"The Best AOR Albums of All Time" per Kerrang! Magazine

[Rock Candy]

I stumbled upon this a few days ago, supposedly this was a reader poll published sometime in 1989. Thoughts?

1. Escape - Journey
2. Everybody's Crazy - Michael Bolton
3. Night of the Crime - Icon
4. Native Sons - Strangeways
5. Raised on Radio - Journey
6. White Sister - White Sister
7. Heart - Heart
8. Fashion by Passion - White Sister
9. Vital Signs - Survivor
10. Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi
11. Michael Bolton - Michael Bolton
12. In for the Count - Balance
13. Pride - White Lion
14. Dawn Patrol - Night Ranger
'' 4 - Foreigner
15. The Hunger - Michael Bolton
16. Reckless - Bryan Adams
17. Indiscreet - FM
18. Bad Animals- Heart
19. Boston - Boston
20. Frontiers - Journey
21. Seven Wishes - Night Ranger
'' Bon Jovi- Bon Jovi
22. Only Child - Only Child
'' Freight Train Heart - Jimmy Barnes
'' A Matter of Attitude - Fate
23. Spys - Spys
24. Heartbreak - Sabu
25. Crimes in Mind - Streets
26. Hughes/Thrall - Hughes/Thrall
27. The Big Prize - Honeymoon Suite
'' Excess All Areas - Shy
28. Touch - Touch
29. Hysteria - Def Leppard
30. Sinful - Angel
'' Aviator - Aviator
31. Under Lock and Key - Dokken
32. Silk & Steel - Giuffria
'' When Seconds Count - Survivor
33. Toto IV - Toto
34. The Grand Illusion - Styx
'' A Diamond Is a Hard Rock - Legs Diamond
'' So Fired Up - LeRoux
'' Midnight Madness - Night Ranger
'' Wired Up - Jeff Paris
35. Dreamboat Annie - Heart
'' On a Storyteller's Night - Magnum
36. Fireworks - Bonfire
'' Rumors - Fleetwood Mac
37. Subject...Aldo Nova - Aldo Nova
'' Ignition - John Waite
'' Giuffria - Giuffria
38. Friction - Coney Hatch
'' Pieces of Eight - Styx
'' Isolation - Toto
39. The Final Countdown - Europe
40. Welcome to the Real World - Mr. Mister
'' Alpha - Asia
'' Shaft of Light - Airrace

 

[Mr. T]

My first thought is... Somebody be smokin' dope to put Michael Bolton in the top 10. Second thought is... must have been REALLY good dope to list him twice in the top 11. Past that I'll have to digest the rest...

 

[Rock Candy]

My first thought is... Somebody be smokin' dope to put Michael Bolton in the top 10. Second thought is... must have been REALLY good dope to list him twice in the top 11. Past that I'll have to digest the rest...

I dunno man, his melodic hard rock stuff is pretty smokin'. Assuming of course you can look past what he eventually became

 

[lady_barrett2112]

I dunno man, his melodic hard rock stuff is pretty smokin'. Assuming of course you can look past what he eventually became

Agreed! Michael Bolton actually rocked back in the early day. It's just really sad he'd go from hardcore rocker to... well... you know...


Great song I remember from my childhood.

 

[Mr. T]

Hey... all I said was I couldn't see him twice in the top 11, especially when looking at the rest of the list. I actually liked Blackjack, his band with Bruce Kulick.

 

[Rock Candy]

Hey... all I said was I couldn't see him twice in the top 11, especially when looking at the rest of the list. I actually liked Blackjack, his band with Bruce Kulick.

The two Blackjack albums were pretty good. Granted it's obvious they really wanted to be Bad Company, but it's quality hard rock of the era

What did you personally think of Everybody's Crazy as an album, TUИEZ?

 

[Mr. T]

The two Blackjack albums were pretty good. Granted it's obvious they really wanted to be Bad Company, but it's quality hard rock of the era

What did you personally think of Everybody's Crazy as an album, TUИEZ?

Honestly I only listened to it a few times when it was new... just never grew on me RC. I'd give it a standard 6/10 bro.

 

[Rock Candy]

Honestly I only listened to it a few times when it was new... just never grew on me RC. I'd give it a standard 6/10 bro.

You know, given the rough idea I've gotten about your taste based upon some of the bands that we've discussed, I'm actually quite surprised, I would've thought it would be up your alley!

On a slightly different note though, albeit I don't think very highly of this list as a whole, I was happy to see In for the Count get some lurve. Fantastic album!

 

[Mr. T]

You know, given the rough idea I've gotten about your taste based upon some of the bands that we've discussed, I'm actually quite surprised, I would've thought it would be up your alley!

On a slightly different note though, albeit I don't think very highly of this list as a whole, I was happy to see In for the Count get some lurve. Fantastic album!

IDK maybe i should go back for a fresh listen after all these years.

Considering this list was supposedly from 1989 I would still agree that some of it has passed the test of time as solid front to back LPs. Not saying all would be top drawer 22 years later but solid spins.

Escape - Journey
Native Sons - Strangeways
In for the Count - Balance
Boston - Boston
Frontiers - Journey
Hughes/Thrall - Hughes/Thrall
Hysteria - Def Leppard
Under Lock and Key - Dokken
Toto IV - Toto
Pieces of Eight - Styx

 

[Rock Candy]

IDK maybe i should go back for a fresh listen after all these years.

Please do! Heaven knows, you might really enjoy it twenty something years later!

Considering this list was supposedly from 1989 I would still agree that some of it has passed the test of time as solid front to back LPs. Not saying all would be top drawer 22 years later but solid spins.

Escape - Journey
Native Sons - Strangeways
In for the Count - Balance
Boston - Boston
Frontiers - Journey
Hughes/Thrall - Hughes/Thrall
Hysteria - Def Leppard
Under Lock and Key - Dokken
Toto IV - Toto
Pieces of Eight - Styx

Add Freight Train Heart to that list (And I'm certainly not a big Barnes fan, by any stretch of the imagination), and you have yourself a mighty fine set o' albums!