Album Oriented Rock (AOR)--A dying radio format.

[Dom Heffner]

Working Class Man is a great song.

[Revering4Blue]

Sorry. I'm a big Cold Chisel fan.

The American public really missed the boat with both Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes.

Here's another Chisel track that I remember hearing on AOR radio here in the states -possibly the band's biggest AOR hit here.

Cold Chisel - My Baby (1981)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJLy_3LV7K0

[Revering4Blue]

Working Class Man is a great song.

No doubt.

Jimmy Barnes - Working Class Man (1986)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yIqv4dxfl0


This is Jimmy's biggest AOR hit in the states - it peaked at #3 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart - and one that I remember well.

Jimmy Barnes - Too Much Ain't Enough Love (1988)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn-BeXNNDYM


And here, as a bonus, Barnes reprises his role as this track's vocalist on a guitarist extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa's Driving Toward The Daylight CD, which featured various vocalists.

This remake, as well as a few other tracks from said CD are receiving airplay on one our local AOR stations. But, IMHO, this nowhere as good as the original - Barnes, as the All Music guide pointed out, sounds as if he's auditioning for AC/DC.

Joe Bonamassa (featuring Jimmy Barnes) - Too Much Ain't Enough Love (2112)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyKBLQFTdt8

[marcshoe]

Well, when Bon Scott left Fraternity to join AC/DC, Jimmy Barnes replaced him. There was also a rumor that he was offered the AC/DC job when Bon Scott died, but Barnes says that didn't happen.

[Revering4Blue]

RIP Alvin Lee (Ten Years After)

http://todayentertainment.today.com/...ied-at-68?lite

[gonelong]

Def Leopard has a 45 minute discussion of the Hysteria Album on Netflix right now. A few interesting nuggets, not all that well done IMO.

GL

[cinredsfan2000]

Def Leopard has a 45 minute discussion of the Hysteria Album on Netflix right now. A few interesting nuggets, not all that well done IMO.

GL

Much like most of the Hysteria album probabaly the most overrated hard rock album of the 80's

[Dom Heffner]

Oh...man...fightin words...

You must be one of those Radiohead dudes...

[cinredsfan2000]

Oh...man...fightin words...

You must be one of those Radiohead dudes...

Nah Dom i was a big Def leppard fan up to hysteria .But i just cant stand the more pop sounding direction . I love High and Dry and Pyromania and like most of On through the night. But can only stomach maybe 2 songs off Hysteria Woman, and rocket. But i do like some radiohead

[Revering4Blue]

Nah Dom i was a big Def leppard fan up to hysteria .But i just cant stand the more pop sounding direction . I love High and Dry and Pyromania and like most of On through the night. But can only stomach maybe 2 songs off Hysteria Woman, and rocket. But i do like some radiohead

IMHO, "Armageddon It" kicks total arse.

"Pour Some Sugar On Me" reached "Hotel California" / "Another Brick In The Wall Pt.2" status - read: overrated/overplayed - a long time ago.

The Def Leppard album I can do without is Adrenalize - no memorable tracks at all for me.

"Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" is to Def Leppard what "In To Deep" was/is to Genesis to me: A sellout worthy track.

IMO, the most underrated/underplayed Def Leppard AOR hit:

Def Leppard - Let It Go (1981)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZgr_3BvTmg

[Dom Heffner]

Hysteria is the best album ever for me.

It is my favorite record.

I can see how soneone who liked the older stuff would scoff at the pop direction.

That record is just fab. Best of the hair bands, best everything. Love that band.

[RedFanAlways1966]

IMO, the most underrated/underplayed Def Leppard AOR hit:

Def Leppard - Let It Go (1981)

Two of my favorites to play on the guitar are "Let It Go" and "Lady Strange", both from the High N Dry album. Like most DL songs they are melodic and have enough changes to keep it interesting. And I catch myself singing the words too lol. Guilty of learning "Hysteria" (the song) and "Pour Some Sugar on Me" too. Less challenging (due to the pop thing), but well written songs all the same. There were/are rumors that the Hysteria album was recorded one note at a time (no chords played on guitars), And then it was all polished and put together by the studio masters to make the perfect record.

That video is interesting as well. Pete Willis on guitar (to be replaced soon after) and playing a white Gibson Explorer that looks as big as him. Steve Clark playing what looks to be a double-cutaway Gibson Les Paul (though I am not sure, but he usually played the normal single-cutaway LP). And guitar cords! Some younger folks might not realize that these once existed and were used.

[Captain13]

Hysteria is the best album ever for me.

It is my favorite record.

I can see how soneone who liked the older stuff would scoff at the pop direction.

That record is just fab. Best of the hair bands, best everything. Love that band.

I love Hysteria...Rocket, Woman, Animal, Armageddon It, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Love Bites. Awesome album and the peak of hair band popularity, but my personal favorite for hair rock still has to be Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi. After that there are a bunch of records by Ratt, Motley Crue, Poison, Damn Yankees, Whitesnake, etc. that are all pretty good, but Slippery When Wet and Hysteria are my two favorites (and it's not really close).

Maybe R4B will come up with a really cool hair band post where I learn something about the music I grew up with (just a suggestion, no pressure).

[marcshoe]

Am I the only person who Joe Elliot annoyed by sounding like he was throwing up while he was singing?

[marcshoe]

Since this has just sat here, I thought i should mention that the above wasn't meant as an overall criticism of Def Leppard. Mostly he seemed to do this on the Hysteria album.

I like some of their stuff, but had trouble listening at the peak of their popularity because they saturated the airways so much. For whatever reason, I always liked Rock of Ages more than any of the others. Liked On Through the Night (LP) as well.