REO Speedwagon's Nine Lives album is an amazing heavy hard rock album ... and they had a truly great guitarist ripping out some amazing solos (Gary Richrath). A truly great underrated hard rock album.
Lightning's Hand, Death of Mother Nature Suite, Icarus , and some songs from the Monolith album are devastatingly Heavy. Styx - Man of Miracles ( the song) was probably the Heaviest Metal song from the 1970s. Suite Madame Blue was extremely Heavy, even though it was a Power ballad. It's obvious that Suite Madame Blue inspired Iron Maiden - Revelations, and Carry On My Wayward Son definitely could be considered Warrant - Uncle Tom's Cabin part 1.
Agree with you on the early REO lp's, mainly due to the lousy production. But 'Live You Get What You Play For' absolutely rocks and Gary Richrath shreds with the best of the 70's guitarists. The underrated 'Nine Lives' album also rocks hard, especially the opening track "Heavy On Your Love". Then, sadly, they completely jumped the shark.......
House At Poohneil Corners was incredibly Heavy, but all the other songs were pretty laid back. It's strange that so many bands have performed Heavy Metal versions of White Rabbit, but not House At Poohneil Corners. It makes about as much sense as Heavy Metal bands covering Hey Jude instead of Helter Skelter
This is why live albums were so popular in the 70s. They captured a rawer heavier sound. Judas Priest is the best example of this, I find their 70s stuff lacking and as much as they have great songs, it needs that extra punch.
Can’t disagree with any of your choices or reasoning behind them, even the almost made it bands. I would suggest Heart come close for consideration. I’ve heard their songs played heavier recently but you must remember these artists were in their prime way before “Heavy Metal” was a thing. 🤘🏻
One thing that all of these bands have in common: MONEY. They all went for having big hits and charting high on the Billboard 100. I can't blame them for doing that!
REO's Roll With The Changes from 1978's You Can Tune A Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart. and #48 on the U.S. Cashbox chart. It was a minor pop hit that should have gone higher than it did.
I like the late 70s through mid 80s REO Speedwagon but I don’t listen to them a ton. Recently I revisited some of those albums. I don’t know if I’m hearing things right but it sounds like Kevin is strumming an acoustic guitar on a lot of their songs. More than I remember. Seems like they could be a bit heavier and better if they always had two electric guitars going instead. Kinda like on Heavy On Your Love and Back on the Road Again. I also think late 80s Cher would’ve been even better if heavier. Glam metal Cher would’ve been so rad!
Mahogany Rush could have had more Heavy material. It was generally just one song per album. Rush should have joined the NWOBHM style, instead of going New Wave. I don't like anything after Geddy Lee stopped doing any of the screaming Vocals. They were as Heavy as 1970s music could get on their first 3 albums, and 2112 had it's Heavy moments. I do actually like everything up to Moving Pictures which at least had Witch Hunt. Signals despite having nothing remotely Heavy was at least in the vein of 1980s Yes , and Genesis. But Presto etc. was just a complex version of Oingo Boingo
Agree on all five - I didn’t even think of Jefferson Airplane… I’m actually seeing Styx and Foreigner live this summer… also really like Journey, but yeah, just a little heavier would have been awesome…
Yeah totally agree with you on REO and Journey. Both bands had great heaviness potential but never really got to that level. Neal Shon could've been a master shredder of any genre.
I always thought that both bands were heavy metal apart from occasional slow ballad,indeed all heavy metal listings,charts and encyclopedias included them and if they weren't included they were only forgotten about
Toto - Hold the Line is by far the Heaviest Metal Toto song. Being that it's a love ballad, I picked up the album and expected at least one of the songs would be much Heavier. I was extremely disappointed.
@@davej.meister5421 Are those some of their " We're Back" 😂 songs. Everything I've heard from them was about as skull crushing devastatingly intense as Rosanna. Hold the Line was the only song as Rocking as even Foreigner. I bought Self titled, and Hydra. They reminded me of Huey Lewis and the News with higher Vocals. Fortunately I didn't purchase the Toto 4 album. But I have been exposed to it against my will.
@@Hecatecrossways No comment. I'll never understand you "hard rock and metal only" people. Thank God I broaden my horizons and branch into other rock subgenres.
@@davej.meister5421 I like other music, I am just not big on Pop music. I like Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, the Eagles, the Doors, Moody Blues etc. Someone had told me that Toto did some Heavy Metal songs is why I was disappointed. If I would have known that they weren't actually a Hard Rock band I would have expected something different. This was pre internet. I like some Toto songs, but I really don't like Toto 4 . Too many hits played too death.
@@Hecatecrossways The deep tracks on Toto IV are the highlights. There's a rocker on the album called Lovers In The Night. And I already told you about Toto's earliest hard rocking tracks like Girl Goodbye, Goodbye Elenore, All Us Boys, Gift From The Golden Gun and Turn Back. Those tracks are heavy for a so-called yacht rock band like Toto (they're really classified under AOR/melodic rock.) I don't care how many people dislike Toto. I like them, and I'll always like them. My opinion doesn't change about them.
I hear ya about Foreigner and Journey, especially Journey! I've heard what Neil Schon is capable of. And that first album of theirs is an ultra rocker! I love the jazz fusion stylings of those instrumentals. Really, I wish they would have just done all instrumental works but yeah, they toned things down way too much later on. And one band that when I listened to more of their stuff and was very disappointed with was The Kinks. They have a handful of true rockers but most of their albums are full of softy crap that really irritates me!
Deep Purple, Living Colour, Ghost, Metallica, and Rush. I love Rush's rock songs, but hate their hippy and pop songs. I love Living Colour's rock songs, but hate their R&B songs. I loved first 3 albums of Ghost, but I lost a lot of excitement with them the last 2 albums. I wish they'd bring back some of the doom of the first album. I like the new Metallica, I would just to see them go out with an album the way they came in.
I like some Journey, like Separate Ways, but then along comes a track like Huggin' Squeezin' Lovin' (or whatever it's called). Ugh. I always found their album covers off putting as well. I always wanted Wishbone Ash to be heavier. I appreciate that one of their strengths is their range, but a few more tracks like Queen of Torture and Living Proof would have been nice.
@@mainzergirl9610 The Vocals are much more aggressive on High n Dry, but the songs are more progressive from On Through the Night. I don't like Hello America, Bringing On the Heartburn, and Me and My Wine . Other than those terrible songs both High n Dry and On Through the Night were pretty good. Pyromania had 3 awful songs Action , Rock of Ages, and Rock till You Drop. Fooling, Sorrow is Woman , and Too Late For Love are much better ballads than Bringing On the Heartburn. All their Break Dance Hip Hop New Wave Disco crap was terrible, but their Grunge album is as unlistenable as Metallica - St Anger, and the band looked pitifully stupid in their mid 30s trying to look like Nirvana
Obviously Zeppelin is already heavy, but whenever I listen to Achilles Last Stand it makes me wish that they had more songs that heavy and that adventurous
Ted Nugent started out as Proto Metal, then became kind of wimpy as the 1970s progressed. Scream Dream, and Intensities in 10 Cities were definitely marketed with Metal fans in mind, but then he cashed in on the wimpier side of Yacht Hair Metal. In the vein of Richard Marx , 1980s Heart , Scandal , Quarterflash , and whoever was responsible for the song Modern Day Delilah. That is why people break out in laughter whenever Ted Nugent is brought up in any Metal discussion.
Nazareth , and Aerosmith had one or two Heavy songs on their 1970s albums, but for the most part they had too many boring funky Blues boogie tracks included. April Wine.
I love the concept of this video man. What about a video about bands that tried to be heavy and failed?
Next episode you should list 5 bands your wish were less heavy.
Good idea
Meatloaf
REO Speedwagon's Nine Lives album is an amazing heavy hard rock album ... and they had a truly great guitarist ripping out some amazing solos (Gary Richrath). A truly great underrated hard rock album.
I agree.
Heavy on Your Love is the best song REO ever made.
Kansas had some definite hard rock elements.
Especially on their Masque album.
Child of innocence, Mysteries and Mayhem in particular 😁
Lightning's Hand, Death of Mother Nature Suite, Icarus , and some songs from the Monolith album are devastatingly Heavy. Styx - Man of Miracles ( the song) was probably the Heaviest Metal song from the 1970s. Suite Madame Blue was extremely Heavy, even though it was a Power ballad. It's obvious that Suite Madame Blue inspired Iron Maiden - Revelations, and Carry On My Wayward Son definitely could be considered Warrant - Uncle Tom's Cabin part 1.
Have you heard the song Think I’m going weird by the band Art? It’s pretty fucking heavy for 1967. Also you should do a video on proto metal bands
Agree about REO still great band but just a little heavier
Agree with you on the early REO lp's, mainly due to the lousy production. But 'Live You Get What You Play For' absolutely rocks and Gary Richrath shreds with the best of the 70's guitarists. The underrated 'Nine Lives' album also rocks hard, especially the opening track "Heavy On Your Love". Then, sadly, they completely jumped the shark.......
House At Poohneil Corners was incredibly Heavy, but all the other songs were pretty laid back. It's strange that so many bands have performed Heavy Metal versions of White Rabbit, but not House At Poohneil Corners. It makes about as much sense as Heavy Metal bands covering Hey Jude instead of Helter Skelter
It might be a good Idea to do a show about bands that sort of belong together.
Aerosmith, Nazareth
Uriah Heep, Deep Purple
Styx, Kansas etc.
This is why live albums were so popular in the 70s. They captured a rawer heavier sound.
Judas Priest is the best example of this, I find their 70s stuff lacking and as much as they have great songs, it needs that extra punch.
Unleashed in the East is what those songs sound like beefed up
Can’t disagree with any of your choices or reasoning behind them, even the almost made it bands. I would suggest Heart come close for consideration. I’ve heard their songs played heavier recently but you must remember these artists were in their prime way before “Heavy Metal” was a thing. 🤘🏻
Nice list. Foreigner debut is a good hard rocker. Good points on all bands. 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
You nailed it!
You could maybe put Toto on this list, but I enjoy the direction they went ultimately.
This guy gets it, earned a sub
I'm with you on Journey. If only.....
I think of REO as more of a proto jam band that went pop
One thing that all of these bands have in common: MONEY. They all went for having big hits and charting high on the Billboard 100. I can't blame them for doing that!
REO, Keep on rollin really shows a potential the band could have hit.
REO's Roll With The Changes from 1978's You Can Tune A Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart. and #48 on the U.S. Cashbox chart. It was a minor pop hit that should have gone higher than it did.
I read the title and thought... "You mean, like Leslie West or Meat Loaf?"
Then I realized that you meant heavier musically, not physically. :D
Peter ceteras debut album from early 80s is very heavy,despite the fact that hes the soft member of chicago
I like the late 70s through mid 80s REO Speedwagon but I don’t listen to them a ton. Recently I revisited some of those albums. I don’t know if I’m hearing things right but it sounds like Kevin is strumming an acoustic guitar on a lot of their songs. More than I remember. Seems like they could be a bit heavier and better if they always had two electric guitars going instead. Kinda like on Heavy On Your Love and Back on the Road Again.
I also think late 80s Cher would’ve been even better if heavier. Glam metal Cher would’ve been so rad!
Though I agree with your picks, I'd say that if you chose their 10 heaviest songs, REO and Journey could compile a great, very heavy album.
i love airplane , i think trying to be heavy wouldnt have worked for them, jorma was perfect
An interesting idea. Journey were heavy with “stone in love”.
The title track to Escape is really heavy.
Mahogany Rush could have had more Heavy material. It was generally just one song per album. Rush should have joined the NWOBHM style, instead of going New Wave. I don't like anything after Geddy Lee stopped doing any of the screaming Vocals. They were as Heavy as 1970s music could get on their first 3 albums, and 2112 had it's Heavy moments. I do actually like everything up to Moving Pictures which at least had Witch Hunt. Signals despite having nothing remotely Heavy was at least in the vein of 1980s Yes , and Genesis. But Presto etc. was just a complex version of Oingo Boingo
I think another band that would have been nice if they were a little heavier is Bachman-Turner Overdrive Overdrive
Agree on all five - I didn’t even think of Jefferson Airplane… I’m actually seeing Styx and Foreigner live this summer… also really like Journey, but yeah, just a little heavier would have been awesome…
Yeah totally agree with you on REO and Journey. Both bands had great heaviness potential but never really got to that level. Neal Shon could've been a master shredder of any genre.
I always thought that both bands were heavy metal apart from occasional slow ballad,indeed all heavy metal listings,charts and encyclopedias included them and if they weren't included they were only forgotten about
The high pitch vocal tone on Grace Slick would have worked on heavier guitar
I think Journey in about 1986 had a more metal album but it faltered and then they broke up.
REO - University of Illinois
Toto - Hold the Line is by far the Heaviest Metal Toto song. Being that it's a love ballad, I picked up the album and expected at least one of the songs would be much Heavier. I was extremely disappointed.
Goodbye Elenore, Girl Goodbye, Turn Back and Lovers In The Night are the heaviest Toto songs.
@@davej.meister5421 Are those some of their " We're Back" 😂 songs. Everything I've heard from them was about as skull crushing devastatingly intense as Rosanna. Hold the Line was the only song as Rocking as even Foreigner. I bought Self titled, and Hydra. They reminded me of Huey Lewis and the News with higher Vocals. Fortunately I didn't purchase the Toto 4 album. But I have been exposed to it against my will.
@@Hecatecrossways No comment. I'll never understand you "hard rock and metal only" people. Thank God I broaden my horizons and branch into other rock subgenres.
@@davej.meister5421 I like other music, I am just not big on Pop music. I like Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, the Eagles, the Doors, Moody Blues etc. Someone had told me that Toto did some Heavy Metal songs is why I was disappointed. If I would have known that they weren't actually a Hard Rock band I would have expected something different. This was pre internet. I like some Toto songs, but I really don't like Toto 4 . Too many hits played too death.
@@Hecatecrossways The deep tracks on Toto IV are the highlights. There's a rocker on the album called Lovers In The Night. And I already told you about Toto's earliest hard rocking tracks like Girl Goodbye, Goodbye Elenore, All Us Boys, Gift From The Golden Gun and Turn Back. Those tracks are heavy for a so-called yacht rock band like Toto (they're really classified under AOR/melodic rock.) I don't care how many people dislike Toto. I like them, and I'll always like them. My opinion doesn't change about them.
Winger's heavy.
I hear ya about Foreigner and Journey, especially Journey! I've heard what Neil Schon is capable of. And that first album of theirs is an ultra rocker! I love the jazz fusion stylings of those instrumentals. Really, I wish they would have just done all instrumental works but yeah, they toned things down way too much later on. And one band that when I listened to more of their stuff and was very disappointed with was The Kinks. They have a handful of true rockers but most of their albums are full of softy crap that really irritates me!
Deep Purple, Living Colour, Ghost, Metallica, and Rush. I love Rush's rock songs, but hate their hippy and pop songs. I love Living Colour's rock songs, but hate their R&B songs. I loved first 3 albums of Ghost, but I lost a lot of excitement with them the last 2 albums. I wish they'd bring back some of the doom of the first album. I like the new Metallica, I would just to see them go out with an album the way they came in.
Living Colour is a good one, I always felt like they were heavy but it just never clicked for me.
Evolution and Departure are pretty heavy even the ballads - Journey
I like some Journey, like Separate Ways, but then along comes a track like Huggin' Squeezin' Lovin' (or whatever it's called). Ugh. I always found their album covers off putting as well. I always wanted Wishbone Ash to be heavier. I appreciate that one of their strengths is their range, but a few more tracks like Queen of Torture and Living Proof would have been nice.
For me it's DEF LEPPARD. On Through The Night was such a great album. Once Pyromania came out and had 'PHOTOGRAPH' be a hit, it was downhill for me...
High n Dry was Heavier than On Through the Night
@@Hecatecrossways -Yes, H&D was a rocker too...just meant that Pyromania began a downfall for me...
DLs 1st 3 albums were their best (my fave is OTTN). Don't listen to anything thereafter.
@@mainzergirl9610 The Vocals are much more aggressive on High n Dry, but the songs are more progressive from On Through the Night. I don't like Hello America, Bringing On the Heartburn, and Me and My Wine . Other than those terrible songs both High n Dry and On Through the Night were pretty good. Pyromania had 3 awful songs Action , Rock of Ages, and Rock till You Drop. Fooling, Sorrow is Woman , and Too Late For Love are much better ballads than Bringing On the Heartburn. All their Break Dance Hip Hop New Wave Disco crap was terrible, but their Grunge album is as unlistenable as Metallica - St Anger, and the band looked pitifully stupid in their mid 30s trying to look like Nirvana
Obviously Zeppelin is already heavy, but whenever I listen to Achilles Last Stand it makes me wish that they had more songs that heavy and that adventurous
Ted Nugent started out as Proto Metal, then became kind of wimpy as the 1970s progressed. Scream Dream, and Intensities in 10 Cities were definitely marketed with Metal fans in mind, but then he cashed in on the wimpier side of Yacht Hair Metal. In the vein of Richard Marx , 1980s Heart , Scandal , Quarterflash , and whoever was responsible for the song Modern Day Delilah. That is why people break out in laughter whenever Ted Nugent is brought up in any Metal discussion.
The late Van Stephenson did Modern Day Delilah in 1984. AOR rocks.
Nazareth , and Aerosmith had one or two Heavy songs on their 1970s albums, but for the most part they had too many boring funky Blues boogie tracks included. April Wine.
ABBA
Honestly, Iron Maiden
Styx heavier than reo speedwagon?
Not much in the difference
@AidenSwords-gy5ko no big difference but I think Gary Richrath was better guitarist than 2 styx guitarists