Under The Milky Way

I meant to post a few days ago about the sad passing of producer / engineer Greg Ladanyi, who apparently fell to his death shortly before a concert he was set to work on September 29th. Ladanyi's name appeared on many albums that I purchased in the 80's, including Fleetwood Mac's Behind The Mask, Don Henley's first two solo albums and Jackson Browne. Not to mention his work with Toto including on the immortal Toto IV. Ladanyi's work was marked by a smooth, tasteful sensibility. While reading one of his obituaries I was surprised to learn he had worked with The Church on the album that included a really great song, "Under The Milky Way".

Most producer / engineers don't get as much recognition as the artists they work with, in Ladanyi's case I feel his input played a factor on some of my favorite tunes on either a technical or aesthetic level. He didn't appear to be an "in your face" producer like say David Foster or Nile Rodgers where you hear 30 seconds and immediately knew who worked on it. As I type this, Toto's "Africa" popped up on my IPOD a song Ladanyi mixed. The "behind the scenes" people can make or break a project, I personally love the layered sound to Toto IV including how some of the piano from the demo is inserted into "Africa". In any case, another sad passing in music, to pay some respect here's The Church's hit that Ladanyi worked on "Under The Milky Way".

Clash of the Titans

In the feast or famine world of blog posts, going into this weekend I felt like I had nothing to blog about. Now I have a couple of things to post about which is pretty cool. So I'm going to start with the post I'm most excited about, I was in a Toto mood but wasn't sure what to say that I haven't said already about this great group. I thought about a career overview except I've already covered two of their albums in my Favorite 100 Cds list and I've read an excellent overview of their career already at Popdose so I thought I would focus on a single album. Isolation came to mind because it's an album I always go back to like comfort food though I covered that album before so I decided to go with Hydra from 1979.

When I started buying Toto records a lot of their back catalog was in the cut out bins for the "Nice Price" including Hydra. It had this weird record cover, all blue green and a Steve Lukather (Toto's guitarist) looking guy in silhouette with the Toto sword from the first record cover. What was this record cover trying to say? Rock and roll dungeons and dragons in a sewer? Isn't a hydra one of those snake beasts with multiple heads from the Ocean, why would you wait for one in a sewer? It's not like one of those urban myths where you drop an alligator down a manhole and it grows up to eat people. You don't find a lot of hydras at the pet store.

Anywho, the gatefold cover opened and there were pictures of the band inside like they were scholar / adventurers or something which made it even weirder. So maybe the idea was to set up this concept that they had mythic stories to tell, which would go well with what is Toto's proggiest album. I remember a BAM magazine interview where David Paich (keyboardist, vocalist and main songwriter) said the first record was made to have a commercial sound to prep an audience for Hydra, the album they really wanted to make. So let's take a look at Toto's most epic effort.

1. Hydra

In Greek mythology the Hydra was a 9 headed creature that lived in the water and protected an entrance to the Underworld. The creature would grow back two heads for each one that was cut off except for one which was the main head. Hercules defeated the hydra as one of his great tasks. These notes in small font I had to look up because I only had a vague idea of what some of these things were.

What inspired this post was browsing through Toto videos on You Tube (I know, exciting person I am!) and finding all these promo clips for this record which I never saw before. I'm watching the Hydra one for the first time right now (linked in the song title above). Oh wow, the video pretty much is exactly how I pictured what the album cover was about. Toto plays in the famous sewer while a guy (not Steve Lukather, an actor who kinda resembles his haircut) goes to rescue a woman held captive there presumably by the hydra only to...run away? Interesting (reminded me of Monty Python). I never got this song lyrically, I just love the sheer progginess of it. Toto is a band of musicians who can definitely play and they go off here with dizzying solos and breakdowns and handclaps and everything. I'm a fan of prog rock and so I can't put down a chance to hear these world class musicians stretch out. Maybe the different types of musical bits and riffs stuck together that make up this track make it like a hydra, a multiheaded monster. Usually music of this type is done by British bands, it's refreshing to hear a more American take on the genre (I know other bands like Styx or Kansas has done it too though). When I saw Toto perform in 1999 Paich included the piano part of "Hydra" in his solo, the fans totally marked out. Looking back at the video now from the vantage point of about 5 minutes ago, I wonder image wise was it a good idea to play in a rat filled sewer? It invites non fans to say it was where they belonged (you know who you are :).

2. St. George and the Dragon

In mythology, St George defeated and slayed a dragon to save a town from being terrorized by the beast and converted them all to Christianity

From hydras to dragons, Toto has it in for reptilian creatures this time out. This was a track I would skip to often on the record player, I think Jeff Porcaro's drumming is fantastic. The way he goes from a steady cowbell beat to thunderous fills is amazing. The lyric "I can see by the look in your eye /you've never seen the man with nothing to say" has stuck in my mind all these years for some reason. This is another song where I just found the video clip and watched just now, great stuff. If anyone has ever wanted to see singer Bobby Kimball jump off a ladder in slow motion surrounded by smoke, this is what you've been waiting for!

3. 99

In mythology...naw, just kidding they drop the mythology theme from this point forward. Like many, I thought this song was about Agent 99 Barbara Feldon from tv's Get Smart. Paich has said in interviews he was inspired by George Luca's THX-1138.

The lone hit from Hydra and I think it only made Top 30 on Billboard. A disappointing showing considering the prior album had a Top 10 hit with "Hold The Line". Nonetheless, I've heard this song often on adult contemporary radio. It has a sleek, mellow groove and a great keyboard solo by Steve Porcaro. Really classy how this song keeps a dynamic to it with how it builds and falls without ever getting noisy. This song may have the most love for a number this side of Sesame Street. My only complaint is at the end of the track, they repeat this musical pattern over and over getting increasingly quieter until they're hardly playing at all. That part goes on way to long for me. The rest of the track? Pure magic. And I am still thrown that guitarist Steve Lukather sang most of the ballads considering in interviews he doesn't come across as super sensitive or anything.

4. Lorraine

You didn't think you would really get through a Toto album without a girl's name in a song title did you? David Paich takes lead vocals again (he has like three on this record, I can't think of another Toto album from the classic 1978 - 1990 period where he had this much) to tell Lorraine that it's almost over between them. This one was a track I would skip over sometimes, it had an odd juxtaposition of this quiet classical sounding verse and jaunty 50's sounding chorus. I don't like how those two mesh, even now. Not a favorite of mine.

5. All Us Boys

Another song I used to skip a lot back in the days of vinyl, where I would flip over the record and head straight for "White Sister". This song was frustrating for me because the fast beat and sizzling guitar solos were right up my alley, it just had these dorky lyrics I couldn't get past. Something like "All Us Boys want to drink and kick, carry a stick, we're getting older and so much bolder" I think. Toto tries hard to position themselves as rock and roll bad boys, the types mother's wouldn't want to let near their daughters. Instead they come off as trash talking mathletes ready to live it up by lightly unscrewing salt shaker caps in a restaurant. The next guy to use this salt shaker is gonna get it! I'm a rock and roll rebel!

6. Mama

Oh the 70's, when you called your woman "Mama" as in "Hey foxy mama" or "That mama is a stone cold fox" or any other variation on that phrase like "Loni Anderson is one foxy mama". "Mama" has a nice jazz/R&B feel that allows singer Bobby Kimball to really do his thang. Session playing on all those Steely Dan records really paid off here for these guys. I also will give props to the rhythm section of drummer Jeff Porcaro and bassist David Hungate, whose work here pops and grooves well. As Pearl Jam says, heyfoxymophandlemamathatsme.

7. White Sister

Oh the 70's, when you had to disguise your drug songs. At least I take this for a drug song, I never researched it or anything. Just knowing some of the band member's reputation for being in love with a certain white powder along with lyrics like "Do you love me / White Sister / Do you love me when I play your game" or later "When I call your name". Cooocaainnne! A sort of self loathing love fest for the "White Sister"...hmm...sounds like addiction to me. One of my favorite Toto tracks, another fast paced rocker that let's Lukather really fly. When I saw them live this was the set closer, total awesomeness.

8. A Secret Love

One of the nicest of the Toto ballads and one sung by Bobby Kimball no less, I liked that it was just voice with keyboards and about 90 seconds long. Like a lot of secret loves, it feels incomplete. Easy to relate to as a teenager.

And that was Hydra, Toto's second album. It went Gold which was considered a disappointment after their Platinum debut. Their career would continue a downward slide on the third record until Toto IV turned it all around. Back in the day I would play all of the Toto records a lot, this one of course was for that progressive rock Toto mood when I wanted to hear a lot of their solos. Now that some time has passed, I can even enjoy the songs I used to skip a little more than I did then which is nice. Think I'll put on some Hydra while I wash the dishes now. Because that's something all us boys would do now.

Mr Mike's AOR Project 1988

It was a concert I had wished I had gone to.

It's fitting after covering a whole lotta Zep that 1988 is the next year in my AOR Project because that was the year everyone wanted to be Zep. In the wake of Whitesnake's success a slew of bands took to the Zeppelin sound and interest renewed in the original members. On top of that Hair Metal went into overdrive. The Monsters of Rock tour was somewhere around this time led by the Hagar driven Van Halen. Everything was great in '88!

Disc 1:

Fate - Love On The Rox

When bands split up, it usually doesn't seem clean. So when Mercyful Fate divided and one half became Fate, well that was just pure genius.

Robert Plant - Heaven Knows

I debated with myself to include this or "Tall Cool One". Tough call to make, I went with the slower tempo number.

Cheap Trick - The Flame

Not just a great power ballad, one that seems to get a pass from people critical of this genre. Great acoustic guitar sound on this track.
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Kingdom Come - Get It On

In one of the best marketing moves of the day, the band sent this record to radio stations without a mention of who it was. Rumors spread that this was Led Zeppelin's new song (because it sounded very "Kashmir") and it got all over the airwaves.

Bonham - Wait For You

If anyone who was not a former member of Led Zep had a right to tackle that sound, it was Jason Bonham. The prodigal son gets his Physical Graffiti on with this ripping cut.

Toto - Pamela

Not to be outdone, Toto also sounded like Led Zep...no, not really, Toto came off as very Toto with a jazzy retread of "Rosanna".

3 - Talkin' 'Bout

To this day I'm shocked they didn't force Robert Berry to legally change his name to something like Like so they could remain ELP. Emerson, Like and Palmer has a nice ring to it.

Mr. Big - Addicted To That Rush

A few years before they invented the campfire clap power ballad, the mini supergroup made up from former members of Eric Martin Band, David Lee Roth and Racer X fired up the fret work to a crazy fast beat.

Hurricane - I'm On To You

Current Foreigner frontman Kelly Hansen spent the 80's rocking like a, um Hurricane.

Shy - Break Down The Walls

I'm not even gonna front yo, I've got to admit I learned about this group through Melodicrock and had not heard of this group at the time. Not bad stuff.

Aerosmith - Angels

Power ballads are all about the cheese baby, and it's hard to top the fondue fountain that is "Angel".

Saraya - Love Has Taken It's Toll

One of my favorite lost bands, this song has so many memories of drunken games at the pool halls for me. It sucks this album is out of print, Sandi Saraya rocks!

Alice Cooper - Poison

In 1988 none could resist the power of Desmond Child and he revived the 70's Icon with this comeback jam.

Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me

The Lep seemed all washed up when the 5th single dropped a year after the album release. One of the first mainstream meldings of rap and metal after "Walk This Way", it became a legend of 80's rock.

Pat Benatar - All Fired Up

A few years before her unfortunate foray into Blues, Benatar came up with one more Arena Rock winner before heading off to the oldies circuit.

Guns N Roses - Sweet Child O Mine

The reason everyone knows this band was because of this uncharacteristically sweet midtempo rocker. A great song, though if I have to hear the story of how Slash came up with the opening riff again I'll go into convulsions.

Disc 2:

Glass Tiger - I'm Still Searching

The Tiger made a play for a lasting career but was caught looking on a fastball. How's that for mixed metaphors!

Poison - Every Rose Has It's Thorn

I'd put down Bret Michaels but the man has a dream life: He slaps on his weave and plays generic music to screaming fans and has VH1 act as his personal pimp every few months. Lame or not, Michaels did come up with one of the best known poems in the late 20th century. Every rose has its thorn, just like every day has its dawn, just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad song.

Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine

An awesome, awesome hair band arena rock jam with a big ass chorus and rapidfire verses.

Van Halen - When It's Love

Things looked a little wussy in Van Halen land for a second with this lenghty ballad. "Unchained" this is not.

Queensryche - I Don't Believe In Love

Part of the classic Operation: Mindcrime album, the Seattle based unit brought the heat on this dramatic rocker.

Britny Fox - Girlschool

C'mon, it's Britny Fox! What else can I say?

Eddie Money - Walk On Water

Eddie was on the money with this amazing slice of AOR written by Sammy Hagar's ex-keyboardist Jesse Harms. I remember getting out of the hospital and buying the tape. And finding out this was the only good song on the whole freakin' tape.

Jimmy Page - Wasting My Time

Unable to get Robert Plant to stick around (sounds familiar), Page cut a fine solo album called Outrider that featured this hard rockin' cut.

Scorpions - Rhythm Of Love

I find it weird how sometimes a certain song title will become popular. Case in point, "Rhythm of Love" was released by Yes in '87 and the Scorps in '88 and the two songs have nothing to do with each other at all.

Europe - Superstitious

Hey, it turned out guitarist John Norum was the most important member of this group after all. When Norum left this was the last hit the group could generate.

Def Leppard - Love Bites

One of the most interesting power ballads in terms of lyrics ("Love Bites / Love Bleeds / It's what I need"). Probably goes over well with that Twilight crowd. Say it. Vampire. Ooh...

Kix - Don't Close Your Eyes

You know it's 1988 when it's another song, another power ballad.

White Lion - Wait

Maybe the best name in Hair Metal, Mike Tramp, led his group through the jungle with this winning melody.

Paul Dean - Sword and Stone

Loverboy guitarist Paul Dean cut a Paul Stanley song for his solo album with strong results.

AC / DC - Heatseeker

It's Ac/Dc. You either get it or you don't.

Bad Company - No Smoke Without A Fire

The radio station in Sacramento loved this song, I heard it a couple times a day for months. This chorus is forever jammed in my brain.

Sheriff - When I'm With You

In a strange turn of events, a failed band from 1983 got their song played on the radio by a DJ who liked this song in 1988 - years after the band had split up. Later the singer and guitarist would team up with former members of Heart to make Alias.
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And that was 1988. Just one more year to go!

Mr Mike Project 1984

Game, Set and Match: The future Mrs. McEnroe transforms into a Kabuki looking super heroine armed with fingers that can shoot walls of heartache.

In 1984 MTV became the undisputed center of the music world and three things happened to AOR as a result: First, the channel pushed a lot of L.A. Pop Metal in the wake of Quiet Riot's success leading to a lot of exposure for bands from the Sunset Strip. Second, established AOR bands saw a lot singers either get pushed to the forefront or make solo albums to become full on "stars" in their own right. You ended up with lengthy titles like Scandal featuring Patty Smyth, leaving no secret who the star of the show was regardless of the band name. Third, AOR started to become more homogenized as outside songwriters like Holly Knight ("Better Be Good To Me", "Never", "The Warrior") became standard issue to aspiring pop rockers. Because of this I tend to think of '84 as the Star Search year or Go Solo. Here's my two CDs for 1984.

Disc 1:

Russ Ballard - Voices

The erstwhile songwriter (Santana's "Winning") recorded some stuff of his own, including this track that became a minor hit following heavy exposure on Miami Vice.

The Firm - Radioactive

Jimmy Page + Paul Rodgers should equal greatness, yet all they could muster was one memorable song. I guess the name Bad Zeppelin would have been too definitive.

Motley Crue -Looks That Kill

The kings of the lipstick and leather crowd, Motley Crue first hinted at Satanic danger on their second record led by this lethal dose of Pop Metal.

Arc Angel - Tragedy

Really from 1983, Arc Angel (not to be confused with the post Double Trouble band) pushed themselves to the bottom rung of the charts with this nice ditty.

Ratt - Round and Round

Few mastered the "street urchin" look (bright colored torn clothing, fishnet and poodle hair) like Ratt did and for four minutes they were in hook city with this winner. And every guy air guitared that Warren DeMartini guitar solo and then mimicked the finger pointing straight up on the part where Robbin Crosby takes over.

Gary Moore - Empty Rooms

Back in the day, my neighbor friend used to tape records for me and put a Gary Moore album on the B side of each cassette in an effort to make me a fan. All these years I'm still not a fan, but this song is good.

Honeymoon Suite - New Girl Now

Another artist to gain a lot of exposure via Miami Vice, this Canuck quintet hit pay dirt with this synth backed hard rock anthem.

The Cars - Drive

Talk about a no brainer of a song title, Ben Orr's lovely ballad was a monster hit.

Black n Blue - Hold on to 18

I often regarded this band as a sort of pleasant joke, hard to believe when they started out they actually rocked pretty hard. Probably should have included later material from them when they were more plastic.

Stone Fury - Break Down The Wall

In the Reagan era everyone wanted to break down walls. Lenny Wolf was no exception, rockin it a few years before Kingdom Come.

Utopia - Crybaby

Todd Rundgren's prog rock dream child turned in a decent Pop Rocker with a classic Runt style swaying chorus.

Autograph - Turn Up the Radio

Another band that caused some name confusion (The Russian band of the same name was featured during Live Aid) distinguished itself with a tall ass lead singer and a drummer that defines 80's music vid posturing.

Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart

The song that started a way of life for me as a Yes fan, spiffy Trevor Horn production puts a nice shine on Trevor Rabin's pop rock glory.

Orion the Hunter - So You Ran

Guitarist Barry Goudreau strikes, filling the Boston void with his version of the beantown AOR band. And he does a real fine job of it here. Would you believe the singer's name is Fran Cosmo?

Steve Perry - Oh Sherrie

The Journey singer proves he doesn't need anyone else to find success on this ode to his then girlfriend. Although he would record two more Journey albums, Steve Perry's solo hits marked the end of an era for me. Journey was never the same afterwards. Doesn't change the fact that this song rules!

Tommy Shaw - Girls with Guns

The Styx axe slinger escapes Mr. Roboto land and turns in his most upbeat song...ever? Zippy synths and slammin drums power this track about - you know what it's about.

Scorpions - Rock You Like a Hurricane

Every sports program and half time show owes a debt to the German metal band's best known song, one of the greatest Pop Metal songs ever. Here I am!

John Waite - Missing You

After dismissing Jon Cain's "Open Arms" as too syrupy, the ex-Baby's singer lets out a ballad of his own backed by a track made for school dance remixes.

Disc 2:

Van Halen - Jump

Eddie Van Halen adds more synthesizer to their antics and David Lee Roth finds inspiration in suicide jumpers leading to the band's biggest pop hit.

LRB- Playing to Win

The Aussie Country rockers drop the Country and most of the letters in their name (Little River Band) putting manic keyboards in its place. Freakin' love this cheesy song.

Whitesnake - Slow and Easy

Proof that before David Coverdale was ripping off Led Zep he was...ripping off Led Zep. But few have done it better then or now.

Sammy Hagar - I Can't Drive 55

This seems less rebellious now that the speed limit is 65, at the time this was probably the biggest protest song of the 80's. Sure other generations protested wars, social injustices and what not but we, we protested the speed limit. Take that!

Giuffria - Call to the Heart

One of the great unsung AOR bands led by keyboardist Gregg Giuffria (ex-Angel). They were the minor leagues of AOR with ex band members later going to Quiet Riot, Dio and Boston.

Dennis DeYoung - Desert Moon

Now free of Tommy Shaw, nobody could stop DeYoung from going full on Broadway or his sappy love songs. This led to one of DeYoung's best ballads, the reverie of "Desert Moon".

Bryan Adams - Summer of 69

In the 90's Adams revealed this song was not about the year '69 but the sexual position. And if anyone wants to imagine his pockmarked craggy mug between some girl's legs all I can say is Nasty!

ZZ Top - Legs

The Texas trio found a stream of never ending gold with this cut. Long beards, spinning guitars and Playboy models made this simple yet effective rocker easy to swallow.

Foreigner - I Want to Know what Love Is

For better or worse, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm turn the corner from rock band to balladeers with this unforgettable #1 smash. The gospel choir puts magic in this slow moving inspirational track.

Night Ranger - Sister Christian

Soaring guitars, bic lighter choruses about "motoring" and earnest vocals mark one of the definitive power ballads of the decade. Or if you watch Boogie Nights, great background music for drug dealers.

Slade - Run Runaway

Quiet Riot's cover of their "Cum On Feel The Noize" brought this British glam rock band back for one more round of goofy fun.

Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It

Speaking of goofy fun, Dee Snider's costumed metal band summed up media inspired teen rebellion with a classic vid clip placing them against the bad guy from Animal House. Between this and Sammy Hagar, teen rebellion seemed so canned back then.

Scandal featuring Patty Smyth - The Warrior

Or if you go with Smyth's New Yawk enunciation, "The War-Re-Uh", shootin up them walls of heartache. Bang! Bang! I remember a friend of a friend gettin' pissed off whenever this song came on, he considered it the dumbest song ever. Good times (I didn't care for that guy).

Van Stephenson - Modern Day Delilah

Sleek pop rock that makes me want to cruise L.A. at one AM. Don't ask me why.

Survivor - I Can't Hold Back

Two of the greatest voices in AOR, Jimi Jamison and Starship's Mickey Thomas, combine on one of the Chicago band's best songs. And that music video was pure Risky Business.

John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band - On The Dark Side

Bruce Springsteen's chief acolyte came up with a strong Boss pastiche. Michael Pare', where are you now?

Toto - Stranger in Town

"Stranger in Town" has been sort of shunned by the band after its release rarely making Greatest Hits or Best of comps despite the fact that it charted. Sure it's a silly song with boogie man vocals and a lyrical theme that makes no sense on the surface other than bizarre xenophobia. But still, it charted (it hit like #30 on the pop charts or something like that).

John Parr - Naughty Naughty

You know what really sold me on this song? When they used it for commercials in a vampire movie called Near Dark. Something about that advertisement really got the rhythm hook jammed in my brain and I haven't forgot it ever since.

And that was 1984. Next we go to the heart of the 80's, 1985!

Mr. Mike Project 1983

Make way for the New Wave! Arena rock bands were suddenly faced with obsolescence as MTV changed the rules from regular looking people to fancy hair cuts and costumes.

1983, MTV started to take hold. Music Videos began to break new acts left and right, particularly in the New Wave field. This took its toll on the established Arena rockers as they had made their name on live concert experiences more than having a photogenic look. Arena rock bands ran to the cameras for their closeups to compete with A Flock of Seagulls but ultimately could not translate their live appeal to video. The fact of the matter was that many of these guys weren't what would be called "pretty" and in 1983 looks mattered a lot more. As a result, '83 became the last gasp of true Arena rock. The regular guy look was out, glitz and glamour was in.

So my picks for my Arena rock songs of '83?

Disc 1:

Kansas - Fight Fire With Fire

John Elefante takes over for Steve Walsh on vocals and let's out a wail over a pounding riff as a giant mosquito bites his neck. One of the first records I ever bought. I used to get a lot of crap from my friend because it wasn't Metallica.

38 Special - If I'd Been The One

The video where the first Mrs. Springsteen shoots the singer and then drives off while the horses run free. A song where 38 asks a lot of "what if's", like what if I'd been the one to say goodbye, the one that makes you want to cry, the one that never fades away...dude, get over it!

Sweet Comfort Band - Don't Bother Me

Trying to be a completest here so despite my personal lack of spirituality I couldn't completely ignore Christian rock's contributions to the Arena rock genre. So I picked the most secular song I could find by a Christian rock band.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Runner

The 80's had these awesome synth rockers that were meant to sound futuristic and cool like this one. Would go great with a Logan's Run montage.

The Tubes - She's A Beauty

Maybe the most clean cut sounding song about a strip joint ever. In the video, I still can't believe what they got away with what's painted on the door the amusement park cart goes through towards the start.

Tony Carey - I Won't Be Home Tonight

Ex-Rainbow keyboardist strikes out on his own with a solid chunk of pop rock. And that's all I got here.

Genesis - That's All

Phil Collin's balladeer instincts began to kick in here though the group is clever enough to dress it up in an upbeat keyboard bit and tasteful guitars.

Vandenberg - Burning Heart

Flick your bic for a mighty fine power ballad courtesy of Adrian Vandenberg. This guy just has a name that is born to rock. Say it - Van Den Berg!

Def Leppard - Rock of Ages

The prime purveyors of Pop Metal get downright biblical on their hard rock stomper and introduce an unforgettable catchphrase to a generation - unta gleebin glossen globen.

Charilie - It's Inevitable

A song made for video arcades and miniature golf, this sounds awesome when you're trying to sink that last hole for a free game.

Eric Martin Band - Sucker For A Pretty Face

One of my favorite records back in the day, EMB aka 415 kicked out this blazin' ode to guys in Izod shirts with their collars up gettin' used by beautiful girls.

Billy Squier - Rock Me Tonite

The last of Squier's big run, of the Arena rockers to fail to transition to the video age few crashed harder than Squier. His fey dancing and rolling around in this clip has been cited as the killer of his career.

Alcatrazz - Hiroshima Mon Amour

Another Rainbow alumni, singer Graham Bonnet brought in guitar phenom Yngwie Malmsteen to burn up the fret boards like an A bomb.

Queen - Radio Ga Ga

Faced with the growing popularity of a medium they helped perpetuate, Queen takes on the music video era with a tribute to radio.

Night Ranger - Don't Tell Me You Love Me

Twin guitar fury hits like a locomotive. Night Ranger arrives on the scene guns blazing and Brad Gillis' whamming.

Journey - Faithfully

While "Open Arms" broke new ground for the Bay Area band's power balladry, "Faithfully" was the one that put the patent on it.

Dan Fogelberg - The Language of Love

Mr. Sensitive longer than same old lang syne dropped the misty eyed sentimentality for a second to find his inner cow bell.

Saga - On The Loose

More proof that Canada rocks, the Proggy Arena rockers lay down a thunderous groove for spinny keyboards and guitars to dance over.

Disc 2:

Def Leppard - Photograph

One of the first groups to really benefit from MTV exposure, the Lep unleash a butt load of hooks from the opening guitar riff to the "Oh!" chants to the cushy synths under the chorus to rock you in your living room.

I Ten - Alone

Songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly originally performed what would become a power ballad standard following Heart's remake in 1987.

Chris DeBurgh - Don't Pay the Ferryman

Before that whole "Lady in Red" thing, DeBurgh was a pop rocker with a dramatic flair.

Randy Newman - I Love L.A.

Sublime songwriter that he is, Newman went AOR in the early 80's penning one of the top rock anthems of the decade. The song became shorthand for the decadent feel good consumerism of the time.

Kiss - Lick it Up

The make up came off in '83, revealing...four pretty ugly dudes. Yet the trick worked, Kiss successfully switched from fading glam metal to hair band in a snap.

Bon Jovi - Runaway

Jon Bon Jovi makes his mark as a Foreigner styled rocker a few years before making the jump to premier hair band status.

Zebra - Who's Behind the Door?

One of the great forgotten power trios of 80's rock, Zebra mashed up Rush and Zep into a compelling sound.

Taxxi - I'm Leaving

Occasionally British bands would forget their from England and take a wholly American character. Point in case: Taxxi.

LeRoux - Carrie's Gone

Could vocalist Fergie Frederiksen be denied a spot on my CDs? Hell no!

Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize

The "Smells Like Teen Spirit" of the 80's, Quiet Riot's successful streamlining of a Slade classic ushered in the hair band era in an explosion of hair spray and spandex.

Toto - Africa

Showing the softer side of Arena rock, Toto gets mythical about "blessing the rains down in Africa" giving karaoke singers in the low vocal range something to shout about.

Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

Own up to it, you would look for docks and warehouses to jump around in and do that grabbing the wrist of your shaking fist with your other hand thing for the "break those chains that bind you" part. Or maybe it was just me.

Michael Bolton - Fools Game

In one of his previous lives, Michael Bolton was a super cheesy rocker who oversang all over his backing track. As opposed to a super cheesy R&B crooner who oversang all over his backing track.

Asia - Don't Cry

The Fab Four of Prog rock score one more Top 10 hit before ego battling each other to the bitter end. And then coming back again two decades later.

Pat Benatar - Love is a Battlefield

You know, at the time "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" was her signature tune but now it's been supplanted by this one. Because taxi dancers need love too.

Loverboy - Hot Girls in Love

Did you ever notice in this video that the girl wasn't particularly hot? Or that the drummer was playing the drums with gas pumps? Or that no one was in love?

707 - Megaforce

Singer Kevin Chalfant strikes in this brilliant theme song to a craptacular movie about a military unit that rides rocket launching flying motorcycles and dune buggys. My younger brother loved this movie so of course I had to make fun of it, often referring to it as "Megafake".

Styx - Mr. Roboto

Japanese lessons courtesy of Dennis DeYoung, the song has become a kitsch classic that still gets referenced today. Even the Japanese guy who won an Oscar last week said "Domo Arigato Mr Roboto."

That's it for 1983, MTV makes an even greater impact on the next round. See you in 1984.

Mr. Mike Project 1982

Buda-Buda-Buda...on restrictions from watching Buck Rogers? Then find yourself some Rock & Roll on the radio.

1982, the year that essentially created this blog. I wasn't doing well in school and was restricted to staying indoors to do homework without access to television or baseball (my two childhood obsessions) to improve my grades. For entertainment the only thing I had was my clock radio, so I left it on while I did homework. Then I started to like some songs more than others, like Blondie's "The Tide is High" or Toto's "Rosanna". At the end of the year, Casey Kasem and America's Top 40 (Billboard) ran a program on New Years Eve counting down the Top 100 songs of the past 12 months. So I decided to sit down and record the whole program (it was hours long and took about all nite). The best songs of the year for free! I played those tapes incessantly afterwards, leading me to buying music resulting 27 years later with what we have in the present (me and a lot of music).

1982 was also the last year of true Arena Rock. The music industry was in a slump, sales were down and the industry complained about home copying as much as possible to anyone that would listen (sounds familiar?). MTV had just started the year before and was a channel dedicated to Rock music only (big controversy at the time) meaning music hadn't been Hollywood-ized yet. Rock bands didn't have to be pretty, just play music well. Michael Jackson's Thriller was released in '82, but it wouldn't be until the next year that there would be a push to put him on MTV and change music forever. But that was in the future, now it's 1982. Here's my picks for Arena Rock CDs for my car.

Disc 1:

Journey - Open Arms

The song most credited with starting the power ballad, Steve Perry makes the girls weep with his special brand of epic sensitivity and pre-American Idol melisma.

Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra

The Bay Area invasion continues, the 70's rocker got his last run at the pop charts in with this synthy dance cut. He heats up and can't cool down. I heard this was written about Diana Ross, wonder if that's true?

Survivor - Eye of the Tiger

Boxing gets a new theme song as this track from Rocky III scores a knockout. I remember the first time I heard it, got dragged into a friend's house after a baseball game because he wanted to play everyone a tape of the rockinist song ever.

Moving Pictures -What About Me

The Australian smash hit ballad did little business here in the U.S., but was a sign of the growing influence of Arena Rock worldwide.

38 Special - Caught Up In You

Don Barnes best vocal in my book, the 38's give Urban Cowboys something romantic to say to their best cowgirls.

Toronto - Your Daddy Don't Know

A kickin' track that...I can't figure out why it matters that your Daddy don't know what your Mama's gonna do tonight. I guess it means you're telling someone their Mom is sleeping around? Not the nicest thing to say! But it makes for a killer Canadian hit. I've read the New Pornographers covered this too.

Asia - Heat of the Moment

Take three of the greatest Prog bands of all time (Yes, ELP, King Crimson), pour into a cup add water and stir.

Spys - Don't Run My Life

While looking for songs for these CDs, I finally got an answer to a lifelong question: what happened to those dudes that were fired from Foreigner? Answer: they formed this band.

REO Speedwagon - Keep the Fire Burnin'

Did you know that there was a band called REO Speed Dealer? Too funny. Oh, this song is freakin' great in that "Roll With The Changes" kinda way.

Judas Priest - You Got Another Thing Comin'

Rob Halford drops another hint to his fans of what's what. And then sells burgers with it two decades later.

Fleetwood Mac - Hold Me

Lindsey Buckingham kicks his production skillz into overdrive for this overdub classic built on yet another sturdy Christine McVie tune.

Bad Company - Electric Land

You know what sucks? I can't find a cheap copy of "No Smoke Without A Fire" anywhere. Anyway, gotta represent the original lineup where I can, so all I got is "Electric Land".

Bryan Adams - Straight From The Heart

Bri Dog's first big hit was this ballad, maybe I should have went with "Lonely Nights"? I included "Heaven" later, did I really need two Adams ballads?

Dio - Rainbow in the Dark

Ronnie James throws his fists skyward and screams about rainbows.

Quarterflash - Harden My Heart

Swanky sax and a Pat Benatar vibe goes the distance on this big hit.

Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky

I asked my wife to sing this song to me recently, it was beautiful. The song itself with it's Orwellian fears, so ahead of its time.

Joan Jett - I Love Rock and Roll

Snarling, simplistic and catchy as hell. Joan Jett "Ow!"s her way to greatness.

Headpins - Just One More Time

Another Canadian band to do decent business up North, I always liked the name of this group. They had this one video where their faces were on bowling pins, it was cool in that early 80's kinda way.

Disc 2:

Aldo Nova - Fantasy

Awesome futurism, I mean the guy's name is ALDO NOVA and he has helicopters and laser guns in his song. Like Buck Rogers with a guitar. Twiki rocks out.

Tane' Cain - Holdin On

Jon Cain's then wife shows Quarterflash a thing or two in the Pat Benatar copycat department. And then becomes a B movie actress appearing in movies like Illicit Dreams 2 and Bikini Academy. Speaking of futurism, she appeared and sang in the first Terminator movie too.

Supertramp - It's Raining Again

The group's final hit with Roger Hodgson was this sing songy confection complete with the children's rhyme at the end.

Axe' - Rock and Roll Party in the Streets

I heard if you take this record and spray it on you that chicks can't resist you.

Steel Breeze - You Don't Want Me Anymore

Blazin' keyboards and fired up guitar, this is what music is about! State of the Art rock for 1982. Where's my Rubik's cube?

Kiss - I Love it Loud

This is a song I got into from hearing it on Music Choice over the past few years instead of listening to it back then. But what the hell, may as well include some makeup era Kiss if I can.

Journey - Don't Stop Believin'

As Sammy Hagar once said, what is understood does not need to be discussed. A song for the ages.

Rainbow - Stone Cold

Downbeat dramatics rule as Joe Lynn Turner and Richie Blackmore get the cold shoulder. Oooh, ice cold.

Foreigner - Waiting For A Girl Like You

Upbeat dramatics rule as Lou Gramm and Mick Jones give a warm welcome. Having those cascading Thomas Dolby synthesizers didn't hurt either. You know that line in the verse "When we make love it's understood", who understands it? I would think the two people having sex already understand they are having sex. Are they having sex in public?

Toto - Rosanna

As I learned from Casey Kasem, that synthesizer solo took several passes of overdubbing to get the right sound. Rosanna Arquette, inspiration to all musicians everywhere.

Golden Earring - Twilight Zone

You know half of that song "Radar Love" kicks soooo much ass. Oh, this was their other hit.

J. Geils Band - Centerfold

So provocative back in the day, Peter Wolf shuffles his feet and fantasizes about girls in girlie magazines. Interesting compared to now where Centerfolds can have their own TV shows and what not. Not that I'm complaining.

Cheap Trick - She's Tight

The Tricksters lay down their last great rock song, Arena Rock with a touch of punky urgency and ribald sense of humor. No accident Green Day ripped off this song years later.

Eddie Money - I Think I'm in Love

A highlight from last Summer when we saw the Money man play at the Santa Cruz boardwalk, the staggering one stands and delivers a straight ahead shot of AOR.

Shooting Star - Hollywood

Before videos took hold, bands would occasionally get ambitious and tell their musical theater dreams on record only. Also ran AORsters Shooting Star were no exception, I bet Dennis DeYoung was ecstatic when he heard this.

Tommy TuTone - 867 5309 Jenny

Is there anything harsher than putting a real phone number in a hit song? And then making it about getting a girl's number off the wall? Burn!

Billy Squier - Everybody Wants You

Squier brings the beats again on this zippy, bangin track. If it's good enough for the CW, it's good enough for me.

John Waite - Change

Proof that Pat Benatar had male copycats too, Waite hooked up with Benatar's guitarist for this rocker that was only a medium sized hit despite two attempts at chart success (in 1982 and then re-released as a single in 1985 for the Vision Quest soundtrack).

And that's it for the year that was 1982. Next up, MTV takes hold of the video and airwaves.

Little Guitars - My Ten Favorite Guitarists

It's Alive!

Well, it's been a long week for me I've been under the weather almost the whole time and a trip to the doctor yesterday was of the mostly good news / some bad news variety. I started this post earlier this week but didn't get past the first sentence so I've decided to give it another go. I've always had one or two favorite guitar players but I haven't ranked a listing of them since about 9th Grade. And, being the mature person that I am, I'm doing it again! To my surprise, a lot of my picks aren't shredders and while I'll be explaining why I picked these people and logical reasoning for it and yada yada yada-it's really just based on my emotional reaction to their playing. Also, I'm not a guitar player so I can't get all technical with keys or what string was used so there won't be a lot of that here. Though it won't stop me from sounding like I do. Know stuff, that is. For some reason, I wanted to write this like they were criminals or outlaws from the 1930s, so I kinda did. Ooooh you dirty rat, look here see, disclaimer is done this is how it's goin' down now.

10. John Frusciante

In a Nutshell: That guy Dave Navarro tried to replace.

Known Affiliations: Red Hot Chili Peppers and Solo

The Rap Sheet: Frusciante can get down to scratch funk, rock out in that 90's Alterna way, strum acoustic guitar beautifully and adapt to a wide mix of beats with taste and energy.

The Skinny: When I first heard the Chili Peppers, the thing that stood out to me was the bass playing by Flea (a great bassist, I just recently found out he provided the bass line to Young MC's Bust A Move) and the guitar work seemed secondary (though I liked the guitar to Taste The Pain and later came to appreciate his work from the Mother's Milk (1989) album). When Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) came out, I was more impressed with the meaty funk (Give It Away) and acoustic riffs (Breaking the Girl) Frusciante provided. Then he left.

Frusciante released a series of solo albums I've never heard, in reviews there were lots of mentions of being too "atmospheric" or "making the sound of water dripping slowly". Having not heard these albums I can't say if those critics were accurate or not. In any case, it seemed Frusciante went the opposite direction of RHCP by working on textures and experimenting with his sound while he was replaced with a revolving door of people in the Chili Peppers.

Based on this, Frusciante would not have made my list-it's what happened next that got him here. He rejoined the Chili Peppers for their 1999 release Californication and quickly spurred the artistic growth lacking in his absence. Californication found RHCP delving more into pop and quiet, atmospheric songs while still keeping the beat up on their funk rock jams. Frusciante's ability to move from jumpy blasts of rock to lyrical near acoustic passages attributed to Californication's success. The follow up, By The Way (2002), continued in this path but a little too much so for my taste (though I love his playing on Cabron). But Stadium Arcadium (2006) is a showcase for Frusciante as he adds electrifying rock guitar solos and even touches of Pink Floyd into the mix. And if that's not enough, he does a killer version of the Bee Gees How Deep Is Your Love except for the ending.

Favorite Album Performance: Californication gave Frusciante space to do his thang, ranging from classic RHCP funk rock (Around The World ) to midtempo lyricism with an awesome slide guitar lick (Scar Tissue ).

Favorite Air Guitar Moment: Frusciante delivers a flurry of fuzzed out Hendrixian notes at the end of Dani California (also see Number 7)

9. Brad Gillis / Jeff Watson

In a Nutshell: The Bay Area rockers tap and shred their way to glory.

Known Affiliations: Ozzy Osbourne (Gillis), Night Ranger and Solo

The Rap Sheet: Brad Gillis has to be the whammy bar champion of all time. Jeff Watson can shred like a speed demon but also holds notes at irregular lengths to make it stand out more. Together they're pure adrenalin.

The Skinny: The recently split tag team of Gillis and Watson gave what was termed "laser licks" (it was the 80's, lasers are fast man!) and some of the best non-metal twin guitar fury not seen since...I don't know when. No really, I just can't think of an example right now. Anyway, following a stint as Randy Rhoads initial replacement in Ozzy Osbourne's band (Over The Mountain ) Brad Gillis rejoined his original band Ranger that was then changed to Night Ranger to avoid a clash with another band of the same name. Brad Gillis' squalling and dive bombing whammy bar runs gave the group a distinct sound like on Don't Tell Me You Love Me or soaring through the clouds on Sister Christian as demonstrated on these instructional videos. I could listen to Gillis play all day, I think in high school I pretty much did.

But I can't downplay Jeff Watson's contributions which is why they're listed as a tag team. Watson handled a lot of the pastoral guitar parts they were known for like on Let Him Run and Goodbye while cruising on Four in the Morning or blazing through tracks like Can't Find Me A Thrill . His quicksilver riffing and fiery solos gave the perfect counterpoint to Gillis' whammy. Together, they were my favorite tag team on guitar. And on stage they ran around like a football team in two minute offense.

Favorite Album Performance: Can you top Dawn Patrol (1982)? I don't think so!

Favorite Air Guitar Moment: All of the guitars in (you Can Still) Rock in America is air guitar thunder baby!! And I think I recall Jeff Watson getting upset at people saying he got the finger tapping from Eddie Van Halen.

8. Steve Lukather

In a Nutshell: If you record in L.A. and you need a guitar part done and if he's not already working for someone else then you can call in Steve Lukather.

Known affiliations: Toto and Solo. As a session player- Michael Jackson, Chicago, The Tubes, Boz Scaggs, Cheap Trick, Hall & Oates, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Cher, George Benson, America, Don Henley, Manhattan Transfer, Christopher Cross, Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Randy Newman, Quincy Jones and Alice Cooper just to name a few.

The Rap Sheet: Controlled and professional but definitely not lacking in emotion. As Toto's career went on, Lukather's playing seemed to take on a harder edge but let's face it - this guy can play anything he wants to and make it sound perfect.

The Skinny: In the days before Internet, I had a different image of Steve Lukather. Lukather was the balladeer of Toto, writing and singing sensitive hand wringing love songs like I Won't Hold You Back or How Does it Feel . So I had this idea that he was this sensitive dude that could play kick ass guitar. It was kind of a shock when the Internet hit and interviews like This became common place. It turns out Steve Lukather is a tough talkin' guy, nothing wrong with that, just a surprise compared to the image I had from his songs. But that's cool.

Lukather plays so many different styles that it's hard to categorize him (and musicians hate being categorized anyway) so I'll just run through some of his greatest riffs like the often sampled slide guitar lick from Toto's Georgy Porgy ( MC Lyte's Poor Georgie is the best example). When I saw them live, Lukather's rockin' solo on White Sister was amazing. And then he could turn all jazzy like on "These Chains" from The Seventh One (1988) album. The dude could do it all.

Favorite Album Performance: Toto's Isolation (1984) record was a model of perfect AOR guitar playing. One critic derisively called the record something like an advertisement for their 80's rock studio skills. If you like Toto and read rock critics, you always had to reverse the meaning of what was written to get to the point of view you agreed with.

Favorite Air Guitar Moment: The solo at the end of The Tubes Talk To Ya Later is an awesome piece of AOR craftsmanship. As a dorky teenager, I literally fell off a diving board air guitaring to this solo. And no, I didn't hit the water.

7. Prince

In a Nutshell: Yup, he's a nut alright. A nut but a singular and incredible talent.

Known Affiliations: Prince, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, Christopher, Jamie Starr, The Time, The Family, Vanity 6, Apollonia, Jill Jones and a continuing list of protege's. (except for the ladies everyone named is pretty much him under different identites)

The Rap Sheet: Funky, funky, funky. Lots of James Brown style funk in there where the guitar kinda rides above the bass groove. And then some Jimi Hendrix thrown in. Prince is able to play any style in his own estimable Purple way. And it's just one of about a bazillion instruments he plays.

The Skinny: When he's not offending people at Super Bowls with his guitar posturing, Prince is a formidable performer on the fretboard. The guitar is usually in the middle of the mix of your usual Prince song but is no less important because of it. Memorable guitar parts include that opening bit with the gnarled intro into a twang on "When Doves Cry", the long solo at the end of "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" and even the slinky "Cream". Still, when he's just backing up the groove like on many a Prince jam ("Alphabet St." comes to mind) his playing is on the money and funk-ay. I also like how he uses stray hanging notes to show something slightly unhinged is happening ("Cream" is a good example but I'm sure he did it in other songs, I just can't remember right now). And to many an 80's kid, the Hendrix styled "Purple Rain" with it's drawn out coda is a near religious experience. Though he can't make any claim to one of the best known solos of his hit "Little Red Corvette", that was Dez Dickerson.

Favorite Album Performance: Are you kidding? Purple Rain (1984) of course!

Favorite Air Guitar Moment: The Hendrix styled spectacle at the close of "Let's Go Crazy" saw Prince move away from his R&B tag by out rocking just about every other guitarist around. So good it actually crossed over to Rock radio back in the day. Where's my puffy shirt and spotlight?

6. Lindsey Buckingham

In a Nutshell: Picking a winner.

Known Affiliations: Buckingham / Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, Fritz and solo

The Rap Sheet: Finger pickin' good. Buckingham's style is finger picked and light with an acoustic guitar feel. Very heavy on creating sound textures with his guitar. Though if he needs to rock hard, he can. Up to a mid 70's level, that is.

The Skinny: The first guitarist I ever really idolized, I thought all guitar players didn't use a pick and moved herky jerky on stage (some guitarists have referred to their playing as "making love to the audience", I bet they've never seen Buckingham in action during I'm So Afraid. With every note he gives a long pelvic thrust at the audience and then grimaces. So be afraid. Very afraid.) Known more for his skills as a Producer than a guitarist, I like his unique sound and his custom made sorta banjo guitar.

Guitar wise, he started off as a more traditional sounding Country rocker on cuts like Go Your Own Way, Blue Letter and Never Going Back Again. His finger picked style fit in well with the Country edge. But at the end of the 70's, Buckingham adapted to New Wave and that's when the herky jerky started on tracks like Not That Funny. His stiff, choppy sense of rhythm came to the fore while his solos got more spindly. For the 80's, the guitar work became more involved with creating textures like the raining sound on the live version of Everywhere. His playing eventually condensed down to both the Country rock and New Wave influences to make a unique sound.

Favorite Album Performance: His third solo album Out of the Cradle (1992) showed his distilled style of guitar work to its best effect. The light and bouncy Don't Look Down , the smooth Countdown and the riff heavy This is the Time are just some of the highlights here.

Favorite Air Guitar Moment: The 1982 live version of The Chain features one of the most dramatic arrangements of this well worn tune including a frantic guitar solo at the close. Yes I'm runnin, Yes I'm runnin'!

5. John Petrucci

In a Nutshell: The only thing better than a 30 second shred solo is a ten minute one.

Known Affiliations: Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Solo

The Rap Sheet: A Prog Metal King, Petrucci can lay a heavy groove and then shred all over it. He's assimilated from the great ones (such as Steve Vai and Alex Lifeson) to come up with a sound that's distinct to him.

The Skinny: I haven't heard of any of his work except Dream Theater. Fast and precise doesn't begin to describe his playing which has adapted from the upbeat and fist pumping 80's riffage to the grinding nu metal modern era without missing a step. Of the first era check out the spellbinding solo on Under a Glass Moon and then chase it down with the escalating riff to Innocence Faded. For the modern era, take the mix a You Tuber put together combining multiple solos to Solo Medley. And then remember he's in a Prog band that plays ten to 40 minute epics with multiple movements.

Favorite Album Performance: Well, for me Images and Words (1992) is tough to top on any level. I think I've posted about this album a few times so I won't bother to elaborate further. .
Favorite Air Guitar Moment: The brilliant soaring solo to Another Day is dramatic, bombastic and moving. Even when unplugged, like it is in this version.

4. Eddie Van Halen

In a Nutshell: Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!

Known Affiliatons: Van Halen. He worked for Michael Jackson one time, too.

The Rap Sheet: The man who brought us finger tapping and made shredding an art form. He used to play with his back to the audience so people couldn't see his hands.

The Skinny: Often imitated but never truly duplicated, Van Halen added a new vocabulary to Rock music. I think he's the last guitarist to truly innovate the instrument (at least in Rock music) on a mass scale. What set him apart from his imitators was the sense of personality that came from his playing. Where many shred guitarists played in a tight and regimented style to show technical skill and dominance, EVH wove his guitar parts together so they flowed smoothly. The Roth era was more playful as reflected in songs like Bottoms Up or Panama where big riffs and charged solos added to the Party Hearty atmosphere. In the Hagar era, EVH dropped the "Brown" sound and some of the playfulness went away in favor of a more direct approach like Poundcake. But not all of it, as shown on Finish What Ya Started. And through it all, Eruption is often ranked as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time. Although I have a soft spot for Cathedral. All done with enough running scissor kicks to wear a hip out.

Favorite Album Performance: Fair Warning (1981) was the only Original Van Halen album where Roth took a back seat. EVH emptied his bag of tricks all over the disc, making it less accessible but no less impressive. Just listen to the mammoth guitars on Mean Streets or Unchained and I think you'll see what I mean.

Favorite Air Guitar Moment: No one from the "I Want My MTV!" era could forget Eddie Van Halen strolling across library tables in black and white to the tribal rhythms of Hot For Teacher. Or how EVH casually unspools one of his best solos filled with excitement and humor as brother Alex punctuates some parts with his snare. And who can forget that shudder to a stop followed by a loop the loop and crash bang ending?

3. Neal Schon

In A Nutshell: Randy Jackson (American Idol) once called Schon "The Rock Dawg".

Known Affiliatons: Santana, Journey, HSAS, Schon & Hammer, Bad English, Hardline, Paul Rodgers, Abraxas, Planet Us and Solo.

The Rap Sheet: Extremely fast and accurate while only occasionally resorting to shredding, Schon is known for his slick riffs and soaring guitar solos from Journey.

The Skinny: Schon's also a sort of performance addict in that he's repeatedly said thru his career that he can't stand not performing for longer than a few weeks resulting in a huge discography. That smooth yet biting approach that ruled cuts like Stone in Love or adding to the stratospheric climb of power balladry for Faithfully wrote the book for Arena Rock guitar. As polished and technical as his playing can be, there's always a sort of primal feeling to his performances that give it edge. In other bands Schon has shown an inclination to rock harder with meatier riffs like Hardline's Takin Me Down. He never dropped his Santana associations and would play with other early Santana members to revive the sound of the first three Santana albums. And as a solo artist he's branched out into different rhythms, like the pleasantly new agey Beyond the Thunder (1994) album. In the 70's, Schon had like a foot of hair on his head. You've gotta respect that! But if not, I think Schon has said the solo he gets the most compliments for is at the end of Who's Cryin' Now

Favorite Album Performance: Is Hagar Schon Arronson and Shrieve's Through the Fire (1984). It captures Schon in his Journey prime on holiday from his day job. Working with raspy meat and potatoes rocker Sammy Hagar instead of smooth tenor Steve Perry, Schon revs up his guitar of killer rockers like My Hometown and He Will Understand. But if you think he forgot his Journey roots, just listen to the dramatic Missing You. And then pump your fists in the air for the anthemic Top of the Rock. Yeah! Stay in School! (HSAS was formed for a series of benefit concerts for Bay Area schools, which was interesting because both Hagar and Schon were high school drop outs)

Favorite Air Guitar Moment: On the Raised in Radio (1986) record, Schon saw his creative involvement reduced but was given some lengthy solos in return. The solo at the end of their Top 10 hit Be Good To Yourself is feel great AOR bombast at its best.

2. Steve Howe

In a Nutshell: Play on Maestro!

Known Affiliations: Bodast, Tomorrow, Yes, GTR, Asia and Solo

The Rap Sheet: Heavily structured patterns that move like data thru fiberoptic cable.

The Skinny: Determined to come up with a Rock guitar style that was not based on the Blues, Howe pretty much threw everything else together. With Yes, Howe became the deciding factor in moving the British band's music forward from being a musicianly vocal group to an instrumentally based group with voice as a fifth instrument. Classic Yes material like the multi movement Starship Trooper, the outer space slide guitar on And You And I and the point/counterpoint riffage of Heart of the Sunrise relied heavily on Howe's abilities. With the end of Classic Yes, Howe adapted to the 80's by shortening his game and punching catchier guitar parts like on Asia's Heat of the Moment or GTR's When the Heart Rules the Mind. Throughout, Howe developed a solo career for his intricate noodlings and by the 90's had regrouped with Yes.
A special mention needs to be made about Howe's stage presence. He's one of the most committed musicians you can hear live and long ago he stopped worrying about holding back for the audience. So if you're not used to seeing Howe live, his guitar faces, awkward movements and at times crab like manuevers can seem a little goofy. But it's just an honest display of the man gettin' down. I got so much crap from friends after the MTV show Asia in Asia over Howe's antics.

Favorite Album Performance: For my money, his solo album Not Necessarily Acoustic (1994) put Maestro's best pieces in one place in live performance. Howe classics like Clap , Mood For A Day, Sketches in the Sun and "Excerpts from Tales For Topographic Oceans" get first class renditions with the focus all on Howe. Nous Sommes Du Soliel!

Favorite Air Guitar Moment: My sentimental favorite Howe song is Masquerade so I'm picking it as my favorite air guitar song for Maestro.

1. Stevie Ray Vaughan

In a Nutshell: Born to be Blue

Known Affiliations: David Bowie and solo

The Rap Sheet: Six string sting with the Blues and Hendrix.

The Skinny: The first time I ever heard of Stevie Ray Vaughan was in the late 80's, I had a friend who said he wasn't a fan but had to admit Vaughan was born to play the guitar. I wasn't into Blues so I never bothered to check SRV out and mostly heard about him via his untimely death. A few years back, I had a different friend who loved Blues and Blues Rock thru which we would trade CDs and videos to see various artists. I think he lent me the Live at El Mocambo video and I finally saw what the big deal was about. Vaughan played guitar like it was as natural as breathing, his thought and action seemed simultaneous. And what he played was emotional, profoundly sharp and skilled. On top of that, Vaughan would use a bag of stage tricks that he performed with ease, such as playing the guitar behind his back for like half a song.

So I delved into the SRV catalog and found a career packed with amazing performances. That he could play that much guitar and not recycle riffs or solos was really impressive to me. Favorite SRV tunes include the rollicking House is a Rockin' , the awesome Crossfire and the unlikely boogie Mary Had a Little Lamb. The Hank Ballard penned Look at Little Sister also gets repeat plays on my IPOD. And I really liked his team up with Jeff Beck for a dynamite Goin' Down. I got into his music about a decade after his passing, it all held up as honest heartfelt music.

Favorite Album Performance: The debut Texas Flood (1983) heralded Vaughan's arrival to the mainstream with a set of great songs like Love Struck Baby , Rude Mood and of course the Title Cut.

Favorite Air Guitar Moment: I think anyone who has played Guitar Hero 3 knows how great Texas Flood is from start to finish. But that solo at the end has more twists and turns than an M Night Shamalyan movie. And no fake ending!

And that's the list. So many other guitarists came close to making this list, but I had to go with my gut in making choices. Meaning I had a lot to go on. Ha ha. Say goodnight Gracie. Goodnight Gracie.

...And Your Little Dog Too

There's only two reasons to pose in front of a map. The first is you are a Geography teacher. The second is your band is dorky. I think you can guess which one this is.

Last week Steve Lukather, guitarist and one of the founding members of the band Toto called it quits for the AOR giants. With that statement, I'm sure fans from Europe and Japan took pause but here in the United States it was met with resounding indifference. Most people in the US don't realize (or care) that Toto did anything past Toto IV. Actually, to most people Toto IV is the band's only record. So why is that? What do thousands of people from other cultures see in a band of fussy studio musicians playing their slick "yacht rock" with antiseptic precision that Americans cant? Why can they sell out Arenas in some countries but can barely cover a club tour here? To uncover this not so amazing mystery, I've made a list. And as my wife will tell you, I love lists. I have lists of my lists. In alphabetical order.

Reason #1: Studio musicians are not cool

The first reason is that a bunch of guys who look like they got lost on the way to Lab class are not cool, unless they really are cool and are posing that way to make an ironic point. Toto looked like a bunch of dudes who spent hours upon hours mastering their craft. Although I'm sure they all did drugs, dated actresses and what not, their image said "I read books about Macro Economics and Trigonometry". Outside of the after school library crowd, Toto was not cool.

Reason #2: Their music was generic

The main criticism leveled at the band is that their music was generic. As a fan, naturally I disagree, but part of what I liked about Toto was their professionalism. Until their last album, Falling In Between, Toto did not mix and match their genres. When they played soft rock, they played it perfectly, when they rocked out, it was well arranged to highlight the melody and solos, when they got their R&B groove on, it swung. There is a distinct Toto flava to the tunes, but in the end you knew their playing would be tight, clean and on the money. In American Rock N Roll, that's a crime.

Reason #3: They were inconsistent

That's actually my criticism in terms of their career, they were wildly inconsistent. It's ironic that a band known for a "bland" sound switched it up on every album. They've had a prog album, a stripped down Rock album, an Arena Rock album, a Soft Rock album and everything else too. Often these changes happened from one record to the next which caused a lot of churn in their audience, gain one set of fans and lose another.

Reason #4: No backing from their label except for Toto (first album) and Toto IV

Columbia often seemed confounded by what to do with Toto for reasons 1 thru 3. How do you sell a band that can't stick to one sound and gets no respect? The answer is, push the ballad and then stop. Wait for the contract to run out and in the meantime who knows, maybe they'll get lucky.

Reason #5: They lacked charisma

Well, yeah, they did. Toto was a band in the sense that they were all dependant on each other to make the sound happen, even though there were band leaders and David Paich wrote most of the songs there wasn't anyone who stood out from the rest of the group. They were equally talented musicians who performed as a unit. No Mick Jaggers or James Hetfields here.

And that was all she wrote for Toto here in the States. I'm just happy I got to see them perform live in 1999, that was a dream come true for me. Toto isn't the definitive band of anything, but I'll always enjoy their strong musicianship and great songs for years to come. Toto was awesome in their dogged commitment to "smooth music that rocks" and will be missed...by me anyway. To close, here's a few less famous but favorite tracks from the Grammy winning band. The last track, "Angel Don't Cry", is one of my all time favorite songs by anyone anywhere. Bye Bye Toto, it's been nice seeing ya!

Toto "Lea"

Toto "I'll Supply The Love"

Toto "Mad About You"

Toto "Angel Don't Cry"