# 1970s/1980s rock music category **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356 "2010-01-17T21:23:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356/21 "2010-01-21T16:09:33Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > While we are on the subject, what would bands like the aforementioned Dire Straits, Bruce Springsteen, J Giles Band, Tom Petty, or The Hooters fall? I don’t know about the others, but if The Hooters could fall in a snake-pit, that would be alright with me. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356/22 "2010-01-21T16:10:38Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I suspect that this might not go so well. Arguing levels or artiness or pomposity amongs progs - or even asserting that Styx is prog - will probably draw some fire… You could really piss off some folks if you assert that these bands were in fact Power Pop, and had more to do with the furthering of that sub-genre than Big Star ever did, but I wouldn’t advise it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356/23 "2010-01-21T16:20:04Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > You could really piss off some folks if you assert that these bands were in fact Power Pop, and had more to do with the furthering of that sub-genre than Big Star ever did, but I wouldn’t advise it. 😉 exactly - they ain’t even close to Power Pop - Cheap Trick is closer from that era (or even The Police or Elvis Costello or the Jam - lotta pop sensibilities in their more hummable tunes…) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356/24 "2010-01-21T16:38:57Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Styx, Asia, Journey and whatnot, I generally consider “Arena Rock” > > Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis, Yes and so on I consider “Progressive Rock” > > Elton John, Billy Joel, Chicago I consider “Adult Contemporary”. > > Queen and David Bowie are “Glam Rock” but I don’t really categorize them that way. That’s pretty much the way it breaks down for me. I do remember ‘Corporate Rock’, and for years I’ve been using ‘Corporate Alternative’ for bands they play on KROQ and such; but I’ve also heard ‘Arena Rock’, and it just seems to fit better since ‘corporate’ tends to change. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356/25 "2010-01-22T03:36:48Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I don’t know about the others, but if The Hooters could fall in a snake-pit, that would be alright with me. Why do you have so much hate for them? You either like their ONE SONG, or you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356/26 "2010-01-22T03:51:37Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I don’t know about the others, but if The Hooters could fall in a snake-pit, that would be alright with me. We may have to throw down over this, Jack. 😃 I liked the couple of radio hits they had, but their major label records weren’t that great. Their pre-fame independent LP, however, is great. I think Eric Bazillion is a good songwriter too. Styx was considered a sort of prog rock band on their early records, up to and including The Grand Illusion. They featured longer songs, longer instrumental sections, more complex vocals, etc. I wouldn’t put them in the same category as say, Yes. Perhaps Styx was more like “Prog Lite” or something. Another example of power pop from that era is Nick Lowe. Jesus Of Cool could be considered a classic proto-power pop record. The U.S. title was Pure Pop For Now People and had a slightly different track listing. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356/27 "2010-01-22T15:41:26Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > exactly - they ain’t even close to Power Pop - Cheap Trick is closer from that era (or even The Police or Elvis Costello or the Jam - lotta pop sensibilities in their more hummable tunes…) I thought Power Pop was more like jangly alt-rock bands like Gin Blossems or All-American Rejects (which I already have classified as “Alternative RocK” and “Punk Pop” repectively. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356/28 "2010-01-22T15:51:08Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Have you ever heard the first Journey album? I didn’t much like i myself, but you might be surprised at how different they sounded then. There was no “Open Arms” on that record. > > Remember that their original drummer, Aynsley Dunbar, had worked with Frank Zappa, while co-founders Greg Rolie and Neal Schon had been with Santana, where they did a lot of extensive jamming. > > They didn’t start out to be pop/Top 40 balladeers. Aside: Journey was profiled on the show “Behind the Music” and this was discussed. Journey released one record with all instrumental, prog-rock tracks which tanked. Then Steve Perry and his ‘wimpy crooner songs’ were apparently thrust upon the band by their manager. There was a frank, quite amusing admission from one member: (paraphrasing here) “We didn’t want to do Perry’s songs at first. But then we noticed that at the beginning of our first tour with him, our audiences are all these overweight greasy, slob guys. Then, months go by, we get some airplay, and then we’re playing to all these cute young girls who are screaming how much they love us! That made ‘selling out’ a lot easier.” I couldn’t argue with that!😃 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356/29 "2010-01-22T15:57:28Z")
Well, there’s power pop and there’s Power Pop (eyes pointed heavenward). The fact of the matter is that Cheap Trick was also very much an arena rock band, too. Bands like Boston and Journey were power pop in that they were heavier bands with pop sensibilities, though not so much in the canonical “Ironic Beatlesque Postmoderne” way. Shit, if you take the vocals out of Come Sail Away, it sounds like it could be on Quadrophenia. I’m starting to sound like James Burke, but rock sub-genres seem to get more neatly and narrowly defined as time goes on, when there was likely more cross-pollenization going on. I dunno about prog, though. My rule of thumb is if it makes me feel like Emporer Joseph II (“Your work is ingenious. It’s quality work. And there are simply too many notes, that’s all.”), it’s probably prog. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-1980s-rock-music-category/525356.md?page=1)