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AOR Titans Fall! Battle of the albums that broke up the band.


Entre_Perpetuo
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  1. 1. Best album that broke up the band

    • Styx - Kilroy Was Here (1983)
    • Journey - Raised On Radio (1986)
    • REO Speedwagon - Life As We Know It (1987)
    • Foreigner - Inside Information (1987)
  2. 2. Who was the biggest loss?

    • Tommy Shaw leaving Styx
    • Steve Perry leaving Journey
    • Gary Richrath and Alan Gratzer leaving REO Speedwagon
      0
    • Lou Gramm leaving Foreigner
  3. 3. Opposite of the first question: WORST album that broke up the band!

    • Styx - Kilroy Was Here (1983)
    • Journey - Raised On Radio (1986)
    • REO Speedwagon - Life As We Know It (1987)
    • Foreigner - Inside Information (1987)


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I generally consider these four bands to be the biggest titans of late 70s early 80s AOR. Toto, Boston, and Survivor are great contenders as well, but they had much different career trajectories in their heyday. The interesting thing about these four bands to me is they all had rather similar careers from about 76/78 through the mid-late 80s. They all flourished commercially in the wake of Boston's debut and helped pioneer the AOR sound. They subsequently all became massive superstars in 1980/1981 with the release of their commercial juggernaut (Hi InFidelity, Paradise Theater, Escape, and 4). Then they all eventually cracked under the pressure of fame and following up that massive success, leading to the departure of one half of each band's creative core after a less than stellar album release (Tommy Shaw from Styx, Steve Perry from Journey, Gary Richrath from REO Speedwagon, and Lou Gramm from Foreigner).

 

 

So how do you answer the poll questions? I'm going to give those REO and Foreigner albums a listen today as they seem to have sold and been remembered so poorly I've never once seen them in a used record bin, which means I don't yet own them!

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My fav of the albums is raised On Radio. it's a perry solo album let's not kid ourselves. but.....i love ir.

 

biggest blow is a 3 way tie for me between shaw Perry and Gramm leaving.

 

worst of these......Inside info. no use for it.

 

Kilroy's ridiculous. but the hate has grown to be as ridiculous as the album, lol.

 

aside from those concept tracks it's your factory approved everyday Styx album. with some actual great songs in there.

 

Mick

Edited by bluefox4000
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My fav of the albums is raised On Radio. it's a perry solo album let's not kid ourselves. but.....i love ir.

 

biggest blow is a 3 way tie for me between shaw Perry and Gramm leaving.

 

worst of these......Inside info. no use for it.

 

Kilroy's ridiculous. but the hate has grown to be as ridiculous as the album, lol.

 

aside from those concept tracks it's your factory approved everyday Styx album. with some actual great songs in there.

 

Mick

 

Not the biggest REO fan are you?

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My fav of the albums is raised On Radio. it's a perry solo album let's not kid ourselves. but.....i love ir.

 

biggest blow is a 3 way tie for me between shaw Perry and Gramm leaving.

 

worst of these......Inside info. no use for it.

 

Kilroy's ridiculous. but the hate has grown to be as ridiculous as the album, lol.

 

aside from those concept tracks it's your factory approved everyday Styx album. with some actual great songs in there.

 

Mick

 

Not the biggest REO fan are you?

 

theyre fine i guess, lol

 

both Segue and i are AOR nut jobs and we're both like indifferet to REO. not a bad band but on the lower end of the genre.

 

Mick

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My fav of the albums is raised On Radio. it's a perry solo album let's not kid ourselves. but.....i love ir.

 

biggest blow is a 3 way tie for me between shaw Perry and Gramm leaving.

 

worst of these......Inside info. no use for it.

 

Kilroy's ridiculous. but the hate has grown to be as ridiculous as the album, lol.

 

aside from those concept tracks it's your factory approved everyday Styx album. with some actual great songs in there.

 

Mick

 

Not the biggest REO fan are you?

 

theyre fine i guess, lol

 

both Segue and i are AOR nut jobs and we're both like indifferet to REO. not a bad band but on the lower end of the genre.

 

Mick

 

I get that. I love them dearly, but I don't think they're best record is quite on the level of many other bands' best.

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My fav of the albums is raised On Radio. it's a perry solo album let's not kid ourselves. but.....i love ir.

 

biggest blow is a 3 way tie for me between shaw Perry and Gramm leaving.

 

worst of these......Inside info. no use for it.

 

Kilroy's ridiculous. but the hate has grown to be as ridiculous as the album, lol.

 

aside from those concept tracks it's your factory approved everyday Styx album. with some actual great songs in there.

 

Mick

 

Not the biggest REO fan are you?

 

theyre fine i guess, lol

 

both Segue and i are AOR nut jobs and we're both like indifferet to REO. not a bad band but on the lower end of the genre.

 

Mick

 

I get that. I love them dearly, but I don't think they're best record is quite on the level of many other bands' best.

 

Hi infidelity is a good record nothing bad about it........but in comparison to the giants i think i can count on one hand the times i've played it.

 

Mick

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Would 1984 qualify?

 

Well it's not really what this thread is about, but I suppose it's from the same era and did break up the band in a sense.

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Lou Gramm leaving Foreigner was a huge loss; they were never the same after that. Steve Perry leaving Journey was big as well, but for good or bad, they did find Arnel Pineda. So I voted Lou Gramm leaving.

 

I like Kilroy and Raised on Radio a lot so went with Raised on Radio for favorite. Not sure I have heard the other 2 more than once or twice but I picked REO.

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I want to vote for both the REO and Foreigner albums because any album that put a stop to those bands releasing more of their awful singles upon the world is tops in my book.

47701483-9973469-Worries_No_I_can_t_still_play_the_drums_I_d_love_to_But_I_mean_I-a-20_1631188881094.jpg

 

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps the greatest singing drummer of all time. Step aside Don Henley.

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I want to vote for both the REO and Foreigner albums because any album that put a stop to those bands releasing more of their awful singles upon the world is tops in my book.

47701483-9973469-Worries_No_I_can_t_still_play_the_drums_I_d_love_to_But_I_mean_I-a-20_1631188881094.jpg

 

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps the greatest singing drummer of all time. Step aside Don Henley.

Not these days though, he can't even hold a drumstick right now.

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I want to vote for both the REO and Foreigner albums because any album that put a stop to those bands releasing more of their awful singles upon the world is tops in my book.

47701483-9973469-Worries_No_I_can_t_still_play_the_drums_I_d_love_to_But_I_mean_I-a-20_1631188881094.jpg

 

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps the greatest singing drummer of all time. Step aside Don Henley.

Not these days though, he can't even hold a drumstick right now.

 

Sad, truly. But! I still can't wait to see them this December! Just seeing him sharing the stage with Mike and Tony, they could play through From Genesis To Revelation in its entirety and I'd consider myself lucky.

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Journey

Graham

Styx

 

I don't care what Adam Sandler said in Big Daddy. The "cyincal ahole" critics were right about Styx. Most of the genre I can handle but I just can't get into them. Perry wasn't too much of a loss since his replacement can sing and Cain and Schon did not too bad with Waite and Bad English. It's just not Foreigner without Graham's powerful vocals. REO I could take or leave but they have a few good ones here and there.

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I want to vote for both the REO and Foreigner albums because any album that put a stop to those bands releasing more of their awful singles upon the world is tops in my book.

47701483-9973469-Worries_No_I_can_t_still_play_the_drums_I_d_love_to_But_I_mean_I-a-20_1631188881094.jpg

 

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps the greatest singing drummer of all time. Step aside Don Henley.

 

4 octave vocal range. They're jesters to this...queen.

 

k4CtZ64.gif

 

5mJsscT.gif

 

 

Funny how he has the same name as some other well known drummer. :lol:

 

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I want to vote for both the REO and Foreigner albums because any album that put a stop to those bands releasing more of their awful singles upon the world is tops in my book.

47701483-9973469-Worries_No_I_can_t_still_play_the_drums_I_d_love_to_But_I_mean_I-a-20_1631188881094.jpg

 

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps the greatest singing drummer of all time. Step aside Don Henley.

Not these days though, he can't even hold a drumstick right now.

 

Sad, truly. But! I still can't wait to see them this December! Just seeing him sharing the stage with Mike and Tony, they could play through From Genesis To Revelation in its entirety and I'd consider myself lucky.

 

He's now an in law relative to Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen and step in law to Ted Danson. 2021 bingo for you. :lol:

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I want to vote for both the REO and Foreigner albums because any album that put a stop to those bands releasing more of their awful singles upon the world is tops in my book.

47701483-9973469-Worries_No_I_can_t_still_play_the_drums_I_d_love_to_But_I_mean_I-a-20_1631188881094.jpg

 

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps the greatest singing drummer of all time. Step aside Don Henley.

 

4 octave vocal range. They're jesters to this...queen.

 

k4CtZ64.gif

 

5mJsscT.gif

 

 

Funny how he has the same name as some other well known drummer. :lol:

 

 

Oh, well I must admit you've cornered me. How have I forgotten Roger!!!??? My mind must have been somewhere else entirely. I must say this though.... I do probably prefer Phil as a drummer to Roger, on purely technical terms. I would never have Collins handling my beloved Queen songs, but I do think in his prime he could've handled them. As singers... ah, it's tough. I think I will have to give it to Roger. Much less to go on, sure, but then WHAT A VOICE! He'd have been considered one of the greats of the era had he been fronting Queen. But of course even the mighty Roger Taylor must step aside for Mr. Mercury.

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I want to vote for both the REO and Foreigner albums because any album that put a stop to those bands releasing more of their awful singles upon the world is tops in my book.

47701483-9973469-Worries_No_I_can_t_still_play_the_drums_I_d_love_to_But_I_mean_I-a-20_1631188881094.jpg

 

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps the greatest singing drummer of all time. Step aside Don Henley.

Not these days though, he can't even hold a drumstick right now.

 

Sad, truly. But! I still can't wait to see them this December! Just seeing him sharing the stage with Mike and Tony, they could play through From Genesis To Revelation in its entirety and I'd consider myself lucky.

 

He's now an in law relative to Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen and step in law to Ted Danson. 2021 bingo for you. :lol:

 

It's just no wonder about all of those heartbreak ballads he wrote, none at all.

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So after listening to the two I hadn't heard before, this is a pretty tough decision. Here are my thoughts on each album/member for each question.

 

Kilroy Was Here

This record is overhated. That's not to say it isn't pretty bad for a Styx album, but it's still Styx with the classic lineup. There's only so much harm an overabundance of DeYoung and an underperforming Shaw can do. Personally I think the singles stand pretty tall. Yes I like Mr. Roboto, there's really nothing else like it. A couple decent deeper cuts as well, and if you're not taking it half as seriously as DeYoung seems to be, then the concept doesn't have to be overbearing.

 

Raised On Radio

I've got no qualms with Steve Perry here. His voice sounds fantastic, even with all that grit, and his songwriting is still catchy as ever. My issue is the rest of the band doesn't care enough not to sound like any of the other bands in this poll at their most generic, barring a distinctly Neal Schon lead or two. It's a good record, but suffers to me from feeling overlong (is this thing really under 45 minutes?) and having too much material that covers the same ground. It's nice background music, and I would put it on anyway just for Steve's voice, but man there is nothing on here to compete with Separate Ways, or even Mother, Father.

 

Life As We Know It

A pleasant surprise! I was expecting power ballads galore with a couple of half hearted rockers to start off each side. This album is seething in places, not least of which "Too Many Girlfriends," Cronin's not-very-subtle attack on Richrath's drug habits interfering with his contributions to the band. Yes there are some ballads here, but I don't remember them as much as some funky horn sections and basslines scattered throughout, and overall a great vocal performance form Cronin with catchy melodies. Drug-addled as he may have been, Richrath turns in some fine guitar work too, ironically the best of which is on the aforementioned "Too Many Girlfriends." Maybe he was so high he didn't even register the song was about him. This is my pick for best of the bunch. Not a band firing on all cylinders, but definitely sounding more like an ensemble not on the edge of collapse than any of the others here.

 

Inside Information

Exactly what I expected. Absolutely nothing they didn't do better on Agent Provocateur. Oh no it isn't bad, but aside from a couple of songs there isn't anything worth revisiting. Even the side 1 ballad was just plain boring. The production is fine, actually a little bit more graceful than the booming big 80s noise of AP, but then that only adds to the problem inherent within: take away Lou Gramm's distinctly rock and roll pipes, and this is pure "adult contemporary" most of the way through... yuck! This is my pick for worst of the pack. At least Kilroy has guts.

 

Tommy Shaw leaving Styx

This was a big blow. Not because Dennis couldn't run the band without him (he certainly could, and certainly did, and scored some decent hits while Shaw was gone), but because losing Shaw meant losing that balancing force which kept Dennis from schmaltzing everything up to the nth degree. JY is a great rocker as well, but he's never seemed to have much creative control in this band aside from a song here and there. I think the most condemning evidence of how badly Styx needed Shaw has only come out in the past few years: Mission To Mars and Crash Of The Crown. Granted it took them well over a decade and a half after Shaw rejoined and kicked Dennis out to make those records, but history won't care. With Dennis alone at the helm in the latter 80s and 90s their relevance dwindled and they were invited to play a sausage festival in Bulgaria. When Shaw rejoined (and cruelly scapegoated Dennis for all of Styx's problems, which were not all his fault). With Shaw fully in charge the band made a long show of a being a dinosaur act before suddenly remembering they were still great musicians and putting out their best two records since Paradise Theater. In the end though, Styx has succeeded post-breakup. So that actually deducts points from my calculation for this being the most grievous loss.

 

Steve Perry leaving Journey

No more Steve Perry = no more Journey as far as I'm concerned. Granted I said the same thing for years about DeYoung and Styx, and they proved me wrong, but look at the evidence. In 2021 Styx put out one of their best ever albums and an accompanying EP which seems well liked (I've yet to hear it), both of which followed up another one of their best ever albums just 4 years ago. The only thing Journey has put out at all recently is an abysmally average single that makes Raised On Radio look like Esacpe. Now I've heard Journey has had some good albums without Steve since the breakup, and I'll give that to them in credit until I hear those records and decide for myself. But you can't tell me if Steve had stayed with the band they wouldn't be twice as successful on the legacy band circuit, and probably making better music nowadays. What I will grant them is they haven't fallen off the face of the earth, a merciful fate they owe to their cover-singer-turned-frontman, Arnel Pineda. So it seems if they aren't making great music anymore they're at least still making decent money.

 

Gary Richrath and Alan Gratzer leaving REO Speedwagon

I included Alan's departure hear because it happened and he deserves no disrespect for his contributions to this band. But we all know the big loss here is Gary. What would those classic REO power ballads be without his tasteful, distortion drenched leads? Not to mention his songwriting capabilities. Ah, but this one's a pretty simple matter which I've half answered in my album review above. The story goes Gary barely contributed to Life As We Know it compared to other REO albums as a result of his drug addiction. In my opinion, what he does manage to add is pretty great, and what he doesn't manage to contribute is made up for by Cronin pretty easily. Judging by that record alone, I can't see much of a reason why REO couldn't figure out how to get on without Gary. Now, in truth, they never had the success of their 80s albums on a future record, which should prove me wrong. However, seeing REO's legacy band lineup (featuring Kevin Cronin and Neal Doughty, plus Bruce Hall who plays on all the hits, and the two guys who replaced Gary and Alan immediately after they left) play live a couple summers ago proved to me they've still got it, at least as far as legacy bands go. And they seem to have survived the 90s and 00s pretty well. Maybe one of these days they'll put out their own Mission To Mars.

 

Lou Gramm leaving Foreigner

A boring final record for Lou before he and Mick Jones turned their focus almost exclusively to solo projects. Perhaps more than any other, this record really did break up the band, because Foreigner have become infamous over the past decade or two for being one of the rare bands you can go to see featuring ZERO ORIGINAL MEMBERS. Oh, Mick Jones is still technically in the band, but apparently he doesn't see fit to show up for many concerts anymore. Why he doesn't just call the whole thing finished I can only guess has as much to do with money as "keeping the music alive for the fans." Look, I'm all for fan service, I went to go see Queen + Adam Lambert and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. But if you can't get even one original member, even one classic member, then it's time to start calling the entity that tours around as Foreigner what it is: an official tribute band. Then it will be special when Mick can make a show and not a big deal if he doesn't. I'm just not sure it matters whether or not the music they recorded after Lou left was any good when the band has fallen this far in the wake of that split. This is my pick for biggest loss, because the facts say they never recovered, and probably never will.

Edited by Entre_Perpetuo
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Would 1984 qualify?

 

Well it's not really what this thread is about, but I suppose it's from the same era and did break up the band in a sense.

I thought Diver Down broke em up, but Dave just left after 1984
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I want to vote for both the REO and Foreigner albums because any album that put a stop to those bands releasing more of their awful singles upon the world is tops in my book.

47701483-9973469-Worries_No_I_can_t_still_play_the_drums_I_d_love_to_But_I_mean_I-a-20_1631188881094.jpg

 

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps the greatest singing drummer of all time. Step aside Don Henley.

Not these days though, he can't even hold a drumstick right now.

 

Sad, truly. But! I still can't wait to see them this December! Just seeing him sharing the stage with Mike and Tony, they could play through From Genesis To Revelation in its entirety and I'd consider myself lucky.

 

Here's the set from the first show of the tour if you're curious.

 

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/genesis/2021/utilita-arena-birmingham-birmingham-england-7b8c5688.html

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I want to vote for both the REO and Foreigner albums because any album that put a stop to those bands releasing more of their awful singles upon the world is tops in my book.

47701483-9973469-Worries_No_I_can_t_still_play_the_drums_I_d_love_to_But_I_mean_I-a-20_1631188881094.jpg

 

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps the greatest singing drummer of all time. Step aside Don Henley.

Not these days though, he can't even hold a drumstick right now.

 

Sad, truly. But! I still can't wait to see them this December! Just seeing him sharing the stage with Mike and Tony, they could play through From Genesis To Revelation in its entirety and I'd consider myself lucky.

 

He's now an in law relative to Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen and step in law to Ted Danson. 2021 bingo for you. :lol:

 

It's just no wonder about all of those heartbreak ballads he wrote, none at all.

 

Take a look at him now.

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