Podcast Summary:

Podcast: New Books Network
Episode: Paul Rees, "Raised on Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine and Payola - the AOR Glory Years 1976-1986"
Host: Rebecca Buchanan
Guest: Paul Rees
Date: February 14, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Rebecca Buchanan interviews veteran rock journalist Paul Rees about his new book, Raised on Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine and Payola - the AOR Glory Years 1976-1986. The discussion dives into the rise and fall of Album Oriented Rock (AOR), exploring iconic bands, the emergence of the power ballad, the influence of radio and MTV, gender and race dynamics, and the lasting legacy of hits like Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Rees reveals the process and challenges of crafting the book as an oral history, drawing from dozens of candid interviews with key players from the era.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Write Raised on Radio?

• Paul Rees describes the inspiration for the book as a blend of his ghostwriting work with Toto’s Steve Lukather, a personal fascination with AOR’s lack of mainstream critical recognition, and the sheer overwhelming commercial success of its bands ([00:23]).
  • “One of the things that stuck with me [from ghostwriting] was he talked about…how many records they’d sold but also how little sort of recognition they’d had for that in the sort of mainstream.” – Paul Rees ([00:32])
• He notes the historical uniqueness: “Probably one of the last times in history where so many people sold so many records in such huge quantities.” ([00:52])

2. Defining AOR (Album Oriented Rock)

• Originally a radio format emerging from FM radio and the rising popularity of album tracks over singles in the US ([02:10]).
• Bands synonymous with AOR: Boston, Journey, Foreigner, Toto, REO Speedwagon, plus many others.
  • “[AOR] was the music of heartland America…the sound through the 70s, 80s of American rock music.” – Paul Rees ([03:05])
• Highlights the cross-pollination of musicians across genres and records, citing musicians like Steve Lukather (“probably played on over 1500 albums”) and how this sound persists in modern pop-country ([03:30]).

3. Oral History Approach

• Rees chose an oral history format inspired by books like Meet Me in the Bathroom and Please Kill Me to manage the sprawling cast and to capture diverse, sometimes contradicting perspectives ([04:57]).
  • “Oral history…I think it works really well in being able to tell a story. And it seemed to suit this perfectly because through the voices of the characters, you could start with Boston and then introduce other people as you go through it.” ([05:36])

4. The Diversity of Source Material

• Over 55–60 original interviews for the book, along with archival magazine interviews ([06:49]).
• Some stories are told from multiple, often conflicting, perspectives.
  • Example: Differing origin stories of how Lou Gramm joined Foreigner.
    • “Mick Jones will tell you…Lou Gramm was on a building site…Great story. Lou Gramm’s version…Mick Jones called his father’s address…much less of a tall tale.” ([09:02])
  • Rees lets these contradictions stand to illustrate memory, ego, and band politics ([09:53]).

5. Book Structure and Pivotal Stories

• Part 1: New Frontier – The 1976 launch of Boston and its influence ([11:10]).
  • Tom Scholz as the ultimate DIY pioneer, building his own studio and funding the project almost to financial ruin.
    • “He’d reached the point where he said, you literally couldn’t spend any more money on this…The last tape he sent had More Than a Feeling on it.” – Paul Rees ([13:47])
  • Boston’s platinum debut inspires Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx, and others.
• Part 2: Take it on the Run – Bands develop signature sounds, looking for iconic, high-tenor singers (“if there was one character…the most naturally talented…Steve Perry”—Paul Rees, [15:12]).
  • The radio-to-car stereo-to-MTV feedback loop: Records engineered for FM radio, then boosted by MTV’s visual culture ([16:45]).
• Part 3: Jukebox Heroes
  • MTV’s double-edged sword: giving mass exposure but demanding visual branding over musical mystique ([18:18]).
    • “When I was growing up I had absolutely no idea what Journey looked like…By the time you got around to seeing the Africa video…they weren’t meant to make videos.” – Paul Rees ([19:30])
  • Artists shift from musicians to marketable products.
  • Example: Heart’s transformation by Capitol Records, collaborating with “song doctors” and focusing on image ([22:40]).
    • “You could glamorize, you know, objectify Nancy and Wilson and give them sleeker, less clunky songs…and make them into pop stars.” ([23:26])

6. Gender and Racial Dynamics

• AOR as a predominantly white, male space, with rare but notable exceptions (Heart, Pat Benatar, Scandal, etc.).
  • “The things that…the Wilson sisters and Pat Benatar had to endure and tolerate…because it was a masculine industry from top to bottom.” ([25:34])
  • Disappointment: Pat Benatar declined an interview, but Rees celebrates women like the Wilson sisters, Nancy Wilson, and Patti Smith as trailblazers ([27:10]).

7. The Era of Excess and Band Tensions

• The 1980s: an industry awash with money (advent of CDs, massive sales, cocaine—and relentless pressure) ([28:58]).
  • “You put money, cocaine and huge success together with ego and it’s a recipe for disaster.” ([29:46])
• Bands are driven too hard, leading to exhaustion and explosive splits (e.g., Styx’s “Kilroy Was Here” and “Mr. Roboto,” internal splits in Journey, REO Speedwagon, The Cars).
  • “Steve Perry…waking up every morning not knowing if the voice was going to be there that night. And that did a degree of psychological damage to him.” ([31:14])
• The issue of songwriting credits and royalties feeding resentment (“Mick Jones and Lou Gramm…their agreement…split the royalties that way…’I want to know what love is’…Lou Gramm wrote down 40%, and Mick Jones wrote 95%...and that’s what prevailed.” [34:21])

8. Legacy: Don’t Stop Believin’

• Bands derive a deep satisfaction from their legacy, as witnessed by the enduring presence of songs in pop culture, elevators, grocery stores, and sporting events.
  • “There is this sort of childish glee…I would have measured success by walking into my local grocery store and hearing myself” ([36:24])
• Rees discusses the surprising critical endurance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin,’” how it defies the era’s “corporate rock” dismissals, and the accidental, organic creativity that fueled these hits ([39:24]).
  • “Don’t Stop Believin’ is literally Steve Perry walking into studio going, I’ve always wanted to start a song with a piano…and the chorus doesn’t happen until the end of the record. It’s not conventional in any way, shape or form. But that’s what makes things great.” ([40:42])
• Personal reflection on music fandom and rejecting the notion that appreciating AOR and other genres are mutually exclusive ([41:44]).

9. The Book as Social and Musical History

• Rees sees Raised on Radio as a key contribution to music history, capturing an undertold story about both art and the social/cultural context ([43:21]):
  • “If you’re interested in music and how music was made and the history…this is a big chunk of history that’s not…an overtold tale…there’s some really important records in there. There’s some great stories behind the making.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the AOR sound and legacy:
  • “If you think of the pop country now…the Nashville sound, from Shania Twain to Taylor Swift, that’s not a million miles from what AOR sounded like then.” – Paul Rees ([03:30])
• On Boston’s Tom Scholz:
  • “He’d reached the point where he said, you literally couldn’t spend any more money on this…It was time to actually think about investing in his own life. And the last tape he sent had ‘More Than a Feeling’ on it. The rest is history.” ([13:47])
• On Steve Perry’s voice and legacy:
  • “Steve Perry is one of those things who’s bigger than any particular music movement. Steve Perry would have been great in any genre of music, any year of music.” ([15:14])
• On MTV’s “curse” and “blessing”:
  • “The longer MTV went on, the less mystique…it sort of stripped away the mystique of the music.” ([19:47])
  • “MTV replaced radio as being all powerful…after MTV it wasn’t just the song, it was the look, the fashion, the whole nine yards.” – Paul Rees ([20:58])
• On gender bias and Nancy Wilson:
  • “I think the notion of who Nancy Wilson is and what Nancy Wilson stood for, you know, a female guitar player in a rock band at that time, that’s not an easy thing to have been. It’s a rarity.” ([26:18])
• On the corrosive effect of fame:
  • “Money, cocaine and huge success together with ego…a recipe for disaster.” ([29:46])
  • “Be careful what you wish for.” ([32:36])
• On songwriting credit fights:
  • “Lou Gramm wrote down 40%. And Mick Jones wrote 95%…and that’s what prevailed, the Mick Jones percentages…you can imagine how much money Lou Gramm feels he was deprived of by losing that 35%.” ([34:14])
• On what success really meant:
  • “There is this sort of childish glee…virtually every one of the people you spoke to—being played on the radio for the first time is the pivotal moment in their professional life.” ([36:24])
• On “Don’t Stop Believin’”:
  • “Don’t Stop Believin’…the chorus doesn’t happen until the end of the record. It’s not conventional in any way, shape or form. But that’s what makes things great.” ([40:42])
• On AOR’s vindication and legacy:
  • “There are so many great songs, so many really, really good songs that have stood the test of time and that’s all that really matters.” ([42:36])
• On why the book matters:
  • “If you’re interested in music and how music was made and the history of music, this is a big chunk of history that’s not…an overtold tale.” ([43:23])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:23 – Paul Rees on why he wrote the book
• 02:10 – What is AOR and why it mattered
• 04:57 – On structuring the book as oral history
• 06:49 – Sourcing interviews and juggling story perspectives
• 09:02 – Contradictory versions: Foreigner’s origin story
• 11:10 – “New Frontier”: The impact of Boston’s debut
• 13:47 – Tom Scholz’s basement studio saga
• 15:12 – Steve Perry as AOR’s greatest singer
• 18:18 – MTV arrives and transforms the landscape
• 22:40 – Heart's reinvention and gendered pressures
• 25:17 – Gender and race: limitations and exceptions
• 28:58 – The 1980s: excess, egos, and band implosions
• 34:14 – The politics of songwriting credits
• 36:24 – The joy of hearing your song everywhere
• 38:54 – “Don’t Stop Believin’” and AOR’s enduring culture
• 41:44 – Defending AOR, genre boundaries, and value
• 43:21 – The importance and unique angle of the book

In Summary

This engaging conversation breaks down the overlooked yet massively influential history of AOR, revealing both the mechanics and myth-making behind the era's supergroups and sound. Raised on Radio offers a vibrant, sometimes conflicting oral account of ambition, artistry, ego, sexism, and the endless chase for a hit—as well as the strange, lasting magic of hearing your song play at a softball game or in the frozen food aisle. If you lived it, loved it, or simply want to know how music shaped (and was shaped by) American culture, Rees’s book and this interview are essential listening.