Survivor: Real Man of Genius

[VetteLS5]

No, not really

Kyle Orton will have the eye of the tiger on game day, tailgating outside in the parking lot with a keg and several bottles of whiskey. He already has an office at The Big Tree
"Yeah, Kyle Orton threw up all over this one..."

Well, hope springs eternal for all of us until Sunday (or Thursday for a few). If we get as many penalties called in regular season games as I saw in preseason I think I'll just DVR everything and fast forward as needed. Down here we are just a couple RGIII poor slides/passes in a reg season game away from total anarchy by the fans.

[jacksmar]

http://articles.latimes.com/print/1985-07-21/entertainment/ca-6882_1_survivor-concerts

FACES
The Survival Kit That Saved Survivor
July 21, 1985
Survivor was saved by an ex-Cobra.

Early last year, this Chicago-based pop-rock band was sinking. Without Jimi Jamison, the new lead singer picked up from a failed heavy metal band called Cobra, Survivor probably wouldn't have survived.


"I didn't save this band," Jamison, 34, insisted in his Memphis drawl. "It would have done OK without me." His modesty is admirable, but that statement is misguided.

With him, Survivor has its first hit album, the million-selling "Vital Signs," Jamison's debut with the band. The current Top 5 single, "The Search Is Over," is the third hit from the album. "I Can't Hold Back"(Top 15) and "High on You" (Top 10) were the others.

Survivor was one of those meteoric bands whose decline was as swift as its rise. Its moment of glory came in 1982 with "Eye of the Tiger"--the theme from the hit movie "Rocky III." This is one of the most popular singles of the '80s, selling over 2.5 million copies in this country alone.

Early last year, Survivor--which also includes Frankie Sullivan (lead guitar), Jim Peterik (keyboards, guitar), Stephan Ellis (bass) and Marc Droubay (drums)--was preparing to record its third album, "Vital Signs." Peterik and Sullivan, the band's composers, had the material ready. Ron Nevison was scheduled to assume the producing duties previously handled by Peterik and Sullivan. All they needed was a lead singer to replace David Bickler. Through auditions, they discovered Jamison, who was in the market for work after the collapse of Cobra.

At the time, Survivor seemed like another one-hit wonder headed for oblivion. Beyond "Eye of the Tiger," the band didn't have much quality material.

Admittedly, following a monster hit isn't easy, particularly for a band that was previously unknown.

"After 'Eye of the Tiger,' the fans wanted an album full of songs like 'Eye of the Tiger,' " said Jamison, who was not with the band when its second album, "Caught in the Game," was released in 1983, long after the hit single. "An average or a good album wouldn't be enough. The band needed a great album and some huge hit singles. But it didn't happen."

"Caught in the Game" was an awful album that included no hit singles. It sold an embarrassing 100,000 copies, triggering Survivor's decline.

Part of Survivor's problem was its stage show. Boring was the word most often used by critics and fans to describe it. If you had to see this band at all, sarcastic fans would say, then show up at the end for "Eye of the Tiger." The rest of the show was strictly ho-hum.

Former lead singer David Bickler, a shouter with an irritating voice, was a major contributor to Survivor's decline. In concert, he had an abrasive quality that rubbed some fans the wrong way.

Quite simply, if the band was to survive, Bickler had to go. Unfortunately for Survivor, it took two albums to recognize this. According to reports, Survivor sacked Bickler, citing ineffectiveness. But Jamison insisted the change was made for another reason:

"He was having voice problems. That was one reason. Also he didn't want to tour very much and the band wanted to tour. So he and the band came to a parting of the ways."

Jamison's statement about Bickler was supported by Survivor's manager, John Baruck, who said Bickler had a throat polyp operation in 1982, which affected his vocal quality and endurance. According to Baruck, after the operation Bickler's voice couldn't last through a whole concert.

With Jamison as the front man, Survivor finally has some charisma and pizzazz. He's a very capable and energetic singer. Now fans won't be dozing off at Survivor concerts any more.

The ex-Cobra hasn't dragged Survivor into heavy metal. In fact, composers Peterik and Sullivan have guided the band in the opposite direction with the "Vital Signs" album. The hit singles, "High on You" and "The Search Is Over," are rock ballads. It turns out that ballads are Jamison's first love.

"I'm stronger on ballads. I like to sing them more than anything else but I didn't get much of a chance before. I wanted to sing more ballads. Being in this group is just right for me."

This is the first time Jamison has been in a relatively tame band. Before Cobra he spent seven hard-rocking years in Target.

"I did a lot of screaming in those other groups," he said. "I got a little tired of it. I don't lose my voice as much on this kind of singing. From that standpoint, I can't really say that I miss heavy metal."

But Jamison does miss it in another way: "You get to go crazy on stage. That was fun. I can't do that with Survivor. It's a totally different kind of band."

Now that Survivor is leaning towards the slower, romantic rock songs, its sound is often compared to Journey's. A primary factor is that Jamison, with his high voice and melodramatic style, often sounds like a clone of Steve Perry, Journey's lead singer. With Journey on the inactive list, Survivor is filling that void quite nicely.

Survivor was in great demand in the movie theme market for a while, but didn't deliver any more hits. The band recorded "The Moment of Truth" for the "The Karate Kid" sound track. The movie was a smash but the single wasn't.

After the phenomenal success of "Eye of the Tiger," you'd think Sylvester Stallone would automatically assign Survivor to compose and sing the theme for "Rocky IV." But, according to Jamison, the band, now working on songs for the sound track, doesn't seem to have any particular advantage.

"We're turning in songs one at a time and asking what they think about it," Jamison explained. "I haven't done vocals yet for a second song. We may end up with three or four songs on the sound track if they like the songs. Or we may end up with none. It's not clear what's going on. I hope we find out something soon."


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Unpretentious guy. RIP Jim

[Kristy]

Guile Moronton is now playing for Buffalo?


As if living in Buffalo wasn't embarrassing enough.

[cadaverdog]

It was the summer of '82 in San Diego. I was a sprite young boy. I was country when country want cool. Rocky III was a huge hit, with Eye of the Tiger, Mr. T and Hulk Hogan. That same summer I heard Where Have All the Good Times Gone? on the beach and immediately felt the power of the mighty DLR.

Went to boot and my first school in San Diego. Came back and served two years onboard a ship stationed there from 82 to 84. Mission Beach by the coaster was a good place to score smoke. Mission Bay was a good place to smoke it. Ocean Beach was a good place to get drunk. Black's Beach was a good place to see naked women.

[Mushroom]

Went to boot and my first school in San Diego. Came back and served two years onboard a ship stationed there from 82 to 84. Mission Beach by the coaster was a good place to score smoke. Mission Bay was a good place to smoke it. Ocean Beach was a good place to get drunk. Black's Beach was a good place to see naked women.

My step-father made a lot of friends and $$$ selling welding rod to the navy in SD. He drove to the naval base about 3 times a week. That was 90% of his business. The MP just waved him through the gates, no problem. I did several ridealongs with him and visited aircraft carriers, destroyers, fast frigates. Unbelievable. All of that changed in 1984. Security was tightened up, red tape was re-defined. He let it kill his business. Some memorable times but I was a young whippersnapper.

[cadaverdog]

My step-father made a lot of friends and $$$ selling welding rod to the navy in SD. He drove to the naval base about 3 times a week. That was 90% of his business. The MP just waved him through the gates, no problem. I did several ridealongs with him and visited aircraft carriers, destroyers, fast frigates. Unbelievable. All of that changed in 1984. Security was tightened up, red tape was re-defined. He let it kill his business. Some memorable times but I was a young whippersnapper.

They quit letting alot of people on base after the bombing in Beirut in 83. When I came home from overseas in early 83 my friends and family were allowed to park on the pier close to where the ship was docking without even searching their vehicles. After Beirut that wouldn't have been allowed. They'd have let them park on base but not near any ships. I imagine security got even tighter after the first gulf war. And tighter again after 9/11.

[Mushroom]

You left out the best one! Mr. Taco Salad Inventor! A salad with 15,000 calories!! I don't see no lettuce!

¡Ay, caramba!

[cadaverdog]

I love those things. I add more calories to mine just to make it tastier. Calories = Taste. The better it tastes the more calories it has.

[Mushroom]

This amazing thread needs a bump in memorium for Jimi Jamison!

[Mushroom]

Jim Peterik is a real man of genius !

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/jim-peterik-caught-up-in-you/

You may not realize how many hits former Survivor star Jim Peterik has written or co-written over the years, including “Vehicle” by Ides of March, Sammy Hagar‘s “Heavy Metal,” .38 Special‘s “Hold on Loosely” and his own band’s smash “Eye of the Tiger.”
His new album, The Songs, casts a revealing light on this body of work by re-framing many of Peterik’s most popular songs in an intimate acoustic setting. As an example, we’re premiering the video for Peterik’s rearranged version of another hit song he co-wrote for .38 Special, “Caught Up in You.”

“I’ve always had a special place in my heart for ‘Caught Up In You’ since the day I wrote it with Don Barnes and Jeff Carlisi of .38 Special,” Peterik explains. “It’s the kind of summer hit that resonated with people in June of 1982. But when my producer, Fred Mollin, insisted on re-imagining the song for my new CD, I had my doubts if the patient could survive such a radical reworking. What did I know? I absolutely love the way this song has taken on an almost classical feel; very formal, with a 12-piece string section and spare backing vocals by my son Colin Peterik.”

The video, shot and directed by John Dykas and Mark Voss, features five members of the string ensemble, including Chich Suan and Andy Ohlrich on violin. To learn more about The Songs, and to keep up with Peterik’s diverse and prolific music career, visit his official website.

[Mushroom]

Move over .38 Special ! The original....

[DONNIEP]

Move over .38 Special ! The original....

I knew they wrote it but neber got around to listening to their version. It ain't as good as .38 but then again who is??

[FORD]

Sounds like Paul Stanley fronting Journey. Definitely not as good as the 38 Special version.

[vandeleur]

Back in the day I had a couple of 38 special albums . Special forces and the one after , the bird I was half heartedly diddling was into them. They were canny , the two big songs sound the same tho

Nice taches I can see the appeal donzo

[vandeleur]

Just saying