Detroit Rock City…King Of The Night Time World…God Of Thunder…Shout It Out Loud…and…Beth?... Kiss’ 1976 album “Destroyer” provided us with many future Kiss classics…and was one of the first in what was seen as an alarming trend for hard rock and heavy metal…The Power Ballad….
Out of the chorus where we’re screaming “Shout It Shout It Shout It Out Loud!...” the song fades and you’re all pumped up and the next thing you hear is…strings…and an orchestra…and you’re thinking…did I change the record?…so you look at the album cover…and it says “Beth”… and the voice you hear is not Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons…but Peter Criss… and you find yourself listening to it and your only reaction is “What the Hell were they thinking??…” Of course they shook their head even more at the release of the disco tinged “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”…but I digress…
This is not an uncommon reaction in hard rock…actually it’s the norm. You can look on any recording by a hard rock/heavy metal band [with maybe a few exceptions…like Slayer or Pantera…] and you will find the requisite power ballad. Is it yet again, recording label machinations? Is the band selling out? Or is there something going on that could be a proven way to move album units? Each band has their own story and/or excuses. But the fact remains that the best way for a hard rock band to get radio airplay is to write a ballad to send to radio.
When people heard “Beth” [which was the B-side to the single “Detroit Rock City”, and according to Simmons, purposefully put there so the rock station had to play the A-side], they went out and bought Destroyer and immediately realized that the song was the exception, not the rule. Those that were looking for “Beth” II either were sorely disappointed by not finding it, or got into was is arguably one of the best hard rock records made. The album went on to be Kiss’ first platinum release. And the ballad was one of the factors that helped put it over the top. “Beth”, after listeners began calling radio stations to play the song, was released as the 4th single from the album, and reached #7 on the Billboard chart.
It may not happen on the first record, but somewhere down the line the band will release the “ballad” and their whole universe will change. Suddenly the A&R guys that signed them for being a rock band want them to start pumping out ballads on every record to appeal to the female crowd [and that’s the perspective of the labels, not mine…], and the pressure to succeed can be the undoing of the band.
Two negative things can potentially happen. The first is that the band cannot recreate the single that got them on the charts, and after dwindling sales numbers the band will then be dropped from the label and in most cases be in a whole lot of debt from the advance they spent already while making the album. The second is that the musicians in the band are frustrated with the new direction the label is forcing upon them, and they then quit the band and it all falls apart. Both of these scenarios have happened over and over…
An example of the former is Florida band Saigon Kick. Saigon Kick became a victim of it’s own success after the release of the second record “The Lizard”. The single “Love Is On The Way” helped bring gold status to the album and after releasing two more albums that sold in a less than stellar fashion, that didn’t contain a radio friendly hit, Saigon Kick was dropped from their label Third Stone. [During the recording of their third record “Water” they lost their lead singer, Matt Kramer, over financial issues too…]
An example of the latter is Styx…Back in 1979 the pomp-rock band Styx released what was their first #1 single in the form of “Babe”…and with the exception of Dennis DeYoung, who wrote it, the band hated it. It was the first of many directions the band took to be more pop-single oriented and eventually led to the demise of the band [That and the tour for Kilroy Was Here…], but it also produced the 3rd of 4 platinum selling albums in a row. From “Babe” to “The Best Of Times” to “Don’t Let It End” to…the end… What’s even more peculiar is that the song that got them airplay several years after it’s release in 1972 was the song “Lady”…another ballad…which charted in 1975 and started the band on it’s way to success. Such a fickle thing success…everybody wants it…nobody wants to admit they want it…and so it goes…
Regardless of what you read in the press, a lot of bands are thankful for their hit single, as it allowed them to continue and do more with their music. Billy Sheehan of Mr. Big called their hit single “To Be With You” a blessing. It sold a lot of records and allowed the band to do what they do best…rock and roll. And when it comes to those “Big 80’s Weekends…” you will more than likely hear “To Be With You”…and “Love Song” from Tesla…and sadly “Every Rose Has It’s Thorns” from Poison. But at the end of the day they get the residual revenue from the airplay…so the song keeps making them money.
And that’s the rub…rock bands don’t want a ballad so they’re not considered wimpy…but everyone has one…so why worry about it. And if it charts it sells… Shinedown is a great example of a band that put out something more radio friendly without taking away from their sound in the form of the single “If You Only Knew”…great writing on that track and a great hook. Sometimes that’s all it takes…
San Francisco band Night Ranger had [in their 80’s incarnation] two of the best guitarists out there in the form of Jeff Watson and Brad Gillis [Gillis took over for the departed Randy Rhoads in Ozzy’s band after the tragedy…and also played on the heavy metal “USA For Africa” called “Hear ‘N Aid”…], but what song are they known for?...Sister Christian of course. Watson can play an 8-finger finger tap…that’s not exactly simple[watch the video for “You Can Still Rock In America” to see it…]…and Gillis is the king of the whammy bar. But they are known for a song that starts out with acoustic piano and then builds. Joel Hoekstra is now the guitarist in place of Watson, and he and Gillis are still out there jamming, of course when they get to the encore…they take a break…
Extreme had an increase in sales for their second record “Extreme II – Pornograffiti” due to their ballad… now with a title like that…the easy listening stations are not going to come calling…and with the first track being the explosive “Decadence Dance”…they weren’t going to add it to their playlists either…but when the radio started playing what it considered a “love” song in the form of “More Than Words”…the album took off. I had the pleasure of speaking to Gary Cherone on the tour for this record and his only thoughts were that if they buy the album and just want the song that’s up to them. But if they buy the album and get into something different by hanging on and listening, then they are able to expand their audience. The album also includes an actual love song called “Hole Hearted” complete with the upbeat acoustic guitars, so if they bought it and didn’t like the band, they at least got two songs out of it.
Phil Collen of Def Leppard has been quoted as saying he hates playing the ballads. And yet he can’t argue songs like “Bringin’ On The Heartbeak” and “Love Bites” have become such a part of the catalog, and definite chart makers for the band. Bon Jovi, arguably not the hardest of rock bands, learned early that the ballad will keep the record moving, be it “Never Say Goodbye” off Slippery When Wet or “Always” off Cross Road.
Another way to get radio airplay is to have a “radio mix” for the song so that it takes away some of the edge. Warrant had a radio mix for “Heaven”, and Whitesnake took “Here I Go Again” and added more keyboards and a different guitar solo to attain more airplay. Again, this is not an unusual event. But if there is way to sanitize a hard rock song to make it more palatable to the masses..it will happen, and usually with mixed results…
So…what is my take on all this…? Well, ironically the ballads don’t bother me so much. Some are just really bad in my opinion [I’m not a fan of G’NR’s “Patience”…] and some really stand out. And if there wasn’t an audience for it…you wouldn’t be able to buy “Monster Ballads” in a 4 CD set now would you?...
So…from Nazareth’s “Love Hurts” to Black Sabbath’s “No Stranger To Love” to Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home” to Poison’s “Every Rose Has It’s Thorns”…every hard rock song has it’s ballad…and that’s just the economics of survival in the music industry… “Beth I hear you calling…”…
Thanks for coming along for the ride…
J.
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