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Post by Kapitan on May 22, 2020 12:19:45 GMT
Who Wants to Live Forever certainly qualifies! I was thinking of mentioning it, as well.
I actually would not consider Extreme's "More Than Words" a power ballad. This occurred to me in our other-thread discussion that led here, the one where KDS bemoaned some rock bands being known only for their power ballads. But I don't think "More Than Words" fits the formula of the power ballad: never kicks in with drums, bass, distorted electric guitars; no singalong, anthemic chorus. It's just a ballad.
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Post by kds on May 22, 2020 12:21:28 GMT
Not being a hard rock fan (if you exclude "Whole Lotta Rosie"), my interest in this subject was ultimately aroused by the mention of Queen. If that acoustic song by Xtreme is a power ballad (is it?), then the "power" need not necessarily lie in a crashing offbeat. In which case Queen's peerless "Who Wants To Live Forever" is definitely a power ballad. I'll wait patiently for you hard rock fans to make mincement of my argument but you can't accuse me of lacking the necessary get-up-and-go. For some reason the Extreme song has made several power ballad lists. Maybe because it's a ballad done by a hard rock band, but it's definitely not a power ballad. Good Queen pick though. They were one of the originators of the power ballad, and they continued to do them well.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 23, 2020 13:13:35 GMT
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Post by jk on May 24, 2020 11:42:35 GMT
For some reason the Extreme song has made several power ballad lists. Maybe because it's a ballad done by a hard rock band, but it's definitely not a power ballad. Where, I wonder, does that leave songs not done by a hard rock band that have all the qualities of a power ballad, such as this one by Judie Tzuke?
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Post by kds on May 24, 2020 11:47:50 GMT
For some reason the Extreme song has made several power ballad lists. Maybe because it's a ballad done by a hard rock band, but it's definitely not a power ballad. Where, I wonder, does that leave songs not done by a hard rock band that have all the qualities of a power ballad, such as this one by Judie Tzuke? That one sounds like a straight up ballad to me.
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Post by kds on May 24, 2020 11:48:37 GMT
That's a song I'll continue to defend.
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Post by Kapitan on May 24, 2020 13:06:49 GMT
Where, I wonder, does that leave songs not done by a hard rock band that have all the qualities of a power ballad, such as this one by Judie Tzuke? That one sounds like a straight up ballad to me. To answer the question--irrespective of the song used as an example--I think non-hard rock bands definitely can do power ballads. It's the song, not the singer (as the saying almost goes). This one in particular is on the edge for me, with the prominent, heavy drums kicking in being a very power ballad kind of arrangement choice. But it never does quite go big, and her voice remains pretty soft throughout. In a traditional power ballad I'd expect her to start belting it out.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Jun 1, 2020 13:48:33 GMT
I still think this is a good song!
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Post by kds on Jun 1, 2020 14:05:14 GMT
I still think this is a good song! I think REO are the only AOR band who still tour with their classic lead singer.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Jun 1, 2020 16:20:39 GMT
I think REO are the only AOR band who still tour with their classic lead singer. And playing dentist conventions on Ozark, lol.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 15, 2021 17:04:25 GMT
I had no idea that this ever happened, but Pitchfork has a story of the time-- the time--Harry Nilsson performed "Without You" live, in 1992 in Las Vegas with the Ringo Starr All-Star Band.
Here is the audio of that performance.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 15, 2021 17:28:37 GMT
I had no idea that this ever happened, but Pitchfork has a story of the time-- the time--Harry Nilsson performed "Without You" live, in 1992 in Las Vegas with the Ringo Starr All-Star Band.
Here is the audio of that performance.
I love Nilsson's vocal on that performance! Sure, it doesn't sound like 1972, but it's quite powerful and emotional. Too bad there isn't a video of it.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 15, 2021 17:33:36 GMT
I had no idea that this ever happened, but Pitchfork has a story of the time-- the time--Harry Nilsson performed "Without You" live, in 1992 in Las Vegas with the Ringo Starr All-Star Band.
Here is the audio of that performance.
I love Nilsson's vocal on that performance! Sure, it doesn't sound like 1972, but it's quite powerful and emotional. Too bad there isn't a video of it. At least someone recorded the audio! Thank goodness it was documented.
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