Best Side A, Track #1 on an 1981 Rock Album

YellowSnow

RaceBannon

Don't Stop Believing - Journey (Escape)

Fuck you DeBoer I'm not stopping

YellowSnow

Tom Sawyer - Rush (Moving Pictures)

RaceBannon said:

Fuck you DeBoer I'm not stopping

I’ve been on a critical reappraisal journey of Journey the past few years, but DeBoer stopped it dead in its tracks.

RaceBannon

Don't Stop Believing - Journey (Escape)

Neil Schon is great

And it's great pop

DerekJohnson

Start Me Up - Rolling Stones (Tattoo You)

This was a TUFF list. I could have gone with four different songs

That was a great time for music

YellowSnow

Tom Sawyer - Rush (Moving Pictures)

RaceBannon said:

Neil Schon is great

And it's great pop

The "Voice" is what appeals to me most about their sound. Dude had some serious range.

BleachedAnusDawg

For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) - AC DC

Tough for me to go against VH, but Over The Mountain kicks ass and Randy Rhoads get the BleachedAnusDawg shredder supreme seal of approval on this cut. My unsolicited thoughts on other songs on the list:

• In the Air Tonight - HATE this song. Way overused in sports and tv/movies. Kind of surprised to learn that this is the album opener.
  
• Start Me Up - I can't take the repetitiveness of the lyrics and I'm on record of being a Stones hater.
  
• Don't Stop Believing - Wuss song that was semi-fun 20 years ago at 1 am at the club after a night of drinking. I liked Journey more as a 15 year old than I do now which says a lot about their music, IMO.
  
• Tom Sawyer - Probably Rush's best song, IMO, and it was used well in The Waterboy so it gets my stamp of approval.
  
• For Those About to Rock - Badass song. Fire! AC/DC should get more pub on this board.
  
• Mean Street - Great song. Couldn't vote for this one primarily because VH has other album opening tracks that are better.
  
• The Waiting - Upon listening, I determined that I've definitely heard this before but didn't know the song name since I'm not a Petty fan.
  
• In the Dark - Good song and I like some Squire stuff, but definitely not as good as other songs on this list.
  

YellowSnow

Tom Sawyer - Rush (Moving Pictures)

BleachedAnusDawg said:

Tough for me to go against VH, but Over The Mountain kicks ass and Randy Rhoads get the BleachedAnusDawg shredder supreme seal of approval on this cut. My unsolicited thoughts on other songs on the list:

• In the Air Tonight - HATE this song. Way overused in sports and tv/movies. Kind of surprised to learn that this is the album opener. Skrong Agree
  
• Start Me Up - I can't take the repetitiveness of the lyrics and I'm on record of being a Stones hater. Kill yourself. Not impressive lyrically, but one of the greatest, greasy Open G riffs ever put to tape
  
• Don't Stop Believing - Wuss song that was semi-fun 20 years ago at 1 am at the club after a night of drinking. I liked Journey more as a 15 year old than I do now which says a lot about their music, IMO. Hate this song. It's right there with Sweet Caroline in cheesiness factor.
  
• Tom Sawyer - Probably Rush's best song, IMO, and it was used well in The Waterboy so it gets my stamp of approval. One of the greatest first 10 secs of any song ever recorded.
  
• For Those About to Rock - Badass song. Fire! AC/DC should get more pub on this board. AC DC was runner up in our battle of the bands in 2018. Plenty of love here.
  
• Mean Street - Great song. Couldn't vote for this one primarily because VH has other album opening tracks that are better. Agree
  
• The Waiting - Upon listening, I determined that I've definitely heard this before but didn't know the song name since I'm not a Petty fan. Good song, but not essential Tom Petty
  
• In the Dark - Good song and I like some Squire stuff, but definitely not as good as other songs on this list. Agree
  

Joey

Mean Street - Van Halen (Fair Warning)

Never enough Eddie

BleachedAnusDawg

For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) - AC DC

YellowSnow said:

BleachedAnusDawg said:

Tough for me to go against VH, but Over The Mountain kicks ass and Randy Rhoads get the BleachedAnusDawg shredder supreme seal of approval on this cut. My unsolicited thoughts on other songs on the list:

• In the Air Tonight - HATE this song. Way overused in sports and tv/movies. Kind of surprised to learn that this is the album opener. Skrong Agree
  
• Start Me Up - I can't take the repetitiveness of the lyrics and I'm on record of being a Stones hater. Kill yourself. Not impressive lyrically, but one of the greatest, greasy Open G riffs ever put to tape
  
• Don't Stop Believing - Wuss song that was semi-fun 20 years ago at 1 am at the club after a night of drinking. I liked Journey more as a 15 year old than I do now which says a lot about their music, IMO. Hate this song. It's right there with Sweet Caroline in cheesiness factor.
  
• Tom Sawyer - Probably Rush's best song, IMO, and it was used well in The Waterboy so it gets my stamp of approval. One of the greatest first 10 secs of any song ever recorded.
  
• For Those About to Rock - Badass song. Fire! AC/DC should get more pub on this board. AC DC was runner up in our battle of the bands in 2018. Plenty of love here.
  
• Mean Street - Great song. Couldn't vote for this one primarily because VH has other album opening tracks that are better. Agree
  
• The Waiting - Upon listening, I determined that I've definitely heard this before but didn't know the song name since I'm not a Petty fan. Good song, but not essential Tom Petty
  
• In the Dark - Good song and I like some Squire stuff, but definitely not as good as other songs on this list. Agree
  

I also just realized I'm a reh-tard and voted for the wrong song. Did not have my reads down.

RaceBannon

Don't Stop Believing - Journey (Escape)

The way Schon weaves the guitar into the Don't Stop Believin opening is first rate. Journey is pop and schlock and everything else the snobs say except they have one of the great rock guitarists to save them. Journey before Steve Perry was a legit 70s rock band. KISW loved them

And 13 year old Schon played with Carlos Santana

YellowSnow

Tom Sawyer - Rush (Moving Pictures)

RaceBannon said:

The way Schon weaves the guitar into the Don't Stop Believin opening is first rate. Journey is pop and schlock and everything else the snobs say except they have one of the great rock guitarists to save them. Journey before Steve Perry was a legit 70s rock band. KISW loved them

And 13 year old Schon played with Carlos Santana

I'm still in my "Feeling That Way" schlock phase. That song fucking bangs.

Joey

Mean Street - Van Halen (Fair Warning)

RaceBannon said:

The way Schon weaves the guitar into the Don't Stop Believin opening is first rate. Journey is pop and schlock and everything else the snobs say except they have one of the great rock guitarists to save them. Journey before Steve Perry was a legit 70s rock band. KISW loved them

And 13 year old Schon played with Carlos Santana

I heard Lukather is better though

Laocoön

Tom Sawyer - Rush (Moving Pictures)

Honorable mentions:

https://youtu.be/xHR-rzUjCzU?si=bNtgAtxSrqrPLARL

Does KrautROCK count??
https://youtu.be/5ybQWD6N6Zo?si=R97wU6d4IXZP4VJ6

PurpleThrobber

1981 was a good year, not a great year for tunes. Kind of a transition between 70s and the second British Invasion.

People forget Bette Davis Eyes was the top song in 1981.

Don’t Stop Believing topped out at #8


The Throbber actually likes Stone in Love and Open Arms more from the same album.

Joey

Mean Street - Van Halen (Fair Warning)

PurpleThrobber said:

1981 was a good year, not a great year for tunes. Kind of a transition between 70s and the second British Invasion.

People forget Bette Davis Eyes was the top song in 1981.

Don’t Stop Believing topped out at #8


The Throbber actually likes Stone in Love and Open Arms more from the same album.

So does the Joey

CFetters_Nacho_Lover

In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins (Face Value)

Don’t Stop Believing is the greatest karaoke jam ever.

YellowSnow

Tom Sawyer - Rush (Moving Pictures)

CFetters_Nacho_Lover said:

Don’t Stop Believing is the greatest karaoke jam ever.

And Husky Stadium makes the world's greatest nachos.