EVERY Billboard #1 hit discussion thread 1958-Present

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by alphanguy, Jan 29, 2016.

  1. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    Bleech. I'd rather hear Renegade or even Mr Roboto.
     
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  2. Bruce M.

    Bruce M. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hilo, HI, USA
    You read my mind. Always found their stuff just annoying, but had managed to mostly suppress the memories of having heard their hits a zillion times on the radio.
     
  3. alphanguy

    alphanguy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri
    Helium voiced... what a perfect word for it. A high male voice can be great, if they have skill and can convey true emotion with their voice, like Marty Balin and Russell Hitchcock (We'll be discussing him later). But so many of these rockers just annoy the bejeezus out of me. And sorry, that includes Steve Perry.
     
  4. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Steve Perry was like nails on chalkboard, although at least he could growl a bit. Some of these guys had nothing but the high-pitched whine. Styx, Supertramp, Rush, Air Supply...

    I need to stop. I'm getting a migraine.
     
  5. Melllvar

    Melllvar No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!

    Location:
    Anchorage, Alaska
    Being a Styx fan, I think it's a great ballad. Given the song's interesting history of being a gift for Dennis's wife. It was never intended to be released commercially as a single or an album cut. The record company execs and to an extent, the rest of the band insisted it be used.

     
  6. alphanguy

    alphanguy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri
    Like I mentioned earlier... I agree with all of those except Air Supply. Graham Russel's shared lead vocal turns really softened any brittleness their sound might have had. And Russell Hitchcock could actually pull back during softer parts of a song, where De Young just sang at full mechanical belt from beginning to end. Supertramp is just horrible in every way. Ear shattering shrillness
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2019
  7. pablo fanques

    pablo fanques Somebody's Bad Handwroter In Memoriam

    Location:
    Poughkeepsie, NY
    And of course John Phillips contributed to the lyrics of a future and unlikely #1 and sired a future #1 artist in Chynna Phillips. Though I reckon he had an easier time recalling both
     
  8. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    I'll pass on Babe although I do like some STYX songs.
     
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  9. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    You saved me the trouble of saying the same. I used to like this one, but I just don’t care for any of their stuff now.
     
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  10. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    Tough to see Supertramp mixed in with this lot. Like Air Supply, they had two vocalists to balance things out, and brilliant production and song writing, and a very long career for the rock world. I don’t recall any number ones so I don’t know if they will come up again but to me they aren’t at all in the same league as the others mentioned.
     
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  11. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Mileage. I think they're sonically in the exact same whiny white guys league.

    Their songwriting and production however were substantially better, although the lyrics were still meh. The engineering on Breakfast was representative of the zenith of '70s pop. And I like quite a few of their cuts. I realized recently that their best cut is probably the somewhat underplayed "Goodbye Stranger", which feels less fussed-with than their other big radio hits. But this stuff is lyrically puddle deep, which is unfortunate given the monumental production. Much ado about nothing.

    It occurs to me that many of these bands were aping The Beatles in one way or another. Sort of helium voiced, high-fidelity versions of ELO. Jeff Lynne's outfit didn't chart any #1 singles in the US (or the UK, if memory serves), but they were a constant presence on the pop charts from fairly early in the decade, and their albums and concerts were mega-sellers. My assumption is a lot of acts - especially UK and European acts - must have looked at that neo-Beatles success and thought to themselves, "I could do that!"

    And so they did, fronted by vocalists who sounded like an eel on a barbecue grill. Heaven help our tattered eardrums!

    In the long run though, I prefer ELO in all of its goofy, nerdy, UFO prop glory to any of these other acts. Still, with McCartney continuing to churn out pablum and "product" straight thru the decade, did we really need Beatles wannabes, these retro Monkees? I'm not sure a single song to come from this overproduced school of pop bests "Live And Let Die", "Another Day", "Listen To What The Main Said", "Maybe I'm Amazed" or even "Silly Love Songs". The original - even at a somewhat low-ebb - still bested the imitation.
     
  12. Hoover Factory

    Hoover Factory Old Dude Who Knows Things

    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    When I was in High School, I bought the “Grand Illusion” LP and played it to death. It’s the kind of record that appeals to 17 year old teenagers who think they know everything: “Styx has it all figured out man - it’s all B.S., it’s all just a grand illusion.”

    By the time I got to college, I had stopped listening to bands like Styx, Kansas, Boston, Journey, etc., in fact became very dismissive of them. A buddy accused me of being an alternative music “snob” because I made the comment that “Boston’s “Third Stage” album hitting number 1 was one of the signs of the apocalypse.” It was true - I was an alternative music snob.

    Anyway, back to Styx. A few years ago, I kind of rediscovered them and was surprised to find that I actually some of their stuff. “Paradise Theatre” is quite good and clever - a concept album about the rise and fall of a civic landmark and how it brought people together over the decades. I also like some of their singles too, including “Babe.”

    BTW, the criticism about the shrillness of the vocals is not wrong. I saw them in concert back in 1977 and the sound was excruciatingly awful - they sounded like birds screeching. THE worst sounding concert I ever attended. At the time, I assumed that the guy manning the sound board was either deaf or stoned.
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2019
  13. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    He was both after manning the soundboard at a Styx concert...

    :biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

    :hide:
     
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  14. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Not only is "This Is It" special to me on a personal level, but it was to Kenny Loggins who wrote it for his father who was in the hospital with cancer. Kenny was frustrated that his father wasn't fighting for his life and wrote the song to send him a message.[/QUOTE]

    I don't care what any of you say: I love Styx, like Dennis DeYoung, and I like this song, even though I got sick of hearing it back then.
     
  15. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    I was in high school when "The Grand Illusion" was released. I didn't buy it, but heard it plenty of times on the #3 band bus on the away games. That was the bus the rowdy white guys dominated. They would bring their Styx, Kansas, Foreigner, and Queen cassettes and play them on the boombox in the back. That's how I heard all those classic albums back then.

    I never warmed up to "Cornerstone", or "Pieces Of Eight" beyond "Renegade", but I love "The Grand Illusion" and "Paradise Theater". I'm just now starting to like A future hit album that we will get to in about three more chart years.

    BTW, the criticism about the shrillness of the vocals is not wrong. I saw them in concert back in 1977 and the sound was excruciatingly awful - they sounded like birds screeching. THE worst sounding concert I ever attended. At the time, I assumed that the guy manning the sound board was either deaf or stoned.[/QUOTE]

    I saw Styx back in 2004 or something like that, and was disappointed.
     
  16. Hey Vinyl Man

    Hey Vinyl Man Another bloody Yank down under...

    I like "Come Sail Away," but nothing else I've ever heard from Styx impressed me in the least. Just not my thing.
     
  17. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Geez, it did seem that with "Babe," Dennis DeYoung was rock's equivalent of Lionel Richie, no?
     
  18. The Slug Man

    The Slug Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    "Babe"

    I've just never been able to get into Styx the way I like other late 70s/early 80s AOR like Boston, Journey, or Foreigner. Friends are always surprised I don't have any Styx in my collection. "I thought they'd be right up your alley..." Kansas is in the same boat as Styx, even though I can deal with "Carry On Wayward Son." I don't think it's the high pitched vocals per se--Boston has them, as do other bands I like such as Yes and Rush.

    Maybe it's the pomposity of trying to merge AOR, prog, and Broadway. Like a bad imitation of Queen? Or maybe it's the jumpsuits and/or tuxedos...
     
  19. AppleBonker

    AppleBonker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    This is an OK song, but whenever I think about it I recall the parody lyrics all the kids sung: 'This is s**t/make no mistake about it". Kinda writes itself! :cool:
     
  20. MikeInFla

    MikeInFla Glad to be out of Florida

    Location:
    Kalamazoo, MI
    Styx have been my favorite band since I was a kid. Always loved 'em and even loved Babe at one time. But if I never hear it again that will be OK. Cornerstone was the one that started to splinter the band. First Babe and then the follow up First Time... If First Time was released Tommy said he was quitting the band so they picked another track. I do love Dennis's stuff and his voice holds up well today (as does Tommy's). They are a touring monster and put on a fantastic live show these days and do not play Babe. If you want to hear that you have to go to a Dennis solo show, which is also fantastic. I know they are not everyone's cup of tea but I've liked them since I first discovered them
     
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  21. AppleBonker

    AppleBonker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Paul released a second single from Back to the Egg in August of 1979: Arrow Through Me. I always liked this one (although I like Getting Closer better). A bit of a different sound from Macca, definitely Stevie Wonder inspired I think. It peaked at 29, even worse than Getting Closer.



    Fun rumor: this song inspired ABC's Poison Arrow. Apparently there are similarities to the two videos as well, but the rumor is just that. Nothing more than a coinkidink.

    Fun fact: This song was in the opening credit sequence of the notorious Chevy Chase turkey Oh! Heavenly Dog (co-starring Benji as the dog). In the movie, Chevy comes back to life as a dog, and... oh, do you really care? :laugh:
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2019
  22. Victor/Victrola

    Victor/Victrola Makng shure its write

    I don't care for Styx much, I think the only CD I have is one of those A&M 25th Anniversary purple comps which I got for practically free at a library sale and a couple vinyl albums that were used. Maybe a 45 if I still have it. They sure were popular here in the Midwest, almost inescapable, but I never really got into them. I fully agree that DeYoung has only one way of singing - FORCEFULLY - no matter what the song calls for. No nuance, no conveyance of emotion just loud loud loud. Like a machine, Mr. Roboto. I did like the intros to their songs but once the main tune started, it went downhill quick. That was kind of their trademark. I recall hearing "Lady" and thinking WOW - these guys are great and going to be huge, etc. - but by the time the song ended, I had lost interest.

    I feel the same way about Journey (although I really like the Infinity album and the pre-Perry stuff is pretty good pop prog). For all the power that Steve Perry possesses, his nasal tone makes me shudder. However, I'd never include Kansas (at least when fronted by Steve Walsh) into this category. Kansas had a lot of influences in their material - all prog-leaning, sure, but at least they gave us songs with some deeper philosophical meanings than "I love my baby and wanna party all night" kinds of things. I like Boston for their perfection in the studio and Brad Delp was a talent beyond belief (his multi-tracked harmonies are amazing) and to listen to that first album and realize it was all done analog, well, it's still a sonic wonder. The thing that bothered me about Boston is that they put all of their eggs in one basket and by the time the second album came out, it was all they could do to stay relevant. Don't Look Back was just "the debut part two" (as my sarcastic friend called it). The thing I dislike about Boston is they are the epitome of "I love my baby and wanna party all night" bands (well, they tie with KISS in that regard.)

    Agree that the high-pitched guy in Air Supply knows how to sing. I'm not a fan, but I can appreciate what they do. (I bought that first album with "Lost In Love" on it, but that's as far as I went.)

    Now Supertramp? Nah, I love Supertramp. Impeccably recorded, superbly produced and eloquently written. I get a lot of meaning out of their lyrics and the message of cynicism may be the only one they convey, but they do it well. They don't always hit the mark, but I still consider the album "Crime Of The Century" a landmark recording of paranoia, distrust of the ruling class and amazing sonics. Roger Hodgson may have had a high-pitched voice, but he inflected it with a lot of feeling. I understand they're not for everyone, and the prog aspect turns a lot of people off, but Supertramp is one of my favorites.

    I'll defend my love of YES until the day I die.

    Foreigner I can take or leave. I like the first two albums a lot even if "Hot Blooded" is one of the stupidest things ever written. After that, meh.
     
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  23. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    Don' t care about Chevy whatsoever but ' Arrow Thru Me ' may be McCartney's most underrated, underappreciated song.It 's great.
     
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  24. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Speaking of Journey . . . they had something of a hit in this period with "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' " . . .
     
  25. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    And his father ended up living another four years after this. This seems to have done the trick.
     
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