80's classic rock songs???

Kelli · 10-29-2012, 12:37 PM

IMO classic rock kinda died in the '80s, but If I had to pick 5 good 'classics' from this decade I would go with...

Journey - Don't Stop Believin
U2 - New Years Day
Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart
The Stone Roses - I Am the Resurrection
Talking Heads - Once In a Lifetime

The first one's a bit overplayed, but you really can't go wrong with any of these. The comment above me mentions the Yes song. Great stuff.

sopsych · 11-01-2012, 08:43 PM

Er, I bet you could have found that with Google, but the answer is Rock the House Live! Which I knew from memory. The song probably is the best thing from the album, at least to me. (It's a studio track, and I think everything else is live.)

VEGANGELICA · 11-02-2012, 10:35 PM

My favorite '80s classic rock songs include:

Foreigner - "Urgent"
I didn't hear it until the late '80s, but once I did, it was hard to forget.

I don't usually like the sound of sax, but I love it in this song. Watching the video, I am also impressed that Lou Gramm sounds so at one with the lyrics as he sings them. Like a good actor, he isn't really acting: he appears to be feeling the emotions behind what he sings.

Foreigner - Urgent (1981) - Original Video - YouTube

Foreigner - "Dirty White Boy"
Reminds me of someone I knew and so the song is meaningful to me. Nicely energetic guitar and drum beat intro. I usually prefer the sound of simple rhythm guitar to flashy solo guitar, so this is a good song for rhythm guitar fans such as myself.

Foreigner-Dirty White Boy - YouTube

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "I Love Rock 'n Roll" (Cover)
A catchy song with a pleasant gritty sound.

I Love Rock 'n Roll- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - YouTube

And again...

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "Crimson & Clover" (Cover)
I like it better than the original. Also, this is the video that made me realize I feel Joan Jett is pretty damn hot!

joan jett - crimson and clover 1983.avi - YouTube

Unknown Soldier · 11-03-2012, 03:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

My favorite '80s classic rock songs include:

Foreigner - "Urgent"
I didn't hear it until the late '80s, but once I did, it was hard to forget.

I don't usually like the sound of sax, but I love it in this song. Watching the video, I am also impressed that Lou Gramm sounds so at one with the lyrics as he sings them. Like a good actor, he isn't really acting: he appears to be feeling the emotions behind what he sings.

Foreigner - Urgent (1981) - Original Video - YouTube

Foreigner - "Dirty White Boy"
Reminds me of someone I knew and so the song is meaningful to me. Nicely energetic guitar and drum beat intro. I usually prefer the sound of simple rhythm guitar to flashy solo guitar, so this is a good song for rhythm guitar fans such as myself.

Foreigner-Dirty White Boy - YouTube

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "I Love Rock 'n Roll" (Cover)
A catchy song with a pleasant gritty sound.

I Love Rock 'n Roll- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - YouTube

And again...

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "Crimson & Clover" (Cover)
I like it better than the original. Also, this is the video that made me realize I feel Joan Jett is pretty damn hot!

joan jett - crimson and clover 1983.avi - YouTube

Lou Gramm was such a great vocalist and sure that sax is unforgettable.

VEGANGELICA · 11-03-2012, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

Lou Gramm was such a great vocalist and sure that sax is unforgettable.

Your use of "was" made me worried that Lou Gramm was no more

, so I looked him up, expecting the worst...and am glad to see see he is alive!

I read that he had a brain tumor that was successfully removed, allowing him to survive but with a permanently altered voice. I was also surprised to learn that he turned to Christianity to help him in his fight against addictions, so that his recent album is a Christian one. I hadn't expected that.
Lou Gramm brings new voice to old songs at Celebration

About Lou Gramm's voice when he was part of Foreigner:

I was interested to learn that my positive reaction to his voice is the same as many other people's reactions (including yours, US). I had never read anything about Foreigner until today, so my impressions of his voice were based on the songs alone rather than hype about them. I read on Wikipedia that "Circus magazine in 1978 upon release of 'Hot Blooded' commented that Lou Gramm had a voice that Robert Plant might envy." (I also like Robert Plant's vocals, so I appreciated the analogy.) And, Gramm's "unique vocals have made Foreigner one of Billboard's Top 100 Artists of All Time in hit songs history."

The "Urgent" video of the Foreigner TV performance: I like it because although it isn't flashy or particularly creative (although notice the "smoke" used to make the set look "exciting"), it lets me see the band perform as if I were there. I liked watching Gramm's expressions and the sax player. I especially liked how Lou Gramm watched appreciatively and clapped along as the saxophonist performed. That was very respectful and made me feel the band were a cohesive unit.

Also, I was surprised to see the drummer in the *front* of the stage, since usually drummers are stuffed in the back somewhere. Do many bands play with the drummers in the front? I didn't think so. I liked it, though. Drummers usually have to play "second drum" (as opposed to fiddle) to the vocalist and the guitarists. I'm thinking that the drummer was placed up front in this performance partly because the kit isn't miked, so they wanted to make sure the sound of the drums was prominent in the mix.

Unknown Soldier · 11-03-2012, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

Your use of "was" made me worried that Lou Gramm was no more

, so I looked him up, expecting the worst...and am glad to see see he is alive!

I read that he had a brain tumor that was successfully removed, allowing him to survive but with a permanently altered voice. I was also surprised to learn that he turned to Christianity to help him in his fight against addictions, so that his recent album is a Christian one. I hadn't expected that.
Lou Gramm brings new voice to old songs at Celebration

About Lou Gramm's voice when he was part of Foreigner:

I was interested to learn that my positive reaction to his voice is the same as many other people's reactions (including yours, US). I had never read anything about Foreigner until today, so my impressions of his voice were based on the songs alone rather than hype about them. I read on Wikipedia that "Circus magazine in 1978 upon release of 'Hot Blooded' commented that Lou Gramm had a voice that Robert Plant might envy." (I also like Robert Plant's vocals, so I appreciated the analogy.) And, Gramm's "unique vocals have made Foreigner one of Billboard's Top 100 Artists of All Time in hit songs history."

The "Urgent" video of the Foreigner TV performance: I like it because although it isn't flashy or particularly creative (although notice the "smoke" used to make the set look "exciting"), it lets me see the band perform as if I were there. I liked watching Gramm's expressions and the sax player. I especially liked how Lou Gramm watched appreciatively and clapped along as the saxophonist performed. That was very respectful and made me feel the band were a cohesive unit.

Also, I was surprised to see the drummer in the *front* of the stage, since usually drummers are stuffed in the back somewhere. Do many bands play with the drummers in the front? I didn't think so. I liked it, though. Drummers usually have to play "second drum" (as opposed to fiddle) to the vocalist and the guitarists. I'm thinking that the drummer was placed up front in this performance partly because the kit isn't miked, so they wanted to make sure the sound of the drums was prominent in the mix.

Me using "was" was a typo and sounds like I did it in bad humour, I'd forgotten that he had been very ill. The positive reaction to his voice is nothing new though. Most reviewers along with myself would easily include Lou Gramm in the first division of AOR vocalists along with the likes of Bobby Kimball, Jimi Jameson, Steve Perry and Brad Delp.

It was a surprise to see the drummer pushed so far forward but it's not unheard of either. There is a definite comparison between Lou Gramm and Robert Plant as a vocalist, but of course Lou Gramm had a much stronger voice.

Kristina85 · 11-03-2012, 01:20 PM

I'm a big fan of 80's music. I know songs from that era better than my parents.

My favorite rock groups are: Queen, Dire Straits, Foreigner.
Favorite rock singers: Freddie Mercury, Ann Wilson, Stevie (Stephanie) Nicks.

Kristina85 · 11-03-2012, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

My favorite '80s classic rock songs include:

Foreigner - "Urgent"
I didn't hear it until the late '80s, but once I did, it was hard to forget.......

What a coincidence that just above my post I find also the fans of Foreigners.

I just listened to their "That was yesterday" because it clearly describes my current situation - I'm in a bad mood because of the pride of my beloved.

Kristina85 · 11-03-2012, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "Crimson & Clover" (Cover)
I like it better than the original. Also, this is the video that made me realize I feel Joan Jett is pretty damn hot!
...

I wonder if some male has ever dared to sing a song dedicated to another man in a way that made Joan here...

P.s. Sorry for my bad English.

VEGANGELICA · 11-04-2012, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

Me using "was" was a typo and sounds like I did it in bad humour, I'd forgotten that he had been very ill. The positive reaction to his voice is nothing new though. Most reviewers along with myself would easily include Lou Gramm in the first division of AOR vocalists along with the likes of Bobby Kimball, Jimi Jameson, Steve Perry and Brad Delp.

It was a surprise to see the drummer pushed so far forward but it's not unheard of either. There is a definite comparison between Lou Gramm and Robert Plant as a vocalist, but of course Lou Gramm had a much stronger voice.

Oh! I hadn't thought you said "was" in bad humour; I just thought it meant Lou Gramm was dead! I haven't yet listened to how his voice sounds now, although I'm curious and probably will.

While trying to decide whose male AOR voice I like best, I refreshed my memory by listening of the vocals of Bobby Kimball, Jimi Jamison, Steve Perry, and Brad Delp of Toto, Survivor, Journey, and Boston, respectively. I also listened again to some Robert Plant. I feel Steve Perry's and Brad Delp's voices sound sweeter, more refined (more vibrato), and less edgy, and so I definitely prefer Lou Gramm's rougher voice to theirs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sopsych

The video looks like footage from American Bandstand, the song is truncated, and the saxophonist isn't the person who played in studio (and I'm not sure that band member can even play the saxophone).

Anyway, I'm making some progress in thinking of my own list of best 80's classic rock songs.

I've been wanting to find out your favorites, so I look forward to your list.

I looked again more carefully at that 1981 "Urgent" video by Foreigner...

Foreigner - Urgent (1981) - Original Video - YouTube

...and now I'm wondering, were they even playing the music we hear? It just doesn't seem like the sound of the drums line up with the hits, and the vocals sound too clean and even, given Lou Gramm's motions wrt the mic.

About the saxophonist, I looked at Wikipedia and was shocked to see how many different musicians have composed Foreigner over the years (Foreigner (band) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). I'm not used to a band where it keeps the same name but almost all the members change. The saxophonist on the recording was Junior Walker, according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urgent_(song). And he definitely isn't the sax player in that 1981 video!

Junior Walker - played sax for "Urgent"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kristina85

What a coincidence that just above my post I find also the fans of Foreigners.

I just listened to their "That was yesterday" because it clearly describes my current situation - I'm in a bad mood because of the pride of my beloved.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kristina85

I wonder if some male has ever dared to sing a song dedicated to another man in a way that made Joan here...

P.s. Sorry for my bad English.

No worries about your English. I understood you fine. It is nice when a song relates to your situation in life. I hope your beloved's love will take precedence over pride.

I can't think of any famous cover songs where a man sings to another man the way Joan Jett sang a song dedicated to a woman. It would be fun, for example, to hear some male band singing "Warrior" by Patty Smyth.

"Shooting at the walls of heartache" takes on a different meaning coming from a man than from a woman.

Patty Smyth and Scandal - The Warrior (HiQuality) - YouTube

(^This reminds me: I dislike any song that has the words "bang bang" in it.)

10-29-2012, 12:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
Kelli custom user title Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 304	IMO classic rock kinda died in the '80s, but If I had to pick 5 good 'classics' from this decade I would go with... Journey - Don't Stop Believin U2 - New Years Day Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart The Stone Roses - I Am the Resurrection Talking Heads - Once In a Lifetime The first one's a bit overplayed, but you really can't go wrong with any of these. The comment above me mentions the Yes song. Great stuff.

11-01-2012, 08:43 PM	#2 (permalink)
sopsych Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: indoors Posts: 722	Er, I bet you could have found that with Google, but the answer is Rock the House Live! Which I knew from memory. The song probably is the best thing from the album, at least to me. (It's a studio track, and I think everything else is live.)

11-03-2012, 01:20 PM	#7 (permalink)
Kristina85 Groupie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: CROATIA (Primorsko-goranska županija) Posts: 17	I'm a big fan of 80's music. I know songs from that era better than my parents. My favorite rock groups are: Queen, Dire Straits, Foreigner. Favorite rock singers: Freddie Mercury, Ann Wilson, Stevie (Stephanie) Nicks.