Very enjoyable discussion as usual. Lovely to hear your opinion on Peter Frampton and his career. He should not be forgotten, even if he's struggling with health issues. Great guy.
I really hold a special place for his first 4 pre-Comes Alive 70's solo albums, especially since you almost never heard those studio versions of the Comes Alive tracks on radio back in the day. It was almost surprising to find out that he had a recording career before that monumental live album (it was also before I knew about Humble Pie)
He also had a song called "Nothing at All" on the 1986 soundtrack for the underrated Kevin Bacon movie Quicksilver. Tony Banks of Genesis scored that movie and it features several AOR artists like Fiona, John Parr, Marilyn Martin, Fish and Roger Daltrey.
@@LarryFleetwood8675 That track is good, I also liked the Daltrey track and Fish &Tony Banks on "Shortcut To Somewhere" from the Quicksilver soundtrack (that song's also on Banks' solo A Chord Too Far), and Banks' "Quicksilver Suite". But don't forget the couple of live Frampton tracks on Grand Funk's Bosnia & much earlier his guest spot on Entwistle's Whistle Rhymes (1972). Plus his work with Bowie on Glass Spider Live & Never Let Me Down. I even like his songs on the film soundtrack for Sgt Pepper's
I live in Dare's home town, Oldham, Lancashire...went to school with guitarist Vinny Burns, used to watch them in the pubs and clubs around Oldham...debut is a great album..
When Missing You came out I was a journalist in Lancashire and lived near Waite's parents. I left in disgrace when a girl I was interviewing after hours in the office upstairs got a bit too friendly and a double decker bus stopped outside. A guy from a rival newspaper on board the bus saw it all and spilled the beans. Got binned off to Chorley. On a happier note, nice to see Dare getting a mensh - much underrated including this years album.
I like all Dare albums. They have something that realy turns me on. I saw them supporting Europe on their first leg of the Final Countdown tour. When im in the right mode Dare is fantastic.
Another superb video about Bad English who I have heard of but never heard. Dare who I have never heard of and never heard and Peter Frampton who I have heard of and heard and I was one of the half dozen who bought an obscure album called "Frampton Comes Alive." Thanks lads :)
Great show as always guys. I love watching you three gush about these albums that are so dear to your hearts. I love hearing about albums I have never heard of, and searching them out to listen to. Being from Australia hearing Simon drop "John Farnham's" name in the episode was gold. If there was ever an opportunity to get Pete to listen to "Whispering Jack" I would lose my shit. The album is a cultural phenomenon here in Australia with 1.7 million sales. Placing it 3rd highest all time seller in Australia. Keep up the good work.
When Petes away, Steve and Simon will play and they delivered a great show topic for next week. Looking forward to it and cant wait to see Petes priceless reactions.
Out Of The Silence has been one of my favourite finds this year (yeah, I'm far behind.) Love Darren's vocals! So many great tracks, but The Raindance and King Of Spades are, for now, my top ones. I got both Bad English albums as well this year, but regretfully I've only played them once (back in the summer heat, so that's with what I'll always associate them.) I did like them a lot, though, and can't wait for 2023 when I'll finally have time to return to what I got this year. I like Moving A Mountain. I'll pick up the full album eventually. If Simon loves it, I think I'll at least enjoy it.
Bad English is just awesome and really shows off just how excellent a guitar player Neal Schon truly is and I really like peter Frampton's premonition it's a fun slice of 80s pop and has some pretty solid tunes including the title track, all eyes on you and stop
The Bad English albums are absolute classics, and Dare... man, it sure should have been! a "melodic rock" masterpiece; their second album is also terrific, in fact it was the one I heard first. Thanks for the show 🍺🤘
I saw Dare live with FM and Thunder at the London Astoria. I remember being confused, I think Thunder were a late addition to the bill and I didn't know Terraplane had split. But, what a great gig all 3 were fantastic. Bad English first album, just amazing, not that familiar with Peter Frampton but I'm starting to listen to and can't believe it's taken me so long.
2 of my favorite melodic rock albums, Bad English, Dare. Forget me not by Bad English is in my top5 ever melodic rock songs. I really liked Peter Frampton 's album, it is a pleasant surprise.
I believe the tramp at the end of the Lying video is Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong. I remember Lying being all over MTV in '86 and I bought this on cassette and loved it. Great choice Simon! Also, Steven, totally agree on Thank You Mr. Churchill. One of Mr. Frampton's best. Awesome show guys!
Steven - are the keyboards in Peter Frampton's 'Stop' reminiscent of those in 'We Close Our Eyes' by Go West? That's what first sprang to my mind... Another great show; keep up the good work. How about having a UK Connection examination of favourite/least favourite albums of the the legendary Bill Nelson's Be Bop Deluxe some day?
I get the similarity Clive but that's not quite it. The part of Stop that driving me nuts starts at 1.3 into the song. Not sure of there's enough Be Bop knowledge across the 3 of us for that show to be honest - although I know Pete does.
@@TranquilityFireReid There's a touch of Prince's 1999 about the keys, also Rush's Big Money and a bit of a Grace Under Pressure feel. Hope that helps!
Another great show hadnt heard the Franpton til last week - I thought it sort of fell somehwere in between the sound of the other two, but tahts my 60 yer il cloth ears for you. Did I enjoy it? Yes did and I also enjoyed the othere two ashave had them since they were first released., Agree that te BAd English should have been a tad shorter - a 60min that had it been a 40 min albumwould have been and absolute total classic, I am also one of those peoplewho just slightly prefer Backlash - but yep join the two together and you'd have a stormer. Got the Dare due to Darren Wharton's presence, at first was disappointed it wasnt more Lizzyish but after a few spins it sunk in - and thats one of the things I find about a lot of AOR, on first listen it may sound ok or dunno ish but after a few listens the good ones seep into my consicousness and I start loving them. So e do grab me straight away but then cna start to pale , whereas a grower will stay in there. Lookng forward to hearing all about Mutter next week - first time I ever heard Rammstein was Sonne and then I ended up getting all of their stuff up to Liebe ist fur alle Da and went to see them live at Manchester arena which turned out to be a phenomenal live show and still remains a favourite to this day. Now then all toghether Links zwo drei vier.............
Yet another great show guys! 👍 I have the Bad English albums on cassette and haven`t played them for quite a long time but I remember enjoying them and will aim to dig them out soon. I like Peter Frampton but don`t know that much of his stuff as yet and haven`t heard that particular album but if Uncle Simon says it`s a winner then it must be worth checking out! Dare`s `Out Of The Silence` is a big favourite of mine and to me well worth ranking the whole album! If I may.. 1. Under the Sun - when I first heard the album I thought after four tracks I was listening to a very good album by a very good band. When I heard the fifth track I realised I had completely underestimated them! Epic with soaring vocals by the magnificent Darren Wharton. 2. Return the Heart - another soaring epic of the kind I particularly like hearing from Dare. 3. King of Spades - or is this number 1? Wonderful song that is truly majestic. 4. Abandon - great, great opening number! 5. Runaway - love the tempo of this one when it gets into it`s stride. Cyndi Lauper? Ah yes, yes Simon I just had another close listen to the opening chords on the keyboard. I see where you are coming from! 6. The Raindance - some very Celtic sounding keyboards on this one and perhaps more than any other track indicated which direction Dare would go in from the third album onwards. 7. Into the Fire - a very good track just not quite as strong as the six above it. 8. Heartbreaker - nice rocker which should have been a hit. 9. Don`t Let Go - I like this song but the thing is if you play the album in the correct order I find myself still basking in the afterglow of the track before it (Return the Heart). 10. Nothing Is Stronger Than Love - a very decent song to be at the bottom but it is a very strong album! One of those songs where I prefer the verses over the chorus. Like Steven I also like the moody album cover. It reminds me a bit of Clannad`s `Macalla` and Runrig`s `Proterra` album covers. I would say all of Dare`s albums are worth a listen, including the fairly recent latest one `Road To Eden`. Somewhere away from all the madness in what must surely be a mystical region within Wales, Dare create very special music. I hope they will continue to do so for a long time.
Hey folks, will catch up later. Currently at The Stables MK, waiting for Cats In Space to get started... Good choice of albums this week. Assuming it's the Frampton album I think it is, I do own all 3...
Wouldn’t class myself as a huge AOR fan but absolutely love that Bad English album. Agree it may be a bit too long but it’s so, so good. Saw John Waite live a few years ago and, sadly, he didn’t play much Bad English material, but what a voice!!
Hey there folks, second comment from me now I've actually listened to another excellent edition of your excellent show. Yes, love rhe Bad English debut, big fan of John Waite and, incidentally Simon, of Lancaster where I did my year's PGCE teacher training and met my wife of 28 years - as they say, you get less for murder these days... DARE have never bettered their debut imho. I saw them open for someone when they toured with it but have the olds and can't remember who off the top of my head... When I heard you were going to be doing Framptons AOR album, I assumed you'd be doing the one I own, When All The Pieces Fit which I believe was the one after Premonition (which I have never heard and must check out at some point) I really like this one and it even features another Scottish blast from the bast on backing vox and cowriting credits on a couple of tracks, BA Robertson, if Steven remembers him...? If you want a suggestion for your next one in the 'They did an AOR album?' how about David Cassidy as a name to juggle with? As for this coming week... OMG! Rammstein! Mutter! Ich Will be listening closely to this one! Thanks for shining a light on all things pink and fluffy in the world of AOR - Keep it wimpy!
Thoroughly enjoyable discussion as ever! I naturally gravitate towards the Dare album because, like Steven, it’s something I’ve listened to virtually non stop since it came out. It should’ve been huge, but it got no exposure because mainstream UK radio was full of dance music by 1988. I saw them in October (the same night that Cats in Space played locally, so I had to miss that!) and Vinny is definitely still with the band, absolutely tearing it up live. Love this AOR show format!
A great show. 3 great albums also. I bought all 3 of these in the 80s (yeah, Premonition on cassette too). Premonition is great. Out of the Silence is a brilliant album but I love the Bad English ST album. Outstanding. I would keep Bad English. An absolute classic! 🇬🇧
I agree with Steven about Dare, I am not a big AOR fan but I bought the first Dare when it came out and I still play the crap out of it. You guys should also do the first 2 Giant albums, a must have for any AOR fan.
I'd like to see a Mr Big episode, a band I've gotten back into recently - they could compare/contrast the two different lineups/albums: Paul Gilbert vs Ritchie Kotzen
Bad english.the lost tapes is available. Which more than likely was going to be there 3rd album. Good album. I wish Neal would take it back it the studio and clean it up and officially release it
great shows gents. I have a suggestion for they made an aor album? Michael Bolton with either blackjack or his own personal albums (everybody crazy/michael bolton self titled 1983)
I love all three of these Albums, Frampton’s “ All Eyes On You” is an awesome power ballad great music clip as well, Abandon is pure AOR genius from Dare ( I actually heard Def Leppard ) both Bad English Albums are great although the 1st Album Rock’s harder! Another fantastic episode, please rate the Giant Albums please 🤘🏻🔥
Giant will, at some point, be featured on this show Michael, but I'd guess a full album ranking might prove a bit too niche for many. Appreciate the suggestion though!
I'd imagine that I am the only man from Watford who's Wedding dance was ever ' When I See You Smile' & yes, we did break mid dance for a bit of air guitar work.
Always entertaining, even if I don’t know all the band's music or anything about them. (That doesn’t happen too often). Many thanks and let me just say, coming from the North Yorkshire Moors, we made turnip lanterns at halloween. I would eat the raw turnip middle and have stomach ache for the evening, I never learn.
Fun fact....World famous physicist, professor of particle physics & presenter of BBC Science programmes Brian Cox played keyboards in Dare's fantastic 'Out of the Silence' album.
Love the show, love the reference to Hywel Bennett, love the drinks, apart from mead! Dare is a great album, had not heard Peter Frampton and not keen on Bad English. Only one issue. Steven said Brian Cox was mildly irritating? Only mildly, Steven?
I found Dare through Darren Wharton's association with Thin Lizzy. Into the Fire is one of my favorite songs from that time period. I don't know why but the re-recorded version of the album ("Out Of The Silence II") is only $1.99 for the MP3 download on Amazon now.
hi all good show 😀I wonder if Rick Beato would like Peter Frampton to make the album that Pete wants ... think that it would make Rick happy too lol ... looking forward to next Saturday's instalment of 'The UK Connection' ... every time I'm hearing Rainbow L.A. Connection in my head ... and definitely loved the Lancashire heavy bias lol ✴⚜✴🤘
Always enjoy this style of show, even though AOR isn't my first choice genre, though obviously plenty of albums and bands well represented in my collection, and this was a curious trio, as I had fallen out of love with Journey quite a few years prior and wasn't following Schon at all, and wasn't much of a Frampton fan solo, and hadn't listened to anything since Breaking all the rules. I can take the points about Bad English and revisit it fondly, but Dare would be my keeper, and can't wait to catch them next year on triple headline bill ( not sure how long 3 'headline' sets will last at the Garage with early curfew/chuck out time as it turns into a nightclub) with FM and Tyketto
@@TranquilityFireReid calculating my rota for next year already as I do 7-7 shifts and would hate to miss a moment of this! FM were outstanding with grand slam earlier this year at G2
I'm in Vancouver visiting family & freinds this week. One of my freinds know I watch the UKC and they provided a Blackout Chocolate Stout from Doomsday Brewing Co. 6% to enjoy during my first on the road UKC. ✌everbody
Thanks guys, great fun as ever. It was interesting to hear your opinions, as ever, on these albums. The only one of the 3 discussed here that I own and know is the Bad English debut. Personally I do prefer Journey and The Babys to B E, but I do like the album. I agree it should be a few songs shorter and there are too many ballads IMHO. I own the second, heavier Dare album, but nothing else by the band, but your reviews have really made me want to check it out. Similar issue with Frampton. Like everyone else in the western world, I own Frampton Comes Alive, but not this album. Terrific show again, guys.
Watching the final minutes, I have to agree that especially in AOR, melodic rock the albums we love are the ones we have a long history with. Some of mine are DRIVE SHE SAID S/T, BAD ENGLISH S/T, MELIDIAN, DOKKEN BACK FOR THE ATTACK...
Love Out of the Silence. It doesn’t get better than Abandon for me. The world had moved on from this sound by the time it came out. Dare do a great version of Lizzy’s Emerald. Very Celtic as it should be. King of Spades in its extended version has a great Black Rose segment.
Another fun UK Connection. Steven, I think on Stop it's Chaka Khan "I Feel for You". I am more familiar with Sehnsucht, so I need to relisten to Mutter.
That is VERY close Dai, but it's not quite what's trying to get out of my head. It's specifically the part in Stop that begins around 1.13 into the song. It feels like a straight lift of something else...
Hello there, I use this video to comment because of Peter Framton is mentioned here. Have you Pete consider doing something about A & M Records and the artists who was connected to the studio? Maybe a series of videos?
Great video! had a bad day of work yesterday so this was a nice change of pace. do you think you guys could include Ten/gary hughes on the next one?? maybe..
@@TranquilityFireReid woow a couple of days ago i get a reply from simon bray saying he couldn't do alex harvey band and now i get a reply from Steven reid. this has made my day.... no week. hell it made my bloody Christmas. i mean we all like different music so there is no need to say sorry. it is so cool to get a reply from you guys. thank you guys so much.
I'm one who finds Backlash a far more consistent effort than the Bad English debut (it IS only 10 songs long so that's a good start), but unlike the panel one of the songs I really like here is Don't Walk Away (also a non-original, it's an Andy Hill/Pete Sinfield co-wrote that was later covered by the Pointer Sisters, which feels like a strange sentence to write!), in fact (When I See You Smile aside) it seems it's the softer songs I gravitate to on this, Possession leads my playcount stats, followed by Ghost in Your Heart, Price of Love and Don't Walk Away) while the 3 songs it seems I'd happily drop are Ready When You Are, Lay Down and Rockin' Horse). That said, I can tell you that I've listened to the whole thing a whopping 3 times in the past 10 years (for Backlash it's 7 - both would have been played a lot more in the decade or two prior to be fair). 10 years is as long as I've owned the first two Dare albums and Out of the Silence is a true classic (26 total plays) while Blood From Stone (9 plays) is not; if the former is Magnummy in a good way, the latter is in a Goodnight LA way - band pushed in a direction that didn't suit them with Keith Olsen producing and forgetting that keyboards exist. And thank goodness I'm not the only one who hears the Raindance and wonders when John Farnham popped into the studio to lend a hand! As for the Peter Frampton, listening right now for the first time, assumed I'd duck out after a song or two, but I'm enjoying it officially 1000% more than I might have guessed (won't buy it tho, sorry Simon!).
Played both Dare and Bad English a lot back in the day Darren Wharton agree with Pete sounds to my ears like Lou Gram and how can you not like a band that has John Waite, Neil Schon and Deen Castranova what a shame we only got the 2 albums
John Waite's 1987 solo album Rover's Return is in itself a magnificent AOR album, pretty much a masterpiece that'd actually be worth talking about too guys like Anton Fig, Desmond Child and Joe Lynn Turner feature on it. Turner's own album Rescue You (1985) is worth mentioning too.
I had no idea Brian Cox was in a rock band! :-) He gets constantly teased for the "Things can only get better" song on the podcast "The infinite monkey cage" though, which is a great science podcast. Talking about british AOR, has Grand Prix ever been discussed on The sea of tranquility? Great melodic rock from the early 80's, with Robin McAuley (MSG) on vocals. With catchy tunes and a tiny bit of proggy leanings occasionally. Especially the last album they made, Samurai, is a stone cold classic and one of the great lost albums of the 80's. To me that is one of the albums I could never let go of.
I was a big fan of the first 2 Dare albums, and quite liked the subsequent Celtic period ones but started to lose interest as they were becoming a bit too soft and samey. However this years Road to Eden was released and I realised Vinny Burns had returned, the album is a great return to the more AOR sounds of the first 2 albums, Siince found out he was also on 2016 release Sacred Ground which is also pretty good. If you haven’t heard Return to Eden though ,you should and it was bubbling just under my 31 albums of 2022.
What? Pete let's 'Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be...' slide yet doesn't know what a boffin is? You live and learn - I had no idea that that was a purely British idiom. The fact that Brian Cox was in a band other than D:Ream was also news to me. AOR is definitely not my scene but still love the banter. (And the beer)
Okay, so you have just won your Olympic Gold Medal for Rock Music Trivia (Over 40 category). You climb up on the podium to collect your medal and the National Anthem plays. As there is a new king, there obviously will be a new song to be the new anthem. As the gold medal winner you have been asked for your input as to what the new anthem should be. So what are your five suggestions for the new National Anthem (and why). They may be from non-UK bands and they may be (originally) instrumentals. Here are some of my suggestions: The Shadows - "Wonderful Land" (as a child walking the dog with my dad, I remember a wonderful land and this is one of the most uplifting songs I know) My Bloody Valentine - "Come in Alone" (if I won a gold medal, my head would explode and this is the perfect soundtrack for such an event) Stereolab - "Nihilist Assault Group" A perfect march, however, it is nihilistic, anarchistic beauty. I really, really, really love this song (as is often said on the show) This Heat - "Health and Efficiency". This song, is not just a masterpiece, it is about the sunshine and dedicated to the sunshine. This would be a perfect life affirming anthem and therefore create a more contented populace (or not). My fifth choice is a Pardo as both these songs are genuine anthems...but which one would be better Primal Scream - Loaded (because a lot of people want to get loaded and have a good time) Primal Scream - Come Together (because I would like folks to "Come together as one") By the way, I would pay good money to hear the Coldstream Guards play any of these songs Keep up the good work chaps.
By the way, in case of Scottish independence, I would like to propose: Cocteau Twins - Calfskin Smack Why? Scotland's finest? - maybe. One of the greatest vocalists ever? - maybe. It is one of the greatest songs EVER? - undeniably. However, I would love to hear any Scottish members of the show singing along with the chorus as the music was being played by The Massed Pipes and Drums.
Agreed, overall Top 10 '80s AOR material for me it's that fine. Signal with ex-King Kobra Mark Free's Loud & Clear (1989) is another masterpiece worth the time.
Anyone who likes this type of music & looking for someone more recent, check out Rob Moratti's Epical album from earlier this year. He's the former singer for Saga & features Joel Hoekstra on guitars & Tony Franklin on bass. To me it's better than either of the Bad English albums, especially the more upbeat numbers - the 80's Journey influences are apparent. He's also got at least 5 other records since 2011. All are very melodic affairs with good songwriting, nothing that seems like 'formulaic' AOR (to me), and very consistent in quality overall (I like at least 4-5 tracks per album). One of those albums is called Tribute To Journey which has (you guessed it) a bunch of Journey covers on it. As someone who LOVES Steve Perry's voice I will say Moratti's right there, and Torben Enevoldsen/Graham Fillier do a more-than-adequate job on guitars. The reason to skip this one might be that these covers are VERY close to the originals (not really meant as a criticism - these musicians are obviously top-flight players)...Moratti's vocals are always very good, right up there with the best AOR vocalists IMO. He's also fronted the bands Moratti (Desolation from '95 is a great record with some serious guitars - maybe the best of all of these & close to perfect AOR) & Final Frontier (another good band - on the heavier side of AOR)...This is some seriously good AOR! Acacia Avenue/Work Of Art/Mysterell/Serpentine/Decoy/Torben Enevoldsen is another group of related artists/bands on the heavier side of AOR but really good with some fiery guitars (Torben plays on some Moratti albums)...How 'bout Tony Mills' Siam/The Language Of Menace from '94 (Prayer is good too)? Or Son Of Man?
Always had to laugh when Darren Wharton carried on the Phil Lynott Have any of the girls got any Irish in them ? Would any of the girls like some Irish in them?. Saw them a couple of times back in the day in Germany, used to do acoustic version of Emerald.
Pete I think you have answered your own question about the mead you liked. You need to look for a mead that is made with honey and not have any other ingrediants such as fruit, flowers, grains, and malt added. All you need is honey, water, and a bit of patience if you were going to make some yourself. Hopefully someone here can post some US mead recomendations for you to try
Actually did my homework this week. I'm not a huge fan of Bad English to be quite honest. Felt rather typical for what it is. Not that it's bad, but I found it rather unremarkable. Not a ballad guy, so no surprise I don't dig When I See You Smile too much. Heaven Is A Four Letter Word is a lot of fun. Out of the Silence is really tasteful. Magnum has been mentioned on this show a couple times in relation to this and I get that - they have that sense of... "feel" magnum also have. Going to be investigating their other albums now. Darren Wharton is the MVP for me here. The Peter Frampton album was just a lot of fun. Nothing all too special as I see it, but it's the kind of album that's just entertaining all the way through, even if it does all kinda lack a distinctive style. Well well well. Rammstein huh? hmm... I don't know if I'm gonna subject myself to that over the next week. I can think of much nicer things to do.
When Premonition was mentioned, was I the only person who thought you were going to talk about the 1981 album by Survivor? To be fair, the Frampton album, Premonition, isn't bad (and for some reason Stop always reminded me of Billy Squire🤔).
Yes, me too love that Survivor album and Sylvester Stallone loved it too enough the hire them for Rocky 3 and the rest of course is music history. By the way, there's a nice new Peterik interview up on Professor of Rock's channel talking about this period.
@@LarryFleetwood8675 thanks for the heads up on that Jim Peterik interview sir. What a song. What a band. Anyone who likes Eye Of The Tiger and hasn't checked out any of their albums needs to rectify that situation asap.
A suggestion for a future UK connection topic is Favourite Folk Rock albums. Pete says he doesn't relate much to this type of music, but life is about exploring new things. It takes you out of your comfort zone! Sometimes I find having a beer with friends, in a small intimate venue, a singer's night with acoustic guitar is a far cry and more enjoyable than being crammed in a stadium of thousands,- commercial Rock. Which I find more enjoyable. But folk rock overlaps in many ways with the boundary of SoT ( especially on the more rockier and experimental side ), If one is willing to explore. So maybe for future content, Steven, Pete & Simon could choose their (or enforced, if they don't like it) to listen to their favourite Folk, Folk- Rock albums! There's a lot of UK music to choose from; ie - The Strawbs, Lindisfarne, Sandy Denny, Fairport Convention, Pentangle, John Martyn, Nick Drake, Michael Chapman, The Pogues, Steelye Span, Donovan, Al Stewart, incredibly Sting Band, Mumford & Sons, The Waterboys, Christy Moore, Richard Thompson, The Levellers etc (hundreds more).!
Sorry Stephen, this style is really quite far from my taste and I'd go as far as to suggest that I actively dislike a lot of the bands you've mentioned there. The only real exceptions being some Straws, a little Steelye Span and most Al Stewart, who I saw a few years back. Appreciate the topic idea but it's not one for me.
@@karlrodgers9757 We've done a full album ranking for FM, so their music will probably not feature in this show, but only for that reason - it is a great album!
Great topic and discussion as always. Bad English- bit to soft, image was weird and way to many ballads. But outstanding voice, stellar playing and good for a kitchen spin now and then. MVP Waite. Dare- Amazing opener, bit to soft and poor choice of title for one song(guess). Great listen for a laid back car journey. MVP Vinny Burns. Peter Frampton- I don’t like Peter Frampton. Great stuff Gents.
Bad English great 2 albums. Dare great but an unfortunate tribute to Phil Lynott. Saw them on that tour in Cardiff. They mingled with the crowd by the bar beforehand!!
I've learned & brought my 'automatic subtitle machine' to this episode...😎 Bad English - love Neal Schon, John Waite's an OK singer. The rest of the lineup's pretty good too - a good "on paper" AOR band. But honestly the songs leave me a little cold. First anyone who has issues with Journey's power ballads (not really me but I know many others do) should have real problems here too. From that debut I basically like "Best Of What I Got", "Tough Times Don't Last", " Ready When You Are". Can't shake the feeling that a lot of this is 'formula'/by the numbers AOR. Not any band member's best work, it's not bad (English or whatever Simon & Steven are speaking - 😒) but also not memorable or great - the 2nd album is about the same...Also I'm always weary of bands who put out one or two albums yet have a Greatest Hits collection...?🤷♂ Dare - not one of my bands, the Lizzy/Wharton connection is interesting but the songs I'd heard in the past didn't grab me. I'll have to revisit them... Frampton's Premonition is the one I'm most familiar with & I love Frampton's solo work (unlike Pete who I believe has said that he didn't have/like much of Frampton's albums). I've got something like 25 Frampton albums. This one's middle-of-the-road for me. He's got tons of better records (even recently like Mr Churchill, Now & Fingerprints). The prior one Art Of Control was also better, this one for me is in the same group with Hummingbird In A Box & Rise Up. I believe he's currently in the middle of what he said was his farewell tour (health issues) - here's to an all time great guitar player (and singer - love his voice)! Liked 4 tracks from Premonition, "Moving A Mountain" is a really good rocker & "All Eyes On You" is a pretty good power ballad. "Call Of The Wild" might be my fave track here
Out of the Silence is a straight up masterpiece of AOR. One of my favorites in the genre. Darren's vocals are stellar on this. Heartbreaker is one of the best AOR songs to me. It is of the time but it should have been huge. The production could be a bit better though. Mix is a bit muddy but the songwriting is there.
![Wolfram Physics Project: Working Session Wednesday, Apr. 29, 2020 [Finding Black Hole Structures]](/img/n.gif)
Very enjoyable discussion as usual. Lovely to hear your opinion on Peter Frampton and his career. He should not be forgotten, even if he's struggling with health issues. Great guy.
I really hold a special place for his first 4 pre-Comes Alive 70's solo albums, especially since you almost never heard those studio versions of the Comes Alive tracks on radio back in the day. It was almost surprising to find out that he had a recording career before that monumental live album (it was also before I knew about Humble Pie)
He's a fantastic player.
He also had a song called "Nothing at All" on the 1986 soundtrack for the underrated Kevin Bacon movie Quicksilver. Tony Banks of Genesis scored that movie and it features several AOR artists like Fiona, John Parr, Marilyn Martin, Fish and Roger Daltrey.
@@LarryFleetwood8675 That track is good, I also liked the Daltrey track and Fish &Tony Banks on "Shortcut To Somewhere" from the Quicksilver soundtrack (that song's also on Banks' solo A Chord Too Far), and Banks' "Quicksilver Suite". But don't forget the couple of live Frampton tracks on Grand Funk's Bosnia & much earlier his guest spot on Entwistle's Whistle Rhymes (1972). Plus his work with Bowie on Glass Spider Live & Never Let Me Down. I even like his songs on the film soundtrack for Sgt Pepper's
Hey Guys watching from the UK 🇬🇧
Thanks Jordon!
I live in Dare's home town, Oldham, Lancashire...went to school with guitarist Vinny Burns, used to watch them in the pubs and clubs around Oldham...debut is a great album..
Great stuff Pete - and yes it is!
When Missing You came out I was a journalist in Lancashire and lived near Waite's parents. I left in disgrace when a girl I was interviewing after hours in the office upstairs got a bit too friendly and a double decker bus stopped outside. A guy from a rival newspaper on board the bus saw it all and spilled the beans. Got binned off to Chorley.
On a happier note, nice to see Dare getting a mensh - much underrated including this years album.
I like all Dare albums. They have something that realy turns me on. I saw them supporting Europe on their first leg of the Final Countdown tour. When im in the right mode Dare is fantastic.
One Frampton album I liked a lot in my youth, and one which no one ever mentions, is Breaking All the Rules (1981).
Another superb video about Bad English who I have heard of but never heard. Dare who I have never heard of and never heard and Peter Frampton who I have heard of and heard and I was one of the half dozen who bought an obscure album called "Frampton Comes Alive." Thanks lads :)
Great show as always guys. I love watching you three gush about these albums that are so dear to your hearts. I love hearing about albums I have never heard of, and searching them out to listen to. Being from Australia hearing Simon drop "John Farnham's" name in the episode was gold. If there was ever an opportunity to get Pete to listen to "Whispering Jack" I would lose my shit. The album is a cultural phenomenon here in Australia with 1.7 million sales. Placing it 3rd highest all time seller in Australia. Keep up the good work.
One of my favourite AOR albums is Giant’s “Time to Burn”. Dan Huff is an absolute beast on this album!
Agreed, great album, poor cover, think I might slightly prefer the debut.
bad english, the record, is flawless!! a perfect slice of aor rock!!
When Petes away, Steve and Simon will play and they delivered a great show topic for next week. Looking forward to it and cant wait to see Petes priceless reactions.
Out Of The Silence has been one of my favourite finds this year (yeah, I'm far behind.) Love Darren's vocals! So many great tracks, but The Raindance and King Of Spades are, for now, my top ones. I got both Bad English albums as well this year, but regretfully I've only played them once (back in the summer heat, so that's with what I'll always associate them.) I did like them a lot, though, and can't wait for 2023 when I'll finally have time to return to what I got this year.
I like Moving A Mountain. I'll pick up the full album eventually. If Simon loves it, I think I'll at least enjoy it.
Some of the bonus non-album tracks are great too, like "The Last Time" and "Precious".
Bad English is just awesome and really shows off just how excellent a guitar player Neal Schon truly is and I really like peter Frampton's premonition it's a fun slice of 80s pop and has some pretty solid tunes including the title track, all eyes on you and stop
The Bad English albums are absolute classics, and Dare... man, it sure should have been! a "melodic rock" masterpiece; their second album is also terrific, in fact it was the one I heard first. Thanks for the show 🍺🤘
I saw Dare live with FM and Thunder at the London Astoria. I remember being confused, I think Thunder were a late addition to the bill and I didn't know Terraplane had split. But, what a great gig all 3 were fantastic. Bad English first album, just amazing, not that familiar with Peter Frampton but I'm starting to listen to and can't believe it's taken me so long.
Just had a quick listen to Dare..... O yes I'll be getting the CDs, thanks SOT for bringing up this band 👍 ❤️
Good stuff Mark!
Definitely a great theme/ topic. I know some. AOR and like a lot but you 3 are 💯% broadening my horizons. Thx guys. Great stuff 👍💯
Thanks Gary!
2 of my favorite melodic rock albums, Bad English, Dare. Forget me not by Bad English is in my top5 ever melodic rock songs. I really liked Peter Frampton 's album, it is a pleasant surprise.
Great show gents... saw Dare a few years ago and they were excellent... now off to listen to the Frampton album!
I believe the tramp at the end of the Lying video is Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong. I remember Lying being all over MTV in '86 and I bought this on cassette and loved it. Great choice Simon! Also, Steven, totally agree on Thank You Mr. Churchill. One of Mr. Frampton's best. Awesome show guys!
Thanks JoH!
Fantastic show, gentleman. Now I have some new/old music to listen to. Always appreciate the archeological digs. 🍻
Steven - are the keyboards in Peter Frampton's 'Stop' reminiscent of those in 'We Close Our Eyes' by Go West? That's what first sprang to my mind...
Another great show; keep up the good work. How about having a UK Connection examination of favourite/least favourite albums of the the legendary Bill Nelson's Be Bop Deluxe some day?
I get the similarity Clive but that's not quite it. The part of Stop that driving me nuts starts at 1.3 into the song. Not sure of there's enough Be Bop knowledge across the 3 of us for that show to be honest - although I know Pete does.
@@TranquilityFireReid There's a touch of Prince's 1999 about the keys, also Rush's Big Money and a bit of a Grace Under Pressure feel. Hope that helps!
@@seethroughhead505 Rush is spot on in terms of the keyboard style and it indirectly led me to what I was thinking of which was Saga!! Thanks!
Hi Pete and Simon and Steven great fun with all of you as always, this is some new home work for me ,
Cheers David!
I’ve been so excited for this episode. Out Of The Silence is one of my all-time favourite albums.
Mine too!
Yesss! And Blood from stone is a masterpiece!
Another great show hadnt heard the Franpton til last week - I thought it sort of fell somehwere in between the sound of the other two, but tahts my 60 yer il cloth ears for you. Did I enjoy it? Yes did and I also enjoyed the othere two ashave had them since they were first released., Agree that te BAd English should have been a tad shorter - a 60min that had it been a 40 min albumwould have been and absolute total classic, I am also one of those peoplewho just slightly prefer Backlash - but yep join the two together and you'd have a stormer.
Got the Dare due to Darren Wharton's presence, at first was disappointed it wasnt more Lizzyish but after a few spins it sunk in - and thats one of the things I find about a lot of AOR, on first listen it may sound ok or dunno ish but after a few listens the good ones seep into my consicousness and I start loving them. So e do grab me straight away but then cna start to pale , whereas a grower will stay in there.
Lookng forward to hearing all about Mutter next week - first time I ever heard Rammstein was Sonne and then I ended up getting all of their stuff up to Liebe ist fur alle Da and went to see them live at Manchester arena which turned out to be a phenomenal live show and still remains a favourite to this day.
Now then all toghether Links zwo drei vier.............
Yet another great show guys! 👍 I have the Bad English albums on cassette and haven`t played them for quite a long time but I remember enjoying them and will aim to dig them out soon. I like Peter Frampton but don`t know that much of his stuff as yet and haven`t heard that particular album but if Uncle Simon says it`s a winner then it must be worth checking out!
Dare`s `Out Of The Silence` is a big favourite of mine and to me well worth ranking the whole album! If I may..
1. Under the Sun - when I first heard the album I thought after four tracks I was listening to a very good album by a very good band. When I heard the fifth track I realised I had completely underestimated them! Epic with soaring vocals by the magnificent Darren Wharton.
2. Return the Heart - another soaring epic of the kind I particularly like hearing from Dare.
3. King of Spades - or is this number 1? Wonderful song that is truly majestic.
4. Abandon - great, great opening number!
5. Runaway - love the tempo of this one when it gets into it`s stride. Cyndi Lauper? Ah yes, yes Simon I just had another close listen to the opening chords on the keyboard. I see where you are coming from!
6. The Raindance - some very Celtic sounding keyboards on this one and perhaps more than any other track indicated which direction Dare would go in from the third album onwards.
7. Into the Fire - a very good track just not quite as strong as the six above it.
8. Heartbreaker - nice rocker which should have been a hit.
9. Don`t Let Go - I like this song but the thing is if you play the album in the correct order I find myself still basking in the afterglow of the track before it (Return the Heart).
10. Nothing Is Stronger Than Love - a very decent song to be at the bottom but it is a very strong album! One of those songs where I prefer the verses over the chorus.
Like Steven I also like the moody album cover. It reminds me a bit of Clannad`s `Macalla` and Runrig`s `Proterra` album covers.
I would say all of Dare`s albums are worth a listen, including the fairly recent latest one `Road To Eden`.
Somewhere away from all the madness in what must surely be a mystical region within Wales, Dare create very special music. I hope they will continue to do so for a long time.
Hey folks, will catch up later. Currently at The Stables MK, waiting for Cats In Space to get started... Good choice of albums this week. Assuming it's the Frampton album I think it is, I do own all 3...
Enjoy the Cats Iain - I know you will!
@@TranquilityFireReid They were most excellent! Left the venue feline great! (Sorry...)
@@iainhead9898 And with your head in the stars no doubt! lol!
@@TranquilityFireReid It didn't quite reach the stars - but only missed by a whiska!!!
@@iainhead9898 Sounds like you got the cream though!
Wouldn’t class myself as a huge AOR fan but absolutely love that Bad English album. Agree it may be a bit too long but it’s so, so good. Saw John Waite live a few years ago and, sadly, he didn’t play much Bad English material, but what a voice!!
Hey there folks, second comment from me now I've actually listened to another excellent edition of your excellent show. Yes, love rhe Bad English debut, big fan of John Waite and, incidentally Simon, of Lancaster where I did my year's PGCE teacher training and met my wife of 28 years - as they say, you get less for murder these days...
DARE have never bettered their debut imho. I saw them open for someone when they toured with it but have the olds and can't remember who off the top of my head...
When I heard you were going to be doing Framptons AOR album, I assumed you'd be doing the one I own, When All The Pieces Fit which I believe was the one after Premonition (which I have never heard and must check out at some point) I really like this one and it even features another Scottish blast from the bast on backing vox and cowriting credits on a couple of tracks, BA Robertson, if Steven remembers him...? If you want a suggestion for your next one in the 'They did an AOR album?' how about David Cassidy as a name to juggle with? As for this coming week...
OMG! Rammstein! Mutter! Ich Will be listening closely to this one!
Thanks for shining a light on all things pink and fluffy in the world of AOR - Keep it wimpy!
Thoroughly enjoyable discussion as ever!
I naturally gravitate towards the Dare album because, like Steven, it’s something I’ve listened to virtually non stop since it came out.
It should’ve been huge, but it got no exposure because mainstream UK radio was full of dance music by 1988.
I saw them in October (the same night that Cats in Space played locally, so I had to miss that!) and Vinny is definitely still with the band, absolutely tearing it up live.
Love this AOR show format!
Great album, the only 'problem' I have with it is that the fade-outs of songs could've been handled a lot better other than that, it's quite perfect.
Excellent stuff Paul. It's a long time since I've seen Dare. Good to hear they still have it!
@@TranquilityFireReid Touring again next May with FM & Tyketto if you’re interested Steven!
@@paulwheeldon3075 Yes, if tickets are still available after Christmas I'll be there!
A great show. 3 great albums also. I bought all 3 of these in the 80s (yeah, Premonition on cassette too). Premonition is great. Out of the Silence is a brilliant album but I love the Bad English ST album. Outstanding. I would keep Bad English. An absolute classic! 🇬🇧
Saw Dare two days ago 25/11/2023 supporting F.M.. still sound great after all these years
Man I doubt I will ever listen to these records but loved this episode.
Thanks John!
I agree with Steven about Dare, I am not a big AOR fan but I bought the first Dare when it came out and I still play the crap out of it. You guys should also do the first 2 Giant albums, a must have for any AOR fan.
Great to hear Sadek and yes Giant are a great suggestion!
I'd like to see a Mr Big episode, a band I've gotten back into recently - they could compare/contrast the two different lineups/albums: Paul Gilbert vs Ritchie Kotzen
Bad english.the lost tapes is available. Which more than likely was going to be there 3rd album. Good album. I wish Neal would take it back it the studio and clean it up and officially release it
Thanks guys for another cracking show
Thanks Shaun!
great shows gents. I have a suggestion for they made an aor album? Michael Bolton with either blackjack or his own personal albums (everybody crazy/michael bolton self titled 1983)
Mr B is definitely on the lis. Thanks!
I love all three of these Albums, Frampton’s “ All Eyes On You” is an awesome power ballad great music clip as well, Abandon is pure AOR genius from Dare ( I actually heard Def Leppard ) both Bad English Albums are great although the 1st Album Rock’s harder! Another fantastic episode, please rate the Giant Albums please 🤘🏻🔥
Giant will, at some point, be featured on this show Michael, but I'd guess a full album ranking might prove a bit too niche for many. Appreciate the suggestion though!
I'd imagine that I am the only man from Watford who's Wedding dance was ever ' When I See You Smile' & yes, we did break mid dance for a bit of air guitar work.
Always entertaining, even if I don’t know all the band's music or anything about them. (That doesn’t happen too often). Many thanks and let me just say, coming from the North Yorkshire Moors, we made turnip lanterns at halloween. I would eat the raw turnip middle and have stomach ache for the evening, I never learn.
The sore tummy was worth it for the lantern though trev!
Pete is going to do Rammstein this week. Can't wait. WOO HOO!!
Fun fact....World famous physicist, professor of particle physics & presenter of BBC Science programmes Brian Cox played keyboards in Dare's fantastic 'Out of the Silence' album.
Eh.... we mentioned that in the show... 👍
@@TranquilityFireReid I said it prior to the guys mentioning it....that's what happens when you jump the gun!
Love the show, love the reference to Hywel Bennett, love the drinks, apart from mead! Dare is a great album, had not heard Peter Frampton and not keen on Bad English. Only one issue. Steven said Brian Cox was mildly irritating? Only mildly, Steven?
Very irritating, actually. lol
Yeah, OK, I'll agree on very!
I found Dare through Darren Wharton's association with Thin Lizzy. Into the Fire is one of my favorite songs from that time period.
I don't know why but the re-recorded version of the album ("Out Of The Silence II") is only $1.99 for the MP3 download on Amazon now.
Dare/Tyketto/FM have announced a joint headline tour of the UK.Should’ve be a great night.
Crikey. Awesome!
Love Tyketto. Their debut is amazing
hi all good show 😀I wonder if Rick Beato would like Peter Frampton to make the album that Pete wants ... think that it would make Rick happy too lol ... looking forward to next Saturday's instalment of 'The UK Connection' ... every time I'm hearing Rainbow L.A. Connection in my head ... and definitely loved the Lancashire heavy bias lol ✴⚜✴🤘
I'm a Yorkshireman.
I understand what Pete says 100% of the time, what Steven says 95% of the time, but what Simon says only around 70% of the time.
Always enjoy this style of show, even though AOR isn't my first choice genre, though obviously plenty of albums and bands well represented in my collection, and this was a curious trio, as I had fallen out of love with Journey quite a few years prior and wasn't following Schon at all, and wasn't much of a Frampton fan solo, and hadn't listened to anything since Breaking all the rules. I can take the points about Bad English and revisit it fondly, but Dare would be my keeper, and can't wait to catch them next year on triple headline bill ( not sure how long 3 'headline' sets will last at the Garage with early curfew/chuck out time as it turns into a nightclub) with FM and Tyketto
Just checked, doors are at 6pm for Glasgow!
@@TranquilityFireReid calculating my rota for next year already as I do 7-7 shifts and would hate to miss a moment of this! FM were outstanding with grand slam earlier this year at G2
I'm in Vancouver visiting family & freinds this week. One of my freinds know I watch the UKC and they provided a Blackout Chocolate Stout from Doomsday Brewing Co. 6% to enjoy during my first on the road UKC. ✌everbody
Sounds perfect!
Thanks guys, great fun as ever. It was interesting to hear your opinions, as ever, on these albums. The only one of the 3 discussed here that I own and know is the Bad English debut. Personally I do prefer Journey and The Babys to B E, but I do like the album. I agree it should be a few songs shorter and there are too many ballads IMHO. I own the second, heavier Dare album, but nothing else by the band, but your reviews have really made me want to check it out. Similar issue with Frampton. Like everyone else in the western world, I own Frampton Comes Alive, but not this album. Terrific show again, guys.
Thanks Jerry. Hope you enjoy the Dare debut if you track it down!
Watching the final minutes, I have to agree that especially in AOR, melodic rock the albums we love are the ones we have a long history with. Some of mine are DRIVE SHE SAID S/T, BAD ENGLISH S/T, MELIDIAN, DOKKEN BACK FOR THE ATTACK...
Love Out of the Silence. It doesn’t get better than Abandon for me. The world had moved on from this sound by the time it came out. Dare do a great version of Lizzy’s Emerald. Very Celtic as it should be. King of Spades in its extended version has a great Black Rose segment.
Completely agree Chris!
Another fun UK Connection. Steven, I think on Stop it's Chaka Khan "I Feel for You". I am more familiar with Sehnsucht, so I need to relisten to Mutter.
That is VERY close Dai, but it's not quite what's trying to get out of my head. It's specifically the part in Stop that begins around 1.13 into the song. It feels like a straight lift of something else...
Dare album is my AOR holy grail album....all time fave. 2nd album is a killer too.
Nice video...😃👍
Hello there, I use this video to comment because of Peter Framton is mentioned here.
Have you Pete consider doing something about A & M Records and the artists who was connected to the studio? Maybe a series of videos?
Simon showing the Ramnstein's album was too funny !
Oh Preacher, I am beyond happy about this 😁
Great video!
had a bad day of work yesterday so this was a nice change of pace.
do you think you guys could include Ten/gary hughes on the next one?? maybe..
Cards on the table Corey, I really am not a Ten fan. Sorry.
@@TranquilityFireReid woow
a couple of days ago i get a reply from simon bray saying he couldn't do alex harvey band and now i get a reply from Steven reid.
this has made my day.... no week.
hell it made my bloody Christmas.
i mean we all like different music so there is no need to say sorry.
it is so cool to get a reply from you guys.
thank you guys so much.
@@coreyjay1660 Always a pleasure Corey. Have a great Christmas! And thanks for watching.
@@TranquilityFireReid You Too!!!!!!!!!
I'm actually Irish so I'll say 'Top of the mornin' to ya!' I'll also say it on the next CotC episode.
I'm one who finds Backlash a far more consistent effort than the Bad English debut (it IS only 10 songs long so that's a good start), but unlike the panel one of the songs I really like here is Don't Walk Away (also a non-original, it's an Andy Hill/Pete Sinfield co-wrote that was later covered by the Pointer Sisters, which feels like a strange sentence to write!), in fact (When I See You Smile aside) it seems it's the softer songs I gravitate to on this, Possession leads my playcount stats, followed by Ghost in Your Heart, Price of Love and Don't Walk Away) while the 3 songs it seems I'd happily drop are Ready When You Are, Lay Down and Rockin' Horse). That said, I can tell you that I've listened to the whole thing a whopping 3 times in the past 10 years (for Backlash it's 7 - both would have been played a lot more in the decade or two prior to be fair).
10 years is as long as I've owned the first two Dare albums and Out of the Silence is a true classic (26 total plays) while Blood From Stone (9 plays) is not; if the former is Magnummy in a good way, the latter is in a Goodnight LA way - band pushed in a direction that didn't suit them with Keith Olsen producing and forgetting that keyboards exist. And thank goodness I'm not the only one who hears the Raindance and wonders when John Farnham popped into the studio to lend a hand!
As for the Peter Frampton, listening right now for the first time, assumed I'd duck out after a song or two, but I'm enjoying it officially 1000% more than I might have guessed (won't buy it tho, sorry Simon!).
Great post Joseph. Thanks for watching!
A discusion of Strangeways-Walk in the Fire, Heartland-s/t and Giant-Last of the Runaways would be cool.
All VERY good suggestions!
My 3 favourite AOR/Melodic Rock albums are:
3. Firehouse (self titled)
2. Vixen (debut)
1. Don Dokken - Up from the Ashes.
Good f***ing choices. That Don Dokken solo album is excellent.
Great show guys also Pete if you want the crunch on those guitars in that Dare album the remake/new edition has revamped those guitars
Played both Dare and Bad English a lot back in the day Darren Wharton agree with Pete sounds to my ears like Lou Gram and how can you not like a band that has John Waite, Neil Schon and Deen Castranova what a shame we only got the 2 albums
John Waite's 1987 solo album Rover's Return is in itself a magnificent AOR album, pretty much a masterpiece that'd actually be worth talking about too guys like Anton Fig, Desmond Child and Joe Lynn Turner feature on it. Turner's own album Rescue You (1985) is worth mentioning too.
I had no idea Brian Cox was in a rock band! :-) He gets constantly teased for the "Things can only get better" song on the podcast "The infinite monkey cage" though, which is a great science podcast.
Talking about british AOR, has Grand Prix ever been discussed on The sea of tranquility? Great melodic rock from the early 80's, with Robin McAuley (MSG) on vocals. With catchy tunes and a tiny bit of proggy leanings occasionally. Especially the last album they made, Samurai, is a stone cold classic and one of the great lost albums of the 80's. To me that is one of the albums I could never let go of.
I like Grand Prix: The First Album & There For None To See. Samurai was just OK for me
Grand Prix are on the list Andreas. Cheers!
I was a big fan of the first 2 Dare albums, and quite liked the subsequent Celtic period ones but started to lose interest as they were becoming a bit too soft and samey.
However this years Road to Eden was released and I realised Vinny Burns had returned, the album is a great return to the more AOR sounds of the first 2 albums, Siince found out he was also on 2016 release Sacred Ground which is also pretty good. If you haven’t heard Return to Eden though ,you should and it was bubbling just under my 31 albums of 2022.
Yes, Rage To Eden is excellent!
What? Pete let's 'Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be...' slide yet doesn't know what a boffin is? You live and learn - I had no idea that that was a purely British idiom. The fact that Brian Cox was in a band other than D:Ream was also news to me.
AOR is definitely not my scene but still love the banter. (And the beer)
I think Pete just presumed I was babbling nonsense.... he'd probably be right as well!
Steve - I think the keyboard section you are talking about sounds like Reap The Wild Wind by Ultravox...
Okay, so you have just won your Olympic Gold Medal for Rock Music Trivia (Over 40 category). You climb up on the podium to collect your medal and the National Anthem plays. As there is a new king, there obviously will be a new song to be the new anthem. As the gold medal winner you have been asked for your input as to what the new anthem should be. So what are your five suggestions for the new National Anthem (and why). They may be from non-UK bands and they may be (originally) instrumentals. Here are some of my suggestions:
The Shadows - "Wonderful Land" (as a child walking the dog with my dad, I remember a wonderful land and this is one of the most uplifting songs I know)
My Bloody Valentine - "Come in Alone" (if I won a gold medal, my head would explode and this is the perfect soundtrack for such an event)
Stereolab - "Nihilist Assault Group" A perfect march, however, it is nihilistic, anarchistic beauty. I really, really, really love this song (as is often said on the show)
This Heat - "Health and Efficiency". This song, is not just a masterpiece, it is about the sunshine and dedicated to the sunshine. This would be a perfect life affirming anthem and therefore create a more contented populace (or not).
My fifth choice is a Pardo as both these songs are genuine anthems...but which one would be better
Primal Scream - Loaded (because a lot of people want to get loaded and have a good time)
Primal Scream - Come Together (because I would like folks to "Come together as one")
By the way, I would pay good money to hear the Coldstream Guards play any of these songs
Keep up the good work chaps.
By the way, in case of Scottish independence, I would like to propose:
Cocteau Twins - Calfskin Smack
Why? Scotland's finest? - maybe. One of the greatest vocalists ever? - maybe. It is one of the greatest songs EVER? - undeniably. However, I would love to hear any Scottish members of the show singing along with the chorus as the music was being played by The Massed Pipes and Drums.
Strangeways Native Sons please
Awesome album
Agreed, overall Top 10 '80s AOR material for me it's that fine. Signal with ex-King Kobra Mark Free's Loud & Clear (1989) is another masterpiece worth the time.
Totally agree
Strangeways are definitely on the list Wayne.
Only heard Premonition a couple of times Frampton is a genuine talent who seems to switch genres a lot some I like some I don’t
Anyone who likes this type of music & looking for someone more recent, check out Rob Moratti's Epical album from earlier this year. He's the former singer for Saga & features Joel Hoekstra on guitars & Tony Franklin on bass. To me it's better than either of the Bad English albums, especially the more upbeat numbers - the 80's Journey influences are apparent. He's also got at least 5 other records since 2011. All are very melodic affairs with good songwriting, nothing that seems like 'formulaic' AOR (to me), and very consistent in quality overall (I like at least 4-5 tracks per album).
One of those albums is called Tribute To Journey which has (you guessed it) a bunch of Journey covers on it. As someone who LOVES Steve Perry's voice I will say Moratti's right there, and Torben Enevoldsen/Graham Fillier do a more-than-adequate job on guitars. The reason to skip this one might be that these covers are VERY close to the originals (not really meant as a criticism - these musicians are obviously top-flight players)...Moratti's vocals are always very good, right up there with the best AOR vocalists IMO. He's also fronted the bands Moratti (Desolation from '95 is a great record with some serious guitars - maybe the best of all of these & close to perfect AOR) & Final Frontier (another good band - on the heavier side of AOR)...This is some seriously good AOR!
Acacia Avenue/Work Of Art/Mysterell/Serpentine/Decoy/Torben Enevoldsen is another group of related artists/bands on the heavier side of AOR but really good with some fiery guitars (Torben plays on some Moratti albums)...How 'bout Tony Mills' Siam/The Language Of Menace from '94 (Prayer is good too)? Or Son Of Man?
Always had to laugh when Darren Wharton carried on the Phil Lynott Have any of the girls got any Irish in them ? Would any of the girls like some Irish in them?.
Saw them a couple of times back in the day in Germany, used to do acoustic version of Emerald.
Pete I think you have answered your own question about the mead you liked. You need to look for a mead that is made with honey and not have any other ingrediants such as fruit, flowers, grains, and malt added. All you need is honey, water, and a bit of patience if you were going to make some yourself. Hopefully someone here can post some US mead recomendations for you to try
Actually did my homework this week.
I'm not a huge fan of Bad English to be quite honest. Felt rather typical for what it is. Not that it's bad, but I found it rather unremarkable. Not a ballad guy, so no surprise I don't dig When I See You Smile too much. Heaven Is A Four Letter Word is a lot of fun.
Out of the Silence is really tasteful. Magnum has been mentioned on this show a couple times in relation to this and I get that - they have that sense of... "feel" magnum also have. Going to be investigating their other albums now. Darren Wharton is the MVP for me here.
The Peter Frampton album was just a lot of fun. Nothing all too special as I see it, but it's the kind of album that's just entertaining all the way through, even if it does all kinda lack a distinctive style.
Well well well. Rammstein huh?
hmm... I don't know if I'm gonna subject myself to that over the next week. I can think of much nicer things to do.
Totally agree on BE & Frampton - don't know about Dare. I do have a handful of Magnum albums that I like
Good stuff Daxtear. I'm with 100% on all 3 albums!
Quite a few Dare MP3 album downloads are on Amazon for £1.59 (Full Album).
When Premonition was mentioned, was I the only person who thought you were going to talk about the 1981 album by Survivor?
To be fair, the Frampton album, Premonition, isn't bad (and for some reason Stop always reminded me of Billy Squire🤔).
Yes, me too love that Survivor album and Sylvester Stallone loved it too enough the hire them for Rocky 3 and the rest of course is music history. By the way, there's a nice new Peterik interview up on Professor of Rock's channel talking about this period.
@@LarryFleetwood8675 thanks for the heads up on that Jim Peterik interview sir. What a song. What a band. Anyone who likes Eye Of The Tiger and hasn't checked out any of their albums needs to rectify that situation asap.
Give Pete a break Simon from Lonkashire, he’s been getting his pronunciation correct recently 🤣😉👍🏻
Check out the promo video for We Don't Need A Reason by Dare....brilliant
Also for Pete - Brian Cox being a charismatic TV boffin is like Carl Sagan was in the U.S.
UK AOR does seem rare. But UFO's Making Contact and Misdemeanor were major AOR albums.
One of those may well feature in shows to come...👍
@@TranquilityFireReid: Thank - that'd be excellent. 🙂
A suggestion for a future UK connection topic is Favourite Folk Rock albums. Pete says he doesn't relate much to this type of music, but life is about exploring new things. It takes you out of your comfort zone! Sometimes I find having a beer with friends, in a small intimate venue, a singer's night with acoustic guitar is a far cry and more enjoyable than being crammed in a stadium of thousands,- commercial Rock. Which I find more enjoyable. But folk rock overlaps in many ways with the boundary of SoT ( especially on the more rockier and experimental side ), If one is willing to explore. So maybe for future content, Steven, Pete & Simon could choose their (or enforced, if they don't like it) to listen to their favourite Folk, Folk- Rock albums! There's a lot of UK music to choose from; ie - The Strawbs, Lindisfarne, Sandy Denny, Fairport Convention, Pentangle, John Martyn, Nick Drake, Michael Chapman, The Pogues, Steelye Span, Donovan, Al Stewart, incredibly Sting Band, Mumford & Sons, The Waterboys, Christy Moore, Richard Thompson, The Levellers etc (hundreds more).!
Sorry Stephen, this style is really quite far from my taste and I'd go as far as to suggest that I actively dislike a lot of the bands you've mentioned there. The only real exceptions being some Straws, a little Steelye Span and most Al Stewart, who I saw a few years back. Appreciate the topic idea but it's not one for me.
Blood From Stone is a great album and thankfully heavier than the debut..The Guitars are turned up
Any chance of including Pandora’s Box Original Sin at some point
It covers many things on the AOR show
Not sure I can take any more Steinman Karl....😂
That album is mad, bad and dangerous to know but I would instead settle for FM Tough it Out
@@karlrodgers9757 We've done a full album ranking for FM, so their music will probably not feature in this show, but only for that reason - it is a great album!
Steven, does "Stop" remind you of "Axl F", perhaps?
Great topic and discussion as always.
Bad English- bit to soft, image was weird and way to many ballads. But outstanding voice, stellar playing and good for a kitchen spin now and then. MVP Waite.
Dare- Amazing opener, bit to soft and poor choice of title for one song(guess). Great listen for a laid back car journey. MVP Vinny Burns.
Peter Frampton- I don’t like Peter Frampton.
Great stuff Gents.
Sorry guys, I enjoyed Macedonian white wine today. Beer was last night, in restaurant of a local brewery.
No need to apologise Zlatan. Cheers!
I am surprised that Journey doesn't do some of those Bad English songs
Bad English great 2 albums. Dare great but an unfortunate tribute to Phil Lynott. Saw them on that tour in Cardiff. They mingled with the crowd by the bar beforehand!!
Now who's the boffin of Sea of Tranquility, I wonder.
Now there's a question!
I've learned & brought my 'automatic subtitle machine' to this episode...😎
Bad English - love Neal Schon, John Waite's an OK singer. The rest of the lineup's pretty good too - a good "on paper" AOR band. But honestly the songs leave me a little cold. First anyone who has issues with Journey's power ballads (not really me but I know many others do) should have real problems here too. From that debut I basically like "Best Of What I Got", "Tough Times Don't Last", " Ready When You Are". Can't shake the feeling that a lot of this is 'formula'/by the numbers AOR. Not any band member's best work, it's not bad (English or whatever Simon & Steven are speaking - 😒) but also not memorable or great - the 2nd album is about the same...Also I'm always weary of bands who put out one or two albums yet have a Greatest Hits collection...?🤷♂
Dare - not one of my bands, the Lizzy/Wharton connection is interesting but the songs I'd heard in the past didn't grab me. I'll have to revisit them...
Frampton's Premonition is the one I'm most familiar with & I love Frampton's solo work (unlike Pete who I believe has said that he didn't have/like much of Frampton's albums). I've got something like 25 Frampton albums. This one's middle-of-the-road for me. He's got tons of better records (even recently like Mr Churchill, Now & Fingerprints). The prior one Art Of Control was also better, this one for me is in the same group with Hummingbird In A Box & Rise Up. I believe he's currently in the middle of what he said was his farewell tour (health issues) - here's to an all time great guitar player (and singer - love his voice)! Liked 4 tracks from Premonition, "Moving A Mountain" is a really good rocker & "All Eyes On You" is a pretty good power ballad. "Call Of The Wild" might be my fave track here
I am with Simon on Bad English compared to Journey.
Have Simon & Steven ever met in person?
Nope.
Out Of The Silence is one of the best AOR albums of all time. Never liked Bad English...
Terrible terrible albums..just pointless..but great show as ever..
I don't think any of them are 'terrible' but also not all time great AOR either. Somewhere in between for me...
@@wolf1977 That's well put, yes.
Out of the Silence is a straight up masterpiece of AOR. One of my favorites in the genre. Darren's vocals are stellar on this. Heartbreaker is one of the best AOR songs to me. It is of the time but it should have been huge. The production could be a bit better though. Mix is a bit muddy but the songwriting is there.