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AOR and why I don't like it.
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richardh View Drop Down
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Points: 26171 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 23 2020 at 16:03
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Funny that no one posting (mostly from the US) mentioned the other A word that is used in this context - 'American' . For those from the UK this was music that was peculiarly a United States style of music and epitomised by Foreigner , Toto, Kansas , Boston and eventually by Styx and the utterly dreadful Reo Speedwagon. I'm not trying to be xenophobic about this ( I don't need to try lol) but it did seem like 1% inspiration and 99% drivel. Another explanation for its existence I've heard is that the massive stadium acts like ELP, Genesis , Floyd and Yes stopped touring and something had to take its place. It was radio driven but that was less obvious to us here as we didn't listen to US radio! That said I can list at least half a dozen so called AOR songs that I love. Perhaps the earliest might be Chicago 25 or 6 to 4. Of course its an incredibly cool track that's not really considered 'AOR' but I think of it as very early example of what was coming. Stuff like Carry On Wayward Song and More Than A Feeling is also great even though the formula is emerging and becoming more obvious. I will also admit I have a massive soft spot for Toto -Africa . That was such a deceptively delightful record if ever there was one.

Out of the bands I mentioned Foreigner was half american and Def Leppard were from the UK. The others I admit were from the US. Wink 

Also, Genesis were not a stadium act in the 70's in the US. They were barely an arena band. ELP and Yes rarely played actual stadiums(when Yes did it was with other bands). Maybe arenas(there is a difference)and PF were just starting to by the time Animals came out but also mostly just played arenas. Genesis were doing smaller theaters and didn't even start to do arenas until right before SH left. They didn't do stadiums until the 80's.
 

I should just have said large arenas or something like that. Of course Stadiums were mainly for sport and not bands and I guess also had (and still have) non existent acoustics.

Genesis , yes was a bad example , Led Zep and Sabbath were better more obvious examples. 

I was aware there was an English connection with Foreigner ( the name is a giveaway). I never thought of Def Leppard as AOR but rather soft metal but then its quite a fine dividing line between the two things!



Edited by richardh - March 23 2020 at 16:05
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Logan View Drop Down
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Points: 32703 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 23 2020 at 16:25
I don;t know much Def Leppard, but this kind of stuff off the album Hysteria struck me as AOR.
Just a fanboy passin' through.
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rogerthat View Drop Down
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Points: 9869 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rogerthat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 24 2020 at 04:25
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

I don;t know much Def Leppard, but this kind of stuff off the album Hysteria struck me as AOR.


This is indeed AOR.  Though you would classify Pour Some Sugar On Me from the same album as pop-metal.  
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siLLy puPPy View Drop Down
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Points: 14725 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 24 2020 at 06:34
^ also the track "Love Bites" from the HYSTERIA album.

https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy
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Icarium View Drop Down
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Points: 34050 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Icarium Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 26 2020 at 03:45
the best AoR record is perhaps Hotel California, imo or Toto IV

Edited by Icarium - March 26 2020 at 03:47
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SteveG View Drop Down
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Points: 20503 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 26 2020 at 03:48
Originally posted by Icarium Icarium wrote:

the best AoR record is perhaps Hotel California, imo or Toto IV
I'll go with SoS! Such a throwback in the age of New Wave. Dire Straits may have been an AOR group with "Money For Nothing" but "Sultans" was an anti AOR song!

Edited by SteveG - March 26 2020 at 04:22
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