Ok so
people who know me know that I love some melodic rock, great songs well
produced, well sung, awesome guitar solos, you get the picture, it’s a misunderstood
genre, and I understand its not for everyone, I do like other stuff, I’m not a
huge fan of cookie monster vocals, but I’m not averse to a fair odd bit of
metal, but there has to be a point to it. These are not “new” albums the first
one is from 1980 and I still play at least once a month, let’s go do this!
Touch –
Debut 1980 – 8.5/10.
The first
band on stage at the first Monsters of Rock at Donnington, the album opens with
the classic “Don’t you know what love is” , originally managed by Rainbow’s
manager at the time the main person in the band was Mark Mangold who has played
on hundreds of albums and wrote for so many stars and is still going strong,
the album is polished with some awesome AOR songs and a bonafide fide metal classic
in “Black Star” the album was a little ahead of its time and was great album in
the wrong moment in time, allegedly they did a second album two years later (I have
never found it) and then released a third album 42 years after this debut, the
world and everything else had moved on and their moment was gone, I can’t recommend
the debut highly enough.
Signal –
Loud & Clear 1989 – 9/10.
A rich kids
vanity project with a couple of names attached, Mark Free (now Marcie Free) who
had sang with King Kobra and went onto a couple of other bands, Jan Uvena who
played drums in a number of bands, the brainchild of the guitar player, it’s a classic
slice of well crafted rock and if it had been pushed probably would have sold
in buckets, with songs like “My Mistake” and “Does it feel like love” I have
been told there is a live album out there (which I am still looking for) we all
should have seen the way the wind was blowing, bands like this release an album
and then get dropped the fickle industry was already moving on to other things.
A Texan with
a touch for a glorious hook, 1989 was a great year for people/bands who appeared
out of nowhere and then disappeared like a shrinking tide, Mr Morales had a
couple of hits in the States (Top Twenty) but as mentioned previously mentioned
the tide was turning, I can still remember where I was first heard “Who do you
give your love to” and this album is another is constantly getting airplay when
I play good old fashioned AOR, he released another album two years later, which
was just as good as this (Thump) but it didn’t sell as well so he went back to Texas,
where he released his third (and last as far as I know) in 1999 he’s still
involved in producing and teaching music, but this was the start of the glory
days!
Streets – 1st
1983 – 9.5/10.
Led by
Steve Walsh of the band Kansas & Mike Slamer from City Boy, I hunted high
and low to buy this album at time of release (only available on import a very
limited import) nine awesome songs produced by Neil Kernon who produced many
AOR classics who mainly does Death Metal bands these days (it keeps food on the
table I suppose). Classic songs “If love should go” “Everything is changing”
and Lonely woman’s cry” a poor album
cover and poor record label support killed the band, they did do a second album
produced by Beau Hill but again poorly promoted I do have the live album from
the first tour, if its so good why only 9.5 well, it’s a short album only 9
songs and I get the feeling (due to some of the interviews I have read) that it
was a little rushed, I still love the album.
Was I influenced
as younger man, you better believe it isn’t everyone, its no surprise that
three of these albums infected me by the hand of Big G, along with about a
gazillion other albums, artists and genres, I’m expecting grief for my choices
and why did I not pick various other albums, well you never know what I might
pick further down the road, I hpe you enjoyed my choices if you don’t know them
go find them on the streaming services, if you like AOR I reckon you might just
like these, until next time Toodles!
