Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 11:17 am
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Many of you will probably scoff at this, but in my latest blog post I suggest that Survivor's 1984 Top 10 hit, "High On You," might have more memorable melodic hooks than any other song. I'm not saying it's the "best" song or has the "greatest" melodies (I rarely use hyperbole), but it does feature multiple hooks, each of which would be the main hook in many artists' songs. Songwriters Jim Peterik & Frankie Sullivan have always had a knack for melodies but they really outdid themselves on this one. Mock me all you want, but I think I present a pretty strong case.
Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 12:08 pm
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Back to Survivor - I worked record retail in the late 80s/early 90s and had a few customers that weren't very happy when the AOR oriented music like this started to disappear. Fast forward to today and there are a few smaller labels in Europe that seem to be working pretty hard to revive this type of music. Frontiers Music seems to be the biggest one...they have some prog and metal artists on their label but a pretty good slice of their roster is more AOR styled. I think they are putting out the new Rick Springfield record.
Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 12:13 pm
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Jimbo wrote:
My nominee in this category: "Mamma Mia" by ABBA. The first minute alone has 4 distinct hooks.
I was thinking of ABBA when I wrote this post, Jimbo, and I agree that this song and many others have multiple hooks. The Survivor song, though, seems to have around 6-7 distinct hooks which makes it very unique. The only thing they didn't do was the Aerosmith trick of stopping the music for a few beats while the singer continues singing. I know Aerosmith didn't invent that but they did it more than most artists.
Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 12:15 pm
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JosephC wrote:
Back to Survivor - I worked record retail in the late 80s/early 90s and had a few customers that weren't very happy when the AOR oriented music like this started to disappear. Fast forward to today and there are a few smaller labels in Europe that seem to be working pretty hard to revive this type of music. Frontiers Music seems to be the biggest one...they have some prog and metal artists on their label but a pretty good slice of their roster is more AOR styled. I think they are putting out the new Rick Springfield record.
I felt the same way about prog at that time, and it's been a pleasure to watch its resurgence over the last 20 years. I haven't checked out many of the current crop of AOR bands but I'm guessing there are some great ones, and it's nice that the legends are able to release new music as well.
Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 5:31 pm
Good Stuff, Maynard!
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A couple of the hooks in this song always seemed reminiscent of "Make A Little Magic" by the (Nitty Gritty) Dirt Band, which is similarly packed with hooks. I can't exactly match up where, but the two usually intertwine in my head.
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Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 6:19 pm
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Hank wrote:
A couple of the hooks in this song always seemed reminiscent of "Make A Little Magic" by the (Nitty Gritty) Dirt Band, which is similarly packed with hooks. I can't exactly match up where, but the two usually intertwine in my head.
Nice one, Hank. I never heard that song before but you're not imagining the similarities to "High On You." Thanks for sharing this.
Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 10:51 am
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Invisible Pedestrian wrote:
Almost every song by these guys is hooks galore.
I was humming this gem the first time I saw the video on MTV in 1981.
Hasn't left my head since.
Long live The Producers!
This is a great song, Pete. I only know a handful of their songs via compilations but I like them all. This was a great era for melodic power pop/new wave. So many amazing hooks. I still can't think of a song that has as many distinct high-quality hooks as "High On You," though. I will have "Certain Kinda Girl" in my head for the rest of the day, so your job is done here.
Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 11:24 am
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Speaking of 80s new wave, "What Do All the People Know" by the Monroes is hook upon hook. Despite only reaching #59 in 1982 (the fact that their record company folded during its chart run had something to do with that), it always rates high on those "500 Best Songs of All Time" countdowns, and is in regular rotation on NYC oldies station, WCBS-FM.
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Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 11:31 am
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That's a great one, Jimbo. I didn't own the record when it came out but got an unofficial copy of the CD in the '90s. Has it ever gotten an official release?
Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 11:34 am
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The single (edited) version of the song has shown up an a number of "Best of the 80s/New Wave" compilations. I ordered a Monroes CD from Amazon a while ago, but it sounds like this song was rerecorded at some point.
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Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 1:03 pm
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I have the 5-track Monroes EP on CD and it sounds like the original version of "What Do All The People Know." It was probably a vinyl rip but I remember it sounding good when I got it. I think The Sherbs were played a lot on the radio at the same time and I used to get confused between the two groups.
Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 1:18 pm
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Jimbo wrote:
I have a boot CD of the Monroes EP. It sounds terrible, like whoever ripped it to CD turned the volume and treble all the way up.
I probably have the same one but didn't play it on a good system when I got it. I'm guessing there are much better-sounding versions out there in internet-land.
Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 3:39 pm
Good Stuff, Maynard!
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richman666 wrote:
Invisible Pedestrian wrote:
Almost every song by these guys is hooks galore.
I was humming this gem the first time I saw the video on MTV in 1981.
Hasn't left my head since.
Long live The Producers!
This is a great song, Pete. I only know a handful of their songs via compilations but I like them all. This was a great era for melodic power pop/new wave. So many amazing hooks. I still can't think of a song that has as many distinct high-quality hooks as "High On You," though. I will have "Certain Kinda Girl" in my head for the rest of the day, so your job is done here.
What's He Got is the Producers song that is more of an earworm for me.
And they're not to be confused with Producers, Trevor Horn's band with Lol Creme, Chris Braide and Ash Soan, which has since renamed itself as The Trevor Horn Band.
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Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 4:39 pm
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Hank wrote:
richman666 wrote:
Invisible Pedestrian wrote:
Almost every song by these guys is hooks galore.
I was humming this gem the first time I saw the video on MTV in 1981.
Hasn't left my head since.
Long live The Producers!
This is a great song, Pete. I only know a handful of their songs via compilations but I like them all. This was a great era for melodic power pop/new wave. So many amazing hooks. I still can't think of a song that has as many distinct high-quality hooks as "High On You," though. I will have "Certain Kinda Girl" in my head for the rest of the day, so your job is done here.
What's He Got is the Producers song that is more of an earworm for me.
And they're not to be confused with Producers, Trevor Horn's band with Lol Creme, Chris Braide and Ash Soan, which has since renamed itself as The Trevor Horn Band.
Actually, "She Sheila" is the most hook-filled of all Producers tunes for me.
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Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 4:42 pm
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Hank wrote:
richman666 wrote:
Invisible Pedestrian wrote:
Almost every song by these guys is hooks galore.
I was humming this gem the first time I saw the video on MTV in 1981.
Hasn't left my head since.
Long live The Producers!
This is a great song, Pete. I only know a handful of their songs via compilations but I like them all. This was a great era for melodic power pop/new wave. So many amazing hooks. I still can't think of a song that has as many distinct high-quality hooks as "High On You," though. I will have "Certain Kinda Girl" in my head for the rest of the day, so your job is done here.
What's He Got is the Producers song that is more of an earworm for me.
And they're not to be confused with Producers, Trevor Horn's band with Lol Creme, Chris Braide and Ash Soan, which has since renamed itself as The Trevor Horn Band.
Love the Producers album. Didn't realize Horn & company are still working together. Figured that was a one-off project. Thanks for the info.
I like when two bands with the same name exist and they're both good, even though it can be confusing. Two examples I can think of are Tempest (the '70s prog-fusion band and the '90s Celtic-rock band) and Cast ('90s Britpop band and Mexican prog-rockers).
Post subject: Survivor's "High On You" - More Hooks Than A Tackle Box
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 8:12 pm
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To me, that is definitely Survivor's best song. They are a band I just can't really get into. I have the "Ultimate" CD, and I like "Caught in the Game", "Rebel Girl", and I liked "Eye of the Tiger" when it first came out, but I'd never really play it now. I keep trying with these guys and it never clicks with me. I do agree that "High on You" is a good one, though.
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