Best POWER BALLADS (vanity)

Myself ^ | October 31, 2018 | A Navy Vet

[wardaddy]

Boy you are one uninformed man....I guess a man right

Aerosmith is way before REO Speedwagon?

Hardly

How old are you?

REO was formed late 60s and had first album which did well in 1971 and followed early 1972 with Golden Country which also went gold

Aerosmith was formed in 1970 and debuted in 1973 and Get Your Wings in 1974 and followed with Toys in the Attic the big one in 1975

I was 14 in 1971 and remember very well that era chronology of music

[Mears]

I was 39 in 1971——but remember Aerosmith because they were local—————and I had 5 kids.:-)

.

[wardaddy]

I was rude based on very minor provocation

That’s a cultural faux pas where I’m from

I apologize

[A Navy Vet]

This thread is not about what band formed first or in what incarnation or what songs they had first. It's about "power ballads".

Aerosmith's "Dream On" was released in 1973 and is consider an early power ballad.

REO may have formed earlier, but their first popular power ballad wasn't until 1980 with "Keep on Loving You". Their other hits were great up tempo melodic RnR with some slow ballads, which I love. Remember what I said above about the accepted tempo of a power ballad.

I was 21 in 1971, so I had a jump on you as far as rock knowledge, not to mention being a musician all my 68 years. Please stop confusing the topic with what band formed first.

[A Navy Vet]

Apology accepted, but you're still wrong about Aerosmith vs REO regarding who came first with a known power ballad. Also, I'm not claiming "Dream On" was the first power ballad ... just before REO.

Cream probably invented the power ballad with "Sunshine of Your Love". I'm willing to concede if there were others before Cream. Of course Zepplin did some power ballads, also, but they were shortly after Cream or do I have that wrong, also :)?

[A Navy Vet]

"Cream probably invented the power ballad with "Sunshine of Your Love".

should have read " invented the modern rock power ballad..."

After reading some about the definitions by critics of a power ballad, they are varied. However, they all seem to agree on a slow tempo that can build to a moderately fast tempp "Stairway To Heaven". The lyrics are about love/lost love, angst, loneliness, emotional strife, life confusion and all are melodic.

Google for yourself if you disagree. However, my intent of this article was what us rockers consider power ballads. Guess I should have been more specific.

In case no one mentioned above: Love Hurts by Nazareth.