"Bad" Music? Really??

Recently, I was browsing reviews of quality albums from
bands such as Journey, Styx, and Asia that are included here ...
and some reviewers completely trash these works for being
too commercial and for being "Corporate" Arena Rock, etc. 

Granted, maybe the stuff isn't PROG in the truest sense, but
Geez-- Has anybody listened to most of the Rock music that's
been pumped out by the major labels since the late 90's?

At least these original Arena Rock bands displayed high levels
of virtuousity, had incredible vocalists, and could write catchy
melodic Rock songs that remain recognizable 35 years later.

I just think some of the visceral bashing of the older
"Corporate" Rock acts around here is downright unwarranted.

Just because it's not Prog, doesn't mean it's at all equal to the
hapless level of  (name your generic auto-tuned rock act from 2009 here) .




Edited by altaeria - November 02 2010 at 11:29

TODDLER wrote: Maybe people are sometimes a bit too harsh about these particular bands. It's not like Neal Schon was an idiot on guitar? but, maybe they are just remembering the down fall of prog in the late 70's and how bands such as these had more sugar poured on top of the compositions. I know what you mean......these bands compared to what was welcomed throughout the 90's. There is no justice. It is evident that they were finer musicians than the average power chord noise makers. I think they offended a generation of proggers back in the hey day though. It's a tough call. Neal Schon played some beautiful melodic and fast picking guitar leads in the commercial Journey hits and it's something you probably won't ever hear again. From that perspective I find it very sad. I miss hearing that level of musicianship in mainstream music.

Can't comment on Journey or Styx. Asia: Wetton is no INCREDIBLE vocalist and I reckon many of the more reviled glam/pop metal singers from the 80s would be better than him, though his big tone does suit Asia's music.  Asia's debut is not really absolutely bad music but I also wonder if I would have even bothered to listen to the album if not for the lineup.  Even if there is worse corporate rock than Asia, it doesn't change much: why do I have to like ANY of that music if there are more interesting artists yet to be heard?  Leaving aside King Crimson or Rush, many bands/artists like Blue Oyster Cult, Kate Bush, Donald Fagen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Supertramp, APP, Alan Holdsworth, Michael Hedges to mention a few released good to great albums in the 80s, so I don't have to particularly make an effort to like albums like the Asia s/t. If I did review it, I would probably give a 2.5, even to call it GOOD is pushing it a bit for me.

yanch wrote: Journey and Styx had their interesting moments and I quite agree that Schon and Rolie are excellent musicians.Journey and Styx produced some good music during their heyday and I do think get some undeserved harsh criticism.  Asia on the other hand just has no redeeming value. You had 4 HUGELY talented musicians that got together at  a time when prog needed a huge boost and gave us a bland, dull, boring, uninspired piece of crap. IMHO they deserve all the bad reviews for that.

Agreed on Journey. The first two albums were great IMHO. I actually got to see that lineup open for ELP. If that lineup were around these days at least they could go the indie route and not have to worry about an record company dictating how many they had to sell to keep their contract.

Asia, Styx, and Journey are 3 of my all-time favorite bands, but I seriously should be spending more time on AOR archives than Prog Archives since AOR is my preferred form of music.

Styx are pretty shocking in my opinion. In fact they are sometimes held up as one of the very worst bands of all time. How talented they were/are isn't in question, it's just that many serious music fans cannot stand the sound they produced.

Edited by Textbook - November 03 2010 at 03:26

Whether AOR music can be considered "bad" is open to debate, but one thing cannot be disputed: the genre which includes people like Maroon5 and John Mayer is called Terrible Music.

These artists don't deserve "bashing" in particular, nor do they deserve praise.  They are what they are.  For me it's really a matter of having better things to listen to.

Henry Plainview wrote: Noak, are those BOOBS in your signature? This is A NO BOOB ZONE.

TheGazzardian wrote: As far as I'm concerned, isn't it sort of the POINT of this site?

I suppose... if the site is designed to encourage reviewers
to simply bash or praise rather than describe and evaluate.

Obviously a review is going to be Subjective in manner,
but should we completely ignore Objectivity. 

Let's try not to be the Fox News Channel of Prog Rock. 






Edited by altaeria - November 03 2010 at 13:45