Great to hear some UK based praise for Duke Jupiter. Taken me a long time to find their entire back catalogue here in the UK, but now i have it but nobody else i know has even heard of them!
I always dug that Alias CD, and used to play it a lot when l worked in record stores in the 90s. I know of Duke Jupiter through osmosis, but wasn’t familiar with their music until Mista Pardo previously mentioned them in an old video. I checked out the “Here’s To You” song and liked it. I just can’t believe I don’t recall that tune when l remember multiple tracks by a band like Novo Combo, from the same time period. Perhaps DJ were just not played on NYC rock radio, back in the day. With both UK konnektion katz loving “The Duke,” I’ll have to delve into them further. After all the bile that was hurled at that particular platter by the Tygers of Pan Tang, l must listen to it NOW!! Cheers from Noo Yawk, ova heyah. Rock Out & Prog On! Frog 🐸 On in any lexicon! ~ Chauncey Marwood Oglethorpe III
Thanks Simon, Steven and Pete for keeping AOR alive. Too little people talk about AoR I'm just 27 years old my mother who is around your age (I assume) made me fell in love AoR, survivor, foreigner, journey great stuff.. One suggestion for a couple album(s), Orion The hunter self titled, Airrace ''Shaft of Light'' or Streets (any of the two) great albums we both really like those.
Since you mentioned those bands, see if you can find Serpentine. They were a short-lived mid-2010s melodic hard rock band that were absolutely terrific but I suppose due to lack of support they had to pack it in. A definite hidden gem.
@@Vinnie857 Thanks for your suggestion. I just searched for it and found ''Where does your heart beat now'' great song. Too bad they didn't continue and I can't seem to find them on spotify either.
Duke Jupiter!! Haven’t heard that name in years, band is from Rochester NY And as Steven said, I like IPA’s, I like G&T’s, but as a beer, no thanks 😂 Nice history on Alias, those Heart guys are great players, Fisher is never at talked about, but had some iconic solo’s
Completely agree Eric. What was interesting, but I forgot to mention it, was that those guys were dispatched with before Heart headed down the melodic rock route and then they ended up in a band that arguably rocked even softer! Duke Jupiter were something of a revelation to me, but not always for the right reasons.
Great show as ever gents. I had only heard the Alias one before, but sought out the others to have a listen and have to agree with the overall assessments. Keep up the good work.
Great show guys and glad AOR/Melodic rock gems will be a monthly going forward. Don't know Duke Jupiter, I'll have to check them out. Alias is a terrific pick, and Tygers were tremendous at the forefront of NWOBHM. Had the pleasure of hanging out with Jess Cox about 20 years ago at a metal convention and heard some great stories. Sure they got a little lost along the way in the mid- to late-eighties like many, but their impact overall is undeniable. There are so many great AOR gems from back in the day but if I might make a suggestion, one that Steven will appreciate (I don't know Simon's tastes that well, and Pete maybe). How about Shy? In my opinion one of the best of the genre back in the '80s, '90s, and '00s! Indeed they transcended the '80s "Hair" Metal era and released some terrific albums, but perhaps best known for Excess All Areas. Lead singer Tony Mills rivaled the best of the high-pitched vocalists of the time--tremendous singer--later fronted TNT, went solo, and a little known Welsh band called Serpentine in the mid-2010s. Steve Harris was an excellent guitarist and the band overall were a talented tight unit that in my opinion were much better than the others who made it big at the time. Shy's later albums featured a more organic sound consistent with the times but no less impactful. Steven, what say you? Simon? Do we have any advocates for Shy? 😉
Hey Vinnie, yes we do indeed have an advocate for Shy here. Great band and they will definitely feature on the show at some point, but not sure when. The short list we have is very long indeed! lol!! Great to see some love for the band.
3. Duke Jupiter - 1 If you told me this was recorded in 1974 I wouldn’t be surprised. Honky tonk...boogie...Joe Cocker. lyrics: ‘You and I always did it better in a motel room’ hahaha! 2. Alias - Alias Starts out and finishes well. I like ‘Waiting for love’ oddly enough. Middle has a couple of Bon Jovi-ish songs (‘Haunted heart’ & ‘One more chance’). ‘Heroes’ (yikes...Yikes!) 1. Tygers of Pan Tang - Burning in the Shade Good start. Then the vibe is ruined by ‘Maria’. Some really good solo work on here. Is it wrong to like ‘Dream Ticket’ as much as I do?
I grew up in Rochester in the 70's & got to see Duke Jupiter play on a number of occasions,mostly at outdoor concert events.I remember when 1st LP Sweet Cheeks was released (produced by Chuck Leavell) and really liked it.Southern AOR kind of nails it.They were all great musicians and live they rocked a bit harder than the LP.
yeah man, i’m 44 so they were before my time but i’ve been down many youtube rabbit holes with duke jupiter because i am also from roxhester ny. these guys DEF had the chops and they understood how to write songs but they JUST short of refining there’s songs to take them to the big leagues a la zz, j geils, etc….i think i’d they had a producer that could mood them a bit more and slightly craft the song a bit more refined they could’ve been even bigger.
At the time of the NWOBHM the Tygers were one of my all time favourites - cemented through seeing them live on my birthday at Bournemouth TWon HAll with Jess Cox and Johns Sykes. Then Cox is goine and Deverill comes in andthey trun in tow fantastic albums in Spellbound and Crazy Nights and as Sykes goes and Purser comes in they brought out one of the albums I played the most durng the summer of 82 in the CAge and then appeared at Reading Rock and all was great with the wrld - then they went away came back with teh Wreck-Age, played live on ECT and yaaay they't back, albeit wihtout most of the orginals then I went off in a Thrash direction but later on decided that I had to coplte my collection so ended up with Burning in the Shade- more like Turning in the Shite. I have said on Twitter that I used to wear a jacket like Steve Lamb does in the rear pic to the CD - didnt have enough characters to then also say that Brian DIck looks totally like he wishes he wasnt there. If this had been the Cage I'd be keepig it. Never heard of Duke Jupiter - streamed the album on Deezer, after the first couple of listens I got a 70's Sammy Hagar (when he was at his best) channeling Foghat kind of vibe and would have sworn they were a Southern Rock band if I hadnt read that they were from Rochester New York. Alias , as Steven said, is a quintessential AOR album, but was too late to the party. I had to have it due to the presence of FIsher, Fossen and Derosier, being a big fan of those early Heart albums - however as Pete said you really wouldnt know Roger Fisher is on it if it didnt say so. I'm with Simon in wanting to keep both the Alias and Duke albums as they are so very different to each other that they can both scratch a particular musical itch. Unfortunately though I also have the Tygers CD though apart form last week I've never listened it it since I firtst boght it and doubt I'll listen toit ever again - htough I suppose its worth keeping hold of just to be able to bring out in case I ever get asked to identify and album that should never have been released - or at least not under the name of the band it was released under. I dont have that many absoute stinkers in my collection, though that is definitely one of them.
Thank you as always, love to see a Marcie Free show, talking about classic Aor of her debut, Long Way From Love, to the crunchy melodic rock of the Unruly Child debut, plus Signal with Loud and clear and finally a King Kobra release. Could tie in with the 30th anniversary of the first Gods of Aor, which of course featured Marcie Free
I wouldn't think we'll do a Marcie Free special Chris, but some of her albums are likely to feature at some point. Some genuine classics there. Thanks for watching!
Good one Iain, yes great show, Shotgun Symphony very good, managed to meet Marcie, actual sound recording on you tube of the MK show, I remember reading an interview with The Quest, and they had mentioned that they were not invited, might have to do some research
Steven, I am going to be in Scotland very soon and I am going to make my best effort to stop by the Abernyte Brewery while I’m there. The beers you have featured from them on several of the UK Connection shows look great - that Doppelbock looks fantastic. I am really looking forward to our visit. Anyway, today’s beer is another in the Rush beer series from the Henderson Brewery in Toronto, Canada, called Moving Pitchers (see what they did there😉). This is a Belgian style beer brewed with a Pinot Noir wine must. It’s very tasty and complex - you definitely get a hint of the wine must, but it’s not overwhelming. This beer is a whopper at 11.9% ABV - one of these will send you to Xanadu (they actually just released a new Rush beer called Xanabrew)😄 Cheers gentlemen 🍻
Mike, Abernyte Brewery doesn't have a store to stop at and buy their beers, but they are available in some stores locally. I'll try and find out the best place to get them (I buy them when they have their twice annually beer festivals and through a relative) and let you know. Your beer sounds excellent!
That is good to know, Steven. I was wondering when I looked at their website - the location seemed a little cryptic and there didn’t seem to be any definitive hours of operation. I looked at their “Where to buy” map and we can probably get to one of those locations during our driving trip (we start in Edinburgh for a few days, then rent a car and drive the country - on the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car for us Americans🤯😂). If you have a specific recommendation on buying their beer, that would be great…thanks!
Steven, our Scotland trip will take us to Edinburgh, Pitlochry, Inverness (some Speyside distilleries will be involved 🥃), Isle of Skye, Oban and back to Edinburgh. So we will come up through the Perth area where I will seek out some Abernyte beers - fingers-crossed🤞.
Three very good albums for this episode (even the Tygers' album. Fun fact: Steve Thompson helped set up the metal label, Neat Records 🙂). Duke Jupiter 1 has just been re-released by Iconoclassic Records.
My life is complete, I have actually heard of one of the groups :) Tygers Of Pan Tang. Must admit my knowledge of a lot of genres of rock is limited cos I only started listening to heavier music in 1995. I was working for a local radio station and was told that someone, IE me, had to present a weekly rock programme and it has been downhill ever since. thanks lads for another superb show.
@@TranquilityFireReid Hi Steve. I played mainly heavy rock and metal, Sepultura, Slayer, Rotting Christ etc. I knew nothing about heavy music before I did the rock show, had to learn fast. Was in a band in the 80's who played pop. I had always liked Tull, Yes and my fav is Peter Gabriel era Genesis so I also played a lot of prog and some hardcore on the show as well. Sorry for wittering on, once I get talking about music I can't stop :) cheers, Colin
@@colbefc Ah well, you played some great stuff then. I do love a bit of Slayer or Sepultura and the likes of Tull and Gabriel are right up my street. Oh, and never apologise for talking about music! Cheers!
Thank you for another three new-to-me listens, gentlemen. Thought I'd mention that I saw UK Connection favourites DARE on their joint UK tour last night with Tyketto and FM. All three bands were excellent. Tyketto in particular are amazing. If you have a chance to see them, please do- you'll have a blast. Alias - quintessential AOR. Hard to fault, though perhaps a little glossy (like so much of this stuff, I think it would really come to life in a live setting). Haunted Heart and Waiting for Love are highlights. More Than Words Can Say - I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on that one :-D Duke Jupiter - well played, melodic soft rock. Sounds at times like it was from 10 years earlier. Tygers of Pan Tang - MARIAAAA I sort of love that album cover (should I? He's not even in the shade...). It's curious that every time I listen I think how many things I find really catchy here (Dream Ticket, Sweet Lies, Circle of the Dance and others), but between listens I struggle to remember much of it. I can absolutely see why the NWOBHM fans hated this, but I find the least heavy parts of the album the strongest. The opener is a little weak IMO, and maybe a stronger vocal would have taken this to new heights, but overall it's not too bad. Not an overlooked masterpiece, but not bad.
@@simonbrayfromsot1375 Caught them at the Garage in Glasgow and rest assured, it's a top quality night, with just enough variety in soundscape across the acts to make for a fantastic night. The sheer range of top notch tracks across the setlists is ridiculous!
@@garykelly9475 I had intended to go, but it never happened. What a great triple bill, but thankfully I've seen them all previously and in the case of FM a fair few times.
@@TranquilityFireReid tyketto announced they are headlining Saturday at winter storm too. It's a great triple bill, and not not normally a fan, especially at the garage and its sister club the cathouse due to time constraints as they readmit punters straight after to nightclubs. Sometimes there's a poor third band, or I miss one completely because of work. This was a really good show with all three getting 1hr slot and revolving order of stage times through the tour
I'm not the crazy guy who'll tell you his fav ToPT album is Shade or even Wreck-Age...BUT...my fav ToPT is The Cage, I just love that record and find it overall better than the previous ones. I recently bought the box-set Simon showed and yes...not they're best albums... I will have to investigate Duke Jupiter. As for Alias, I own the Sheriff album, and that's quite enough for me :-) Cheers.
Wasn't familiar with any of the albums, but Alias sounds like the sort of thing I go for, so will check that out sometime. The last couple of shows have been almost all love-ins, which is fine, but this just reminds me how much I like it when one of you (or all three, that's clearly fine too!) REALLY don't like something. Here's to finding more albums to discuss that you loath! :D
I have to be honest and admit that Burning In The Shade was chosen partly because we had been pretty positive about everything we'd discussed on the melodic rock shows so far - and clearly some of these albums and especially the 'they made an AOR album? - don't always work and it was worthwhile highlighting that. Delighted that you enjoyed it Jospeh! Some more potential clunkers may well get a moment in the sun!
Well, that is interesting. The only album I have really listened to is the ALIAS one. It's a classic of the genre. I have listened to Tygers album a little, a little different. Because of this exercise I listened to Duke Jupiter, and I have to say I liked it. Thanks for the recommendation.
Great show as usual. I could watch you three chat about taxes and it still would be fun 😂 Here's a suggestion for an more obscure AOR album; Nestor - Kids in a Ghost town. Swedish band who does for 80s hard rock what Cats in Space does for the classic rock.
"Haunted Heart" is my favorite song on the Alias album. I always thought Duke Jupiter sounded fairly close to REO Speedwagon in style. As for that Tygers album, the less said about it, the better.
First time the 3 albums chosen, were all albums I didn’t know so I took them on a road trip.Started with Tygers,now I would say The Cage was Tygers first foray into melodic rock and that’s a great album and would be a favourite in that show.This certainly wouldn’t yes it’s awful. Next up Alias and though I like Journey I prefer my singers more in the Lou Gramm area and this fits that, I really enjoyed this excellent choice, classic Mmm, but excellent. Finally Duke Jupiter, never heard of them but really enjoyed it,initial thought was it wasn’t AOR , but as was said, if not then what is it?.Will definitely explore more Duke Jupiter.
I'd actually be willing to file Duke Jupiter under Southern Rock (or just 'regular rock') - as I posted earlier some of it definitely reminds me of ARS - not as much on Duke Jupiter 1 but the earlier albums for sure (which are to me a lot better, the first two from the late 70's being classics). I actually wouldn't rank DJ1 in their top 4 albums - maybe #5 (of 7)
That album bored the pants off of me when I first heard it, but over several relistens I found myself quite liking a great deal of it. Now that you've mentioned it, it's time to revisit it.
Hello UK Connectors, sorry I'm a few days late again, but life does keep getting in the way. Very entertaining show again, with another diverse set of listening challenges. I was fairly familiar with Duke Jupiter, having the 3 albums after this one on vinyl, ie You Make It Look Easy, White Knuckle Ride and The Line Of Your Fire, and they are all more firmly entrenched in the more AOR/tradional melodic rock than this one which I found quite dated... I really never liked the Tygers album at the time and time hasnt been kind to it. I think The Cage would have been a better choice as the songs are way stronger and I still think it holds up really well... I like the Wreck-Age as well... Now, Alias is an odd one, as it should be right up my alley, and i do like it to be honest - like... not love. A bit by numbers, as if written by a committee to a formula with the aim of having a massive hit. I prefer the SHERIFF album, and also the other band that came out of Sheriff post-split, FROZEN GHOST. Also, all the bands Steven name-checked I orefer too - Boulevard, Shadow King etc... Add to that list the likes of AVIATOR, ARCANGEL, BALANCE, CHINA SKY, FORTUNE, TALL STORIES, STRANGEWAYS (Guys, please do Native Sons asap!!!), STREETS... OK, sorry, taking over a bit, I'll stop there! Looking forward to your next show... Driving up to the Lake District next week, we'll wave at Preston as we drive by, Simon!! Cheers!
I enjoy that Tygers albums for what it is. Production is thin but still enjoyable. Alias, I had a tape back in the day with the self titled, and on the opposite side was Mark Free's 'long way from love'. Subsequently, if I don't listen to both albums back to back, I feel like I have only listened to half an album.
Pete since you have so much free time.. SoT needs a new series... Rock fans on Beer. All the gang I'm sure would be hilarious Mr Alo on beer.. im laughing already.
LOL! Well, I can't say I have all that 'time' that you are suggesting, but I've long wanted to do an SoT episode where we've created a happy hour experience...
The only Duke Jupiter album I ever owned was White Knuckle Ride, there were a couple of great songs 'Little Lady' and 'Little Black Book' but the rest was very meh so I wasn't tempted to look into their back catalogue.
I saw the tygers of pan tang play on the burning in the shade tour in a pub in Oxford with about 100 people , about 5 years before they played Oxford theatre to over 1000 on the cage tour. A sad ending before they reformed. Its such a terrible album.
I remember finding Burning In The Shade in an import section in 88 or 89 and said to myself this better be a return to form for the Tygers….no such luck Probably the most disappointing album I’ve ever bought 🥴🤢🤮
@@simonbrayfromsot1375 Well I have listened to Burning In The Shade a few days ago and I actually enjoyed it. Maybe being older has something to do with it or it could be that I knew what to expect and found it more enjoyable than I expected 🤷♂️
Tygers of Pan Tang is a band I really wanted to like, especially the first 3 albums with John Sykes (a really great player), but to me the vocals were always sub-par. Also wouldn't exactly put them into the AOR bucket, more NWOBHM (some tunes more than others)...From Alias I like Never Say Never (2009). They're a Canadian band related to Heart (via three founding members especially Roger Fisher) & 80's band Sheriff. Their s/t debut is OK, nothing earthshaking but pretty catchy AOR. To me "The Power" is the best tune off that one. Then nothing until Never Say Never 19 years later, that one's got 3 tracks I liked. Actually recorded in 1992 but not released until many years later. If push came to shove I'd say I like Sheriff's s/t album from 1982 (their only release) at least as much as Never Say Never... Duke Jupiter from Rochester NY has something like 7 studio albums from the mid 70's - mid 80's. They also have a few live albums that I don't own. Again not exactly AOR, more like "straight rock" to me. Also a little bit of a Southern vibe kinda like ARS (but only one guitarist) - if forced to I'd actually add them to my "Southern Rock" playlist before labeling them as AOR (even though they're not from the South). I actually like their first/late 70's record Sweet Cheeks a lot, a nice mix of styles & very melodic, a real classic. Easily the best album (to me) of any of these three bands. Their 2nd Taste The Night is maybe a little closer to AOR but there's still that significant Southern component - another really solid record. The rest of their studio albums are all pretty good too (by 1980 they're mixing in more adult-contempo stuff like "When Will I See You" & "Gonna Be There"), the later releases largely turning more poppy. Until their last/1985's The Line Of Your Fire that's back to rock - the tracks "You're My Hero", "Turnin' Me On" & the title track are maybe as AOR as they ever got. This was a really talented band, those first two albums are stellar
@@seaoftranquilityprog Doesn't strike me as particularly AOR-sounding overall but that's me: "We all hear things differently"...Actually now that I'm relistening to Burning In The Shade it does get them as close to AOR as they probably ever got, and the vocals are actually OK especially compared to most of the other TOPT that I've heard (I initially had different memories of the vocals on this one - goes to show that it pays to 're-audition' older albums that you haven't heard in a while). Still the actual songs don't really stick with me, I agree that it "doesn't get better with repeated listenings". When your fave thing about the album is that it's nice 'n short that speaks for itself🤷♂Also maybe the first time I can recall Pete ever actually totally 'Pan'-ning (pun intended) a record that he's discussing with pretty much no redeeming qualities!
Great to hear some UK based praise for Duke Jupiter. Taken me a long time to find their entire back catalogue here in the UK, but now i have it but nobody else i know has even heard of them!
Hi Pete and Simon and Steven, first to Pete what a great weekend with Aryron and now with the UK connection,and what great fun and great pics 😊
I've loved the Alias album since it was released in 1990.
I love Burning in the Shade personally
Great show! Love Alias and Duke Jupiter getting some attention .
I always dug that Alias CD, and used to play it a lot when l worked in record stores in the 90s. I know of Duke Jupiter through osmosis, but wasn’t familiar with their music until Mista Pardo previously mentioned them in an old video. I checked out the “Here’s To You” song and liked it. I just can’t believe I don’t recall that tune when l remember multiple tracks by a band like Novo Combo, from the same time period. Perhaps DJ were just not played on NYC rock radio, back in the day. With both UK konnektion katz loving “The Duke,” I’ll have to delve into them further.
After all the bile that was hurled at that particular platter by the Tygers of Pan Tang, l must listen to it NOW!!
Cheers from Noo Yawk, ova heyah.
Rock Out & Prog On!
Frog 🐸 On in any lexicon!
~ Chauncey Marwood Oglethorpe III
Cheers Davey. I hope you had.... eh...... fun with the Tigers album?!
Thanks Simon, Steven and Pete for keeping AOR alive. Too little people talk about AoR I'm just 27 years old my mother who is around your age (I assume) made me fell in love AoR, survivor, foreigner, journey great stuff.. One suggestion for a couple album(s), Orion The hunter self titled, Airrace ''Shaft of Light'' or Streets (any of the two) great albums we both really like those.
Some of those suggestions are definitely on the list for future shows! Cheers!
Since you mentioned those bands, see if you can find Serpentine. They were a short-lived mid-2010s melodic hard rock band that were absolutely terrific but I suppose due to lack of support they had to pack it in. A definite hidden gem.
@@Vinnie857 Thanks for your suggestion. I just searched for it and found ''Where does your heart beat now'' great song. Too bad they didn't continue and I can't seem to find them on spotify either.
Duke Jupiter!! Haven’t heard that name in years, band is from Rochester NY
And as Steven said, I like IPA’s, I like G&T’s, but as a beer, no thanks 😂
Nice history on Alias, those Heart guys are great players, Fisher is never at talked about, but had some iconic solo’s
Completely agree Eric. What was interesting, but I forgot to mention it, was that those guys were dispatched with before Heart headed down the melodic rock route and then they ended up in a band that arguably rocked even softer! Duke Jupiter were something of a revelation to me, but not always for the right reasons.
Speaking of Heart, Howard Leese's solo album Secret Weapon from 2009 is a good record too
Thanks for making me put needle to groove on Duke Jupiter......it's been awhile since I've given it a spin
Good band!
Great show as ever gents. I had only heard the Alias one before, but sought out the others to have a listen and have to agree with the overall assessments. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Jim!
Duke Jupiter actually got some airplay in Saint Louis in the early 80’s. Sugar Blues was on quite a bit
Superb album.The Alias album.
It certainly is Garry!
Alias is simply superb. One of the great AOR albums EVER!!!!
It really is a great album Gary! Thanks for watching.
This show is a guaranteed slam dunk.
Fucking Simon repping Tysondog is the highlight of my day, and it's been a really good day.
Happy to be of service 😊
`A Night at the Opera`!! Yaaay can`t wait for that one!
Duke JUPITER/ I’ll drink 🍺 to you. Perfect 👍 song 🎵 for the trio at 200. Lol 👍💯
Great band. I'm south of Rochester in steuben county. I miss them greatly .
Yes. I'm from Louisville Ky. In the early 80s I'll drink to you got some good AirPlay on our FM station 96QMF
Yes it did. I'm in western new New York in Hornell. Love the white knuckle ride album too 👍👍🤟🤟
Great show guys and glad AOR/Melodic rock gems will be a monthly going forward. Don't know Duke Jupiter, I'll have to check them out. Alias is a terrific pick, and Tygers were tremendous at the forefront of NWOBHM. Had the pleasure of hanging out with Jess Cox about 20 years ago at a metal convention and heard some great stories. Sure they got a little lost along the way in the mid- to late-eighties like many, but their impact overall is undeniable. There are so many great AOR gems from back in the day but if I might make a suggestion, one that Steven will appreciate (I don't know Simon's tastes that well, and Pete maybe). How about Shy? In my opinion one of the best of the genre back in the '80s, '90s, and '00s! Indeed they transcended the '80s "Hair" Metal era and released some terrific albums, but perhaps best known for Excess All Areas. Lead singer Tony Mills rivaled the best of the high-pitched vocalists of the time--tremendous singer--later fronted TNT, went solo, and a little known Welsh band called Serpentine in the mid-2010s. Steve Harris was an excellent guitarist and the band overall were a talented tight unit that in my opinion were much better than the others who made it big at the time. Shy's later albums featured a more organic sound consistent with the times but no less impactful.
Steven, what say you? Simon? Do we have any advocates for Shy? 😉
Hey Vinnie, yes we do indeed have an advocate for Shy here. Great band and they will definitely feature on the show at some point, but not sure when. The short list we have is very long indeed! lol!! Great to see some love for the band.
Can't beat a Doppelbock Stephen love it 🎉🍺
Lovely stuff!
3. Duke Jupiter - 1
If you told me this was recorded in 1974 I wouldn’t be surprised. Honky tonk...boogie...Joe Cocker.
lyrics: ‘You and I always did it better in a motel room’ hahaha!
2. Alias - Alias
Starts out and finishes well. I like ‘Waiting for love’ oddly enough. Middle has a couple of Bon Jovi-ish songs (‘Haunted heart’ & ‘One more chance’). ‘Heroes’ (yikes...Yikes!)
1. Tygers of Pan Tang - Burning in the Shade
Good start. Then the vibe is ruined by ‘Maria’. Some really good solo work on here. Is it wrong to like ‘Dream Ticket’ as much as I do?
Very good show ❤SOT
Thanks Mark!!
I grew up in Rochester in the 70's & got to see Duke Jupiter play on a number of occasions,mostly at outdoor concert events.I remember when 1st LP Sweet Cheeks was released (produced by Chuck Leavell) and really liked it.Southern AOR kind of nails it.They were all great musicians and live they rocked a bit harder than the LP.
Yeah like ARS at times, also Sea Level...Love those first two albums!
yeah man, i’m 44 so they were before my time but i’ve been down many youtube rabbit holes with duke jupiter because i am also from roxhester ny.
these guys DEF had the chops and they understood how to write songs but they JUST short of refining there’s songs to take them to the big leagues a la zz, j geils, etc….i think i’d they had a producer that could mood them a bit more and slightly craft the song a bit more refined they could’ve been even bigger.
At the time of the NWOBHM the Tygers were one of my all time favourites - cemented through seeing them live on my birthday at Bournemouth TWon HAll with Jess Cox and Johns Sykes. Then Cox is goine and Deverill comes in andthey trun in tow fantastic albums in Spellbound and Crazy Nights and as Sykes goes and Purser comes in they brought out one of the albums I played the most durng the summer of 82 in the CAge and then appeared at Reading Rock and all was great with the wrld - then they went away came back with teh Wreck-Age, played live on ECT and yaaay they't back, albeit wihtout most of the orginals then I went off in a Thrash direction but later on decided that I had to coplte my collection so ended up with Burning in the Shade- more like Turning in the Shite. I have said on Twitter that I used to wear a jacket like Steve Lamb does in the rear pic to the CD - didnt have enough characters to then also say that Brian DIck looks totally like he wishes he wasnt there. If this had been the Cage I'd be keepig it.
Never heard of Duke Jupiter - streamed the album on Deezer, after the first couple of listens I got a 70's Sammy Hagar (when he was at his best) channeling Foghat kind of vibe and would have sworn they were a Southern Rock band if I hadnt read that they were from Rochester New York.
Alias , as Steven said, is a quintessential AOR album, but was too late to the party. I had to have it due to the presence of FIsher, Fossen and Derosier, being a big fan of those early Heart albums - however as Pete said you really wouldnt know Roger Fisher is on it if it didnt say so.
I'm with Simon in wanting to keep both the Alias and Duke albums as they are so very different to each other that they can both scratch a particular musical itch. Unfortunately though I also have the Tygers CD though apart form last week I've never listened it it since I firtst boght it and doubt I'll listen toit ever again - htough I suppose its worth keeping hold of just to be able to bring out in case I ever get asked to identify and album that should never have been released - or at least not under the name of the band it was released under. I dont have that many absoute stinkers in my collection, though that is definitely one of them.
Great stuff, as ever, Terry and I'd say we are pretty much in complete agreement this week! Thanks, as ever, for watching.
Thank you as always, love to see a Marcie Free show, talking about classic Aor of her debut, Long Way From Love, to the crunchy melodic rock of the Unruly Child debut, plus Signal with Loud and clear and finally a King Kobra release. Could tie in with the 30th anniversary of the first Gods of Aor, which of course featured Marcie Free
I wouldn't think we'll do a Marcie Free special Chris, but some of her albums are likely to feature at some point. Some genuine classics there. Thanks for watching!
@@TranquilityFireReid Yes, absolutely agree, would love you to feature an album or too by Marcie. Was at that Gods show, great day out!
Milton Keynes or Manchester?, managed to be at the Milton Keynes, actually was there a 3rd concert in France?
@@chrisharper6088 MK as well! Not sure about a Frebch one...
Good one Iain, yes great show, Shotgun Symphony very good, managed to meet Marcie, actual sound recording on you tube of the MK show, I remember reading an interview with The Quest, and they had mentioned that they were not invited, might have to do some research
Cheers lads.
Cheers trev!
I am indefinitely going to try out Duke Jupiter album or couple of albums
Enjoy!! Thanks for watching Chad!
@@TranquilityFireReid Looking forward to the Queen A Night At The Opera episode. Its gonna be hard to to rank those songs on classic album.
Their first two (late 70's) are killer records
@@chaddunn9621 Ahhh..... yes! And no! lol!
Steven, I am going to be in Scotland very soon and I am going to make my best effort to stop by the Abernyte Brewery while I’m there. The beers you have featured from them on several of the UK Connection shows look great - that Doppelbock looks fantastic. I am really looking forward to our visit. Anyway, today’s beer is another in the Rush beer series from the Henderson Brewery in Toronto, Canada, called Moving Pitchers (see what they did there😉). This is a Belgian style beer brewed with a Pinot Noir wine must. It’s very tasty and complex - you definitely get a hint of the wine must, but it’s not overwhelming. This beer is a whopper at 11.9% ABV - one of these will send you to Xanadu (they actually just released a new Rush beer called Xanabrew)😄 Cheers gentlemen 🍻
Mike, Abernyte Brewery doesn't have a store to stop at and buy their beers, but they are available in some stores locally. I'll try and find out the best place to get them (I buy them when they have their twice annually beer festivals and through a relative) and let you know. Your beer sounds excellent!
That is good to know, Steven. I was wondering when I looked at their website - the location seemed a little cryptic and there didn’t seem to be any definitive hours of operation. I looked at their “Where to buy” map and we can probably get to one of those locations during our driving trip (we start in Edinburgh for a few days, then rent a car and drive the country - on the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car for us Americans🤯😂). If you have a specific recommendation on buying their beer, that would be great…thanks!
@@mikep9377 I'm guessing that might depend on where your journey is planned to take you?
Steven, our Scotland trip will take us to Edinburgh, Pitlochry, Inverness (some Speyside distilleries will be involved 🥃), Isle of Skye, Oban and back to Edinburgh. So we will come up through the Perth area where I will seek out some Abernyte beers - fingers-crossed🤞.
Three very good albums for this episode (even the Tygers' album. Fun fact: Steve Thompson helped set up the metal label, Neat Records 🙂). Duke Jupiter 1 has just been re-released by Iconoclassic Records.
My life is complete, I have actually heard of one of the groups :) Tygers Of Pan Tang. Must admit my knowledge of a lot of genres of rock is limited cos I only started listening to heavier music in 1995. I was working for a local radio station and was told that someone, IE me, had to present a weekly rock programme and it has been downhill ever since. thanks lads for another superb show.
Thanks Colin. What type of stuff did you play on the show??
@@TranquilityFireReid Hi Steve. I played mainly heavy rock and metal, Sepultura, Slayer, Rotting Christ etc. I knew nothing about heavy music before I did the rock show, had to learn fast. Was in a band in the 80's who played pop. I had always liked Tull, Yes and my fav is Peter Gabriel era Genesis so I also played a lot of prog and some hardcore on the show as well. Sorry for wittering on, once I get talking about music I can't stop :) cheers, Colin
@@colbefc Ah well, you played some great stuff then. I do love a bit of Slayer or Sepultura and the likes of Tull and Gabriel are right up my street. Oh, and never apologise for talking about music! Cheers!
Thank you for another three new-to-me listens, gentlemen.
Thought I'd mention that I saw UK Connection favourites DARE on their joint UK tour last night with Tyketto and FM. All three bands were excellent. Tyketto in particular are amazing. If you have a chance to see them, please do- you'll have a blast.
Alias - quintessential AOR. Hard to fault, though perhaps a little glossy (like so much of this stuff, I think it would really come to life in a live setting). Haunted Heart and Waiting for Love are highlights. More Than Words Can Say - I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on that one :-D
Duke Jupiter - well played, melodic soft rock. Sounds at times like it was from 10 years earlier.
Tygers of Pan Tang -
MARIAAAA
I sort of love that album cover (should I? He's not even in the shade...). It's curious that every time I listen I think how many things I find really catchy here (Dream Ticket, Sweet Lies, Circle of the Dance and others), but between listens I struggle to remember much of it. I can absolutely see why the NWOBHM fans hated this, but I find the least heavy parts of the album the strongest. The opener is a little weak IMO, and maybe a stronger vocal would have taken this to new heights, but overall it's not too bad. Not an overlooked masterpiece, but not bad.
I'm going to see Tyketto, FM and Dare tomorrow night. Excited.
@@simonbrayfromsot1375 Caught them at the Garage in Glasgow and rest assured, it's a top quality night, with just enough variety in soundscape across the acts to make for a fantastic night. The sheer range of top notch tracks across the setlists is ridiculous!
@@garykelly9475 I had intended to go, but it never happened. What a great triple bill, but thankfully I've seen them all previously and in the case of FM a fair few times.
@@TranquilityFireReid tyketto announced they are headlining Saturday at winter storm too. It's a great triple bill, and not not normally a fan, especially at the garage and its sister club the cathouse due to time constraints as they readmit punters straight after to nightclubs. Sometimes there's a poor third band, or I miss one completely because of work. This was a really good show with all three getting 1hr slot and revolving order of stage times through the tour
@@garykelly9475 Sounds great Gary!
I'm not the crazy guy who'll tell you his fav ToPT album is Shade or even Wreck-Age...BUT...my fav ToPT is The Cage, I just love that record and find it overall better than the previous ones. I recently bought the box-set Simon showed and yes...not they're best albums...
I will have to investigate Duke Jupiter. As for Alias, I own the Sheriff album, and that's quite enough for me :-)
Cheers.
Nothing at all wrong with The Cage. Maybe not quite my favourite ToPT but not far away!
Wasn't familiar with any of the albums, but Alias sounds like the sort of thing I go for, so will check that out sometime. The last couple of shows have been almost all love-ins, which is fine, but this just reminds me how much I like it when one of you (or all three, that's clearly fine too!) REALLY don't like something. Here's to finding more albums to discuss that you loath! :D
I have to be honest and admit that Burning In The Shade was chosen partly because we had been pretty positive about everything we'd discussed on the melodic rock shows so far - and clearly some of these albums and especially the 'they made an AOR album? - don't always work and it was worthwhile highlighting that. Delighted that you enjoyed it Jospeh! Some more potential clunkers may well get a moment in the sun!
Steven and I have the same shirt. Awesome.
We both obviously have great taste then DHFTCN!
@@TranquilityFireReid Haha, cheers
Well, that is interesting. The only album I have really listened to is the ALIAS one. It's a classic of the genre. I have listened to Tygers album a little, a little different. Because of this exercise I listened to Duke Jupiter, and I have to say I liked it. Thanks for the recommendation.
Good stuff Lazaros!
Alias is a good one also check out Freddy circi's previous band Sheriff from the early 80s it's a Canadian aor classic well worth checking out
I like Sheriff's album at least as much as Alias'
Alias album is awesome!
Great show as usual. I could watch you three chat about taxes and it still would be fun 😂
Here's a suggestion for an more obscure AOR album; Nestor - Kids in a Ghost town. Swedish band who does for 80s hard rock what Cats in Space does for the classic rock.
Thanks for the suggestion. Another one for the (very) lengthy list! Cheers!
@@TranquilityFireReid I can imagine you guys get many suggestions. 😅 You're welcome. Cheers and keep up the great work
@@TranquilityFireReid I'll second this one Steven. It's so 80s it's got a duet with Samantha Fox on it - and it's brilliant!
"Haunted Heart" is my favorite song on the Alias album. I always thought Duke Jupiter sounded fairly close to REO Speedwagon in style. As for that Tygers album, the less said about it, the better.
Those are good assessments Ken. Thanks for watching
I love this 🇪🇸😂
Even eat the heat is better than burning...
A bold (but correct) statement!
I expected the Alias album to be so much better than it is especially with the guys from the original Heart band.
First time the 3 albums chosen, were all albums I didn’t know so I took them on a road trip.Started with Tygers,now I would say The Cage was Tygers first foray into melodic rock and that’s a great album and would be a favourite in that show.This certainly wouldn’t yes it’s awful.
Next up Alias and though I like Journey I prefer my singers more in the Lou Gramm area and this fits that, I really enjoyed this excellent choice, classic Mmm, but excellent.
Finally Duke Jupiter, never heard of them but really enjoyed it,initial thought was it wasn’t AOR , but as was said, if not then what is it?.Will definitely explore more Duke Jupiter.
Great stuff Steve! Sound assessments all round there.
I'd actually be willing to file Duke Jupiter under Southern Rock (or just 'regular rock') - as I posted earlier some of it definitely reminds me of ARS - not as much on Duke Jupiter 1 but the earlier albums for sure (which are to me a lot better, the first two from the late 70's being classics). I actually wouldn't rank DJ1 in their top 4 albums - maybe #5 (of 7)
Can you cover the Adrian Smith Project/ASaP album for the third category one of these weeks? Interested to see how that slice of AOR would go down.
That album bored the pants off of me when I first heard it, but over several relistens I found myself quite liking a great deal of it. Now that you've mentioned it, it's time to revisit it.
It is on the list for coverage, so we'll definitely get there, but I'm just not sure when yet, there are so many albums that fit that category!
Maybe a special show on just the side projects of musicians who do different things than their regular bands are known for.
Hello UK Connectors, sorry I'm a few days late again, but life does keep getting in the way. Very entertaining show again, with another diverse set of listening challenges.
I was fairly familiar with Duke Jupiter, having the 3 albums after this one on vinyl, ie You Make It Look Easy, White Knuckle Ride and The Line Of Your Fire, and they are all more firmly entrenched in the more AOR/tradional melodic rock than this one which I found quite dated...
I really never liked the Tygers album at the time and time hasnt been kind to it. I think The Cage would have been a better choice as the songs are way stronger and I still think it holds up really well... I like the Wreck-Age as well...
Now, Alias is an odd one, as it should be right up my alley, and i do like it to be honest - like... not love. A bit by numbers, as if written by a committee to a formula with the aim of having a massive hit. I prefer the SHERIFF album, and also the other band that came out of Sheriff post-split, FROZEN GHOST. Also, all the bands Steven name-checked I orefer too - Boulevard, Shadow King etc... Add to that list the likes of AVIATOR, ARCANGEL, BALANCE, CHINA SKY, FORTUNE, TALL STORIES, STRANGEWAYS (Guys, please do Native Sons asap!!!), STREETS...
OK, sorry, taking over a bit, I'll stop there! Looking forward to your next show...
Driving up to the Lake District next week, we'll wave at Preston as we drive by, Simon!! Cheers!
I enjoy that Tygers albums for what it is. Production is thin but still enjoyable.
Alias, I had a tape back in the day with the self titled, and on the opposite side was Mark Free's 'long way from love'. Subsequently, if I don't listen to both albums back to back, I feel like I have only listened to half an album.
That is a pretty fantastic tape with Alias and Mark Free on it Damian. Two classics back to back!
Just listened to the Tygers album. Sounded to me like MOR mid late 80's synth pop rock. It is okay but started to drag somewhat towards the end..
Friendly reminder to do Fav/Least fav of Helloween.
Still me holding that one up. How about I promise to do it this year 😂?
@@simonbrayfromsot1375 Well, that came out of the blue!
@@TranquilityFireReid I really mean December 😂
@@simonbrayfromsot1375 Next year??
@@simonbrayfromsot1375 I figured you'd do it Halloween week.
Pete since you have so much free time.. SoT needs a new series... Rock fans on Beer. All the gang I'm sure would be hilarious Mr Alo on beer.. im laughing already.
LOL! Well, I can't say I have all that 'time' that you are suggesting, but I've long wanted to do an SoT episode where we've created a happy hour experience...
The only Duke Jupiter album I ever owned was White Knuckle Ride, there were a couple of great songs 'Little Lady' and 'Little Black Book' but the rest was very meh so I wasn't tempted to look into their back catalogue.
Off that one I like "Don't Turn Your Back" - to me overall about on the same level with DJ1. Not their best work
The second album of alias was very good more mature but like pete said was out in the wrong era
I feel foolish and embarrassed to ask this but I got to.......What does AOR stand for?
Album Oriented Rock
Only that Alias debut is any good.
I saw the tygers of pan tang play on the burning in the shade tour in a pub in Oxford with about 100 people , about 5 years before they played Oxford theatre to over 1000 on the cage tour. A sad ending before they reformed. Its such a terrible album.
I remember finding Burning In The Shade in an import section in 88 or 89 and said to myself this better be a return to form for the Tygers….no such luck
Probably the most disappointing album I’ve ever bought 🥴🤢🤮
Wow. That's some claim.
@@simonbrayfromsot1375
Well I have listened to Burning In The Shade a few days ago and I actually enjoyed it. Maybe being older has something to do with it or it could be that I knew what to expect and found it more enjoyable than I expected 🤷♂️
Tygers of Pan Tang is a band I really wanted to like, especially the first 3 albums with John Sykes (a really great player), but to me the vocals were always sub-par. Also wouldn't exactly put them into the AOR bucket, more NWOBHM (some tunes more than others)...From Alias I like Never Say Never (2009). They're a Canadian band related to Heart (via three founding members especially Roger Fisher) & 80's band Sheriff. Their s/t debut is OK, nothing earthshaking but pretty catchy AOR. To me "The Power" is the best tune off that one. Then nothing until Never Say Never 19 years later, that one's got 3 tracks I liked. Actually recorded in 1992 but not released until many years later. If push came to shove I'd say I like Sheriff's s/t album from 1982 (their only release) at least as much as Never Say Never...
Duke Jupiter from Rochester NY has something like 7 studio albums from the mid 70's - mid 80's. They also have a few live albums that I don't own. Again not exactly AOR, more like "straight rock" to me. Also a little bit of a Southern vibe kinda like ARS (but only one guitarist) - if forced to I'd actually add them to my "Southern Rock" playlist before labeling them as AOR (even though they're not from the South). I actually like their first/late 70's record Sweet Cheeks a lot, a nice mix of styles & very melodic, a real classic. Easily the best album (to me) of any of these three bands. Their 2nd Taste The Night is maybe a little closer to AOR but there's still that significant Southern component - another really solid record. The rest of their studio albums are all pretty good too (by 1980 they're mixing in more adult-contempo stuff like "When Will I See You" & "Gonna Be There"), the later releases largely turning more poppy. Until their last/1985's The Line Of Your Fire that's back to rock - the tracks "You're My Hero", "Turnin' Me On" & the title track are maybe as AOR as they ever got. This was a really talented band, those first two albums are stellar
Tygers aren't an AOR band...but, the album in question today totally was.
@@seaoftranquilityprog Which is, of course, the point of the 'They made an AOR album?' slot in the first place.
@@seaoftranquilityprog Doesn't strike me as particularly AOR-sounding overall but that's me: "We all hear things differently"...Actually now that I'm relistening to Burning In The Shade it does get them as close to AOR as they probably ever got, and the vocals are actually OK especially compared to most of the other TOPT that I've heard (I initially had different memories of the vocals on this one - goes to show that it pays to 're-audition' older albums that you haven't heard in a while). Still the actual songs don't really stick with me, I agree that it "doesn't get better with repeated listenings". When your fave thing about the album is that it's nice 'n short that speaks for itself🤷♂Also maybe the first time I can recall Pete ever actually totally 'Pan'-ning (pun intended) a record that he's discussing with pretty much no redeeming qualities!
I found Alias too light. Not enough Yacht Rock yet too much Toto.
Hi Pete, Recommend you to AVIATOR album of 1986. Greetings From Spain @discoadisco.
I have that in my collection. Great stuff. Thanks for watching.