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Anteater · 07-05-2015, 02:36 PM

AOR, also known as melodic rock, arena rock, or "adult-oriented rock". It is also related to the radio format, album-oriented rock. Whatever you call it, AOR is the sound of many things: blasting down the freeway into an open city at 1:45 in the morning when the world is half asleep, hot chicks hanging around on the hood of your car..hell, the sound of fun itself. Like any style of real distinction, it has merits and signatures: huge choruses, over the top guitar-led harmonies, and production slicker than what most people are used to even in commercial metal. It was the face of rock n' roll that was made to rule arenas, and aspects of AOR would later get incorporated into so called "hair" or glam metal of the mid to late 80's. Hell, even bands and artists not normally associated with that stuff would dabble in AOR throughout the late 70's and the genre's prime years in the following decade. If you lived back then, it was pretty much impossible to get away from it. But really....why would you ever want to?

While the genre's commercial relevance fizzled out to pretty much nothing by 1992 or so as alternative/grunge stuff became in vogue, new bands and artists (as well as older ones) continue to keep the flame alive and produce new music in the style, especially throughout Scandinavia and other parts of Europe in general.

This thread will be co-authored by myself and Unknown Soldier, much like the Toto thread. As most of you have guessed by now, he and I really like a lot of the melodic rock that came out of the U.S. during the prime years of AOR radio, so this thread will be focusing on that period all the way to the "end" in the early 90's.

Some of these artists you will know, some you won't. You may like or even hate some of the albums featured here, but that just comes with the territory when a genre isn't popular. When all is said and done though, hopefully you'll all have some insight into the better works of the many talented AOR bands and artists of a bygone era.

So strap in, put on your cheesiest sunglasses, and enjoy your journey into the world of 80's AOR...an era that never "really" died and probably never will.

~ Anteater & Unknown Soldier