THE BIG 4

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Comment by Wombat on August 6, 2009 at 9:00am

REO always 4th so far...still far better than so many other bands.

Comment by Jon on August 5, 2009 at 4:18pm

Kinda hard since my top 3 are interchangable, but what the heck:

Styx
Journey
Foreigner
REO

Comment by RJhog on August 5, 2009 at 3:10pm

I'll go there with you Wombat:

Journey
Styx
Foreigner
REO

Comment by Wombat on August 5, 2009 at 1:16pm

So, who's gonna be brave enough to rank them in order?

Journey
Foreigner
Styx
REO

...well tonight anyway!

Comment by Glen Catalya on July 21, 2009 at 4:57am

I saw JOURNEY last March 14 in Manila, and with their new vocalist Arnel Pineda who is a Filipino, this guy started inOlongapo City, very close to my hometown.

Comment by Glen Catalya on July 21, 2009 at 4:55am

these are their best albums for me:
REO SPEEDWAGON - Nine Lives
STYX - Pieces Of Eight
JOURNEY - Evolution
FORIEGNER -

Comment by Scott on July 12, 2009 at 4:16am

Heres my fav's

REO Speedwagon: You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish
Styx: The Grand Illusion (HANDS DOWN)
Journey: Evolution (although I find myself listening to Raised On Radio more lately)
Foreigner: Foreigner. Their debut is one of the best of all time

Comment by Gordon Williams on July 10, 2009 at 2:58pm

Ok, I've joined, and thanks for the invite! So heres my feelings on these bands....

1)Foreigner - listened to them a lot as a teenager, but no longer listen to any of their stuff, but still hear some of their tunes on radio. Thought they were ok, but as I've gotten older, just gone away from them. Favorite songs include: "Hot Blooded", "Juke Box Hero", "Double Vision" and "Back Where You Belong".

As a kid, played in a band that did 3 songs from their debut album: "Feels Like The First Time", "Headknocker", and "Long, Long Way From Home". In thinking back, I think I basically got burnt out on Foreigner. Never heard anything much from Agent Provocatuer, other than the ballad that was such a big radio hit. Being a huge fan of lead guitar, never thought Mick Jones really stood out. As a side note, I was bummed and shocked when Jason Bonham left UFO for Foreigner...I figure it was a move driven by finances.

2) Journey - my "relationship" (LOL) with Journey has been very strange, simply because, as a teenager and young adult...I freakin' hated them! Simply because they were on the radio constantly, along with Fleetwood Mac, and they were just too popish for me. At that time, if it wasn't Nugent, Kiss, Sabbath, Purple, Heap, AC-DC, UFO, Priest, or the Scorps...well I thought bands like Journey were just a bunch of pansies.

Now, fast forward 30 years, and...I freakin' love old Journey! Have I mellowed just a bit? You bet! And all these years later, a friend let me borrow his Journey Essential set, and I now realize just how talented they were/are. Neal Schon is a fantastic, and under-rated, guitarist. Steve Perry has a great voice! And some of their earlier stuff, that I never even heard until recently, actually rocks pretty well!

I absolutely love the songs "Stone In Love", "The Party's Over", "Just The Same Way", and "Feeling That Way". I also now really like some of their mellower stuff...the same stuff I hated as a kid. Songs like "Lights", "Lovin',Touchin', Feelin'", etc. And of course, other songs like "Anyway You Want It", "Wheel In The Sky"....basically, all of their old stuff I like NOW! On a personal side note....if the 18 year old me heard the 50 year old me say this...the 18 year old me would think the 50 year old me is a wuss!

3/Styx - probably my favorite of the 4 bands, but again, really liked their early stuff, and then kind of lost touch with them later on. Still think of "Equinox" as my favorite Styx album, followed by "Crystal Ball". Favorite tunes include "Midnight Ride", "Lorelei", "Lonely Child", "Suite Madam Blue", "Born For Adventure", "Crystal Ball", "Shooz", and "This Old Man".

But my all time favorite Styx tune comes from The Grand Illusion..."Miss America" totally rocks! A killer tune with attitude! And of course, "Come Sail Away" is a classic. Very few bands could/can match or beat the vocal talent in Styx. With 3 guys who could sing lead, that is pretty impressive. Oh, and a couple more great Styx songs, from Pieces of Eight..."Blue Collar Man", and "Renegade".

4/ REO Speedwagon - to me, REO was one of those very rare bands, who were actually BETTER live than in the studio. Gary Richrath was another of those sorely under-rated guitarists. He did n't shred, or use tricks really, he just played with great feel and emotion, and he was excellent at "string bending", to obtain that great feel. Anyone know what became of him?

Anyway, I speak of REO in past tense, because again, I have "faded away" from following them, especially after Richrath left. To me, if you have just one REO record, its got to be the live one, You Get What You Play For. Killer tunes from that live set include "Keep Pushin'", "157 Riverside Avenue", "Flying Turkey Trot", "Golden Country", and of course, the classic "Ridin' The Storm Out".

For studio work, I think most people think of Hi Infidelity as their best work, but I prefer You Can Tune A Piano, But You Cant Tuna Fish. In fact, I would have to rank "Roll With The Changes" as one of the best songs EVER! Would be in my personal all time greatest 50 song list, for sure. Richraths guitar work on this tune alone was outstanding, and the keyboard lead is also very killer. Other great tunes from this record include "Runnin' Blind", and a trio of more mellow, ballad-type songs..."Time For Me To Fly", "Sing To Me", and "Blazin' Your Own Trail Again".

Comment by Wombat on July 10, 2009 at 9:10am

Can't disagree with the choice of those 4. The best albums for me are;

Foreigner - 4
Journey - Escape
Styx - The Grand Illusion
REO - Nine Lives (but it's close)

Comment by THE GREEK on July 10, 2009 at 2:22am

IAM IN GREAT BANDS!!!

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