Author Topic: 80s Classic Albums (Featuring: King Crimson) (Read 117414 times)

Outcrier · « **Reply #70 on:** March 29, 2015, 04:13:06 PM »

When you said

Quote from: KevShmev on March 29, 2015, 07:15:05 AM

...but I don't want this thread to be nothing but rock and metal albums.

i just thought there was plenty classic 80's pop albums to talk about instead of just one or two.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #71 on:** March 29, 2015, 04:14:33 PM »

Give him time man. He just started!

Kotowboy · « **Reply #72 on:** March 29, 2015, 04:29:11 PM »

Not a George Michael fan in the slightest but I did think "fastlove" was a good pop tune.

hefdaddy42 · « **Reply #73 on:** March 30, 2015, 10:38:14 AM »

Faith was and is a fantastic album. Great songwriting, and George Michael had one of the best voices of that era. Nothing wrong here.

Favorite song is probably Father Figure.

bosk1 · « **Reply #74 on:** March 30, 2015, 12:22:27 PM »

Quote from: TAC on March 24, 2015, 06:09:17 PM

Quote from: kingshmegland on March 24, 2015, 05:49:31 PM
Rumor has it, Hugh played on all the albums.
Is that true?

I had heard that as well. Sort of what Cinderella did with their drummer Fred Coury.

Quote from: Cool Chris on March 24, 2015, 08:51:43 PM

Quote from: PetFish on March 23, 2015, 09:51:25 PM
- Bon Jovi are credited with "inventing" the unplugged-style performances due to the 1989 MTV Awards performance.

I remember seeing that at the time, and even my 13 year old not-really-a-Bon-Jovi-fan brain thought it was awesome.

I actually had to look that up because I was convinced that it was wrong and that Tesla were actually the originators of that. As it turns out, it is actually tough to decide which was first. Telsa did an unplugged gig on S.F. Bay Area radio station QRQR prior to the MTV music award thing. The unexpected huge response it got led them to do their short string of unplugged club gigs on nights they weren't scheduled to play on their 1990 tour. The unexpected huge response to that led someone to suggest that they record it and release it as an album, and we got Five Man Accoustical Jam. But in terms of anything that got BIG exposure, it is correct that Bon Jovi was first by a few months. So there you have it.

***

Bruce: No denying how huge the album was, but I have nothing to contribute. Just never got into him.

Ozzy: This was my first Ozzy album and was the second "hard rock" album I ever owned (Van Halen I was the first). Loved it from start to finish at the time, and for a long time after. Ozzy has grown to be one of those few artists that so puts me off that I don't care to listen to the music, no matter how good it might be. But even though I no longer have a copy of this album, I still have fond memories and great respect for the material.

George Michael: Never was a fan. Nothing to contribute to the discussion.

TAC · « **Reply #75 on:** March 30, 2015, 03:10:09 PM »

But as far as the Unplugged part of the set, I would put Led Zeppelin as the originators, no?

King Postwhore · « **Reply #76 on:** March 30, 2015, 04:38:39 PM »

Quote from: TAC on March 30, 2015, 03:10:09 PM

But as far as the Unplugged part of the set, I would put Led Zeppelin as the originators, no?

I think we are talking the resurgence of the acoustic set and MTV riding that wave.

KevShmev · « **Reply #77 on:** March 30, 2015, 07:43:54 PM »

I was never a huge fan of Journey, outside of the hits, but this album is good. The hits for one are mostly outstanding - I am not wild about "Open Arms," but "Don't Stop Believin'," "Who's Crying Now" and "Stone in Love" are all fantastic songs. It's been a while since I've spun the rest of the album; I'll try to do so this week. In the meantime, discuss Escape.

bl5150 · « **Reply #78 on:** March 30, 2015, 07:58:47 PM »

Well this album had stuff all exposure in Australia until the resurrection of DSB for Glee. In fact I'd hazard a guess that the first Perry related track I heard on the radio was Oh Sherrie. **

My early years were spent with bands like KISS, Van Halen, Def leppard , Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Ozzy etc.......and some softer melodic rock like Toto, Foreigner and so forth. But it wasn't until years later (late high school years) when I became better connected in the melodic rock scene that I even heard about Journey. I kept hearing that this Escape record was the bees knees and so I had to find out what the fuss was about.

Personally I prefer the harder rocking Frontiers but there's no denying that this is one of THE classic AOR/melodic rock albums. It cemented the change in direction that began earlier with Perry's arrival and remains their biggest album for good reason.

** I just checked and it makes some sense. Open Arms barely made the Aussie Top 50 , whereas Oh Sherrie went top 5.

BlobVanDam · « **Reply #79 on:** March 30, 2015, 08:10:55 PM »

Quote from: bl5150 on March 30, 2015, 07:58:47 PM

Well this album had stuff all exposure in Australia until the resurrection of DSB for Glee. In fact I'd hazard a guess that the first Perry related track I heard on the radio was Oh Sherrie. **

I can't recall ever hearing Journey on the radio (like MMM back in the day). Like you, it wasn't until I got into melodic rock that I discovered Journey, although much more recently than you.

Escape is a really strong album, probably my favourite by Journey (although there are others that come close).
The only song I really don't like is Dead or Alive, and Who's Crying Now is a bit dull unless I'm particularly in the mood to hear it. But it has Don't Stop Believing, Mother, Father, Open Arms, some great rocking tracks like Keep On Runnin' and Lay It Down, and my personal favourite Stone in Love with that epic as hell outro solo. It's a tie between that and Separate Ways for my favourite Journey song.

jammindude · « **Reply #80 on:** March 30, 2015, 08:27:27 PM »

+1 on Stone in Love. NO WAY that song ever gets the props it deserves.

Journey could pretty much do no wrong between Infinity and Frontiers. My personal favorite is still Infinity, because it still carries some mild call backs to their earlier, more progressive material that they would pretty much abandon completely with Evolution. (to draw a Genesis parallel...Infinity is kindof their "Duke") But this is probably the strongest of the 80's albums.

Stone In Love, Mother Father, Keep On Runnin, Still They Ride....just a non-stop AOR eargasm.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #81 on:** March 30, 2015, 08:33:04 PM »

Dammit Kev! You were supposed to do Erasure!

This album and Joan Jett's album was heard on the recess in the schoolyard for a year straight. Top to bottom a fantastic album that holds it's own today.

Bolsters · « **Reply #82 on:** March 30, 2015, 09:10:54 PM »

Probably not my favourite Journey album as it has a few tracks I'm not a big fan of, but it's certainly up there and it does contain quite a few of the best songs they've ever done.

hefdaddy42 · « **Reply #83 on:** March 31, 2015, 07:56:17 AM »

Escape is awesome. All killer, no filler.

JD, I agree wholeheartedly about Stone In Love.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #84 on:** March 31, 2015, 08:21:18 AM »

This album crossed so many formats and that's how it blew up. Rock stations placed SIL & DSB while the pop stations played WCN & OA. Massive, massive exposure.

TAC · « **Reply #85 on:** March 31, 2015, 09:43:25 AM »

I honestly think that if you could pick just ONE album that defines 80's Rock, it would be Escape.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #86 on:** March 31, 2015, 10:04:25 AM »

Remember old fart The Blue Jean Network and the concerts on TV. I think the Escape Tour was the first aired.

Lowdz · « **Reply #87 on:** March 31, 2015, 01:04:09 PM »

I wasn't a big Journey fan back in the day but one of my mates was. He loaned me this album and I liked it.Frontiers was good too but had a bit of filler. Raised on Radio was complete crap, housewife music. The Captured live album was great though.

My favourite album of theirs is Arrival though. I'm just not that big a Steve Perry fan.

TAC · « **Reply #88 on:** March 31, 2015, 02:26:46 PM »

Quote from: kingshmegland on March 31, 2015, 10:04:25 AM

Remember old fart The Blue Jean Network and the concerts on TV. I think the Escape Tour was the first aired.

Yup, and MTV also aired those concerts on Saturday night. I remember the Rush Exit Stage Left one. I used to sleep over at my grandmother's house on Saturdays just to watch the concerts as she lived in the city and had cable. I lived in the boonies.

Jaq · « **Reply #89 on:** March 31, 2015, 04:12:00 PM »

I bought Escape as a young man who had rode the bus out to a local mall with his sisters. That day, a Beatles cover band was playing some sets, each one focused on a different period of time of the band with them wearing appropriate costumes. I was at the edge of this crowd, trying to see over the crowd, when I looked down and saw someone had dropped ten dollars on the ground, a five and five ones. Nonchalantly I bent to tie my shoe and snatched up the money, and ran to the record store where I bought Escape for the massive price of $5.99. My sisters, of course, wanted some of the money, but I spent the rest at a bookstore.

Years later I kind of regretted using the money on Escape, because of their run of monster albums up to Frontiers, this was my least favorite of them

senecadawg2 · « **Reply #90 on:** March 31, 2015, 04:43:51 PM »

Love me some Journey and this is a very good album. Prefer their earlier pre-Perry stuff, but that's not 80's.

bl5150 · « **Reply #91 on:** March 31, 2015, 09:49:47 PM »

Quote from: Lowdz on March 31, 2015, 01:04:09 PM

Frontiers was good too but had a bit of filler.

Drop a couple of the dogs (Back Talk for instance) and add in the two soundtrack specials that were (stupidly) left off - Ask The Lonely and Only The Young - and that's my favourite Journey album.

BlobVanDam · « **Reply #92 on:** March 31, 2015, 09:51:57 PM »

Quote from: bl5150 on March 31, 2015, 09:49:47 PM

Quote from: Lowdz on March 31, 2015, 01:04:09 PM
Frontiers was good too but had a bit of filler.

Drop a couple of the dogs (Back Talk for instance) and add in the two soundtrack specials that were (stupidly) left off - Ask The Lonely and Only The Young - and that's my favourite Journey album.

Man I hate Back Talk. But I also don't like Only the Young.

I love Ask The Lonely though. I have a more recent remaster of Frontiers which does include those two tracks luckily.

bosk1 · « **Reply #93 on:** April 01, 2015, 10:38:37 AM »

Quote from: kingshmegland on March 30, 2015, 08:33:04 PM

Top to bottom a fantastic album that holds it's own today.

Agreed. This was one of the first albums I ever bought, and I played it nonstop. I would have to say that in terms of influencing my musical direction in life, this album was HUGE for me. Although this album definitely has different tiers in terms of song strength, I would not say there is a weak track on the entire album.

Quote from: BlobVanDam on March 31, 2015, 09:51:57 PM

I love Ask The Lonely though. I have a more recent remaster of Frontiers which does include those two tracks luckily.

Yeah, I have that version too. IMO, that's how you do it when you re-release an album. Include additional content that is historically relevant, whether it be unlreleased songs, B-sides, stuff that went to soundtracks, live recordings, ...whatever. Here, we got 4 tracks from that era that really complete the package.

I get the decision that was made back then. They wanted strong tracks for the soundtracks, which ultimately was good for the band. Since we ultimately were able to get a release that included all of them, which may not have been the case if the album was already strong and the weaker tracks may have been less in-demand, we may never have seen Troubled Child see the light of day, so I am glad it worked out the way it did. I really like Troubled Child. One of the few songs I personally ever wrote, which I called Runaway, drew strongly from Troubled Child and Diary of a Madman.

I still don't even really remember how Liberty or Only Solutions go, but it is still cool to have them.

KevShmev · « **Reply #94 on:** April 02, 2015, 08:59:56 PM »

This is one of the rare albums that I owned on cassette back in the day, but never bought the CD. Once I started buying CDs, I just never thought this was that great to own. I don't really remember a lot of it either. The hits were good. The title track is a great tune still, and "Kickstart My Heart" is one of those songs that you can't help but turn up and rock out to. "Without You" was a favorite of mine back in the day, but it didn't age well for me at all. I know this is considered a glam metal/hair metal, so I am sure that are some that think much more of this now than I do.

bl5150 · « **Reply #95 on:** April 02, 2015, 09:33:10 PM »

For some reason I tend to go for the older stuff (Shout At The Devil, Girls,Girls,Girls) if I ever feel the need to play the Crue but this is probably their most polished album. Perhaps I just got overloaded with it.....a bit like Appetite For Destruction. Great album but I never feel like playing it these days.

Aside from Slice of Your Pie I think I enjoyed every track on Dr Feelgood.

jammindude · « **Reply #96 on:** April 02, 2015, 10:35:40 PM »

Crue were actually considered badasses when Shout at the Devil was new and they were opening for Ozzy on the Bark at the Moon tour. That was why there was such a collective WTF when they dropped the leather and studs in favor of pink spandex and sappy ballads for Theater of Pain. Girls Girls Girls was just OK...but seriously. Crue was kinda one of those bands you went to see because your girlfriend wanted to hear Home Sweet Home.

Dr Feelgood was, to me, a pretty decent "comeback" album. Not quite as stellar as their earlier work, but still had a LOT more teeth than the previous two albums. The title track and Kickstart by themselves are among their all time heaviest songs.

I still can't figure out why the word "legend" gets tossed around with these guys. They had several "hits" and a couple really great albums...but they've never had that string of fantastic albums in a row that elevate a band to the status of "legend".

King Postwhore · « **Reply #97 on:** April 03, 2015, 06:23:09 AM »

From the opening whammy bar to the chugging guitar of Dr. Feelgood every damn song is catchy on this album. Just loved this album.

jjrock88 · « **Reply #98 on:** April 03, 2015, 08:00:47 AM »

I will always reach for SATD when I want to hear classic Crue.

This one has some good rockers and is pretty good overall. A little too slick though.

TAC · « **Reply #99 on:** April 03, 2015, 01:22:32 PM »

Quote from: jammindude on April 02, 2015, 10:35:40 PM

Crue were actually considered badasses when Shout at the Devil was new and they were opening for Ozzy on the Bark at the Moon tour. That was why there was such a collective WTF when they dropped the leather and studs in favor of pink spandex and sappy ballads for Theater of Pain. Girls Girls Girls was just OK...but seriously. Crue was kinda one of those bands you went to see because your girlfriend wanted to hear Home Sweet Home.

Dr Feelgood was, to me, a pretty decent "comeback" album. Not quite as stellar as their earlier work, but still had a LOT more teeth than the previous two albums. The title track and Kickstart by themselves are among their all time heaviest songs.

I still can't figure out why the word "legend" gets tossed around with these guys. They had several "hits" and a couple really great albums...but they've never had that string of fantastic albums in a row that elevate a band to the status of "legend".

I agree with a lot of this.

I was really shocked at the writing and performance of Dr. Feelgood. Seemed like Motley Crue really progressed in both.

I think the "legend" term is thrown about as they were really the poster boys for 80's arena rock. I saw the TOP, GGG, and Dr. F tours. I went not because of any girlfriend, but because they put on an awesome show. I wasn't even really into them, but their shows were can't miss.

bl5150 · « **Reply #100 on:** April 03, 2015, 06:54:32 PM »

Quote from: TAC on April 03, 2015, 01:22:32 PM

I wasn't even really into them, but their shows were can't miss.

I was never a huge fan either (nothing made my Top 100 albums/artists) apart from a few tracks but , like you , I went to a couple of gigs mostly for the show.

jjrock88 · « **Reply #101 on:** April 04, 2015, 12:07:28 AM »

Quote from: bl5150 on April 03, 2015, 06:54:32 PM

Quote from: TAC on April 03, 2015, 01:22:32 PM
I wasn't even really into them, but their shows were can't miss.

I was never a huge fan either (nothing made my Top 100 albums/artists) apart from a few tracks but , like you , I went to a couple of gigs mostly for the show.

and the boatload of women

bl5150 · « **Reply #102 on:** April 04, 2015, 12:15:35 AM »

Don't forget Tommy's tit-cam

jammindude · « **Reply #103 on:** April 04, 2015, 12:16:43 AM »

Quote from: jjrock88 on April 04, 2015, 12:07:28 AM

Quote from: bl5150 on April 03, 2015, 06:54:32 PM
Quote from: TAC on April 03, 2015, 01:22:32 PM
I wasn't even really into them, but their shows were can't miss.

I was never a huge fan either (nothing made my Top 100 albums/artists) apart from a few tracks but , like you , I went to a couple of gigs mostly for the show.

and the boatload of women

At the time...I went for the women as well. I saw the GGG tour in Seattle and I thought it was boring as hell except for all the girls walking around in their underwear.

The next time I saw them was on the New Tattoo tour, and I only went because Anthrax and Megadeth opened. MC disappointed a second time. Maybe I just saw the wrong shows.

bl5150 · « **Reply #104 on:** April 04, 2015, 12:19:27 AM »

I think the quality of MC shows varies a lot depending on which version of Vince turns up. He can be anything from horrific to pretty good.

News: Track-by-track video for Fall Into the Light: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ezfzdMpRc0

Author Topic: 80s Classic Albums (Featuring: King Crimson) (Read 117414 times)