Melodic AOR: Recent Episodes
Marcus Mason
A podcast dedicated to the Melodic AOR sub-genre scene rooted in the late 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and Today. A proud promoter of obscure highly under-rated Melodic AOR artists! Regular playlist selection and Album recommendations, Interviews, Perspectives and of course...Great Music! (Intro composed by Tom Durr of AOR Gypzy) Contact: melodicaormusic@gmail.com
Jay Bolan is a fantastic multi-instrumentalist musician that deserves a place in your music collection! Working in the music industry for well over 40 years (Los Angeles, Las Vegas) Jay has worked with many top notch musicians on many projects including the likes of Gregg and Matt Bisonette (David Lee Roth Band) , Brett Tuggle (David Lee Roth Band), Tony Franklin (The Firm) and Bobby Blotzer (Ratt) amongst many others! Jay's solo album released in 1993 is a fantastic AOR artifact that accompanies hard rock anthems with acoustic overtones and no doubt in my mind it would of been a strong seller back in the 1990's if released 1 or 2 years sooner. Released independently on RatDog records, the album is very hard to find but a remastered and expanded release is slated to be very soon! look out for Jay's new album sometime in the short future. Accompanied with this podcast is his fantastic opening melodic song "Northern Girl". Give it a listen. You wont be disappointed!
The Body Electric remains a fantastic hi-tech AOR group with a fresh and modern sound that was undeniably ahead of its time with their first release in 1984. Founded by David Sinclair (Vocals/Guitar), Bob Buckley (Vocals/Keyboards), Ross Friesen (Drums), and Kelly Cook (Bass) the band spawned many early charting singles such as "Somewhere in Time" on the RPM top 100 and the Adult Contemporary charts in 1984. The band followed up their early success with a EP entitled "Two Worlds" in 1985. Replacing Kelly Cook with Brian Newcombe on bass, the new look band released the softer pop ballad "Do you think they can tell" charting in the top 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, other strong songs such as "All Through The Night" did not garner any attention for pop rock enthusiasts which is criminally under-rated. The 5 song EP should of jump started their success strengthened by famous Engineer Bob Rock (The Cult, Metallica, Motley Crue, Rockhead) and Mike Fraser (AC/DC) working the engineering and studio side of things. In 1987 the band replaced Ross Friesen on drums with Jerry Adolphe from Prototype and signed with Parallel One records to continue well into 1987 with "Walking Through Walls" and only spawned one ballad hit , "Strangers in Love" appearing in the low 80's on the RPM charts and low 9's on the CANCON charts. Included in this podcast for your listening enjoyment is the song "All Through The Night" that should of been a top charting hit back in 1985. This is a fantastic Canadian band that no doubt should of had way more attention than they garnered back in the 80s.
Hailing from Cleveland Ohio, Beau Coup (pronounced BO-COO) is a fantastic AOR group that needs a place in your record collection! Founded by Dennis Lewin on keyboards and Frank Amato on Lead Vocals rounded out by his brother Tommy Amato on Vocals/Background vocals and bass player Bill March, the band garnered a lot of initial success on local Cleveland station WGCL with their single "Still In My Heart" earning top 10 extensive local airplay. Other songs such as "Somewhere Out In The Night" garnered enough attention to land interest from Scotti Brothers /CBS and Amherst Records A&M. The band eventually went back into the studio and signed with Amherst/A&M to release "Born and Raised On Rock and Roll" in 1987. This album was a fantastic debut full length album for the group with the songs "Somewhere Out In The Night", "Born and raised on rock and roll" and "Still In My Heart" earning Billboard picks and the song "Sweet Rachel" becoming a top 100 Billboard song peaking at #53 in 1987 well supported by its accompanying music video. Playing shows with Bon Jovi, Thompson Twins, Katrina and The Waves, Kenny Loggins, Golden Earring, Paul Young and Mac Jack and The Heart Attack further pushed the visibility and name of the group to a ever growing audience. Unfortunately by 1988 the band eventually "lost steam" on the project and went on to other exciting opportunities. This is a fantastic album that is excellently produced with strong musicianship and song writing. In the vein of groups like "The Innocent", "Alliance" , "The Metros" and "Zoid" with their own unique stylings, you wont be disappointed with this release! Hopefully a new repackaged and remastered version will be available soon. Accompanied with this podcast is the full length early version of "Somewhere Out In The Night". Enjoy!
In episode 3 of my podcast I did a really interesting feature on a fantastic band called Regatta. Hailing from Toronto Canada; Regatta had everything going for them a unique and catchy sound, a professional look, well developed song writing and very strong label to back them. Somehow not all of those "stars" did not align at that moment in time but their only release that came out in 1989 still has a cult following for many AOR listeners which (in my opinion) should hold a special place in your music collection. With no new release or digital presence (currently) other than music videos on YouTube the world needs to know more of this amazing group. I have for your listening pleasure attached their famous Q107 volume 7 winning track "Standing Alone" which will definitely garner a further interest in the band. You will not be disappointed!
When you think of Greek AOR music does the name Douglas Come to mind? Douglas is one of the first English speaking AOR rock groups to come out of Greece! Formed in 1984 by Alex on Bass, Elias on Drums, Tony on Guitar, Chris on Keyboards and Cornelius on Vocals the band lineup was set recording their first 2 song single release on virgin records with a cover of the Who's "Baba O' Riley" and their own hard edged song "I'm Free Now". This release and continued hard work landed the band a full length release in 1987 on BMG records Greece entitled "State Of Rock". With a With fantastic production and a wide variety of songs that are keyboard oriented with a hard edge it is unbelievable why this album did not have a world wide distribution! Accompanied by music videos for harder edged songs like "Shout" and "State Of Rock", and accompanied (on the album) with ballads such as Mirror, the band and their management did everything correct to bring success for the group and it is unknown why this band did not become a international success. The band in 1991 went back to the studio to record a good follow up called "Mad" and result of internal issues with management decided to call it quits and became session musicians working with well known Greek musician Anna Vissi. "State of Rock" is a AOR gem that needs a place within your record collection. Hopefully a remastered and repackaged CD release will be in future plans. Give it a listen if you can. You wont regret it! In the vein of other Greek bands like Spitfire and Rawsilk.
Features the full length song "Shout" for your listening pleasure.
Aces Wild is an amazing band that no-doubt did not get its due with their fantastic release in 1994 entitled "Race". Centered around lead vocalist and guitarist Tim Thompson, Guitarist Aaron Bensette, Bass player Todd James and Drummer Darin Curtis the band infused both a hard rock image combined with pop elements of AOR to create a sound that no doubt was fresh and different from the music at that time. Being passed by Warner, Capitol and Duke Street Records did not stop this band from releasing an album. Working with Peter Brennan (Monkey See, Gilded Cage), and touring and opening with bands such as Warrant, Big House, Syre, Kim Mitchell, Helix, Sven Gali, Wild T and The Spirit, Killer Dwarfs and Harem Scarem you would think that some type of label would take note how talented and marketable their music would of been at many opportunities throughout their career. The album also charted in Italy appearing at number 19 on the Metal Benny show. With coast to coast radio airplay and Independently releasing and selling over 1,000 copies, this band has left a remarkable music legacy that the rest of the world really needs to hear! Included in this podcast is the hit song "Satisfy You" for your listening pleasure. Turn up your speaker to 11! In the vein of Harem Scarem with their own unique sound Aces Wild's 1994 release "Race" deserves a place in your music collection!
When you think of Rock/Pop bands from Norway; do groups such as A-Ha and TNT come to mind? while both fantastic examples the group Moneytalks should definitely come to mind! Formed by two brothers Sverre and Harold Wiik in the early 1980's the band moved to Los Angeles in 1986 in search of landing a record deal and eventually found their way with MCA/Sonet/Curb records in 1988. Rounded out on keyboards with co-producer Kim Bullard (Jimi Jamison, Frankie and The Knockouts, Robert Tepper, Stan Bush, Latoya Jackson and Trixter) and Donnie Nossov on Bass (John Waite, Pat Banatar and Lita Ford) the band had some smart successful minded people working with the brothers to help them reach success! Well known bass player Stu Hamm also has a Bass credit on their album on the 12 inch remix of the song "Brave Young Boy" which was developed with a different sound in mind. Released in 1990 with the song "Brave Young Boy" sold as their lead single and music video the band went on a promotional tour in Australia and sold very well in Norway peaking at number 1 in the music charts over there. Songs such as "In A Trance" and "Tiny Little Heart Attack" found their way in TV/Film appearing on Karate Kid Part 3 and Career Opportunities directed by famous director John Hughes. This is a fantastic release with its own unique rock and electronic edged sound that undeniably needs a place in your music collection. Highly recommended release in the vein of Platinum Blonde, U2, Icehouse, Noiseworks and Psuedo Echo.
Gilded Cage remains as a fantastic band that definitely didn't get their exposure when various singles were released back in the 1980s. Formed with Bill Lamont of Monkey See (Guitars and Keyboards) and John Berkmortel (Bass and Vocals); the group worked together initially on Bill Lamont's side solo project with his hit radio song on FM96 in London called "City Lights" which was rotated heavily locally . Produced by Peter Brennan and signed to Auto Records; The duo recognized that with this new interest and exposure they should continue to record and write music as a group and made some amazing songs! Songs like "Last Time", "Feeling I Can't Hide", "Tara" and "Rain" are well put together releases, with the later two appearing on a 7" EP entitled Tara in 1988. With such strong musicianship and song writing it almost baffles me why they didn't at least chart Nationwide in Canada. With limited exposure on Radio and TV outside of London the band decided to call it quits as the music industry began to change in the early 1990s. The Duo today still preforms in a classic rock band locally around the London Ontario area. For the first time ever in this podcast and the first time on digital media the radio promo for the song "Last Time" will be included in this podcast for your listening endeavors! Hopefully a full release will be available in the future so that these songs can live on in your music collection! Highly recommended group in the vein of Haywire!
Some bands really get that close to "making it big". Where it is a lack of promotion, or a music video for MTV/Much Music or single released or a tour that should of happened; the possible causes of a bands lack of commercial success are undeniably different and unique to every situation. Has your fate ever been determined by a "flip of a coin?" it is the most unreal story that I have ever encountered on this podcast. It is amazing how close this band got to sign with one of the largest management companies back in the day and had even bigger opportunities to achieve their well deserved success. Hit The Ground Runnin' is a fantastic group who eventually found their way and got signed with Autograph Records in Canada and with the right connections, production and managerial backing for a short period of time seemed that their 1989 release "Sudden Impact" would be a commercial success. Produced by Dan McKeown and Managed by Hillary Shacter and with backing and approval from well known TV host and DJ Dick Clark of "American Bandstand" and a feature in Canada's RPM magazine; the band was given up way to quick by their associate label as they embarked on their promotional tour across Canada ending in Winnipeg. With many opportunities to rebound and have a song considered on soundtracks such as "Rocky V", "Backdraft" and "Ted 2" the band almost seemed "short changed" by the fantastic songs and musicianship that should of been included in all of these films. The band has a huge "cult following" and there is a huge demand with their music over 30 years later. The band's CD on their 1989 Release "Sudden Impact" is regarded as one of the most valuable AOR releases with copies selling for 1500 U.S. and above on Ebay and other websites like Discogs. The band's sound well very unique has some progressive overtones in the vein of bands like Yes, Asia, Journey and Lodgic with overlayed keyboards and a hard edged sound. This is a fantastic release that needs to have a place in your AOR rock collection. Hopefully soon a proper re-release of their 1989 album will happen. Stay tuned this band isn't done yet!
Champion remains as a fantastic AOR inspired group with excellent production, songwriting and musicianship that was undeniably cut short by their label going into bankruptcy shortly after their release in 1984. Formed by Robin Rabbins (Bob Seeger and The Silver Bullet Band) and Lead by front man Alex Machin (A Foot In Coldwater) the band over a four year period had all the stars aligned for success. Starting off with small venues in Michigan and Canada the band was soon joined by supporting minds such as producer Brian Allen (Toronto, Heart), guitarist Ashley Dunbar (Chilliwack, Sad Cafe) who were great individuals that assisted with song writing, production and musicianship. High profile management in Ralph Jolivet (president of United Artists) and a strong label in Solid Gold Records; who were very successful with other Canadian bands such as Chilliwack, The Headpins and Toronto were also in the fold. With a music video released for "I'd Lie To You For Your Love", a RPM feature article, supporting singles for "Love's Gone", "Birds Of Paradise" (Written by Snowy White of Thin Lizzy) and "Never Give Up" all the stars began to fall apart shortly after. Just soon after the bands release in 1984 Solid Gold Records declared bankruptcy leaving all the material and ability to shop the material in the hands of receivership putting the final nail in the bands success. With the inability to promote, sell and license the music the band eventually was shelved and the project ended. Champion remains as a group that undeniability was cut short way to early by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It is a great Canadian AOR release that should have a place in your music collection! In the vein of Loverboy, Foreigner, Chilliwack, Headpins and Coney Hatch. Check this release out. You will definitely love it.
Rio remains a really interesting group that is a rarity within the AOR scene as they were a duo. Formed by Steve Rodford (son of Jim Rodford of the band The Zombies) and Jon Neill (Jon Willoughby) the band started their early material in a group called Bombay with a small 2 track EP released in 1984. Steve took on Drums, Bass and backup vocals, while Jon focused on lead vocals and guitar. The band got signed by Warner communications in 1985 with a release on Elektra, Music For Nations, Victor and New Records in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and France entitled "Borderland". With Steve Rodford taking on producer abilities the band was supported by well known Engineer Tony Harris (Varity, Ian Matthews, REM, Bad Company) and mixed by Stephan Gulfus (Alman Brothers , Styper, ELO, Saxon, Meat Loaf and Cher). While the band made a solid AOR release; Two fundamental mistakes were made. 1) No music video was made for any of the songs on the release and 2) Their only single which featured a great song "I Don't Wanna Be The Fool" was supported with the B side - "Causality" which should of been removed and replaced with "Tommy Can't Help It" - A fantastic ballad that would of propelled the band to more significant success. Causality which is more rock oriented did not fit within the bands keyboard oriented style and oddly enough did not make its way on the original release in 1986 and will only resurface in 2011 on the remastered version by Retrospect records. Other notable songs include "State Of Emergency", "Straight To The Heart", "Borderland", and "Shy Girl". The band continued on with in 1986 with "Sex Crimes" released on Music For Nations. With a smaller label and less global markets to promote their music; the band was limited to a smaller audience to just the United Kingdom and France. The band shortly disbanded after. Interesting enough some demos have resurfaced recorded sometime in 1987 and 1988 under the moniker name "Big Talk" with Jon Neill on vocals. Steve Rodford was also part of the project but it is definitely a push towards the musical stylings of the first album" Borderland". These demos unfortunately did not move much out of the Demo stage but had great potential if the songs found their way to be a potential third Rio album or a rebranded version of the band sometime at that time. You can listen to the album on Spotify and Rio's 1985 album "Borderland" is a fantastic release that deserves a spot in your music collection! You wont be disappointed. While a sound really unique, the band fits within groups such as Strangeways, Bystander, Cliff Magness, and What If. New Intro composed by Tom Durr of AOR Gypzy!
Ya Ya remains as an obscure British AOR group you may not be familiar of but you definitely should! The band centered around Guitarist and Vocalist Lea Heart (Fastway, Lea Hart), Ray Calcutt on Guitars, Graham Garrett on Drums and Terry Stevens the band iself began under The Lea Hart Band and reinvented themselves under a new name Ya Ya. That eventually led the group to being signed to Rock N Roll Records which got eventually picked up by Scotti Brothers Records - Famous for the band Survivor. The band with their new identity, released their first LP in 1984 called "Scarred". The album had a dancy AOR, pop infusion of sounds and Lea Hart vocals and guitar picking style is clearly evident throughout. With two songs featured on the film "Revenge Of The Nerds" the band had more exposure in addition to the music video for "Don't Talk" in 1984 but lacked a ballad which was instrumental in success at this time. The interest in the band did not suffice where as Warner Brothers quickly signed the group and influenced the band to move musically in a different, softer direction in the likes of British groups such as Strangeways, Cutting Crew and Canadian bands like Platinum Blonde (later years). This change led to the hiring of Sam Blue (Samson, Univox) firing of Lea Hart who went on to sing for Fastway and to a series of solo albums. The Second album entitled "II" was released in 1988 with the right production, marketing and sound. Recruiting the engineering help of Tony Taverner (Cutting Crew, DiAnno) and session musician Nick Coler (Alice Cooper) the band had access to some successful individuals to assist with the production. Songs like "When The World Cried" (accompanying music video) and "Caught In A Lie" are a fantastic ballad and pop song that should of been way more successful even though Warner Brothers actively made a significant effort to promote the group in many markets worldwide. The song "Julia" remains as the best song on the album that if released as a single could of been a smash hit for the band further enhancing their musical profile. While recorded with Sam Blue on vocals, the song will reappear in a different form in 1995 with Lea Hart and Ray Calcutt working together on one song on Lea Hart's project D-Rox. The album "II" by Ya Ya remains as a gem within the British AOR scene and should have a place in your collection!
Jato may not be a familiar name to you but in my mind remains as a fantastic relatively unknown group and product of the 1980's AOR scene that was cut way to short by a label; Parallel One records that folded shortly after its release in 1988. With the original band formed in the early 70s under the monkier Tacoy Ryde - A Reggae inspired/Allman Brothers/Grateful Dead inspired group rebranded themselves in the early 1980's with their failure to land a record deal. Signed to Parallel One Records; the new indie label put a lot of money into a product that really shines as something both memorable and well produced with hiring of Production and Mixing legend Bob Rock with over 800 credits including the likes of (Boulevard, Motley Crue, Payloas, The Cult, Metallica, Michael Buble, Kingdom Come and Colin James). Accompanied by a national tour, 2 music videos heavily rotated and extensive airplay with songs like "She's Got" which peaked at #76 for 12 weeks from July 18 1987 to October 10 1987 and "Lake Of Fire" which peaked at #90 on the RPM top 100 from March 19 1988 to May 7 1988 for 8 weeks the band was making huge progress. The label faltering is in my mind one of the reasons the band haltered and stopped. While the label went under only a short couple months after the single release of Lake Of Fire; the band's greatest song "Give My Love" would of been in my mind a top 40 hit if released as a single. The potential success of this song would have possibly allowed the label to stay afloat longer with the expected improvement of radio and music video airplay, album and tour sales. The album itself is unknown why 9 tracks was released when a 10th track could of been easily added to the release further solidifying their success at this time. After the demise of Parallel One Records in 1988 the band folded for good by 1990 and reformed with a modified and new lineup under their original band; Tacoy Ryde. This is a fantastic hi-tech AOR group in the vein of The Body Electric, Brian Island, Boulevard, Eye Eye and Platinum Blonde. Check this release out. You will love it.
1992 was a great year for music but a bad year for new AOR bands in achieving success within a changing music market towards grunge music. Korea remains as a big standout for Canadian AOR music at this time. The group compromised of Gino Lionessa on Vocals and Guitar; his brother Anthony Lionessa on Guitar, Tony "T-Bone" Botelho on bass, Sylvain Beauchamp on Keyboards and Henry "Chuck" Torrossian on drums, the lineup was set in 1990 with signing to MCA/Rammit BMI Records in 1992. Produced and arranged by Gary Moffett (April Wine) the band had some definite star power in the studio to help them achieve success! With a distribution of approximately 5,000 CDs on their release sold across Canada and worldwide this is undeniably a huge success for a new band that was being out competed in a shrinking genre that was losing ground to bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden, This is a really unique release that the world needs to hear. It has a unique sound with tenor range vocals similar to artists like Geddy Lee (Rush). The Album features great harmonies and a fantastic production that is readily uncomparable to other bands within the AOR scene of then and today. Songs such as "Beyond Time", "The Letter", "Stealin' My Heart", "Eye To Eye" , "Feel This Way" are some standouts from this album that deserve a listen. You won't be disappointed!
QWest (Pronounced Quest) is a fantastic AOR group out of Alberta Canada that really didn't get the success they deserved as recognized by their fantastic production, lyrics and music they created over a course of two releases. While their first release in 1981 entitled Tampico Gold it was more of a Pomp, New Wave sound (Duran Duran, The Cars, Chilliwack, Heart) that wasn't really polished until 1984 when the band worked fully with Dan Lowe (Boulevard, Brian Island, White Wolf, Prototype) to release "Dream Zone". Signed to Quality records; there are a lot of solid tracks on this release including both "Nothing To Lose", "Never Forget", "We Need Love" and "Dreamer" which were all released as singles and somehow did not chart. The song "I don't want to break your heart" in my opinion would of been a hit song and was not released as a single at that time. Musician Brian Island (Prototype, Brian Island) also worked with the group assisting with backup vocals. With no music video to further grow their audience; and limited radio airplay - the band eventually called it quits shortly after. This is another fantastic AOR release in the vein of early Bon Jovi and Foreigner with their own unique sound that should not be overlooked.
March 2021 - Now on Spotify!
The Young Saints remains a band that was given a lot of support from their label Polydor and remains as a group that was very successful for a 1991 AOR release. From Newfoundland and Labrador; the band relocated and started their beginnings featured on the Homegrown IV Vancouver album in 1990, the band was able to work with renowned producer/musician Corky Laing (Mountain, Mahogany Rush, Bo Diddley, Men Without Hats) and Studio Engineer Mike Scott (Men Without Hats, Ian Hunter, Peter Frampton, Export, Hall & Oates, Pretty Maids, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey). The overall product is well put together with good memorable pop rock songs and and some slower ballads. The song "Weight Of The World" peaked at number 38 on the Canadian RPM chart in 1991, from June 15 to Aug 24 1990. The single also went to #6 on the CANCON singles chart and the album peaked at #60 in July 1991. The album was a top 50 Canadian best seller in 1991, peaking at number 40/50 of top CANCON albums. The song Live for today which had an accompanying music video peaked at #85 from Oct 12 1991 to November 23 1991. While these tracks are very well put together no ballads charted or were seemingly attemped by management. The song "Over and Over" in my mind would of been a hit song if the record company thought the AOR market was viable in 1992 or early when the album was released in 1991. It is possible if this album was released one year earlier it could of been an even greater commercial success. While this album is not on spotify or itunes, you can purchase the CD on ebay or discogs, or listen to any tracks on youtube including the music video. The band in 1992 was nominated for a Juno award for "Best New Group". Regardless its a good AOR album that you should definitely check out! Sounds like a mixture of Rush, Haywire, INXS, Regatta and the Screaming Jets - a mixture of alternative and AOR.
Have you ever found a band with so many successful creative minds working on the production side of a project but yet the album wasn't that commercially successful? Well that is the story of the band White Heat. Signed by CBS Records in 1989 and appearances by well known musicians such as Gil Moore (Triumph) and Rick Santers (Santers) and produced by Terry Brown (Rush, Dream Theater, Cutting Crew, Eye Eye, Blue Rodeo), Steve Webster (Billy Idol, Strange Advance, Parachute Club, Honeymoon Suite) and Mark S. Berry (Psuedo Echo, Kool and The Gang, Duran Duran, Animotion, Lee Aaron, Haywire and Burton Cummings) it was based on the amount of successful and talent and brilliant minds in this project that this album would be an instant commercial success. Somehow it disappeared very quickly once it was released. A music video for the song "Rolling With The Thunder" allowed the single for "Crazy For You" to chart on the Canadian top singles from November 4th 1989 to December 9 1989, peaking in the mid 70's on the RPM top 100, and most importantly "Rolling With the Thunder from December 23 1989 to February 10 1990 peaking at number 6 on the CANCON charts. While these songs did chart it is entirely possible that the marketing side made some wrong choices where as the wrong combination of songs was sent to Radio stations is a possibility why this album did not fare too well. The song "When You're Gone" wasn't promoted to Radio stations at all - and should of been a top 20 hit at the time given its well written lyrics and production. The song Listen Closely - produced by Steve Webster would of been another top hit for the group and I personally think it would of been way more successful than "Rolling With the Thunder". Regardless of the marketing choices the label and producers made it is a great album in the vein of INXS, Def Leppard and Psuedo Echo. While not available on streaming platforms currently you can find all the music on youtube including the music video for "Rolling With The Thunder" or purchase the CD or cassette from websites like discogs or ebay. Check it out!
It is really rare to find an artist and album not signed to any major or small labels that really blows your socks off! The Brian Island solo album released in 1989 is a fantastic album that the labels at the time did not give a serious look. Rounded out by Jerry Adolphe and Brad Steckel - his bandmates from Canadian group - Prototype and produced by Dan Lowe (Boulevard, Pretty Rough, White Wolf) the production side was set. While the labels did not have the money available to take on the group or were not interested at the time; as an independent artist and publisher; Brian Island sold the albums through A&A records and it was a huge success for an independent artist. The ballad; "When You Lose Your Love" was an instant hit staying on the Canadian music charts for 5 consecutive months. Charting on the CANCON charts peaking at #4, the adult Contemporary top 40 chart peaking at #16, and the Top 100 singles chart at #86. For an independent artist he was able to outperform big label products such as the singles for Go West, Wilson Phillips, Celine Dion, Heart, Hall & Oates, Elton John and Michael Bolton in the most part of 1990. With A&A records going bankrupt in December 1990 and still no prospect of any manager or label taking on the project; the solo album hit a dead road by 1991. This is a fantastic release that deserves to be in your AOR rock collection. The music while an original sounding group fits within the mold of The Body Electric, Device, The Brian McDonald Group, and many New Wave sounds at that time. While currently a hard to find album on CD a 2021 remastered version is in the works.
Currently Available on AORHeaven
If you really think about it: In a lot of rock bands many of the members may eventually embark on a solo career. Bands like Journey (Steve Perry), Loverboy (Paul Dean), Kiss (Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley), Rush (Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson) are some that I know well. But not all are widely known or successful. Brian Greenway who made a career working with April Wine had extra time during the "Walking Through Fire" album sessions in 1986 in the Bahamas. Through this extra session time he recruited some top notch musicians to round out his band or make a contribution. Artists such as Marty Simon (April Wine, Celine Dion, Brian Eno), Andy Newmark (Sly and The Family Stone, Serious Business Band) assisted with the project in a larger role. Other big musicians such as Aldo Nova (Aldo Nova) and Alex Lifeson (Rush) contributed Keyboards, Backup vocals and a guitar solo on the song "In The Danger Zone". While having the backing and support from Atlantic Records and manager Bud Prager of Foreigner it was not successful in charting especially in his native Canada in addition with Significant airplay for the song "In The Danger Zone" on Canada's Much Music. While there is only so many bands that can be regularly played on the radio and tv at this time - the Brian Greenway album "Serious Business" should not be overlooked. Supported by other fantastic songs such as "It's Alright", Serious Business" and "Right Track" musical production is top notch accompanied by memorable catchy lyrics. Brian Greenway's work is within the likes of Paul Dean (Loverboy), Bryan Hughes (Beau Geste), Jeff Paris (Jeff Paris) and Aldo Nova (Aldo Nova). Worth a serious listen!
Boulevard is a fantastic melodic AOR band that you should definitely become familiar with! Starting its roots in 1984 with their first single "Another Rainy Day In London" the band had early success in Germany that helped propel their band to an American 7 album MCA record contract! Produced by Pierre Bazinet (Sass Jordan, Paradox, Celine Dion); their first release was in 1988. The titled album "Boulevard" had tremendous national success with an opening slot act with bands such as Glass Tiger and Boston. Singles like "Far From Over" and "Never Give Up" helped push the band onto the top 100 RPM Canadian charts and the CANCON top 10 charts in 1988. The band's success was not unrecognized with winning the 1988 Music Express Award for "Best New Group" beating out groups such as Blue Rodeo. The follow up in 1990 entitled "Into The Street" was a even larger success with songs like "Crazy Life" peaking at number #3 on the CANON top single charts and "Lead Me On" peaking at #23 on the Canadian RPM charts in 1990. Boulevard also has a film music credit with the song "When The Lights Go Down" featured in the 1990 film "The Phantom Of The Mall". Internal band tensions resulted in a new album not transpiring until 2017 entitled "IV Luminescence" with the majority of the original lineup returning. The band is remastering their first two albums on Universal records sometime in early 2021. With its only American tour date in 1988 being in Seattle; and signed to an multi year commitment from MCA records America the American exposure and potential could have been tremendous. This is a fantastic group with a mix of new wave and AOR melodic stylings that should not be missed. In the vein of Glass Tiger, Bad English, Heartland, Dare but stands alone as its own unique take on the AOR genre. Take a listen you wont be disappointed!
Think about some of the big AOR artists you know of. How many of the groups have a brother in the band? Not many. Bands like FM (UK), Giant and Hardline are a few AOR specific bands that I can think of where two brothers share the same studio, stage and band identity together to make great music! Founded by Steve and Rick Worrall in the mid 1980's both musicians had both the talent, record label support (Spy Records /A&M), producer Jim Gaines (Steve Miller, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Journey, Doobie Brothers, Huey Lewis and The News, Jimmy Barnes) to reach significant success. Songs like "Heat Of The Night" and "Catch Me" reached the top 2 and 3 spots on the Canadian CANCON charts in 1991, and "Heat Of The Night" peaking at the mid 50's on the Canadian top 100 RPM chart. Fantastic production and musicianship should not be overlooked - but it is evident the label made some small mis-judgement in releasing this album in late-mid 1991 (Entered the studio in 89) and not pushing a third song: a very polished version of Van Stephenson's "Suspicious Heart" to the airwaves. This lack of exposure resulted in the band losing momentum thereafter and the band soon ended after their tour in 1992. This release also featured Jimi Jamison (Survivor, Jami Jamison Solo) on backup vocals. This is a great release for all Melodic AOR fans. Highly Recommended!
Regatta remains another amazing AOR "Power Trio" band that really did not get to hit their full potential due to the inability of their label to sell and promote the material extensively before the "Grunge Revolution" of 1991. Winners of the Q107 Homegrown Band contest in 1987 with their single "Standing Alone" the band was off to a good start and eventually lead to a signing with BMG records. There first and only full length album made available in 1989; exceptional song writing, musicianship and production are all noteworthy in this release. Standout songs such as "This Is Love" and "Where Ever You Run" made their way to the mid 40's and 50's of the Canadian Top 100 singles charts in 1990, and the album topped at the mid 50's in 1990. Most unrecognized is the song "Where Ever You Run" charted to number 2 on the Canadian Content CANCON charts in April 1990. With so much potential by the time the music videos for both songs came out in 1991, the road for Regatta hit a dead end. Exceptional musicianship from Chris Smith (Chris Smith), Greg Critchey (Partland Brothers, Kim Mitchell, Rik Emmett), Matthew Gerrard (Von Groove, Lee Aaron, Wall Of Silence, Kelly Clarkson) all have an extensive resume of contributions in the music industry. Supported by other well written and produced tracks such as "Devils In Disguise", "Wild Girls" and "Matter Of Time" this album undeniably needs to be in your AOR music collection! A recommended release for any AOR music fan.
Eye Eye is a fantastic Canadian hi-tech AOR, new wave group that should not be an oversight for any AOR fan. The Duo Of Andy Ryan and Bill Wood played an important part in the band's musical direction and song writing. Catchy lyrics you want to dance to, great production, instruments and vocals are shining examples of this amazing release. This band had tremendous initial success with two finals appearances on CBC's Rock Wars and Much Music's Talent Search. Tracks such as "Out On A Limb" and "X-Ray eyes" were successful mid 50's charting tracks placing in the top RPM 100 charts in Canada and garning enough airplay touring with Glass Tiger and Platinum Blonde as an opening act help propel their initial release to number 87 on the RPM charts in 1986. A subsequent album was released in 1988 which the song "Endless Night" charted on the Canadian RPM charts in the mid 50's for several weeks. Eye Eye also has a film credit with the song "Essence Of You" being featured in the film Friday The 13th VII "The New Blood". A fantastic Canadian AOR Group in the likeness of Glass Tiger and Platinum Blonde. Check these guys out! Fantastic release.
In the first MelodicAOR podcast we analyze and examine the history, musicianship and unrecognized song writing and talent of the Montreal based group Beau Geste as possessed in their 1986 Release, Another Night In The City. Being one of the first English Quebec rock groups; the band garnered a lot of airplay locally and provincially. Assisted by producer Aldo Nova - The incredibly talented Bryan Hughes (Bryan Hughes Group, Devay) drastically made a profound positive impact on the bands overall production and musical direction. The album was released with a unique, well produced hard rock / AOR sound that did not garner the attention it should have with the opening track "Take These Chains" going to number 1 in the Quebec Radio charts in 1986. Supporting tracks such as "Another Night In The City", "Still Of The Night" , "No More Heroes" and "Running From Your Heart" are some of many memorable tracks that should of at least charted on a national scale. Released during the midst of the growing and ever popular AOR music scene it should of been a commercial success. A perceived lack of label support, money and promotion for this group limited the group's exposure mainly to Quebec and the east coast of Canada. With the internet many people globally are quickly discovering how amazing this album is. Give it a listen. You wont be disappointed. Highly recommended album and group!
Currently trending at #86 on Heavy Harmonies Top 100 CD List - December 2020