80's classic rock songs???

Kristina85 · 11-03-2012, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salami

... I'll say one of my favourites is the incredibly famous but still awesome is "'39" by Brian May/Queen - it's vocal harmonies is fantastic and I think it's one of the best pieces played on a 12 string guitar in that period.

...... But isn't it from 1975?

My favorite Queen's song from the 80's:
Under Pressure
Who wants to live forever when love must die...
One Vision
I Want It All
Scandal
The Miracle...

Innuendo album is also the miracle (especially "The Show Must Go On" that makes me cry every time

) but but those are from 90's.

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.)

Unknown Soldier · 11-04-2012, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

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.

I'm a huge Led Zeppelin fan and Robert Plant's voice was great on those albums and fitted the music perfectly. Listening to his solo discography though, shows all the flaws and faults with his voice and shows his limitations.

Steve Perry was probably the most diverse of the vocalists I've mentioned, his voice excelled at both the powerful stuff and the slower more sensitive stuff equally. Brad Delp as you say is refined and Jimi Jameson has real power and clarity but Bobby Kimball will always be my favourite of the bunch (just) his voice had a unique funky feel that lent itself perfectly to the Toto sound. BTW are you sure you actually listened to Bobby Kimball, as the band 4 vocalists in total

He would sing on about 50% of the tracks with Steve Lukather, David Paich and Steve Pocaro singing on the rest.

sopsych · 11-04-2012, 08:26 PM

I have to say that, on further review, I agree that Lou Gramm's voice probably is the best of those 80's rock singers. At least in the sense of doing both rock and softer songs. Strangely I'd never thought of him as one of the great singers before. Jimi Jamison, by the way, is an odd candidate and in my opinion too operatic.

The list is coming along. I'll probably try to limit it to 5 songs.

Unknown Soldier · 11-05-2012, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wisdom

Strangely I'd never thought of him as one of the great singers before. Jimi Jamison, by the way, is an odd candidate and in my opinion too operatic.

I'd say he was a prime example of an AOR vocalist of that time.

sopsych · 11-05-2012, 12:58 PM

Foreigner - Urgent (no need to repost the link)

Bryan Adams - One Night Love Affair (Live) - YouTube
(another bad video, about as bad as can be using actual good-quality performance footage and also kept off modern music television)

Robert Plant - Little By Little - YouTube

Def Leppard - Hysteria - YouTube

Great White - The Angel Song (music video HQ) - YouTube

As you can see, I like story-telling relating to love backed by musical complexity. And anyone who isn't impressed by the piano playing in #5 has some kind of problem.

Vertigo · 11-05-2012, 01:30 PM

Regardless of your current opinion of them, it's hard to deny just how good a song this is:

VEGANGELICA · 11-05-2012, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

I'm a huge Led Zeppelin fan and Robert Plant's voice was great on those albums and fitted the music perfectly. Listening to his solo discography though, shows all the flaws and faults with his voice and shows his limitations.

Steve Perry was probably the most diverse of the vocalists I've mentioned, his voice excelled at both the powerful stuff and the slower more sensitive stuff equally. Brad Delp as you say is refined and Jimi Jameson has real power and clarity but Bobby Kimball will always be my favourite of the bunch (just) his voice had a unique funky feel that lent itself perfectly to the Toto sound. BTW are you sure you actually listened to Bobby Kimball, as the band 4 vocalists in total He would sing on about 50% of the tracks with Steve Lukather, David Paich and Steve Pocaro singing on the rest.

Now that you mention it, no, I'm not sure I was listening to Bobby Kimball!

I *thought* I was, but I didn't know that Toto had 4 vocalists.

I think Bobby Kimball is the shorter, higher-pitched man singing at 0:33 in this old video for "Rosanna." Am I right? He sings well, but I think if his range doesn't go down lower then he'd be somewhat limited as a vocalist. He's still singing, though, which is great!

Toto - "Rosanna"
I had never seen this video before today and, I must say, it gives me a really creepy vibe, like I'm watching the start of a gang rape in a car shop/junk yard.

toto--rosanna--video clip - YouTube

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

I'd say he was a prime example of an AOR vocalist of that time.

I feel Jimi Jamison does a fine job singing two of my favorite Survivor songs, "High On You" and "I Can't Hold Back." He's a strong singer with a great range and perfectly in tune. I prefer a rougher voice (think Dan McCafferty of Nazareth singing "Love Hurts") but Jamison's voice seems to me to have more grit than the voices of Steve Perry and Brad Delp, so I prefer Jamison. Mind you, I haven't heard all songs by these singers, so I'm basing my conclusions on a limited number of songs.

(Robert Plant's voice in Led Zeppelin's music vs. his solo work: I think I prefer the sound of his voice in his solo work, but I feel the songs have less lyrical complexity to them, so I am usually a little disappointed in them. <-- This is based mostly on my memories of listening to Zeppelin and Robert Plant during a "phase" I had 15 years ago, so I'd need to listen again to be sure of my impressions.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by sopsych

Foreigner - Urgent (no need to repost the link)

Bryan Adams - One Night Love Affair

Def Leppard - Hysteria

Great White - The Angel Song

As you can see, I like story-telling relating to love backed by musical complexity. And anyone who isn't impressed by the piano playing in #5 has some kind of problem.

The piano playing *is* very good. (Don't wanna have any additional problems.

)

"Hysteria" -- I've always liked that song because it has a disturbed, tortured, yet beautiful sound. I should have listed some Def Leppard songs among my favorites from the '80s. I like the feeling of wild abandon of their songs, which sound sunny and dark at the same time. They have such rich, deep notes, which I love, plus great rhythm guitar and satisfying drum hits. I like how their songs often sound euphoric with crescendos of energy leading to brilliant-sounding plateaus. I'm realizing I should include Def Leppard as one of my favorite bands. There. Fixed.

"One Night Love Affair" is my 3rd favorite Bryan Adams song. "Run to You" is my 2nd favorite. My favorite of all is "Summer of '69." It makes me feel like I got my first real six string at the 5 'n dime and played it 'til my fingers bled, back when me and some guys from school had a band. I become nostalgic for a life I never led.

Blue Hawk · 07-05-2017, 09:35 AM

Too much Foreigner in this thread...

07-05-2017, 09:35 AM	#40 (permalink)
Blue Hawk Rude gentleman Join Date: Feb 2016 Posts: 685	Too much Foreigner in this thread... __________________ Eliminate the right, eliminate the wrong, eliminate the weak, eliminate the strong.

11-04-2012, 08:26 PM	#35 (permalink)
sopsych Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: indoors Posts: 722	I have to say that, on further review, I agree that Lou Gramm's voice probably is the best of those 80's rock singers. At least in the sense of doing both rock and softer songs. Strangely I'd never thought of him as one of the great singers before. Jimi Jamison, by the way, is an odd candidate and in my opinion too operatic. The list is coming along. I'll probably try to limit it to 5 songs.

11-05-2012, 12:58 PM	#37 (permalink)
sopsych Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: indoors Posts: 722	Foreigner - Urgent (no need to repost the link) Bryan Adams - One Night Love Affair (Live) - YouTube (another bad video, about as bad as can be using actual good-quality performance footage and also kept off modern music television) Robert Plant - Little By Little - YouTube Def Leppard - Hysteria - YouTube Great White - The Angel Song (music video HQ) - YouTube As you can see, I like story-telling relating to love backed by musical complexity. And anyone who isn't impressed by the piano playing in #5 has some kind of problem.

11-05-2012, 01:30 PM	#38 (permalink)
Vertigo Music Addict Join Date: May 2012 Location: North West England Posts: 167	Regardless of your current opinion of them, it's hard to deny just how good a song this is: