Talk:Album-oriented rock

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Contents 1 Who raped the article? 2 Adult/album oriented rock 3 Are There Still AOR Stations 4 The LISTS 4.1 Forgotten artists of AOR 4.2 A Different Way to Approach the LISTS 5 AOR/Melodic Rock 6 I agree 7 Don't Stop Believing 8 Chicago 9 "Core" artist list? 10 Racist Overtones

[edit] Who raped the article?

There used to be great information regarding Core Artists, "Forgotten" Artists who once received much airplay in this category, and a list of radio stations. Why was all of this removed? -24.149.193.49 (talk) 15:10, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

The fanboy/fancruft lists were all removed because they were unencyclopedic and useless. 156.34.142.110 (talk) 15:53, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

To say they're "useless" is VERY POV!!! Why do you harbor such a contemptment for classic rock? I learned of some great music from reading that list, music I wouldn't hear on AOR stations today. It was VERY useful and VERY relevant. -24.149.193.49 (talk) 01:09, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Adult/album oriented rock

AOR is term mostly used for "adult oriented rock", which has NO hint for album etc. (teens do have money to buy albums) - aor means the type of slow melodic but not "noisy" rock oriented to adults, typical bands are TOTO and Foreigner, but NOT Pink Floyd - which belongs mostly to Progressive Rock category, please listen my favorite Pink Floyd piece "Interstellar Highway".--arl Album oriented rock in Japan and Europe is usually west coast albums usually produced by David Foster, Jay Graydon, etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Knowitallmusic (talk • contribs) 19:10, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

Ummm... I believe you are confused. 1st of all, the song is Interstellar Overdrive by Pink Floyd. Secondly this page is for the Radio Format AOR which indeed played Pink Floyd constantly. You are likely confused with the music genre AOR or Melodic Rock which is largely a recent, but retro style that is mostly inspired by some bands that received airplay on AOR radio stations in the late 70s and early 80s. These bands (somewhat popular in their day), like Touch, Roadmaster, 707, etc - never made the jump to the classic rock format. In recent years, mainly outside the US, there has been wave of bands aping this style. --DannyRay 19:07, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

Pink Floyd is big on the AOR format. Same with other 'progressive rock' bands like Yes. --Fightingirish 14:40, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

The list in this article is absurd. Black Sabbath is NOT AOR.--annon

I've heard a lot of Black Sabbath on AOR stations. "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" are pretty popular tracks.--Fightingirish 14:40, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I agree- the list here is completely misleading and simply covers many genres that are simply not AOR. If people are in agreement I will try and re-categorise the 'pure' AOR bands and include a sub-category of 'sub-AOR' for those groups that touched on the genre at times during their career but could also cross over into hard rock, prog etc. Harryurz 18:53, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

I think the list is fine (though there are a few questionable artists on there). I removed obvious ridiculous entries like a-ha (I've never heard them played on an AOR station, and I certainly never heard Kate Bush on an AOR - though it would be cool if they did). This list should be a representative overall sample of artists played on AOR stations since the beginning of the format in the 1970s. Some might seem strange, like Seals & Crofts, but they did get airplay in the format back in the 1970s. Perhaps the list should be separated into categories like 'artists on AOR stations today' and 'artists that were played on AOR in the past'. This could get confusing, since AOR has more or less split off into different genres like active rock and classic rock. --Fightingirish 14:40, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

They need an AOR disambiguation page, AOR can also meen "Area Of Responsibility" in where military forces may be assigned.M jurrens 16:59, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

I believe that the A is for "album" rather than "adult". One key feature of AOR stations that distinguised it from say, top-40 was that they played not only the official singles from a given album, but often played other cuts from the albums that were never released as singles.

In the radio industry, the "A" in "AOR" stands for "Album", not "Adult". There is no radio format with the official name "Adult-oriented Rock". There is, however, "Rock AC". --Fightingirish 14:24, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I recall that just before Tripple A was coined (mid-to-late 80s?), stations leaning in that direction were called Adult Oriented Rock. They were softer in sound but perhaps the playlist was deeper than AOR in the 80s. In those days KEZX in Seattle may have fell under this catagory. --DannyRay 19:07, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

Also I agree the list is suspect. There are notable ommissions, and there are other artists listed who'd barely get airplay on an AOR station (Rick Springfield ?!?) --208.204.155.241 16:18, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

AOR is a radio history term and should be categorized here as Album Oriented Rock:

In radio terms, AOR exclusively referred to the Album Oriented Rock format that evolved from "progressive radio" in the 1970s on the FM band. As radio became more formulaic and playlisted, AOR was used to identify stations that had a core playlist of more hard-rock and (usually) innovative artists vs. pop hits on the Billboard Charts. This is clearly documented in the radio trade magazines from the late 1970s/early 1980s period (e.g. The Album Network, Radio and Records, the Friday Morning Quarterback by Bill Hard.)

An underlying premise of AOR was NOT to be hit radio. In the 1970s, bands like Foreigner were considered "progressive" yet by the 80s they were considered a "hit band." (I don't mean that in a negative way - just making a distinction of how a band that was once "underground" became "mainstream.")

The lines started blurring in the 1980s when so many new artists - progressive, innovative, quirky, and just plain lucky - started becoming more accepted by the "mainstream" in the 80s. Many of these acts became part of what was the new "Top 40" - CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio). At times CHR was the format to embrace many of the "new" artists while AOR stations struggled with whether to keep their dinosaur rock format or finally accept the "new generation" of artists that were "progressive" and having hits at the same time. Many stations struggled with hybrid formats during the first part of the 80s. Many stations converted to CHR. Others stuck to their AOR guns. This might be why the AOR "list" in question contains artists that some do not consider AOR and others do. For example, as AOR was peaking, Bryan Adams might have been considered an AOR artist but after the shakeout he fell into the CHR category.

Regardless, music continues to change as do the radio formats that try to identify it. AOR is truly a term of history. It has not evolved into Adult Oriented Rock. Perhaps what was once called AOR is now Classic Rock and "current" AOR is "Adult Contemporary."Boonog (talk) 05:28, 9 March 2008 (UTC)DD aka TheBoonog

[edit] Are There Still AOR Stations

While a few radio stations may be currently known as AOR, by and large radio format really doesn't exist any longer. The closest format for comparison is Active Rock or Triple A. The Classic Rock format culls its core tracks from the heyday of AOR - but in reality most stations just use an oldies approach to programming, focusing on the AOR hits that crossed over to Top 40. --DannyRay 19:07, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

I'd say that musicians like Shania Twain, Kelly Clarkson, Lifehouse, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, and Green Day are also AOR because we have an AOR station in my area that plays them as well as REO Speedwagon, Pure Prairie League, Boston, Doobie Brothers, Journey, and other AOR bands.

That is not an AOR station. Sounds like either a Hot AC or an adult hits format. AOR doesn't play Mariah Carey and Kelly Clarkson. Green Day, yes.--Fightingirish 14:22, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The LISTS

This page has extensive lists documenting the music played on this format. The scope of the lists are somewhat broad covering artists and tracks that may not have been played on every station operating as AOR. Some stations focused more on hard rock while others embraced a much more laid back sound. Nonetheless I advocate that these include the wider spectrum of music played on all stations. If you are adding artists or songs to the lists, please do not make deletions without posting on the discussion page for comment.

As the lists grow, as some point it might be wise to move them to their own pages.

[edit] Forgotten artists of AOR

I would dispute Head East's inclusion on this list, or at least add a qualifier. While it's true you can't find their original albums and songs anywhere, I still hear "Never Been Any Reason" quite often on classic rock stations and it appears on an awful lot of '70s compilations. SpanishCastleMagic 22:19, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] A Different Way to Approach the LISTS

It is difficult to come to a consensus about the lists because of the impact new artists began having on AOR in 1983. Prior to this time, AOR was able to keep itself neatly defined by a single group of traditional rock artists, with The Cars and The Police being the only next-generation artists to be acknowledged across the board. AOR’s comfort zone started unraveling in 1983 when U2 and Duran Duran broke the dam that let loose all the next-generation artists producing new sounds that did not fit into the AOR formula. With KROQ and MTV taking the lead, many AOR stations splintered from the traditional format and began focusing more on playing specific songs that concurrently were hits on CHR stations. Program directors across the USA had to grapple with whether to stick to that core base or start adding these new, untested bands. Yet even program directors who resisted these new trends consistently acknowledged that the bands to watch were U2 and R.E.M., who lived up to those expectations by becoming huge.

I have come up with a group of lists that – from my experience – are representative of AOR station formats prior to 1983. Even with this boundary there is likely to be some disagreement, but I’ll throw these out here for consideration.

AOR FORMAT IN THE PRE-U2/DURAN DURAN PERIOD:

POWER CORE - Artists who collectively defined most AOR stations: Aerosmith, Bad Company, Billy Squier, Bob Seger , Boston, Bruce Springsteen, Cream,Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Def Leppard , The Doors, The Eagles , Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Heart, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin , Journey, Judas Priest , Ted Nugent, Ozzy Osbourne , Pat Benatar, Peter Frampton , Pink Floyd , Led Zeppelin, Loverboy, Lynyrd Skynyrd , Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, REO Speedwagon , Rolling Stones, Rush, Steely Dan, Styx, Van Halen, The Who, Yes.

AOR MAINSTREAM - Artists who had at least two songs, not necessarily hits, in frequent rotation: .38 Special, AC/DC, Alan Parsons Project, Allman Brothers, Asia, The Band, Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Bob Dylan, Cheap Trick, Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young), David Bowie, Deep Purple, Derek and Dominos, Dio, The Faces, Foghat, Grand Funk Railroad, James Gang, Jethro Tull, Kansas, Nazareth, Neil Young, Pete Townshend, Peter Gabriel, Queen, Robert Plant, Robin Trower, Rod Stewart, Sammy Hagar, Santana, Thin Lizzy, Triumph, ZZ Top.

CROSSOVER ARTISTS - Established in Top 40 with songs sometimes considered viable for AOR: Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Bryan Adams, Eddie Money, Electric Light Orchestra, Elton John, George Harrison, J. Geils Band, John Cougar Mellencamp, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Doobie Brothers, Toto.

AOR HITMAKERS - Artists generally known more for a song or two rather than a body of work: Accept (Balls to the Wall), Aldo Nova (Fantasy), Billy Thorpe (Children of the Sun), George Thorogood (Bad to the Bone), Head East (Never Been Any Reason), Night Ranger (Don’t Tell Me You Love Me; Sister Christian), Rainbow (Stone Cold), Ratt (Round and Round), Red Rider (Lunatic Fringe), Survivor (Eye Of The Tiger).

SIGNATURE AOR SONGS - High rotation songs, usually six minutes long or more: Cocaine (Live version) – Eric Clapton, Dream On – Aerosmith, Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynrd, Money - Pink Floyd, Slow Ride (the long version) – Foghat, Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin, Turn The Page [Live version] – Bob Seger, Won't Get Fooled Again – The Who.

OTHER ARTISTS INCLUDED IN SOME PRE-1983 AOR FORMATS - Some of these artists went on to be more prominent after 1982 in AOR, CHR, and other formats: Alice Cooper, Argent, Badfinger, Black Oak Arkansas, Blackfoot, Bon Jovi, Chicago, Dave Mason, Dire Straits, Don Henley, Donnie Iris, The Edgar Winter Group, Genesis, Grateful Dead, Iron Maiden, Jackson Browne, Joan Jett, Joe Walsh, The Kinks, Lou Reed, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Meat Loaf, Molly Hatchet, Montrose, The Moody Blues, Mott the Hoople, Mountain, The Outlaws, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Pat Travers, Quarterflash, Rick Derringer, Steve Miller Band, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Supertramp, The Sweet, T. Rex, Todd Rundgren, Traffic, Triumph, The Tubes, Twisted Sister, Uriah Heep, Van Morrison, Warren Zevon.

VINTAGE AOR ARTISTS - Artists with “rock” (vs. bubblegum) hits in the 1960s/early 70s: Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, Cream, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Free, Golden Earring, The Guess Who, The Hollies, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, Procol Harum, Steppenwolf, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Sugarloaf, War, The Yardbirds, The Zombies.

PRE-U2 BREAKTHROUGH ARTISTS - Next generation artists accepted in the AOR mainstream prior to U2: Blondie, The Cars, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The Police, The Pretenders.

Boonog (talk) 21:13, 9 March 2008 (UTC)TheBoonog

[edit] AOR/Melodic Rock

I think that Melodic Rock and AOR should be separate articles. Both are talking about something completely different, despite the same name. Perhaps "AOR (disambiguation)" would be a better idea, with items linking to pages like the melodic rock genre and the AOR radio format?-RedBlade7 16:52, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

I agree that the AOR "radio format" is very different than the Melodic Rock "music genre" and they should be separate entries. While the AOR radio format inspired, influenced and indeed played some "melodic rock" artists, the AOR format was much more divers in scope and embraced a broad array of artists and styles that would not ordinarily be included in the Melodic Rock genre. The acronym AOR is sometimes applied to Melodic Rock - but this usage generally refers to "Adult Oriented Rock", rather than the "Album Oriented Rock" radio format. DannyRay 07:33, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] I agree

There are too many artist and song links here. Perhaps separate "list" articles? -RedBlade7 17:10, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Don't Stop Believing

I don't think Journey and "Don't Stop Believing" should be in the forgotten artists portion. As far as I can tell, Journey and that song get plenty of play on classic rock stations and have definitely not been forgotten. matt91486 00:26, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

Absolutely agree. I made the revision. DannyRay 23:20, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chicago

Chicago was a big part ofr AOR Radio in the early 1970's true they later stuff was more commercial. But Chicago was first played by AOR stations quite a bit before they got played by Top 40 stations. Long vershions of 25 or 6 to 4 and Beginings were played by AOR statiuons.

DLA75

When Chicago first came on the scene they were a blues/fusion band with a splash of pop and a heavy dose of politics.

Side four of the first Chicago album, Chicago Transit Authority, features a combination of rock/blues along with chants from the 1968 Democratic convention - THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING - and some of the most amazing guitar feedback from Terry Kath. Jimi Hendrix was a great admirer of guitarist Terry Kath. The Chicago of this time was most definitely right for the "progressive rock" format, which evolved into AOR.

My first rock concert was Chicago in 1972 and the band members had McGovern stickers all over their equipment. Social issues and political ideals were prominent in their music (check out "A Song for Richard and His Friends" from the Live at Carnegie Hall album). Then Kath died when he accidentally shot himself and the band changed changed so dramatically they should have changed their name.

Even though many original band members remained, how can you make any sense of "25 or 6 to 4" - a song about tripping in the wee hours of the morning - with "Stay the Night" or the other light pop fare the band became famous for? i saw Chicago again in the mid-80s and it was not in any way like the band I saw in 1972. The band I saw the second time was the quintessential CHR band.Boonog (talk) 05:50, 9 March 2008 (UTC)theboonog

[edit] "Core" artist list?

There are over 180 artists listed there... isn't that a little bit large for a core??? 86.132.137.231 02:17, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

A lot of artsists for sure - but most all received consistent airplay during the hey day of AOR programing. I feel the list is valid DannyRay 06:29, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Racist Overtones

There are a lot of racist overtones in the main article, implying that after the formats tightened in the 70's (and most Motown was taken out of airplay on most AOR stations), black artists did not receive airplay; it also seems to tie the "disco sucks" movement in with this, while in fact Disco (which was pretty varicolored in its composition) would have been generally hated by AOR audiences; Additionally, unless there was a vast Black Rock underground in the mid-to-late 70's that I just don't know about, there wasn't any Black Artist Rock to play.Paganize (talk) 08:48, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

There was a wide variety of more progressive black artists that did receive airplay on AOR stations in the early 70s. In this era artists like Stevie Wonder, War, Funkadelic and other album-focused artists were contenders for airply. As AOR shifted focus to rock (rawk) exclusivly and tightened playlists towards the late 70s and early 80s, these more progressive black artists were omitted from the format almost entirely. So the implied racism of AOR that you seemed to have picked up on is valid. This was quiet a controversy in the early 80s and features about AOR and MTV's programming practices, that left out black artists, ran in major publications such as Billboard and Rolling Stone.DannyRay (talk) 05:05, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Considering Jimi Hendrix - a black artist - was and is one of the most amazing and revered guitarists of all time, I can't see how AOR was racist.

AOR was all about hard rock. I totally agree funk needed a mainstream outlet, too, but AOR was not ready then. So unfortunately many incredible funk/hip-hop artists such as Parliament/Funkadelic, Grandmaster Flash, et al, were not promoted on that format any more than Lynyrd Skynyrd was played on soul stations. Now formats have evolved to be able to include both hard rock and funk - I hope. Boonog (talk) 06:03, 9 March 2008 (UTC)theboonog