Loved "I Can't Hold Back" and "High On You". The Rocky songs not so much. Did Peterik ever sing lead for Survivor? That "Vehicle" growl would've been a good counter-point to Bickler & Jamison's upper ranges.
They should’ve tried some dual vocalist songs, kinda like Journey did occasionally with Perry and Rolie.
For whatever reason, that song is the one most associated with the band and that's really their only big hit with Bickler. So, anyone who considers that their sound doesn't even know the Jamison era.
According to Jim Peterik, that was the original idea but the plan got nixed somewhere along the way. It is, though, exactly how Pride Of Lions works. JP & Toby Hitchcock share the lead vox and it works brilliantly.
I spent the last two weeks with listening to all of their albums again and again and again. Such a great band !!!
Great band. Well worth a listen. Imagine Survivor meets Lynyrd Skynyrd (38 Special's Donnie Van Zant is the brother of Skynyrd's Ronnie). Strong songs, well played with excellent dual lead vocals.
Hmm... It really seems like it would fit nicely between the material on Caught In The Game and Vital Signs. Oh well.
The Southern Rock stuff comes through more in the attitude than the music. From Wild Eyed Southern Boys onwards, they become a hard edged AOR band. By the time they reach Rock & Roll Strategy, they're a couple of meat guitar solos away from Yacht Rock. The common denominator remains, though, the excellent songs and performances. If I was going to pick one recordd, it would be Tour De Force, from 1984. A magnificent album.
Jimi was a better singer, and EOTT aside, all the best songs were with Jimi on vocals. Also the other 2 guys have talked a lot about how they let Bickler go because he lost his confidence, and his vocals were no longer up to scratch. Not taking anything away from his earlier performances I just prefer Jimi.
Agree 100%. Other than EOTT, I don't really care much for the songs with Bickler as lead. Jamison has so much of a better voice and sings lead on all of their best songs.
I've only heard the Rocky stuff, Eye Of The Tiger and Burning Heart. I love both, especially the latter with its gorgeous outro guitar solo. Were these the best songs they did or is there an album of undiscovered gems out there?
If you like those then there are gems on every Survivor record that you will enjoy. The Peterik/Sullivan writing team really had a way with an anthem. Check out the Ultimate Survivor record which is a pretty decent career overview. If you enjoy that, there are still many choice cuts to be discovered among the original albums. Happy listening!
I've been streaming the albums on Spotify and love: Caught In The Game Vital Signs When Seconds Count Too Hot To Sleep However, despite being constantly told on these forums that CDs are dead and available for peanuts yet again something I want costs top dollar. The Rock Candy remasters are £14 ($18) each in the UK and as I've heard that the previous discs are lacking in bass I'm presuming that on this occasion the remasters are the ones to go for?
Thanks for reminding me how many great songs they had. I had completely forgotten about Caught In The Game until I watched the video.
