Genre-defining melodic rock artists?

[Maro]

For me, melodic rock genre was defined by following 30 artists:

JOURNEY
SURVIVOR
FOREIGNER
STYX
BOSTON
LOVERBOY
TOTO
ASIA
REO SPEEDWAGON
HEART
BAD COMPANY
CHEAP TRICK
SAMMY HAGAR
EDDIE MONEY
NIGHT RANGER
JOHN WAITE
38 SPECIAL
STARSHIP
JEFFERSON STARSHIP
RICK SPRINGFIELD
URIAH HEEP
SHOOTING STAR
MEAT LOAF
AEROSMITH
BRYAN ADAMS
KANSAS
DEF LEPPARD
BON JOVI
CHICAGO
PETER CETERA

What do you think?

[nikki]

No Pat Benatar, but otherwise dead on.

[NealIsGod]

You have Chicago and Peter Cetera listed, but only Journey and not Steve Perry. I guess one solo album in the 80's didn't register.

[Maro]

No Pat Benatar, but otherwise dead on.

Good point, I forget about her.

[conversationpc]

I wouldn't consider Chicago a melodic rock artist. Their early stuff was very progressive but they are, for the most part, just a pop rock band. Same with Cetera.

[nikki]

I wouldn't consider Chicago a melodic rock artist. Their early stuff was very progressive but they are, for the most part, just a pop rock band. Same with Cetera.

Have to agree with you on that one.

[Maro]

You have Chicago and Peter Cetera listed, but only Journey and not Steve Perry. I guess one solo album in the 80's didn't register.

It comes from Chicago and Peter Cetera being two separate entities since 1984.
They went more into melodic rock since Jason Scheff replaced Peter Cetera.
Speaking about Steve Perry, I always saw his solo career as addition to his Journey career.

[NealIsGod]

You have Chicago and Peter Cetera listed, but only Journey and not Steve Perry. I guess one solo album in the 80's didn't register.

It comes from Chicago and Peter Cetera being two separate entities since 1984.
They went more into melodic rock since Jason Scheff replaced Peter Cetera.
Speaking about Steve Perry, I always saw his solo career as addition to his Journey career.

Maybe the first record was. The second one sure wasn't "in addition" to his Journey career.

[X factor]

For me, melodic rock genre was defined by following 30 artists:

JOURNEY
SURVIVOR
FOREIGNER
STYX
BOSTON
LOVERBOY
TOTO
ASIA
REO SPEEDWAGON
HEART
BAD COMPANY
CHEAP TRICK
SAMMY HAGAR
EDDIE MONEY
NIGHT RANGER
JOHN WAITE
38 SPECIAL
STARSHIP
JEFFERSON STARSHIP
RICK SPRINGFIELD
URIAH HEEP
SHOOTING STAR
MEAT LOAF
AEROSMITH
BRYAN ADAMS
KANSAS
DEF LEPPARD
BON JOVI
CHICAGO
PETER CETERA

I like the inclusion of SHOOTING STAR, but I don't think Uriah Heep belongs on that list. There much bluesier and heavier than most.



What do you think?

[Maro]

I wouldn't consider Chicago a melodic rock artist. Their early stuff was very progressive but they are, for the most part, just a pop rock band. Same with Cetera.

I could agree with you up to a point... Old stuff from Chicago is mostly boring to me, but since Bill Champlin came, they made a lot of good music.

Some of artists I mentioned had different phases of their careers... for example:

JOURNEY - first three albums were jazz rock
STYX - mostly progressive rock before Equinox album
REO SPEEDWAGON - not exactly melodic rock before You Can Tune A Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish album
HEART - mostly Led Zeppelin-influenced rock before Private Audition album, and after Desire Walks On
BAD COMPANY - mostly blues based hard rock before Brian Howe-era in 80's
38 SPECIAL - first two albums were pure southern rock
JEFFERSON STARSHIP - before Freedom At Point Zero they mostly weren't melodic rock
RICK SPRINGFIELD - before Jessie's Girl he wasn't really melodic rock
URIAH HEEP - weren't melodic rock before Abominog album in 1982.
AEROSMITH - 70's hard rock style band before Permanent Vacation album
KANSAS - mostly progressive rock band before Monolith album (even Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return)
DEF LEPPARD - first two-thee albums were more into hard rock

[ScarabGator]

HOW COULD YOU EVER LEAVE "TACO" OFF THIS LIST?!?!? PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ???? C'MON!!!

[Maro]

I like the inclusion of SHOOTING STAR, but I don't think Uriah Heep belongs on that list. There much bluesier and heavier than most.

Speaking about Uriah Heep, most of people are familiar only with their most popular David Byron(vocals)/Ken Hensley(keyboard)-era in first half of 70's...
They made much more melodic albums in 80's and 90's with Peter Goalby and Bernie Shaw on vocals.
If you listen to those, you'll hear a lot of melodic gems...

with Peter Goalby on vox, and John Sinclair on keys
ABOMINOG
HEAD FIRST
EQUATOR

with Bernie Shaw on vox, and Phil Lanzon on keys
LIVE IN MOSCOW
RAGING SILENCE
DIFFERENT WORLD
SEA OF LIGHT
SONIC ORIGAMI

[jimmyjames]

[quote="Maro"]For me, melodic rock genre was defined by following 30 artists:

JOURNEY
SURVIVOR
FOREIGNER
STYX
BOSTON
LOVERBOY
TOTO
ASIA
REO SPEEDWAGON
HEART
BAD COMPANY
CHEAP TRICK
SAMMY HAGAR
EDDIE MONEY
NIGHT RANGER
JOHN WAITE
38 SPECIAL
STARSHIP
JEFFERSON STARSHIP
RICK SPRINGFIELD
URIAH HEEP
SHOOTING STAR
MEAT LOAF
AEROSMITH
BRYAN ADAMS
KANSAS
DEF LEPPARD
BON JOVI
CHICAGO
PETER CETERA

What do you think?[/quote]

You forgot Hugo, his first album, it is a classic!!!

[NealIsGod]

I don't believe I have ever heard a Uriah Heap song. Is there a song I may have heard?

[Maro]

You forgot Hugo, his first album, it is a classic!!!

Actually I left out him on purpose... as much as I love Hugo's work, he came too late on scene to be among those who in my humble opinion defined a genre...
The same would go for The Storm, Alias, Drive She Said, FM, Signal, Tyketto and lot's of other fantastic melodic rock artists in 90's and 2000's...

[conversationpc]

I don't believe I have ever heard a Uriah Heap song. Is there a song I may have heard?

I have three songs of theirs..."Gypsy", "Stealin'", and "The Wizard". The former and the latter are probably two of their more well-known tunes.

[Maro]

I don't believe I have ever heard a Uriah Heap song. Is there a song I may have heard?

They were huge in early 70's with songs like Lady In Black, Easy Livin', Gypsy, Bird Of Prey, July Morning, The Wizard, Look At Yourself... Later they slipped in popularity, but had kind of second youth with Abominog album in 1982.

Video from that album, That's The Way That It Is was huge in first months of MTV.
I think I've read somewhere that it was 4th video aired on MTV on first day of airing (first was Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles)...

[jimmyjames]

[quote="Maro"][quote="jimmyjames"]You forgot Hugo, his first album, it is a classic!!![/quote]

Actually I left out him on purpose... as much as I love Hugo's work, he came too late on scene to be among those who in my humble opinion defined a genre...
The same would go for The Storm, Alias, Drive She Said, FM, Signal, Tyketto and lot's of other fantastic melodic rock artists in 90's and 2000's...[/quote]



Understood

[larryfromnextdoor]

I don't believe I have ever heard a Uriah Heap song. Is there a song I may have heard?

Easy Livin is on the classic radio still...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4o--q6x ... ed&search=

[NealIsGod]

I don't believe I have ever heard a Uriah Heap song. Is there a song I may have heard?

Easy Livin is on the classic radio still...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4o--q6x ... ed&search=

Thanks for the link, Lar. Those other two guys don't know how lazy I am.

That song sucks, BTW.

[nikki]

Just thought of another group...Triumph.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyemGXWHkTo

[Maro]

That song sucks, BTW.

Try with those:

Easy Livin' (early 70's Uriah Heep)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4o--q6xuvs

Too Scared To Run live (80's Uriah Heep)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGT418XEjPg

That's The Way That It Is video (80's Uriah Heep)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yknLjc8W7E

[squirt1]

I put Queen in the group. Some of Freddies late work I could easily hear Perry singing.

[Gordon from Edinburgh]

For me, melodic rock genre was defined by following 30 artists:

JOURNEY
SURVIVOR
FOREIGNER
STYX
BOSTON
LOVERBOY
TOTO
ASIA
REO SPEEDWAGON
HEART
BAD COMPANY
CHEAP TRICK
SAMMY HAGAR
EDDIE MONEY
NIGHT RANGER
JOHN WAITE
38 SPECIAL
STARSHIP
JEFFERSON STARSHIP
RICK SPRINGFIELD
URIAH HEEP
SHOOTING STAR
MEAT LOAF
AEROSMITH
BRYAN ADAMS
KANSAS
DEF LEPPARD
BON JOVI
CHICAGO
PETER CETERA

What do you think?

How about Stevie Nicks?

[Maro]

For me, melodic rock genre was defined by following 30 artists:

How about Stevie Nicks?

I like her a lot, but I'd never put her into melodic rock...

Stevie Nicks, Belinda Carlisle, Laura Branigan, Tina Turner, Mike +The Mechanics, Air Supply, Michael Bolton, Christopher Cross, Don Henley, Richard Marx, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Huey Lewis And The News, most of Peter Cetera's work, Phil Collins, etc. are for me adult contemporary rock...