Meaning of RIO and AOR...

AOR - "Adult Oriented Rock", that's why punk happened....

Kansas is definitely full blown symphonic prog (first 5 albums) with no question.

And Trouserpress that was one of the best things ive heard in a long time
"RIO is everything that AOR fears."

Definitely Kansas and Styx aren't AOR bands! It's just a prog-rock...maybe a little softer kind of this genre but still it's a prog-rock...

The one thing I see missing from this discussion is a simple fact.

AOR FM stations were playing album cuts - not the "hit singles". We got to hear most of the album before we bought it. This was W A Y before Clear Channel & other Format-Style, strict playlist management techniques were thought of.

It was also very Anti-Establishment - at the time, anyway.

Trouserpress wrote: RIO is everything that AOR fears.

 

Trouserpress wrote: RIO is everything that AOR fears.

That pretty well sums it up!!!!

Lindsay Lohan wrote: Certainly there seems to be a great deal of prog bands that could also be called AOR? Like journey,kansas and such

All groups that put out albums could then be AOR, so this must be considered wisely. This is why some people consider AOR as ADULT-Oriented Rock, which I truly believe is just as correct for AOR.

Our teachers that did see 67's Summer of love in their late teens , but were not hippies were not really appreciative of Aerosmith or AC DC, but preferred Fleetwood Mac or Styx. It is the albums they bought massively >>> those are the albums coined as AOR

Styx , later (80's) Kansas, APP are side-issued prog bands but not really full blown prog

But full blown prog bands were never AOR  >>>>> AOR , for ELP, yes or genesis is ludicrous (and stupid)

Edited by Sean Trane

This Wikepedia article is highly incorrect IMHO

 

I have corrected that coloured list to for you to see what I consider AOR - not to be confused with MOR which is Middle-Of-The-Road , also a concept of that late 70's era. AOR was also sometimes consider as Stadium rock or even Corporate rock

Some notable AOR bands:

• The Allman Brothers Band became AOR in the late 70's 
• Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
• Boston
• The Cars >> limit AOR
• Eagles >>> AOR par excellence
• Foreigner
• Heart
• Journey
• Later Kansas
• Steve Miller Band>> certainly became AOR in the 70's
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers >>>> pure AOR
• REO Speedwagon
• Styx
• Survivor
• Toto
• Steely Dan
• Later Doobie Brothers
• later 70's Fleetwood Mac
• Ambrosia
• Alan Parsons Project
• Bread
• America
• Bruce Springsteen
• ETC..............

Hard Rock bands such as Aerosmith or AC DC were album orientated rock in a sense since the Album was the main product for sale but were never considered as such as AOR, because they were appealling to teen agers where as the above bands were much broader in appeal

AOR spanned over Country rock, soft rock, singer/songwriter, FM friendly rock, some southern rock, but not prog, blues rock or hard rock

I do not care what Wikepedia has to say about this, their collab who wrote this article should've been checked or proofread; because their list is completely wrong.

Edited by Sean Trane

Thanks Firepuck

Firepuck wrote: The active rock format was pioneered by the formerly broadcast (now internet only) KNAC-FM out of Long Beach, California in 1986

 

What a great radio station that was!   They played all the long tracks of artists like ELP, Yes, Jethro Tull, they introduced me to Kansas and Rush in the mid 70's before anyone was playing them and they had a great import show once a week where I learned of such bands as PFM, Banco and Amon DÜÜL II. They also had a show on Monday nights from 8-12 that featured the music of one artist.  The guy who DJ'd that would play obscure recordings and bootlegs.  It was sad when they went to the active format and played nothing but heavy metal but as they did with prog rock format they made their reputation by playing everything but the top 40 songs.

I remember vividly in the summer of 1977 on a drive home on the freeway from work when a great dj by the name of Ronny McCoy came on said "Who'll drink a toast with me?  To the devil and the deep blue sea!  Great new lyrics form ELP" and proceed to play Pirates before the release of Works vol 1.  That was typical.

 

RIP KNAC