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Raised on Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine & Payola – the AOR Glory Years 1976-1986
A massively entertaining oral biography of the golden era of critically derided yet monumentally popular radio rock, when Journey, Boston, REO Speedwagon, Toto, and more ruled the airwaves Paul Rees’s Raised on Radio is, remarkably, the first biography of AOR (“Album-Oriented Rock”), critically derided at the time but massively popular during its 1976–1986 heyday when artists such as Journey, Boston, Foreigner, Toto, REO Speedwagon, Heart, Pat Benatar, Bryan Adams, and Styx sold many millions of albums and toured stadiums. Today, those very same songs are streaming in record numbers and many of the artists continue to play to sellout audiences around the world. They may have been dismissed at the time as terminally uncool by elitist rock critics in thrall to punk and new wave, but their music was, and is still, the soundtrack to so many people’s lives. For better or worse, AOR’s prime movers lived life in the fast lane. Cocaine use was rampant, egos were unchecked, and intra-band fighting became par for the course. What’s more, their influence stretches across generations and through the fabric of popular American music. AOR invented the power ballad, and the sound of it has traveled on through hair metal, pop rock, and right up to Taylor Swift. Raised on Radio is a stadium-sized, massively entertaining oral and pop-cultural history in the bestselling tradition of Meet Me in the Bathroom, Nothin’ But a Good Time, and Please Kill Me, capturing a time and place that was as big, booming, and unabashed as the music that provided its soundtrack.
466 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
March 3, 2026
Here it is... the oral history for anyone who listened to music in the late 1970s and a good chunk of the 1980s: Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Toto, Foreigner, and Def Leppard, among many others. Loved and reviled with equal force during their heyday, it cannot be denied that this era produced music that lives on today. Certainly they have kept a number of FM stations in business.
Like many of these histories, the book runs on too long. There also are some structural problems where the author combines accounts from several different bands into one thread, so it gets hard to follow who is talking about what. Chances are you will make good use of the cast of characters listed at the beginning of the book.
There is ample bitchiness on display to keep you entertained, and the egos here are immense.
In that light, it is interesting that the most affecting chapter is the one on Quarterflash, some folks who came out of Oregon, had a huge hit with Harden My Heart, then little success afterwards. They returned home with few regrets, happy for the experience.
One more thing. You might be able to construct a decent drinking game based on taking a shot whenever a member of Toto calls someone a cat.
Like many of these histories, the book runs on too long. There also are some structural problems where the author combines accounts from several different bands into one thread, so it gets hard to follow who is talking about what. Chances are you will make good use of the cast of characters listed at the beginning of the book.
There is ample bitchiness on display to keep you entertained, and the egos here are immense.
In that light, it is interesting that the most affecting chapter is the one on Quarterflash, some folks who came out of Oregon, had a huge hit with Harden My Heart, then little success afterwards. They returned home with few regrets, happy for the experience.
One more thing. You might be able to construct a decent drinking game based on taking a shot whenever a member of Toto calls someone a cat.
February 28, 2026
A fun read, though not on par with the best recent oral histories of music like Where Are Your Boys Tonight or I Don’t Want to Go Home, and of course Lizzie Goodman’s genre-defining Meet Me in the Bathroom.
Some of the issue here is that the selected time period is somewhat arbitrary and the book wanders away from AOR, its purported subgenre focus. And it feels like a bit of a misdirect having the word radio in the title, as radio airplay is largely a secondary or even tertiary topic in the book. At one point the book gets into a discussion about the early days of MTV, and I found myself thinking “Now THAT is what I’d really like to be reading an oral history of right now.”
This book also suffers from a problem which often plagues oral histories, which is that you’re very much at the mercy of who is willing to talk, which often results in a misrepresentation of specific bands’ degree of importance based on who was willing to give interviews.
I also think the author has some obligation to edit out the shopworn bad takes that add nothing, usually taking the form of something like “everything was better in my day” or “today’s music sucks” from some over the hill musician.
If you love this era of music, there’s a lot of good anecdotes here, and I thought this book did a particularly good job of including a lot of material about how songs come together structurally. The structure of the book itself, however, needed some work.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Some of the issue here is that the selected time period is somewhat arbitrary and the book wanders away from AOR, its purported subgenre focus. And it feels like a bit of a misdirect having the word radio in the title, as radio airplay is largely a secondary or even tertiary topic in the book. At one point the book gets into a discussion about the early days of MTV, and I found myself thinking “Now THAT is what I’d really like to be reading an oral history of right now.”
This book also suffers from a problem which often plagues oral histories, which is that you’re very much at the mercy of who is willing to talk, which often results in a misrepresentation of specific bands’ degree of importance based on who was willing to give interviews.
I also think the author has some obligation to edit out the shopworn bad takes that add nothing, usually taking the form of something like “everything was better in my day” or “today’s music sucks” from some over the hill musician.
If you love this era of music, there’s a lot of good anecdotes here, and I thought this book did a particularly good job of including a lot of material about how songs come together structurally. The structure of the book itself, however, needed some work.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
September 2, 2026
I'm late to the party, but I am so glad to have come across AOR the last couple years. I don't regret falling deep into art rock and punk rock, but it certaintly kept me from listening on some of the more crowd pleasing music of its time. Reading Paul Rees "Raised on Radio" was a wonderful excuse to get familarity with Def Leppard, Foreigner, Boston, Cheap Trick, Heart and Bon Jovi.
There are some great stories in here: Toto backing Michael Jackson's band on thriller; the origin of the Suvivor song "Eye of the Tiger; the many breakups of Heart; the phenomenal voice of Journey's Steve Perry; the store front that Bon Jovi first played in. There are also a lot of interesting conversations about art, craft, pleasure, media circuses, and all the glorious millions of records sold. Of course there is plenty of scandalous gossip, drug misadventures, divorces, pain with labels, and general human strife; all of which makes for a lot of interesting conflicts to explore.
My reservations are obvious. The book is a lot for a passive fan. I also thought there were a lot of similar types of stories, and there weren't strong narrative acts or plots advanced through conflicts. With that said, for the more seasoned OAR fans, this encyclopedic brick will be useful and a fun resource. It could have been the musicians dive into deeper questions to bring up some thoughtfu discussion of ideas about purpose and ambition.
Ultimately, it's a great way to hear from the artists in a genre that defined modern American classic rock.
There are some great stories in here: Toto backing Michael Jackson's band on thriller; the origin of the Suvivor song "Eye of the Tiger; the many breakups of Heart; the phenomenal voice of Journey's Steve Perry; the store front that Bon Jovi first played in. There are also a lot of interesting conversations about art, craft, pleasure, media circuses, and all the glorious millions of records sold. Of course there is plenty of scandalous gossip, drug misadventures, divorces, pain with labels, and general human strife; all of which makes for a lot of interesting conflicts to explore.
My reservations are obvious. The book is a lot for a passive fan. I also thought there were a lot of similar types of stories, and there weren't strong narrative acts or plots advanced through conflicts. With that said, for the more seasoned OAR fans, this encyclopedic brick will be useful and a fun resource. It could have been the musicians dive into deeper questions to bring up some thoughtfu discussion of ideas about purpose and ambition.
Ultimately, it's a great way to hear from the artists in a genre that defined modern American classic rock.
June 5, 2026
Sorry, but I have to say I found this a quite poorly constructed oral history of AOR (album-oriented rock), a radio format that, according to the book, was largely conceived in boardrooms as a response to disco in the late 70s and popular through 1987, although still a certain segment of the audience’s favorite music 🙋♀️.
The format is a chaptered stream of quotes grouped by topic, with each comment—often only a sentence or two—attributed to its speaker. So if you already know who people like Jim Peterik, John Kalodner, and the other countless producers, managers, DJs, and label executives are, you’ll probably be fine. If not, you may find yourself repeatedly flipping to look people up. Steve Perry and Jeff Porcaro are easy enough to place; others, not so much.
Maybe that’s part of the appeal for serious music historians and deep-dive rock nerds, who are probably the book’s ideal audience. I listened to the audiobook, where the constant repetition of names before every brief quote became even more distracting.
There’s very little narrative thread beyond what’s established in the prologue. Instead, the story emerges from hundreds of interview snippets stitched together. To be fair, that must have taken considerable skill on the part of author Rees, and he does succeed in creating a broad portrait of the era.
But despite my frustrations, I’ll admit that I can never get enough dirt on Chicago’s David Foster years—that had to be the worst—and that’s just the start of plenty of fascinating gritty tidbits and tea about nearly every Boomer’s favorite band or singer. If you’re willing to dig through the format, you’re almost guaranteed to find stories you’ll love.
In fact, the more I think about it, the ideal format for this book may not be cover-to-cover reading at all. It’s the perfect bathroom book: dip in, dip out, and consume a chapter during each visit…maybe just 25 or 6 to 4 minutes at a time. 😉
The format is a chaptered stream of quotes grouped by topic, with each comment—often only a sentence or two—attributed to its speaker. So if you already know who people like Jim Peterik, John Kalodner, and the other countless producers, managers, DJs, and label executives are, you’ll probably be fine. If not, you may find yourself repeatedly flipping to look people up. Steve Perry and Jeff Porcaro are easy enough to place; others, not so much.
Maybe that’s part of the appeal for serious music historians and deep-dive rock nerds, who are probably the book’s ideal audience. I listened to the audiobook, where the constant repetition of names before every brief quote became even more distracting.
There’s very little narrative thread beyond what’s established in the prologue. Instead, the story emerges from hundreds of interview snippets stitched together. To be fair, that must have taken considerable skill on the part of author Rees, and he does succeed in creating a broad portrait of the era.
But despite my frustrations, I’ll admit that I can never get enough dirt on Chicago’s David Foster years—that had to be the worst—and that’s just the start of plenty of fascinating gritty tidbits and tea about nearly every Boomer’s favorite band or singer. If you’re willing to dig through the format, you’re almost guaranteed to find stories you’ll love.
In fact, the more I think about it, the ideal format for this book may not be cover-to-cover reading at all. It’s the perfect bathroom book: dip in, dip out, and consume a chapter during each visit…maybe just 25 or 6 to 4 minutes at a time. 😉
August 24, 2026
I received this book as part of a giveaway here on Goodreads. This was a fun read, written in interview style. Interesting to hear some of the band dynamics and why records/songs, etc were made the way they were.
I can see someone who experienced this music in real time being able to really immerse in the content.
It was a little tough to keep all the names/characters straight for me but there were reference pages if you wanted to review them.
It was very long for my liking as well.
I can see someone who experienced this music in real time being able to really immerse in the content.
It was a little tough to keep all the names/characters straight for me but there were reference pages if you wanted to review them.
It was very long for my liking as well.
August 10, 2026
I'm on an '80s kick, it seems, and an oral history one, so this book fit right into those themes. While I was more a pop guy than a rock guy, the main characters in this book -- Styx, Journey, REO Speedwagon -- were a huge part of my childhood. There's a little more rawness, a little more of the bitterness, in the stories in this book as compared to the MTV one. Good read that I blasted through in a few days.
October 1, 2026
Yet another book that I found while working at the library, Raised On Radio basically features my late adolescence. I can't remember if I ran across it while processing or shelving, but I saw it at the library, took one look at it, and immediately checked it out.
What I didn't realize was how this book is presented, and that made it that much more glorious. Essentially what we have, here, is 450+ pages of snippets of conversations with the people who made and played the rock music of that era. Musicians, producers, songwriters, managers, agents, label people, and radio people; sometimes a paragraph or two, sometimes just a line. This book is glorious! It is delightful! Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's painful. It made me want to write songs, it made me want to sing, it made me want to "pick up my guitar and play . . . just like yesterday."
Oh. No, that song isn't part of this era. Sorry. That's from an even better decade.
I learned so much about so many people, reading this book. I learned a few things I didn't want to know. You know how people say don't ever meet your heroes. There's always a danger that they will disappoint you in person.
AOR stands for "Album Oriented Rock," in case you aren't aware of that. Now, I think that trend actually started before 1976, but maybe I didn't fully understand what it meant. You see, back in that time frame, or at least in the early-to-mid-eighties, I was listening to FM radio stations that played what we called "deep tracks," songs that weren't hits on the radio, but included on the albums. But the trend of Album Oriented Rock seems to be when rock music started following the formula that got them radio play. 2-3 minutes songs, melodic rock music, power ballads (as the subtitle says), and things like that. The writer of this book says that Boston basically started the whole thing.
But this book covers Boston, Foreigner, Toto, Heart, Def Leppard, Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Survivor, and others. And, as one might imagine, this book is full of prima donnas. Because that's pretty much what you have to be to front a rock band. Billy Squier is even in here. I never liked him or his music, and he comes off exactly the way I thought he would in the book. He really likes himself and his music. At one point, he says he thought he sounded like Paul Rogers! PAUL ROGERS! Billy Squier never sounded like Paul Rogers!
Oh, and of course, Kansas is in here, too.
Like I said, this is my late adolescence, so I ate this book up. I learned that Michael McDonald almost became the lead singer for Toto. But he had just signed with the Doobie Brothers. I don't know about you, but I don't think Toto would have made it big with him singing. I just don't think it would have worked. I learned how songs came together. That may have been the most fascinating part. I learned how Steve Perry became the lead singer for Journey. I learned why bands broke up, came back together, broke up again.
Of course, there are contradicting statements in the book, as well. I mean, that's what happens when you have a bunch of conflicting personalities in a band. I learned that Steve Lukather is really a jerk. I already knew that Gene Simmons is possibly the worst human being on the planet, but that was even further confirmed in this book. I learned that Ritchie Blackmore doesn't like to listen to rock music.
That's right. You read that right. "Mostly, I listen to organ recitals" (p. 254). I'm not that surprised by that revelation. I mean, if you've followed him, you know that he is now into fingerstyle Celtic/Medieval music with costumes and everything. It's really quite good, if you like that kind of thing.
Some other good quotes: "I never did drugs. No cocaine went up my nose and down the back of my throat. I didn't drink. I never smoked cigarettes." (Do you know what song is going through my head, right now?) "And when my children were naughty, I hired a very large Ukrainian woman to yell at them to save my voice." That was Dennis DeYoung, of Styx. LOL!!
One that I found very interesting was on page 338, when Don Henley (his solo work is featured in this book) said, "Life is short but it's very wide." On page 265, Bruce Hall, bassist for REO, said, "I don't remember the '80s. It was tough." Drugs, drugs, drugs. Again, I'm not surprised, but the casualness of it all is a little surprising.
"When I look back through all the supernova of Bon Jovi's success, it's lucky we're still alive. People just don't realize how dangerous this business actually is, how detrimental it can be to your state of mind. There's no rule book for that shit." Ritchie Sambora, Bon Jovi's guitar player.
As things got more and more polished, and decisions were made in board rooms, Bill Champlin (Chicago) said, "A band should make its decisions in a cheap pizza parlor with three-two beer and a greasy-assed pizza."
The AOR trend ended, but, at the same time, it goes on. Many of the bands still tour, albeit not in original form. REO is still out there. Pat Benatar still tours. I think Foreigner might still be cranking, but I'm not sure. And then there's Sammy Hagar, who pretty much closes this out with, "I still have more fun than anybody on the planet. My mind still works. My voice still works. My dick still works. My heart is still good, and I got a memory. I'm rich and famous, and I got a beautiful family. Dude, if you see me going around with a bad look on my face, hit me on the shoulder and say, 'Aren't you Sammy Hagar?' And I'll say, "Oh, yeah, you're right!'" (p. 455)
I recommend this book to anyone who was alive during this era, enjoying the music that was being cranked out. If you like biographies and memoirs, especially about the music business, you would also probably enjoy this. It's a really fun read.
And the last thing I learned . . . I knew "Don't Stop Believin'" was a popular song, but I had no idea. On February 26, 2021, it was reported that it had reached 1 BILLION streams on Spotify, "a milestone previously only achieved by Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." On January 3, 2024, it was reported that "Don't Stop Believin'" was "Officially the Biggest Song of All Time." As of February 27, 2025, it had reached 2,306,256,597 streams on Spotify.
I looked at it today, September 30, 2026. 3,009,374,477
But I also looked at another list, and DSB is far from the top, so it is far from the "Biggest Song of All Time." It is number 77 on Spotify's all time streaming list. Coldplay's "The Scientist" actually has more streams. And number one on their list has more than five billion streams.
Just keeping things in perspective. It's still a great song.
What I didn't realize was how this book is presented, and that made it that much more glorious. Essentially what we have, here, is 450+ pages of snippets of conversations with the people who made and played the rock music of that era. Musicians, producers, songwriters, managers, agents, label people, and radio people; sometimes a paragraph or two, sometimes just a line. This book is glorious! It is delightful! Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's painful. It made me want to write songs, it made me want to sing, it made me want to "pick up my guitar and play . . . just like yesterday."
Oh. No, that song isn't part of this era. Sorry. That's from an even better decade.
I learned so much about so many people, reading this book. I learned a few things I didn't want to know. You know how people say don't ever meet your heroes. There's always a danger that they will disappoint you in person.
AOR stands for "Album Oriented Rock," in case you aren't aware of that. Now, I think that trend actually started before 1976, but maybe I didn't fully understand what it meant. You see, back in that time frame, or at least in the early-to-mid-eighties, I was listening to FM radio stations that played what we called "deep tracks," songs that weren't hits on the radio, but included on the albums. But the trend of Album Oriented Rock seems to be when rock music started following the formula that got them radio play. 2-3 minutes songs, melodic rock music, power ballads (as the subtitle says), and things like that. The writer of this book says that Boston basically started the whole thing.
But this book covers Boston, Foreigner, Toto, Heart, Def Leppard, Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Survivor, and others. And, as one might imagine, this book is full of prima donnas. Because that's pretty much what you have to be to front a rock band. Billy Squier is even in here. I never liked him or his music, and he comes off exactly the way I thought he would in the book. He really likes himself and his music. At one point, he says he thought he sounded like Paul Rogers! PAUL ROGERS! Billy Squier never sounded like Paul Rogers!
Oh, and of course, Kansas is in here, too.
Like I said, this is my late adolescence, so I ate this book up. I learned that Michael McDonald almost became the lead singer for Toto. But he had just signed with the Doobie Brothers. I don't know about you, but I don't think Toto would have made it big with him singing. I just don't think it would have worked. I learned how songs came together. That may have been the most fascinating part. I learned how Steve Perry became the lead singer for Journey. I learned why bands broke up, came back together, broke up again.
Of course, there are contradicting statements in the book, as well. I mean, that's what happens when you have a bunch of conflicting personalities in a band. I learned that Steve Lukather is really a jerk. I already knew that Gene Simmons is possibly the worst human being on the planet, but that was even further confirmed in this book. I learned that Ritchie Blackmore doesn't like to listen to rock music.
That's right. You read that right. "Mostly, I listen to organ recitals" (p. 254). I'm not that surprised by that revelation. I mean, if you've followed him, you know that he is now into fingerstyle Celtic/Medieval music with costumes and everything. It's really quite good, if you like that kind of thing.
Some other good quotes: "I never did drugs. No cocaine went up my nose and down the back of my throat. I didn't drink. I never smoked cigarettes." (Do you know what song is going through my head, right now?) "And when my children were naughty, I hired a very large Ukrainian woman to yell at them to save my voice." That was Dennis DeYoung, of Styx. LOL!!
One that I found very interesting was on page 338, when Don Henley (his solo work is featured in this book) said, "Life is short but it's very wide." On page 265, Bruce Hall, bassist for REO, said, "I don't remember the '80s. It was tough." Drugs, drugs, drugs. Again, I'm not surprised, but the casualness of it all is a little surprising.
"When I look back through all the supernova of Bon Jovi's success, it's lucky we're still alive. People just don't realize how dangerous this business actually is, how detrimental it can be to your state of mind. There's no rule book for that shit." Ritchie Sambora, Bon Jovi's guitar player.
As things got more and more polished, and decisions were made in board rooms, Bill Champlin (Chicago) said, "A band should make its decisions in a cheap pizza parlor with three-two beer and a greasy-assed pizza."
The AOR trend ended, but, at the same time, it goes on. Many of the bands still tour, albeit not in original form. REO is still out there. Pat Benatar still tours. I think Foreigner might still be cranking, but I'm not sure. And then there's Sammy Hagar, who pretty much closes this out with, "I still have more fun than anybody on the planet. My mind still works. My voice still works. My dick still works. My heart is still good, and I got a memory. I'm rich and famous, and I got a beautiful family. Dude, if you see me going around with a bad look on my face, hit me on the shoulder and say, 'Aren't you Sammy Hagar?' And I'll say, "Oh, yeah, you're right!'" (p. 455)
I recommend this book to anyone who was alive during this era, enjoying the music that was being cranked out. If you like biographies and memoirs, especially about the music business, you would also probably enjoy this. It's a really fun read.
And the last thing I learned . . . I knew "Don't Stop Believin'" was a popular song, but I had no idea. On February 26, 2021, it was reported that it had reached 1 BILLION streams on Spotify, "a milestone previously only achieved by Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." On January 3, 2024, it was reported that "Don't Stop Believin'" was "Officially the Biggest Song of All Time." As of February 27, 2025, it had reached 2,306,256,597 streams on Spotify.
I looked at it today, September 30, 2026. 3,009,374,477
But I also looked at another list, and DSB is far from the top, so it is far from the "Biggest Song of All Time." It is number 77 on Spotify's all time streaming list. Coldplay's "The Scientist" actually has more streams. And number one on their list has more than five billion streams.
Just keeping things in perspective. It's still a great song.
April 19, 2026
An okay overview of album rock music in the 1970's through the mid 1980's.
My biggest whinge is the format of the book: my goodness is it annoying! Unless you are intimately acquainted with the band and its personnel you will constantly be flipping back to the "Cast of Characters" list at the front of the book to find who is talking and about what band. The author often changes bands in the middle of a chapter so the narrative is quite convoluted.
That said, thanks for including that "Cast of Characters" list!
My biggest whinge is the format of the book: my goodness is it annoying! Unless you are intimately acquainted with the band and its personnel you will constantly be flipping back to the "Cast of Characters" list at the front of the book to find who is talking and about what band. The author often changes bands in the middle of a chapter so the narrative is quite convoluted.
That said, thanks for including that "Cast of Characters" list!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing - Da Capo for an advance copy of oral history told in the words of those who were there about the rise of radio based rock, from the early days, to the arena packed nights, complete with tales of bacchanals, band disputes, problems with labels, and the legacy of these super sounds.
I often wonder where my interest in music came from. My dad liked jazz, new age, and near the end of his life techno, something he picked up from me. My mom never cared for music, until my brother and I did, than she became a fan. For the longest time my family was happy with Top 40 radio. I think it was the Chevy Citation, a car my Dad loved to take us on long car trips with that changed our musical fortunes. It had an AM/FM radio. FM was different than AM. The songs were different, longer, odder. At the time the DJ's were also weirder and odder. Plus while one could get used to one's local station, hitting the road meant hitting different radio markets. And different songs. These might be when I started to care for music. While I am not one for nostalgia, I think nostalgia has killed entertainment, and probably the political system, I must admit to a fondness for songs from this era. A time when the playlists were decided by radio programmers, with regional hits playing next to nationwide smashes. All of these moments, are captured in this history. A history that will also sound amazing. Raised on Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine & Payola – the AOR Glory Years 1976-1986, by Paul Rees is a history of a time where music seemed to be changing the world, where the stars were the limits, until limited by money, videos, and the changing ears of the public, all told by the people who were there.
This is an oral history told by the performers, radio people, industry insiders, and fans. Based on previous interviews, biographies and new interviews this is a warts and all presentation of how radio sold music, how it fostered changes in music, and how it all changed. The book starts in the 60's with many watching the Beatles, and getting a love of music. From love came a learning how to play, and bands were formed, weddings were played, bars were filled, and maybe in some cases musical deals were made. Rees follows many of the big bands, and bands that kind of faded away, Styx, Heart, Kansas, Reo Speedwagon, Rainbow and others, along with people who worked in the business. Bands are formed, drugs are used, albums are made, bands break up, and stories of why this happens changes from person to person. Along with the bands, there is discussion about how songs were chosen, the payola problems, the drug problems, and the rise of a little thing called MTV, which changed music in ways we are still dealing and listening to.
A really excellent history. I found myself interested in tales by bands I have never really cared for, like Kansas, Rainbow and Reo Speedwagon. Rees does a really good job of finding good stories, linking them together and making as close to one can accounting of what the times were like. There are a lot of snide remarks, a lot of claiming of where ideas came from, and Rees is very good at putting all the stories in, letting the reader decide what might have happened. The book is well laid out, and has a narrative that as I said, even if one cared little about the band being talked about really holds the reader. There is a lot of looking back, a lot of drug stories, a lot of abuse, and a lot of sad tales. Sometimes that rock n' roll fantasy really blows one away, and not in a good way.
A book for music fans, especially of the radio era. Lots of interesting stories about song writing, creating the sound, tape effects, and more. I really enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. I look forward to more books by Paul Rees.
I often wonder where my interest in music came from. My dad liked jazz, new age, and near the end of his life techno, something he picked up from me. My mom never cared for music, until my brother and I did, than she became a fan. For the longest time my family was happy with Top 40 radio. I think it was the Chevy Citation, a car my Dad loved to take us on long car trips with that changed our musical fortunes. It had an AM/FM radio. FM was different than AM. The songs were different, longer, odder. At the time the DJ's were also weirder and odder. Plus while one could get used to one's local station, hitting the road meant hitting different radio markets. And different songs. These might be when I started to care for music. While I am not one for nostalgia, I think nostalgia has killed entertainment, and probably the political system, I must admit to a fondness for songs from this era. A time when the playlists were decided by radio programmers, with regional hits playing next to nationwide smashes. All of these moments, are captured in this history. A history that will also sound amazing. Raised on Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine & Payola – the AOR Glory Years 1976-1986, by Paul Rees is a history of a time where music seemed to be changing the world, where the stars were the limits, until limited by money, videos, and the changing ears of the public, all told by the people who were there.
This is an oral history told by the performers, radio people, industry insiders, and fans. Based on previous interviews, biographies and new interviews this is a warts and all presentation of how radio sold music, how it fostered changes in music, and how it all changed. The book starts in the 60's with many watching the Beatles, and getting a love of music. From love came a learning how to play, and bands were formed, weddings were played, bars were filled, and maybe in some cases musical deals were made. Rees follows many of the big bands, and bands that kind of faded away, Styx, Heart, Kansas, Reo Speedwagon, Rainbow and others, along with people who worked in the business. Bands are formed, drugs are used, albums are made, bands break up, and stories of why this happens changes from person to person. Along with the bands, there is discussion about how songs were chosen, the payola problems, the drug problems, and the rise of a little thing called MTV, which changed music in ways we are still dealing and listening to.
A really excellent history. I found myself interested in tales by bands I have never really cared for, like Kansas, Rainbow and Reo Speedwagon. Rees does a really good job of finding good stories, linking them together and making as close to one can accounting of what the times were like. There are a lot of snide remarks, a lot of claiming of where ideas came from, and Rees is very good at putting all the stories in, letting the reader decide what might have happened. The book is well laid out, and has a narrative that as I said, even if one cared little about the band being talked about really holds the reader. There is a lot of looking back, a lot of drug stories, a lot of abuse, and a lot of sad tales. Sometimes that rock n' roll fantasy really blows one away, and not in a good way.
A book for music fans, especially of the radio era. Lots of interesting stories about song writing, creating the sound, tape effects, and more. I really enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. I look forward to more books by Paul Rees.
April 30, 2026
Superb! I absolutely monstered this fantastic book. I guess it's a matter of some subjectivity though 🤣 A lot of people would not agree, I guess. It's an AOR thing. It's a when you were born kind of deal or, more accurately, when you were a teenager kind of deal.
Confused, you will be. And, if you got that reference, you'll probably get this book.
The music that this book deals with, in some parallel dimension, bridged the gap between Prog and Grunge. In other, more torturous dimensions that music was Punk/New Wave/New Romantic, whilst in other circles of Hell, it was Disco/Europop, and then the world ended from despair and Weimar Republic levels of depravity.
In my dimension, from the painful excesses of Toby's Graphic Go Kart, we were soothed by the magical sonic balm of Boston, Foreigner, Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Toto, and Blue Oyster Cult. This mighty tome puts that, aye and much more besides, into a sensible, chronological order, through contemporaneous interviews with those involved. If you like, it's the rock equivalent of a Marvel origin story. It tells you who begat who, and names the supreme beings responsible for the creation process. The record company execs, producers, songwriters, performers, all laid bare, as naked and as vulnerable as the day that God created the power chord.
Paul Rees has done a marvellous job of weaving together all the many interviews into a navigable and highly entertaining narrative that, quite frankly, I found unputdownable.
I realise that you may not find this quite as riveting as did I, and I forgive you your inadequacies but, for anyone who loves this style of music, but wants to know exactly how it all came and went in a space of little more than ten years, this is the book you've been waiting for, all of your life.
I count myself lucky to have seen many of the bands featured in this book. Some when they were at the peak of their powers, others when they could barely land a slot at a Skid Row diner. Still, even today this music endures, loved by those who remember it like it was yesterday, and reaching others who weren't even born when these bands were selling out arenas and stadiums like they were going out of fashion.
If you want to know what spawned AOR, what sustained it, and why it persists, you have to read this book.
Confused, you will be. And, if you got that reference, you'll probably get this book.
The music that this book deals with, in some parallel dimension, bridged the gap between Prog and Grunge. In other, more torturous dimensions that music was Punk/New Wave/New Romantic, whilst in other circles of Hell, it was Disco/Europop, and then the world ended from despair and Weimar Republic levels of depravity.
In my dimension, from the painful excesses of Toby's Graphic Go Kart, we were soothed by the magical sonic balm of Boston, Foreigner, Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Toto, and Blue Oyster Cult. This mighty tome puts that, aye and much more besides, into a sensible, chronological order, through contemporaneous interviews with those involved. If you like, it's the rock equivalent of a Marvel origin story. It tells you who begat who, and names the supreme beings responsible for the creation process. The record company execs, producers, songwriters, performers, all laid bare, as naked and as vulnerable as the day that God created the power chord.
Paul Rees has done a marvellous job of weaving together all the many interviews into a navigable and highly entertaining narrative that, quite frankly, I found unputdownable.
I realise that you may not find this quite as riveting as did I, and I forgive you your inadequacies but, for anyone who loves this style of music, but wants to know exactly how it all came and went in a space of little more than ten years, this is the book you've been waiting for, all of your life.
I count myself lucky to have seen many of the bands featured in this book. Some when they were at the peak of their powers, others when they could barely land a slot at a Skid Row diner. Still, even today this music endures, loved by those who remember it like it was yesterday, and reaching others who weren't even born when these bands were selling out arenas and stadiums like they were going out of fashion.
If you want to know what spawned AOR, what sustained it, and why it persists, you have to read this book.
August 22, 2026
This was a unique way to write a book. Everything was presented as a quote from one of the artists from interviews conducted. It started off interesting but it soon became tiresome. The story lines became disconnected and there really was no consistent theme or flow to the book.
The other challenge was that while I like music and knew some of the artists I mostly knew the bands and not the individual names of the band members. So I would get a line of dialog from someone but I didn’t know who that person was or what band he was with at what time.
Finally the bands and the members were spread out across a lot of bands but allot of the popular bands and songs were not covered.
Clearly a lot of work went into the book and there were some interesting moments. However I would not read another book in this same format.
The other challenge was that while I like music and knew some of the artists I mostly knew the bands and not the individual names of the band members. So I would get a line of dialog from someone but I didn’t know who that person was or what band he was with at what time.
Finally the bands and the members were spread out across a lot of bands but allot of the popular bands and songs were not covered.
Clearly a lot of work went into the book and there were some interesting moments. However I would not read another book in this same format.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Unlike his earlier biographies of John Entwistle and Robert Plant, this is an exhaustive oral history compiled from dozens if not hundreds of sources -- none of which appear to be firsthand -- with a mostly linear yet constantly overlapping approach. It can be hard to keep up with who's who and how they relate to each other, but considering that the vast majority of what is referred to as the "cast of characters" were heavy users of cocaine, perhaps that's fitting. Some people are simultaneously pompous and self-deprecating, while praise is as rife as contempt. (preview copy provided by NetGalley)
April 2, 2026
This book hits the sweet spot of music that I grew up with and still listen to regularly. For anyone curious about radio friendly rock music of the 70s and 80s, this is a fantastic read. I want to note that it's not advertised, but this title is an oral history, so the entire book is quotes from various musicians, producers, managers and industry execs. There is no narrative, except the (very short) chapters focusing on a single subject. That doesn't bother me but some may be turned off by the format.
For me personally, I love reading stories and anecdotes so this is a win-win for me. Highly recommended, I guarantee you will be updating your Spotify playlist while reading this.
A+
For me personally, I love reading stories and anecdotes so this is a win-win for me. Highly recommended, I guarantee you will be updating your Spotify playlist while reading this.
A+
March 20, 2026
Just damn! Like the decade itself, I wish this book had never ended. Paul Rees has unfurled a masterwork with Raised on Radio. I was fortunate enough to grow up in the latter part of AOR's glory years and have lamented its end since. Great music is still being made. Rock radio, if not dead, is close to flatlining. Mr. Rees has done considerable homework to stitch together a mosaic of tales from the road and studio during this fructuous era of music. If you grew up on this music, you are going to love this book. Bravo, Mr. Rees! If you've got more, I'll buy it.
July 21, 2026
This bland oral history mimics the bland vibe of AOR itself: Formulaic, vapid and artistically suspect. Don't get me wrong--as it is with so many others out there, I love (or is it, "love to hate"?) many of the bands and songs featured here. But, this book was way too long and was bloated with unnecessary details, including interviews with random one-hit wonders (Quarterflash, Europe)--I guess Saga and Red Rider were not available. In the end--and as expected--drugs and ego blew (no pun intended) all of these bands apart.
Don't stop believin'.
Don't stop believin'.
August 22, 2026
(3). A little bit of power ballads, not much cocaine or payola, but an immense number of fun snippets and quotes from big time band members and others from the music business. Some good information on how songs came about, the band formations changed and how records were made. It jumps all over the place, but that happens when you have to rely on quotes for your content. If you aren't interested in one of the featured bands (like I was with Heart), some serious skimming comes into play. All in all, another brick in my music education wall. Decent stuff.
October 11, 2026
I'm a sucker for oral histories, and this one did not disappoint. For a Gen X-er like me, it hit the sweet spot of the music that formed me as a tween/teen. Raised on Radio does what any good non-fiction book does: It makes you long for the source material and enjoy it all over again. (The stories behind "Photograph" and "Urgent" took me back and gave me goosebumps both at once.) It was a little unnerving to see quotes from deceased artists woven into the modern-day conversations, but never mind. If you love(d) the glory years of AOR, make this your next read.
March 20, 2026
I won a copy of this book in a GoodReads giveaway. It was neat to get an understanding of how music was made during this time period, directly from the people who were doing it. However, my one big complaint is that it's hard to follow. If you don't know everyone involved, it gets tedious to keep turning back to the front of the book to identify someone. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the content and appreciate the author's hard work.
March 24, 2026
This was so fun to read. It’s all the music and bands that I grew up with. This guy has basically taken snippets of interviews and pieced them together to tell the stories. All of the stories come directly from the artists, producers and session players. I did think at times that it could have been better organized. It hopped around quickly from band to band and it was sometimes hard to tell which band we were talking about.
March 25, 2026
A fantastic documentary of the rise and fall of AOR music. The story is told chronologically from many perspectives based on interviews from the artists. I appreciate the way the author layered the telling. So many things were happening at once from so many different places; you're put in the middle of it.
As time progresses, new artists, producers, managers, and executives enter and the layering thickens. At times, it feels like you're caught in the whirlwind that was the 80s.
As time progresses, new artists, producers, managers, and executives enter and the layering thickens. At times, it feels like you're caught in the whirlwind that was the 80s.
April 6, 2026
I listened to the audio book at work. Probably would have been a "Did not finish" in text format and if I listened somewhere else. Lots on antidotes the were placed in a line, really didn't form a story. Gave a lot of background info to music from that time period. More for someone really into the music business.
May 2, 2026
The classic rock era
Has been covered to death, which is why this book avoids the well known tales, opting instead for lesser known perspectives. It works brilliantly. The interviewees' own voices come through in their words, and the perspective changes with each chapter, which keeps it interesting.
Has been covered to death, which is why this book avoids the well known tales, opting instead for lesser known perspectives. It works brilliantly. The interviewees' own voices come through in their words, and the perspective changes with each chapter, which keeps it interesting.
June 26, 2026
So much good stuff in this one, although it does have a little too much REO Speedwagon and Def Leppard. This is not about Springsteen, Prince, R.E.M. or U2- it’s about the other giants of the 80s: Journey, Styx, Toto, Night Ranger, Heart, Pat Benatar…It is an oral history and is occasionally jarring in how it hops around, but I really enjoyed it.
August 9, 2026
I knew some of this (Def Leppard, Aerosmith) due to reading a lot of classic metal bios back in the day but I really enjoyed the bits I was not real familiar with- Toto, Styx (Dennis DeYoung quotes are pretty great, not gonna lie), Journey, Boston. It jumps back and forth a bit so that's a little distracting but it is worth it.
May 10, 2026
3.5. I would have given it a 4, but not enough about 70s bands.
Best quote from the book. Billy Squier: "To have been a teenager in the 1960s, it was absolutely the best gift I could have been given."
Amen!
Best quote from the book. Billy Squier: "To have been a teenager in the 1960s, it was absolutely the best gift I could have been given."
Amen!
July 5, 2026
I grew up on the music in the book, so the stories and artists mean a lot to me. Not sure I loved the way it's written - in anecdotes and quotes from artists - but it was a great walk down memory lane. The 80s ruled. I'd go back in a hot second.
February 27, 2026
Could have been structured better
March 10, 2026
Right in the sweet spot for me. Enjoyed the behind-the-scenes views of my musical heroes. Oral histories must be grueling to take on. But when done right, wow.
March 10, 2026
My brain is stocked with useless and wonderous rock 'n' roll trivia from the '70s and '80s. And I couldn't be happier. What an enjoyable romp though the annals of rock.
March 11, 2026
it was too long and I didn't like the interview format that it was written in.
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