The State of AOR

by **Greg** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:24 am

Do you guys feel that the best bands in the AOR genre have a better chance, today, of making it big as opposed to, let's say, three or four years ago? I've been listening to some of the new bands in the alternative and "emo" genre, and to me, the music is slowly starting to swing back to a more melodic type of music. I can't see how that wouldn't open the door, at least a bit more, for at least some of the bands in the AOR genre. What do you guys think? Do you think AOR is just a novelty item for us fans now, or is it a genre that will eventually regain it's spot in the popular music world of today?

by **A Fire Inside** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:31 am

Maybe if they were younger. I think age has a factor.

by **Kaj** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:48 pm

The biggest difference between now and the heydays of the 80´s are the big bucks.
Most bands had the money to put into their efforts back then,these days most AOR releases
sounds like low budget productions.

by **rdekker** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:54 pm

??? they are better musically now then they have ever before..

A Fire Inside wrote:Maybe if they were younger. I think age has a factor.

by **Lilla_Forever** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 6:27 pm

I think that not only age, but image plays a big role now. These days, how an artist looks is almost more important than the level of their talent :roll:

With that being said, I think AOR bands have no real chance of rivaling Black Eyed Peas and Kelly Clarkson.

So for making it big, rivaling the major artists of today's music scene, I rate the chances to be slim to none

Within the rock scene as such? I don't think so either, my hunch is that today's youth which are the ones the record companies are sucking up to, prefer more aggressive types of rock.

by **cetera** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:47 pm

As long as companies like Frontiers don't ruin it all with their piss-poor 'inhouse production' there might be a chance for some decent music to actually get out there and appreciated....

by **styxman** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 9:35 pm

cetera wrote:As long as companies like Frontiers don't ruin it all with their piss-poor 'inhouse production' there might be a chance for some decent music to actually get out there and appreciated....

and their piss-poor distribution!

by **Moon Beam** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:25 am

I don't know about whats playing on radio stations
where you folks all are but around here it's a whole
lot of Rap and Country.
Personally I am sick to death of Hubby's choice songs
like shake that ass for me.
Damn good thing I get control of the radio stations
most times.

by *Laura » Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:25 am

I sure hope AOR will get back where it belongs,I really think is one of the greatest genres of Rock.Maybe it won't have the same magnitute it had in the 80s and all,but I feel that people need to go back to melody.
So much crappy music invaded the rock'n'roll business,that maybe it's time to pull out the good ole "recipe".
I truly hope so.

by **NealIsGod** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:26 am

Moon Beam wrote:I don't know about whats playing on radio stations
where you folks all are but around here it's a whole
lot of Rap and Country.
Personally I am sick to death of Hubby's choice songs
like shake that ass for me.
Damn good thing I get control of the radio stations
most times.

In my car, it's WNIG all the time... :wink:

by **Moon Beam** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:29 am

Okay Niggy is that a radio stations
call letters WNIG?
Or yet another new Rap artist?
:lol:

by **TRAGChick** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:31 am

Shania wrote:I sure hope AOR will get back where it belongs,I really think is one of the greatest genres of Rock.Maybe it won't have the same magnitute it had in the 80s and all,but I feel that people need to go back to melody.
So much crappy music invaded the rock'n'roll business,that maybe it's time to pull out the good ole "recipe".
I truly hope so.

Yeah....I hope so TOO!

....For obvious reasons.... :wink:

by *Laura » Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:34 am

tragchk wrote:Yeah....I hope so TOO!

Tee-hee...GMTA! :wink:

by **TRAGChick** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:35 am

Shania wrote:
tragchk wrote:Yeah....I hope so TOO!

Tee-hee...GMTA!

What does "GMTA" stand for?

by *Laura » Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:36 am

Great Minds Think Alike. :lol:

by **TRAGChick** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:38 am

Shania wrote:Great Minds Think Alike.

YUP! LOL

by **Lilla_Forever** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 3:13 am

Shania wrote:I sure hope AOR will get back where it belongs,I really think is one of the greatest genres of Rock.Maybe it won't have the same magnitute it had in the 80s and all,but I feel that people need to go back to melody.
So much crappy music invaded the rock'n'roll business,that maybe it's time to pull out the good ole "recipe".
I truly hope so.

Perhaps the problem is that the AOR sound, for the broad masses, is the sound of the 80s, an era where the living tempo wasn't as screwed up, there had been no 9/11, and popular culture was more centered around the young adult rather than the teenager (there were fewer teen idols back then).

Today, music seems a lot more superficial and/or a lot more agressive, maybe reflecting that life has gotten tougher...?

I am not saying that we all live in the past in here. I think that the true fans of AOR simply fell in love with the music beyond the casual whim. Unfortunately, I think most people have a lot more casual, fashionista relationship to their musical tastes.

I am not acting as an oracle, this is just my take on it...

by **NealIsGod** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 3:34 am

tragchk wrote:
Shania wrote:Great Minds Think Alike.

YUP! LOL

Great might be pushing it... :wink:

j/k

by **Greg** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:14 am

Some of the rock bands I've listened to don't sound much different from AOR bands that are out there today. Now, I realize there are some AOR bands that sound too dated, but if Bon Jovi can still be big, there is no reason why bands like Journey or Def Leppard couldn't be as popular. I think like someone else said earlier, it's the image. Bon Jovi is going to be popular because women of all ages still find him good looking, where as some of the other greats during the 80's have aged.

by **mnmsjrny** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 2:02 pm

I think it's getting there, though the heroes of *our* youth will now and forevermore be "dinosaurs" (though, yes, JBJ is actually *more* smokin' hot than he was 20 years ago which definitely helps keep Bon Jovi in the public eye!) there does seem to be a move towards more melodic sounds. The program director of the radio station I listen to 95% of the time comes on the morning show every Thursday for "New Releases Thursday" and recently the dicussion was along this same vein. He pointed to the growing re-emergence of the singer-songwriter which has been sorely lacking for a while -- particularly in this day and age of pre-fab pop and sampled snippets and mashups. Once you get that trend moving again you get better crafted songs which leads to more melodic sounding rock.

by **TRAGChick** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 11:21 pm

mnmsjrny wrote:I think it's getting there, though the heroes of *our* youth will now and forevermore be "dinosaurs" (though, yes, JBJ is actually *more* smokin' hot than he was 20 years ago which definitely helps keep Bon Jovi in the public eye!) there does seem to be a move towards more melodic sounds. The program director of the radio station I listen to 95% of the time comes on the morning show every Thursday for "New Releases Thursday" and recently the dicussion was along this same vein. He pointed to the growing re-emergence of the singer-songwriter which has been sorely lacking for a while -- particularly in this day and age of pre-fab pop and sampled snippets and mashups. Once you get that trend moving again you get better crafted songs which leads to more melodic sounding rock.

mnm....what station is that?

by **Blueskies** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 1:17 am

The music business and radio are just about money any more. They go with the flavor of the moment, geared towards 12 yr. olds for a long time now, more image than substance. Record companies don't get behind groups like they used to, supporting a band with a 3 album deal from the start. Now it's a one shot deal, if it fly's from there they may support another, if not then their dropped. There are a few groups coming out now who are going back to that 70's type rock sound, for instance a group called Wolfmother has a strong Led Zepplin vibe. Nice to hear some young bands going back to some of rock's root's for the influence, I would say ripoff, but everyone has their musical influences. Nothing is "new" just reinvented.

by **brywool** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 1:49 am

Emo is awesome. Jimmy Eat World, Something Corporate, and Acceptance are 3 of my favorite bands. Great stuff without the 'bombast' of the 80s.

Bon Jovi is a walking Cliche. It's like Poison in the 21st Century.

by **Blueskies** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 2:00 am

Bon Jovi is going country, to try to stay alive, I guess. Stated their going to Nashville to write. I don't care for country music, at all.

by **A Fire Inside** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 2:05 am

brywool wrote:Emo is awesome. Jimmy Eat World, Something Corporate, and Acceptance are 3 of my favorite bands. Great stuff without the 'bombast' of the 80s.

Emo is terrible! LOL. This is coming from someone who loves A.F.I., so I do often listen to current music. Emo all sounds the same... nasally and boring.

MR

The State of AOR

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