In Praise of Moody Midtempo AOR

I suggested "Limelight" upthread but I'm not sure it does fit with the direction the thread has gone in.

The closest might be something like Middletown Dreams from power windows.

yeah PW is probably the closest...Rush ultimately are too wholesome for this tbh

Surprised to see no mention of this, which is the moody midtempo AOR track that other moody midtempo AOR tracks refer to as The Guv'nor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRIKNINTFls

If we were to split this into sub-genres, this would be Moody Power Pop AOR:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SCzVEUlqqA

Did anyone cover Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy" between 1978 and 1988?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxVlN-LzIks

driver’s seat definitely counts

Art bell played a lot of this stuff as bumper music

BOC was mentioned upthread and I just remembered the one that should be on this: "Shooting Shark"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvsthsbbLfM

also -- jeeeeeez how could I have forgotten Mike + the Mechanics - "Silent Running" a classic of the genre

some of my favourites:

talk talk - living in another world
chris isaak - wicked game
robert palmer - you are in my system
pat benatar - love is a battlefield
the fixx - saved by zero

From the “Sunset Grill” comments, nailing the genre:

Mic Norton
..but it sounds like a place,, once you fit in you CAN'T LEAVE psychologically,, Henley sounds resigned to hangin "watching the basket people" lol but the synth seems to communicate MAROONED to me...just my opinion, y' understand...
1 year ago

Ooh, Wicked Game ... hmm. I wonder what that would sound like with a big compressed drum beat instead of brushes?

shit

“One Headlight” is a latecomer...and yes to “Saved By Zero” and “Love Is A Battlefield”!

okay getting spotify suggestions now this one is PERFECT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDcaYbeXeUI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANb1AA35o9I

Neanderthal OTM

HIM did cover "Wicked Game" with big compressed drums and distorted guitars, though, if you wanted to hear what that sounds like.

rare country song that touches on this feel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho3zVZe8Ksc

forgot that song, wow

Okay made Spotify playlist of the stuff I thought qualified on this thread. I'm prejudiced against anything with a 70s feel tbh so not much of that stuff made it, felt yacht rock to me mostly except Rafferty.

Tried to adhere to the Crockett Rule...can I imagine Sonny Crockett driving around to it at midnight in Miami

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17ioxB7tYdJvbZFaMksZFi?si=uXxdwr1eTQa3RMGmVV0P5g

Thanks for putting that together! ^^

I wish B.B. King's contribution to the genre was better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krJrurPr3Yo

Ooh, Wicked Game ... hmm. I wonder what that would sound like with a big compressed drum beat instead of brushes?

I guess there's that xx song that sounds like Wicked Game, right?

Someone mentioned Robert Cray, and there's definitely some earlier stuff that sort of fits. Like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP2EvSNHqh0

Wow, that Rod Stewart song totally fits. And the Milsap, good find!

Yeah, I immediately thought of Milsap when I saw the "rare country track" descriptor.

That spotify list is great to have, too. There are a couple of other Zevon songs that might fit if they were a tad less agitated and the lyrics weren't so pointed and acidic, like "Play It All Night Long," or "Boom Boom Mancini."

yeah I was browsing through his 80s stuff a lot of almost there, but he's so strident a lot of times

Genesis deep cut!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMEhTI-jko8

Prob some Steely: "Do It Again," "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." "Pretzel Logic" for a start...once heard a radio station visit cover of "I'm On Fire" by Olafur Arnalds, think it became a staple of that tour, fits perfectly to me. Emmylou's version of "Tougher Than The Rest," original "Meeting Across The River," with
Bruce Springsteen – vocals
Roy Bittan – piano
Richard Davis – double bass
Randy Brecker – trumpet--- and that's all he needs, except the city night air.
Recent country example: "Cold," by Chris Staples, in the wake of original "The Thrill Is Gone," and he could do a good cover of Hydra's Southern Rock proto-power ballad, "Feel A Pain."

Chris Stapleton, of course (most of that album is frustrating, though).

But if 'tis more 80s ye be wanting: "Sister Christian" should fill the bill, it seems.

"Rikki Don't Lose That Number."

IIRC that was used in a driving scene... by the cuddly but crooked dad in "Say Anything."

Not exactly Crockett material

This kinda works. I'm surprised Crockett himself doesn't turn up in the video! Most everybody else from that era does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaGfW2Ifuts

that...is a lot to process, wow

phil collins is a really great drum machine programmer

Sonically, "I'll Be Watching You" seems to fit, although words are not so much moody as straight-up sad stalker, esp. gratuitous burst of self-pity on bridge: "Oh can't you seeee", yeah we got it already.

i present here the world champeen of what Jarsch and all of you guys have been talking about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNrbrhQknLQ

I think I mentioned in another thread that when I was a kid I thought a lot of these moody songs, especially "Lunatic Fringe" "Burnin' For You" and "Voices" had to be by the same band

or perhaps this one is? we are after all talking about songs by, above, the former Argent dude and AOR hit doctor, or here the keyboardist terrorized out of his Rainbow gig by Richie B.…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT-K5hQl834

This may fit - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqsTq3WsFZ4

A loose fit, maybe. It's definitely more in phase with post-"Avalon" pop.

I just realised how much it sounds like 'Wicked Game' also.

Massive thank you for putting that Spotify playlist together xps

Haven't seen this posted yet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZR3KGKHH2U

Funny how the "Voices" video feels like the inspiration for The Limey.

This one's a bit smooth, but:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve3vqMg8xhk

a cheat cos it's another Miami Vice track but this from Steve Jones (!) is right in the pocket for foreboding plod & tough guy staring fixedly into the horizon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIWQhMjPblY

and apologies for despoiling this thread with more Australian filth but here is legendarily imcomprehensible ex-Australian Crawl singer James Reyne with his solo not-quite-smash Hammerhead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMmBwCSk6sw

This song might too canonical for this thread, but I can see this soundtracking the scene where some gangland killing in a mansion gets cross-cut with Crockett smoking in slow motion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySO-gryuO-c

I keep finding songs that seem nearly on the mark--

like Satana's (Russ Ballard penned) "Winning." Definitely mid-tempo, though the verses are a little too peppy maybe? But the moody synths undercut the chorus of repeated "I'm winning"s

yeah I was just going through that Santana album.... couple instrumental were close but yeah "Winning" is just too triumphant, really the whole concept of winning feels antithetical to the genre