Jon wrote:
 
>Back in the mid-eighties, before the Connells
>broke big, they listed themselves as a "pop" band
>in the North Carolina band directory.  They used to
>play Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive as an encore.
>One of the biggest influences on Mike's song writing
>is Jethro Tull.  SO what this adds up to is that the band themselves
>spent a great deal of time listening to seventies and eighties
>AOR rock, and liked it.   Hell, Hat's Off is about as seventies rock as
>you can get.
 
Your point is well taken (and I agree). However, I prefer to move forward
and not backward.  Perhaps its my age, I put up with AORs' who formats
varied all over the place.  WKTK (now WQSR - 50s') was true underground AOR
- playing the stuff no one else would touch - While the so called AORs'
played the same 20 songs over and over (Stairway and Smoke on the Water
every day for a year -- sounds like what the industry calls Alternitive
today!)  So in the beautiful 70s' while we were walking around shoping
malls, we put up with songs like Beach Baby, Me and You and A Dog named
whatever and the Starland Vocal Band.  After being bombarded by this stuff
for ten years, its no wonder some of us have a warped sense of the
seventies.  Today at least, I can find everything from the Stones to the
BoDeans on Musac (amazing that some background music producers are doing a
better job then off-air stations).
 
BTW- Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, Bonnie Raitt & Little Feat we're some of my
early influences (non of these groups/bands enjoyed AOR sucsess).
 
I have yet to hear an innovative cover of a 70s' tune in concert.  So lets
leave the 70s' to 70s' groups, and, if someone wants to sport the
alternitive badge let them reflect but not try to recreate.  If I ever have
the need to hear 70s' music in concert, I will go see some group of people
who claim to be some 70's super group attempting to sound like they did in
the 70s'.  Perhaps Steve Miller, who opened for The Dead last year on sping
tour.  Steve should have stayed home and sent the BoDeans in his stead.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The savage review... it left me gasping
But it warms my heart to see that you can do it too
 
Neil Finn - Crowded House