Monster Ballads

1.] Warrant - "Heaven":
Images of stars might come to mind just looking at the title. Those infamous white outfits the band dressed in for their "Heaven" video made girls of all assorted ages swoon at the not-so-little stars decorating Jani Lane's skin tight pants... IF that is what they were looking at. No matter, it was the song itself that soared up the charts (supported quite heavily by the scrumptious heavily rotated 'created for the gals' MTV video. "Heaven" was a pretty song in its own right, sporting a soaring chorus and lyrics drenched in enough gooeyness to make 95% of their fanbase faint.

2.] Poison - "Something To Believe In":
Not talkin' bout love here but Poison's ballad was another chart smasher, although clearly not their best fare even if it did come from the heart. They were the West Coast glam-tastic band that stormed the East and made it huge on the strip. This one came later in their career right before the fall of the 'heavy' metal juggernaut and sits in the shadow of a little tune called "Every Rose Has It's Thorn".

3.] Damn Yankees - "High Enough":
This song certainly soars 'high enough'. The result of three songwriting heavy weights - Tommy Shaw from Styx, Jack Blades from Night Ranger and Ted Nugent taking a break from slaughtering animals in the wilderness, all three during periods of breakups with their original bands - yielded the biggest song of all of their careers combined no doubt. Elegant and worthy of its praise, the blending of the voices, whispering violins and Nugent's heartfelt guitar solo made this one a timeless classic.
Useless Flashback #1: I clearly remember flying down the highway with this tune drifting through the speakers during its heyday. Ahhh the memories.

4.] Mike Reno/Anne Wilson - "Almost Paradise":
Heart was falling apart so what better way to score a hit than team up with some other singer and do a duet. Anne's voice is flawless but this was after all done for an 80s movie soundtrack and thus feels like it, it tries its best to induce emotion but feels fake in the process. Mike Reno's voice simply is not masculine enough to blend with Anne, who outshines him by a mile.

5.] Whitesnake - "Is This Love":
Perhaps one of the most beautiful love songs ever written and no I'm not kidding. David Coverdale's voice simply shines with bluesy feeling, strong and pristine and definitely at the peak of his talent. The seductive tones in his lush vocals are mesmerizing, and coupled with John Sykes' delicately delicious guitar solos turns this track into something magnificent. Even though it's presence has graced a multitude of compilations, it's always a welcome addition for it's songwriting brilliance and inner shimmering beauty.

6.] Mr. Big - "To Be With You":
Never a fan of this band's work, I must say that I didn't get it then and still don't get it now. Acoustic and just not enough umph to make it pleasing to the senses. With utmost respect to the musicians, this one just doesn't do it for me. Sorry. Next.

7.] Europe - "Carrie":
When I was but a younger, my world revolved around Europe, and not the continent but the band from that land. Sweden's top rockers softened up their style for "The Final Countdown" forever barring them from the more metallic world they originally spawned from (just listen to the fantastic "Wings of Tomorrow"... that was truly a release to remember!). "Carrie", with quaintly simple lyrics sticking mostly to inflection variations on the girl's name, sometimes sang with reverence, other times with pleading dispair, captures it's audience simply riding on the vocal flair of Joey Tempest and the keyboard tapestries to surround. Europe was at the top of their game, and the world rejoiced.

8.] Cinderella - "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)":
Truer words have not often been spoken. This unforgettable track rides upon the vocals once again, roughly edged this time around. Bluesy and nicely done.

9.] Extreme - "More Than Words":
In the same vien as Mr. Big, this one "takes off" (if you can call it that) with acoustic and stays acoustic. Alot of people loved this song, probably with some reason which hasn't been figured out quite yet by moi. It seems flattened and restricted with hollow vocals.

10.] Winger - "Headed for a Heartbreak":
The video was beautiful and artsy, while this song's rank in Winger's catalogue is only surpassed by the unreleased for radio ballad "Without the Night" which is simply Killer as ballads go. Another song that screams of elegance, the pompous overall 80s metallic sound which wraps itself around the blissfully tragic chorus, Reb Beach's love lost solo which winds around with a feeling of despair like searching for the light of emotion in the dark and Kip Winger's distraught vocals which despite glowing with heartbreak still cannot shed their sexy undertones.

11.] Firehouse - "When I Look Into Your Eyes":
Notable for being a celebration of love instead of a voyeuristic peer into the depths of a shattered heart, this little tune is much beloved for being one of Firehouse's first forays into the world of pop radio. After this every album was expected to have that chart killer ballad, and it's not often that a band can repeat success like this one, but this plucky outfit managed to do it not once more but twice. The sweetly tinkering piano adds a nice underlying layer of musical prettiness.

12.] Scorpions - "Winds of Change":
Slipping out of love again, this was done way before the band went disco or whatever they are now, the Scorpions scored big with this track which is dedicated to the wall falling down. The whistled melody engraves this song into memory with ease. It's stuff like this that defines classic from 'the rest'. While not as mystically beautiful as some of their other material ("Send Me An Angel" comes to mind), it's hard to find fault in this classic.
Useless Flashback #2: This one stirs the old memory banks, the first time these ears heard that glorious melody, I taped it off the scratchy radio broadcast and saved treasured the tape until it fell apart.

13.] Steelheart - "I'll Never Let You Go (Angel Eyes)":
Connecticut's darlings (well not counting Fates Warning), Steelheart's greatest strength is the man with the lungs of steel, Mike Matijevic, who could singlehandedly cause deafness simply by singing. What power, what range, and put to excellent use to boot! Smashingly gorgeous, this one defies boundaries by soaring into the stratosphere during the superb chorus and drifts back down to earth for the angelic bridge! An over-the-top production brings out all the little nuances in the music. As ballads go, this tribute to being lost in love is nearly perfect.

14.] Bad English - "When I See You Smile":
John Waite scored big at the dawn of the 80s with a pop ballad and repeats his success while riding on the wings of this excellent purely AOR band. Neal Schon's guitarwork is tasteful and not overdone, and Waite's vocals have rarely sounded better. At a first glance (or listen as the case may be) the song might seem overly simple but upon repeated listens reveals itself as having more depth than meets the eye (err ears).

15.] Kix - "Don't Close Your Eyes":
Straying from their nitty gritty, pure partyin' rock n' roll style, Kix weaved this tale of anti-suicide. As ballads go, it's mighty fine and memorable for it's addictive choruses and rougher than normally found in metal with melody vocals.

16.] Sheriff - "When I'm With You":
The music that sets the background of this track is heavily reminiscent of the Care Bears Movie II or perhaps this is what influenced the soundtrack for that kiddie movie. Sheriff's big hit has an air of innocence, basking in the feel of youthful love with tinkering synth sounds and vocals that are beautifully done. It's a soothing and relaxing way to top off a solid album of soft chart blazers.