Roberts couldn't sustain this success and quickly faded away. His record was filled with potential rock anthems that were big in the late 80s, so maybe he was a day late and dollar short. "Fighter" was one that stood out to me.
Showing posts with label Diane Warren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diane Warren. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
"Fighter" by Kane Roberts
Kane Roberts was a sought after studio musician in the 80s working for artists as diverse as Alice Cooper and Rod Stewart. He also tried his hand at making it big as a solo artist. His debut self-titled album went nowhere, but his follow-up LP, "Saints And Sinners," pulled in some heavy hitters like Desmond Child, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Diane Warren. Together, they scored Roberts his one and only charting single, the power ballad "Does Anybody Really Fall In Love Anymore?" which peaked at #38 in 1991.
Roberts couldn't sustain this success and quickly faded away. His record was filled with potential rock anthems that were big in the late 80s, so maybe he was a day late and dollar short. "Fighter" was one that stood out to me.
Roberts couldn't sustain this success and quickly faded away. His record was filled with potential rock anthems that were big in the late 80s, so maybe he was a day late and dollar short. "Fighter" was one that stood out to me.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
"One Step Away" by Ratt
L.A. band Ratt helped launch the rise of hard rock in the 80s, beginning with their smash hit, "Round And Round," which soared to #12 in 1984. Ratt seemed poised to be a mainstay on the charts, but the follow-up single "Wanted Man" stalled at #87. Nothing else charted from their landmark record, "Out Of The Cellar," although cuts like "Back For More" and "Lack Of Communication" are now classics. The band would enjoy only one more top 40 appearance when "Lay It Down" barely made it at #40 in 1985.
In 1990, Ratt released their fifth album, "Detonator," which became the last to feature all the founding members. The band retooled in an attempt to ride the wave of hairband rock, sounding more polished and radio-friendly than ever. They brought in big guns like Desmond Child and Diane Warren to help with songwriting, and their bud Bon Jovi to sing backing vocals on "Heads I Win, Tails You Loose." The band even broke down and recorded their first (and only) power ballad, the rather excellent "Givin' Yourself Away."
"Detonator" seemed to have all the right ingredients to give the band a badly needed second wind, but the record did not "blow up," so to speak. It is a shame, shame, shame, because songs like "One Step Away" should have easily made the top 10.
In 1990, Ratt released their fifth album, "Detonator," which became the last to feature all the founding members. The band retooled in an attempt to ride the wave of hairband rock, sounding more polished and radio-friendly than ever. They brought in big guns like Desmond Child and Diane Warren to help with songwriting, and their bud Bon Jovi to sing backing vocals on "Heads I Win, Tails You Loose." The band even broke down and recorded their first (and only) power ballad, the rather excellent "Givin' Yourself Away."
"Detonator" seemed to have all the right ingredients to give the band a badly needed second wind, but the record did not "blow up," so to speak. It is a shame, shame, shame, because songs like "One Step Away" should have easily made the top 10.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
"Save Up All Your Tears" by Cher
Cher has had a remarkable career, scoring top 10 hits across four decades from the 1960-1990s. Her first goes all the way back to 1966, when "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" hit #2. Her first chart-topper arrived in 1971 with "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves". She would top the charts twice more in the 70s with "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady", and one more time in the 90s with the huge comeback hit "Believe".
Cher was mostly on hiatus in the 80s, flexing her acting muscles in the movies. But she came back (Cher could be considered the comeback queen) in a big way in the late 80s. While she didn't top the chart in that decade, she racked up several more top 10 hits with "I Found Someone" and "After All" (a duet with former Chicago singer, Peter Cetera) in 1987 and 1989, respectively.
Her newfound brand of melodic rock fit in well until grunge arrived. She produced a trio of albums of this variety, which all did very well. The final one, "Love Hurts", suggested the formula was wearing thin, however, only getting to #48 on the album chart and failing to generate a monster hit. The first single, "Love and Understanding", was tepid but managed to get to #17.
The more upbeat and energetic song everyone was probably expecting to come first was released second. "Save Up All Your Tears" just barely cracked the top 40, settling at #37 in 1991. Written by Desmond Child and Diane Warren, this tune is a terrific slab of pop rock and deserved much better. Bonnie Tyler and Robin Beck also took a swing at this tune but did no better. The "Love Hurts" album contains other covers as well, including the title track and a most intriguing choice: "A World Without Heroes" by Kiss.
Cher went on to duet with Beavis and Butt-head for a rendition of "I Got You Babe", after which she understandably went into hiding until 1998's "Believe" reminded the world who's boss.
Cher was mostly on hiatus in the 80s, flexing her acting muscles in the movies. But she came back (Cher could be considered the comeback queen) in a big way in the late 80s. While she didn't top the chart in that decade, she racked up several more top 10 hits with "I Found Someone" and "After All" (a duet with former Chicago singer, Peter Cetera) in 1987 and 1989, respectively.
Her newfound brand of melodic rock fit in well until grunge arrived. She produced a trio of albums of this variety, which all did very well. The final one, "Love Hurts", suggested the formula was wearing thin, however, only getting to #48 on the album chart and failing to generate a monster hit. The first single, "Love and Understanding", was tepid but managed to get to #17.
The more upbeat and energetic song everyone was probably expecting to come first was released second. "Save Up All Your Tears" just barely cracked the top 40, settling at #37 in 1991. Written by Desmond Child and Diane Warren, this tune is a terrific slab of pop rock and deserved much better. Bonnie Tyler and Robin Beck also took a swing at this tune but did no better. The "Love Hurts" album contains other covers as well, including the title track and a most intriguing choice: "A World Without Heroes" by Kiss.
Cher went on to duet with Beavis and Butt-head for a rendition of "I Got You Babe", after which she understandably went into hiding until 1998's "Believe" reminded the world who's boss.
Friday, May 6, 2016
"Let Go" by Cheap Trick
It is extremely difficult to select just one track from the prolific Cheap Trick, a melodic rock band that has been cranking out hits since the 70s - and still going strong, with their new album, "Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello", released just this year.
The band's first charting single was "Surrender", which surprisingly only went to #62 in 1978. Given the familiarity with this now classic song, you'd think it went top 10 back in the day. But the band's first major score was "I Want You To Want Me", which soared to #6 the following year.
Cheap Trick belted out a bunch of great tunes but didn't see the top 10 again until 1988 with their monster ballad, "The Flame". To satisfy label demands, the band brought in additional songwriters for "Lap of Luxury" and "The Flame", along with their cover of "Don't Be Cruel" (which went to #4), were the positive results. On the strength of these singles, the album became their second highest charting release, topping out at #16.
"Let Go" is the lead-off track and helps set the tone for this outstanding record. Written by Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and collaborator Todd Cerney, the "Rock Doctor", this song was released as the fourth single (the third was another ballad, "Ghost Town", co-written with Diane Warren, which went to #33). "Let Go" is one of my favorite Cheap Trick anthems, but it didn't chart. The fifth and final single, "Never Had A Lot To Lose", did chart however, reaching #75 in 1989.
As another fun piece of "Lap of Luxury" trivia, Gregg Giuffria (Angel, Giuffria, House of Lords) co-wrote "All We Need Is A Dream".
The band's first charting single was "Surrender", which surprisingly only went to #62 in 1978. Given the familiarity with this now classic song, you'd think it went top 10 back in the day. But the band's first major score was "I Want You To Want Me", which soared to #6 the following year.
Cheap Trick belted out a bunch of great tunes but didn't see the top 10 again until 1988 with their monster ballad, "The Flame". To satisfy label demands, the band brought in additional songwriters for "Lap of Luxury" and "The Flame", along with their cover of "Don't Be Cruel" (which went to #4), were the positive results. On the strength of these singles, the album became their second highest charting release, topping out at #16.
"Let Go" is the lead-off track and helps set the tone for this outstanding record. Written by Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and collaborator Todd Cerney, the "Rock Doctor", this song was released as the fourth single (the third was another ballad, "Ghost Town", co-written with Diane Warren, which went to #33). "Let Go" is one of my favorite Cheap Trick anthems, but it didn't chart. The fifth and final single, "Never Had A Lot To Lose", did chart however, reaching #75 in 1989.
As another fun piece of "Lap of Luxury" trivia, Gregg Giuffria (Angel, Giuffria, House of Lords) co-wrote "All We Need Is A Dream".
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