I'm 53 and obviously being here, I love Metal . . . I refer to myself as a Metalhead when talking to people about music, but I was a proud Rocker before I was seduced by Heavy Metal in the spectacular year of 1983(Seriously . . . what an amazing musical ride in that year). Regulars in my Boom Box during those pre 1983 days were Sammy Hagar, AC/DC, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Aerosmith, Blondie, Rainbow, Golden Earring, Billy Squire, Molly Hatchet, April Wine, Kiss, Triumph, Journey, Pat Benatar, UFO, Foreigner, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boston, Foghat, Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent, ZZ Top, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Heart, Axe Queen, Styx, Pat Travers, Yes, Thin Lizzy, Loverboy, 38 Special, The Motels, George Thorogood, Night Ranger and my favorite band before Metallica changed my musical path, Scorpions.
Also some artists that would classify as Rock more than Hard Rock got lots of playing time. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Genesis, Huey Lewis And The News, Bryan Adams, John Cougar(Yes, his early stuff is quality Rock and not pop), The Police, The Cars, Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band, Rick Springfield, Wings, Fleetwood Mac, Charlie Daniels Band, Eddie Money, REO Speedwagon, Bad Company, Billy Joel, Little River Band, Stray Cats, Kansas, B-52s, The Clash, Oingo Boingo, Steve Miller Band, Pink Floyd, Doobie Brothers, Greg Kihn Band, Eagles, Bob Welch plus older classics that continued playing into the Hard Rock era such as Grand Funk Railroad, Rolling Stones, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, The Who and The Moody Blues.
When 1983 came in with a flurry of great Heavy Metal, many of the above bands either adjusted their sound to adapt(Van Halen 1984, ZZ Top Eliminator, Heart S/T) or fell by the wayside. Pat Travers went from playing in 3,000-4,000 seaters to 300-400 seaters and Billy Squire assassinated his career with one video. Heavy Metal was the fast rising king and was going to dominate the rest of the 80s. Heavy Metal did to Hard Rock in 83 what Grunge did to Heavy Metal in 92. Only the select few could carry on playing mostly the same style.
If possible, please answer one or more of these questions . . . Did any of you get to see Rock concerts in the mid 70s/early 80s? If so, what artists did you see? Any of the older board members remember the greatness and the excitement of 1983? Are any of those above bands still in your regular rotation? What are some of your favorite mid 70s/early 80s Rock albums? Did I leave out some bands from that era that you like? Which of those bands did you dislike earlier in your life only to come to appreciate them later in life? Are any of you younger Metalheads too Metal to listen to wimpy old Rock?
Thanks for your time.
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