque yet gallant thanks to the powerful yet emotive voice of lead singer Bob Catley and keyboardist Mark Stanway's soundscaping. It's a pretty balanced decimal set all in all however, with certain songs that seemed to have been salivated for radio rotation like the fun yet atypical 'Just Like An Arrow' yet others, such as the mid-tempo kicker 'Before First Light', represented a slightly more restrained, textured approach to late night highway blazing. Not bad either way though!

This was the first and only album that Magnum would record under FM Records, which is rather interesting: the production work (thanks to Thin Lizzy producer Kit Woolven) is surprisingly immaculate for 1985 and fittingly larger than life for the songs present here. I would have liked to hear a few more records recorded under these conditions, but alas it was not to be.

On that note, although Magnum would go on to release quite a few albums after this one (including one in 2010), I can't really say that they ever cut another record that hit just as many right buttons as On A Storyteller's Night. It's their claim to fame that happened to hit just the right year in order, and as a result we look back on it as a classic in the oft-ridiculed genre of AOR today: it does everything right for fans of the genre and packs just enough punch in the songwriting department to interest other audiences.

I won't beg or anything, but I consider this essential listening for anyone who wants a taste of the better side of 80's melodic rock. Happy hunting!

jackhammer · 12-12-2010, 05:57 PM

Magnum were never considered an AOR band here at all and whilst they did make some typical AOR tracks, they were tagged as 'pomp' rock over here which was a form of progressive but melodic rock.

Their first few releases whilst not strictly Prog per se certainly don't fit the classic 3 minute verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus sound that is typical of AOR. Their sound courtesy of mainman and only songwriter guitarist Bob Clarkin was full of ambient keyboard soundscapes and tempo changes.

1986's Vigilante is probably their most commercial record and a much better example of their AOR sound (IMO) although it is generally regarded as their worst album and it is indeed crap.

Magnum have a loyal and cult following here and 1982's Chase The Dragon is generally held up as their best album (and quite rightly so). 1988's Wings Of Heaven is where they really went out of their way to make radio friendly tracks (especially as they had signed to the major Polydor at this time) and suffered as a result. However that album does have 3 of their finest ever songs in Wild Swan, One Step Away and the 13 minute mini classic Don't Wake The Lion.

Nice to see at least one other fan around though

12-07-2010, 06:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	I am not a huge AOR fan but I do like a couple of albums and a few songs. Fair play to you for starting a thread like this. Q5- When The Mirror Cracks Berlin- Count Three and Pray Not quite AOR but they teeter on the genre precipice and are genuinely great albums. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-07-2010, 06:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	I think the only AOR I can stand is Angel's first album. But that came out in 1975 I won't hold my breath on it being included. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

12-07-2010, 07:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	The album was patchy but this is a great song. Alcatrazz featured Graham Bonnet (Rainbow) and one Steve Vai too. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-07-2010, 08:16 PM	#7 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	Brilliant review! I'm determined to get my hands on Phenomena now. As you mention, the AOR acronym is a troublesome one - and for me too as I have no clear idea of what it actually means, but I do indulge in some bands that I believe are AOR on occasion, like Boston and .. ehr, Toto, so I'll keep an eye out for your next reviews. __________________ Something Completely Different

12-12-2010, 05:57 PM	#10 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Magnum were never considered an AOR band here at all and whilst they did make some typical AOR tracks, they were tagged as 'pomp' rock over here which was a form of progressive but melodic rock. Their first few releases whilst not strictly Prog per se certainly don't fit the classic 3 minute verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus sound that is typical of AOR. Their sound courtesy of mainman and only songwriter guitarist Bob Clarkin was full of ambient keyboard soundscapes and tempo changes. 1986's Vigilante is probably their most commercial record and a much better example of their AOR sound (IMO) although it is generally regarded as their worst album and it is indeed crap. Magnum have a loyal and cult following here and 1982's Chase The Dragon is generally held up as their best album (and quite rightly so). 1988's Wings Of Heaven is where they really went out of their way to make radio friendly tracks (especially as they had signed to the major Polydor at this time) and suffered as a result. However that album does have 3 of their finest ever songs in Wild Swan, One Step Away and the 13 minute mini classic Don't Wake The Lion. Nice to see at least one other fan around though __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”