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| | Power ballad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
 | | Power ballad is the name given to a certain genre of songs that were frequently included on arena rock, hard rock and heavy metal albums in the 1970s and 1980s though the style has evolved into more modern forms since. | | | Power ballads came into popularity initially at the insistence of a record company in hope of scoring a Top Forty hit and in the genre's formative years, were written only grudgingly by band members. | | | Power ballads originated in the 1970s with arena rock bands like Styx, Boston, REO Speedwagon and Journey; indeed, the first power ballad may have been Styx's "Lady" from its 1973 album Styx II. |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_ballad
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| | ObscuroRant: In Search Of: Power Ballads |
| | Power ballad is a name given to love songs that were predictably included on heavy metal albums in the 1980s. | | | The power ballad was frequently slower in tempo and much less aggressive in lyrics than the remaining music on the album. | | | But in the medium of the power ballad, the hair bands found a way to show a tender side and sing about life after the party: broken hearts, seperation from loved ones and the loneliness of the road. |
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http://www.obscurorama.com/2004/08/in-search-of-power-ballads.html
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| | The Harvard Crimson :: Opinion :: A Time Before Nirvana |
| | The power ballad relied on strong, clear vocals, on lyrics that were simple and trite but always direct and plainly emotional, on the electric guitar and, most of all, on sheer volume. | | | The first power ballads to make it big in the '80s were hits like "Faithfully" (1983) by the five-man band Journey. | | | The soaring melody and shamelessly hackneyed lyrics of Bon Jovi's 1994 hit "Always" made it one of the most perfect power ballads ever. |
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http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=95757
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| | BigSoccer - Your all-time favorite... power ballad? |
| | It may be the number one power ballad of all time, not on musical ability (moot point in this category to begin with), but in terms of sheer cheese per second over the length of the song. | | | 29 Dec 2003 08:00 PM I guess a question is whether you are going for power rock ballads, or ballads by power rock bands (not to be confused with metal bands). | | | They weren't hair metal per se, but I don't honestly think the power ballad would have existed (at least to that extent) had "Faithfully" not spent years killing the airwaves in the 80s. |
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http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/printthread.php?t=89018
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| | Power Ballads Guitar Columns @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com |
| | Now the guitar solo in a power ballad is usually a little different than a high-energy song type of solo. | | | They'd all break big with a rock song, and then the second or third hit would be the obligatory POWER BALLAD. | | | I realise that not all power ballads are about girls. |
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http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/general_music/power_ballads.html
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| | Kansas : Power - Listen, Review and Buy at ARTISTdirect |
| | Power probably surprised longtime Kansas fans with its musical shift, but the addition of Steve Morse gave the band an interesting -- if ultimately short-lived -- new direction. | | | The album bears virtually no resemblance to the old Kansas style; in fact, it's more hard rock and pop than prog rock, and the tough-yet-sleek opener, "Silhouettes in Disguise," immediately announces the change to listeners. | | | After a three-year hiatus, Kansas re-formed in 1986, signed with MCA, and released Power. |
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http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,113093,00.html
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| | Check This Out! Bangs |
| | Maybe on this record it was captured more, but on the first record I think it was hard to tell we were a rock band and not just like a pop band. | | | I was sitting in the control room listening to her sing it for the first time and I thought "oh my god this is so sad. | | | SU: There were so many great power ballads in the 80s with all the Glam Rock bands and you think with the whole resurgence of the Glam Rock thing you would be hearing more these days. |
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http://ctomag.com/may16cto/bangs.html
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| | Journey Album Reviews |
| | Although Journey were album oriented artists (the cream of the crop being 1981’s Escape), their albums were generally highlighted by their singles, and as such this 2-cd retrospective should contain all the music that most non-hardcore Journey fans will need. | | | Aside from the so-so rocker, "Can Do," the second half of the album is a bit ballad heavy, but even their ballads usually include a Neal Schon (also formerly of Santana) guitar solo and some Perry vocal acrobatics to spice things up, plus “Winds Of March” even has an explosive jam ending. | | | Along with “Separate Ways,” this album’s signature song is “Faithfully,” one of the definitive power ballads with a great Schon/Perry climax and heart tugging lyrics about missing the missus on the road (where Perry was likely shagging anything with a pulse; oh, never mind...). |
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http://www.geocities.com/sfloman/journey.html
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| | Ballads by Reo Speedwagon (lyrics & reviews) |
| | While many hard-core REO Speedwagon fans may be more into the band's "rockers", the Power Ballad is one of the biggest contributions to the rock scene that REO Speedwagon have made. | | | Although REO Spedwagon was never able to recapture their glory days as a rock group, the music will always be savored for years to come, and power balladeers in the making. | | | This CD is a must have for fans of the rock and roll ballad and a great tribute to a terrific rock band! |
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http://www.19.5degs.com/album/ballads/15540
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| | Catallarchy » American Idol Round 3 Lady’s Night |
| | She sang a song that I am guessing was called something like “that’s the power of love,&; (the title is strangely reminiscient of the previous song isn’t it.) Anyhow it was an upbeat and very passionate song that Nadia sang with full flare. | | | I didn’t catch the title of her song, but it was a country power ballad that was mentioning something about “what could have been” not being able to hold her tight etc. She did very well with one minor problem. | | | The night started off with a fairly good performance by Vonzell Solomon who sang “Heat Wave.” The song was fun and her performance was strong, unfortunately it was forgetable in comparison with other performances later on. |
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http://catallarchy.net/blog/archives/2005/02/23/ai-round-3-ladys-night
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| | Power Me, Ballad Me: The Power Ballad Timeline (Metro Times Detroit) |
| | First man out Terry Luttrell keeps the band from reaching their power ballad potential with songs like “Prison Women,” “Dead At Last” and the almost Styxian “Anti-Establishment Man,” which whines about “spending all that money on a stupid war in Vietnam.” Mr. | | | If you lined up all the arenas these bands have simultaneously rocked and wimped out end to end, it would stretch across the universe and back six times and probably resemble one of their ludicrously impersonal album covers. | | | Formed by Santana refugees Neal Schon and Greg Rolie, the jazz-rock fusion group releases three aimless long-players before discovering the power ballad and album covers with globe-hatching intergalactic bugs. |
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http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=4998
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| | eastbayexpress.com News More Than Words |
| | Power ballads show a band's sensitive side; that life on the road can be tough on a relationship, as can stayin' late at the studio ("Just a few more hours, and I'll be right home to you..."). | | | As strange as it may sound, Journey songs like "Open Arms" and "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' " aren't power ballads, since Journey was only hard rock at best. | | | Only this time the bands have adopted an ingenious approach to music marketing: Make each song a combo ballbreaker/power ballad, thereby appealing to both males and females simultaneously. |
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http://www.eastbayexpress.com/issues/2002-03-27/planet_1.html
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| | Guitar.com - THE Portal for Guitar Enthusiasts |
| | Without saying you want this to be a power ballad, I (and most people, likely) would judge those lyrics to be death metal or some form of metal. | | | I've shown it to a few girls who did were visibly saddened by the lyrics, sniffling and stuff. | | | There are some points where screams are necessary, given the emotionally troubling subject matter of the song, but I think that's alright taking the context of the song into account. |
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http://www.guitar.com/discuss/readmsg.asp?MessageID=4371769&sPath=
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| | Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night - review |
| | The longest song on "Reckoning Night" is a mid-tempo ballad with an epic touch called "White Pearl, Black Ocean" which reminds me a bit of "The Power Of One" or "The Ruins Of My Life" on their past albums. | | | On "Reckoning Night" you can find as well the typical Sonata-style songs like the fast opener "Misplaced" or the power ballad "My Selene" which is as well my favorite song of this album, perhaps because the catchy chorus and great melodies. | | | Sonata Arctica are back with their 4th studio album and on their way to conquer the Finnish throne of Melodic Power Metal. |
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http://www.tartareandesire.com/reviews/sonataarctica_reckoningni.html
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| | [No title] |
| | The second sensible reason for embracing the power ballad is this: no matter how creative or powerful or gutsy or idiosyncratic it manages to be, rock critics despise heavy metal. | | | Every new band releases a ballad right out of the box, first single off of every album. | | | Finally, I resolutely stick up for power ballads using the best reason of all--some of them are just damn good music. |
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http://www.metal-reviews.com/spot/farrell5.htm
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| | The CHUD.COM Message Boards - Power Ballads |
| | I think it's actually a diservice to the song to label it power ballad though (even though I guess that's what is it) it's just a truly beautiful, operatic rock song. | | | Basically, any song (1)by a hard rock act having (2) sad/sappy lyrics and (3)starting slow and soft and building to a bombastic/dramatic crescendo qualifies as a power ballad in my eyes. | | | Piano, lame lyrics soaked in heartache or longing, goes on entirely too long, and a bitchin' guitar solo (in this case, two!). |
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http://www.chud.com/forums/printthread.php?t=59566
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| | Top Ten Power Ballads - Staff Top 10 - Stylus Magazine |
| | The band tried to make nice to their forebears with their all-ballad album Unplugged in New York, but the damage was done. | | | It’s not even the best ballad on the album. | | | Lodged in the carnivalia of their 2004 debut The Man in the Blue Turban With a Face is this tinkling snowglobe. |
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http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=2217
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| | The Glory of Love Revisiting the Power Ballad - NadaMucho Music Interviews, Reviews and Events |
| | The song delves into the longing to return home from the road, a theme which pops up on many power ballad classics of the time, even those whose creators had just released their debut album and could not possibly know the pain of extended touring. | | | This is a good song from one of the bands that came out toward the end of metal’s heyday. | | | The follow up, Theater of Pain, featured this lilting power ballad with Tommy Lee on piano and drums (presumably not at the same time). |
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http://www.nadamucho.com/Music_49.html
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| | Music (062498) |
| | One of the most engaging songs on the disc, the pretty, midtempo ballad "Stars," was written by Biz and features harmony vocals by studio guest Caitlin Flynn and mandolin lines by Shirley Woodcock-Kolb. | | | Benny's back with an album of power ballads, while Oz & Biz return with pop | | | With his powerful, raspy voice sounding at times like a wounded Michael Bolton, Mardones reaches deep into his heart to belt out these highly charged tunes. |
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http://newtimes.rway.com/1998/062498/music.htm
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| | The Saturday Boy: There will be no moratorium on... |
| | Charlie - point taken on the ladies (since my other definition of 'power ballad' is "a song I used to sing really loudly into my hairbrush in my bedroom when I'd been dumped") and definitely agree on T'Pau and also agree with Ray on the Foreigner and Jennifer Rush tracks. | | | They took the tropes of power balladry and put their own po-faced spin on them. | | | Power Ballad: Any song that sounds remotely like Journey's "Faithfully". |
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http://thesaturdayboy.typepad.com/the_saturday_boy/2005/02/there_will_be_n.html
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| | Amazon.com: Unseen Power: Music: Petra |
| | They spend the entire album slamming, and only slow down near the end, and the last track ("In the Likeness of You") is just as beautiful as the rest of the album is rocking. | | | The band has always had a very beautifully polished sound, and this album is a perfect example of that. | | | A lot of Petra fans think this album is too heavy, but it actually sounds like the band really mean business and are giving it their all. |
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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000286T?v=glance
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| | Popstrology: What's Your Sign? |
| | Like a popstrological neutron bomb, the power ballad caused a massive loss of life, musically speaking, but left the surface of things undamaged. | | | If Peter Cetera, Phil Collins, and synthy marimba solos in place of guitars are not your bag, then you will agree with those who say that there was little in the way of positive trickle-down from the Reaganrock revolution. | | | REO Speedwagon had once been rockers, and they still looked like rockers, but Keep On Lovin' You definitely didn't rock. |
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http://www.popstrology.com/lookup_reaganrock.html
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| | Best Power Ballads - Whitney-Fan.com Web Board |
| | This song shows the raw power of her voice. | | | You know, the songs where the singer is just belting it out, the music has great drama in it, and you just sit there in awe with goosebumps. | | | -This song is more powerful live than it is on record. |
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http://www.whitney-fan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=736
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| | JoeUser.com - JoeUser.com: The age of the power ballad |
| | The ballads are what got me started listening to Metallica. | | | "Angel Eyes." Steelheart was the epitome of a "one hit wonder." After being terribly impressed with the initial power ballad, I eagerly awaited the release of their debut album (released a few weeks after the single.) That was quite the letdown! | | | If you haven't heard this song for a while, I bet that it will be a refreshing listen. |
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http://www.joeuser.com/index.asp?c=1&AID=34089
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| | Rock-Web : 80s power rock |
| | I like some boogie rock and earnest early 80s power ballad rock like Streeheart or Harlequin..but then I usually only like one song on an album. | | | Its swirling tracks, combined with Enigk's trying-too-hard yelps made it sound like a long lost collection of '80s power ballads rather than a progressive album made by rock veterans. | | | They have their roots deep into 80s power metal and they also have... |
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http://www.rock-web.com
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| | AVENGED SEVENFOLD: Waking the Fallen (Hopeless) |
| | Blending catchy riffs with a unique and varied musical dynamic, the band fuses metal and punk with 80's power ballad stamina. | | | These elements, combined with lead singer, Shadow's smooth harmonies and blistering screams provide a truly impressive base for the group's poetic, heartfelt lyrics. | | | Avenged Sevenfold has introduced the populace to a new sound. |
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http://www.thenightowl.com/reviews/avenged.htm
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| | Metal Express Radio |
| | Power Quest music is somewhere in-between early Helloween and today’s Power Metal greats such as Edguy and Stratovarius. | | | The synth solos are great, and while not being totally new to Power Metal, bring new life into a genre where all bands sound very similar. | | | As for the rest of the song, it’s just what you will have already become used to, until the acoustic break that brings in some medieval music elements, just before the solo. |
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http://www.metalexpressradio.com/menu.php?main=reviews&id=1216
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| | Additional Reading (from pop ballad) -- Encyclopædia Britannica |
| | Chuck Eddy, The Accidental Evolution of Rock'n'Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music (1997), examines “the power ballad” and the rise of the slow rock song. | | | Text of some poems by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, from the original edition of Lyrical Ballads, in 1798. | | | Nicholas E. Tawa, The Way to Tin Pan Alley: American Popular Song, 1866–1910 (1990), is a well-researched account of how the pop ballad became central to the American popular music business. |
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http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-93694
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| | Eye - Movie soundtracks exposed! - 07.16.98 |
| | Poignant power ballad: Nerf Herder's "Don't Hate Me (Because I'm Beautiful)" -- exactly like their theme song for Buffy the Vampire Slayer except with lyrics and a string section. | | | Poignant power ballad: Dutch's remix of Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll (Part 2)," possibly the last unironic use of an arena classic. | | | Poignant power ballad: Elastica's "Human," in which they use the part of that Wire song they didn't take for "Connection." |
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http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_07.16.98/rolling/soundtrax16.html
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| | Various Artists: Heart of Metal - PopMatters Music Review |
| | Even for a genre as dodgy as the power ballad (loosely defined: any love song by a metal band from the mid- to late eighties), there is a right way to do a compilation record. | | | Heart of Metal is a one disc, one-off collection of power ballads that is almost completely careless. | | | Even the requisite catchy name is a lazy pun since there is no doubt metal bands put a lot more "heart" into the songs about sex and drugs than the sappy love ballads that Heart of Metal celebrates. |
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http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/various/various-heartofmetal.shtml
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| | Reviews for Justin Richard - SoundClick Music |
| | There's a thinness to the sound that definitely doesn't help the material register unless this kind of music is what floats your aural boats, in which case you will be in power ballad heaven and not listening to me anyway. | | | Mind you, most people are not the kind of technical nitpickers I am so they will probably judge the track on the content of the song, and what they will find is a well performed, definitely American sounding power ballad with all the right ingredients if not exactly baked to perfection. | | | Gotta say that's OK by me because I do like a bit of pop, the more power the better I say. |
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http://www.soundclick.com/bands/reviews.cfm?bandid=281812
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| | Discussion Board |
| | I'm not sure you could call this song a ballad but it defenitly has power. | | | I can't see this song as an attempt to gain a wider audiance or to appeal to girls. | | | Groups > Topical Groups > Rock & Pop Music Groups > Rock and Pop Music > Power ballads |
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http://friendfinder.com/intgroups/gi41/qi16403/acview_thread_message.html?highid=7555550_94787
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| | [No title] |
| | At first glance, it's obvious that what we're referring to here is a sappy love song that's not actually all that powerful but is really just demonstrative and cloying. | | | I can think of at least one: it's called "the majority of songs by the Who". | | | I >hadn't ever KNOWINGLY heard one of their songs and I must have glanced >over that one in the list. |
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http://www.fegmania.org/archives/fegmaniax/1998/v07.n390
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| | Best Power Ballads of the 80's |
| | "The Flame" was just their slower love song, tailored to fit in with the power ballad sound, but it's superior IMHO to many of the others. | | | Ok I am not the best at remembering what year songs were written so I hope these are all 80's. | | | I often heard these songs as the first by many of the above bands. |
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http://www.inthe00s.com/index.php?topic=7026.30
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| | Backstreet Boys Pick Power Ballad For Their Comeback Single |
| | Though usually songs marking a return are fast-paced, this lead-off song is ` brace yourself ' a power ballad. | | | The Backstreet Boys promised that the first single from their forthcoming new album would be a shocker... | | | Backstreet Boys Pick Power Ballad For Their Comeback Single |
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http://www.backstreet.net/www.cgi?x=show&d=news&i=050315-2115-01&c=0
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| | 10 ballads for the ages (plus 1) |
| | So to celebrate the sweeping strings, heartfelt lyrics and searing guitar solos, here are 11 classic power ballads of rock and roll and what makes them so unforgettable, listed by the song and artist, its highest chart position according to Billboard Pop Singles/Hot 100 and a bit about each band. | | | BIT: Chester Bennington sounds like a rap-metal Geddy Lee (Rush) on this smash. | | | The fact that it won a Grammy just made the pain worse. |
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http://www.azcentral.com/ent/music/articles/0302nickelback0302.html
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| | [No title] |
| | And as a Bolan fan I particularly love the > way > > they recite the words to the ancient T.Rex album track The Visit over an > > elctronic backdrop for the first track. | | | > > > > Spiritualised - Amazing Grace (especially The Ballad of Richie Lee) > > > > Tarwater - Silur (Great album. | | | And the outdoor recorded M62 Song has a certain > charm, > > too) > > > > Electric Six - Danger! |
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http://www.smoe.org/lists/idealcopy/v07.n034
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| | how about a "Power Ballad" competition? forum topic - MySongBook |
| | I actually have a couple power ballads already on the site that I could enter, complete with lyrics. | | | Use Guitar Pro to open, view and listen the tabs of MySongBook ! | | | personally, if a power ballad is well done it can sound heavy and beautiful. |
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http://www.mysongbook.com/forum-posts-id_topic=11627.htm
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| | Bold power ballad |
| | A Big, bold power ballad from the sexy South American singer. | | | Doesn't have the hip-swivelling grooves of her previous hit singles. |
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http://www.messenger.net.au/pulse/htm/shak22.html
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| | Koders Search: satire |
| | "chorus", "easy listening", "acoustic", "humour", "speech", "chanson", "opera", "chamber music", "sonata", "symphony", "booty bass", "primus", "porn groove", "satire", "slow jam", "club", "tango", "samba", "folklore", "ballad", "power ballad", "rhythmic soul", "freestyle", "duet", "punk rock", "drum solo", "a capella", "euro house", | | | "Symphonic Rock","Slow Rock","Big Band","Chorus","Easy Listening", "Acoustic","Humour","Speech","Chanson","Opera","Chamber Music", "Sonata","Symphony","Booty Bass","Primus","Porn Groove","Satire", "Slow Jam","Club","Tango","Samba","Folklore","Ballad","Power Ballad", "Rhythmic Soul","Freestyle","Duet","Punk Rock","Drum Solo","A Cappella", "Euro-House","Dance Hall","Goa","Dr... | | | "Acoustic", "Humour", "Speech", "Chanson", "Opera", "Chamber Music", "Sonata", "Symphony", "Booty Bass", "Primus", "Porn Groove", "Satire", "Slow Jam", "Club", "Tango", "Samba", "Folklore", "Ballad", "Power Ballad", "Rhythmic Soul", "Freestyle", "Duet", "Punk Rock", "Drum Solo", "A Cappella", |
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http://www.koders.com/?s=satire
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| | Lostprophets Forums - Power ballad appreciation. |
| | but in case you wondered if the trend has disappeared, then Avenged Sevenfold's "I wont see you tonight part 1" IS a power ballad, whether u like it or not. | | | SHIT, cher - if i could turn back time. | | | because that's what i call a power punching song. |
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http://uk.sonymusic.co.uk/forums/lostprophets/showthread.php?t=5306
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| | Slow Math : Power ballad |
| | Just in case you don't know, they were one of the sweetest power pop bands ever, which everyone thought was gone after their label got bought by another label, which then dropped them, and they broke up (I think). | | | I had this dream the other night in which I accompanied my family to a church service where the congregation was led in a rousing rendition of the Silver Sun song "Sharks." Then this morning I got the new Aquarius... | | | It was evil so I had to defeat it with my telekinetic powers. |
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http://slowmath.org/then/2005/10/16-power_ball
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| | A Quick Spin |
| | The bad news is, the new record is more of the same. | | | Vince Gill is right at home on harmony vocals for "If She Were Any Other Woman": It's exactly the kind of syrupy power ballad he would have recorded in his heyday 10 years ago. | | | "Back to You," a dreamy power ballad about love; "Run Away Home," a power ballad about responsibility; and "Addicted to the Rain," a power ballad built around a metaphor, add up to a lot of rising vocals and overheated sentiment. |
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/03/AR2005050301360_pf.html
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| | GUSTO: The Power Ballad Hall of Fame |
| | It's true, the power ballad is a viable musical form. | | | But as with every musical form, there are good power ballads and bad power ballads. | | | Three Doors Down has written a bad power ballad, but the fact that it's all over the radio is testimony to how much people love those things. |
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http://www.dailygusto.com/arts/october/ballads-103103.html
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