Any Billy Squier fans?

I was playing a couple of his hit songs on YouTube and realized that I have never owned even a single Billy Squier cassette back in the day.  I checked out a few more songs and realized that I would like his stuff even though it isn't quite metal.  

What are his best albums to listen to?  What are some of your favorite songs?

Yeah, I like some of his stuff. 

He’s got that Led Zeppelin influence.

Yes I would have to say that the "Don't Say No" album is one of my favorite all-time albums.  
They used to play some of his songs to death when classic rock radio ruled the airwaves, but I still like some of them just fine.   My favorites would be "In The Dark,"  "Lonely Is The Night," and "Rock Me Tonight," followed by "Too Daze Gone" and "My Kinda Lover."

Billy Squire played on a tour with early Def Leppard. That would have been a cool show to see!

I only had two of his albums "back in the day".  Emotions in Motion (was likely my favorite) and "Don't Say No".  Although I would say the track "In The Dark" from Don't Say No was likely my favorite song.  I never owned it, but there are a few good tracks on his "Signs of Life" album as well.
I lost those cassette tapes decades ago, but 2 or 3 years ago I picked up one of his greatest his albums used for a few bucks.

I think I am going to download his albums up until his acoustic album.  I am also going to attempt to get the MP3s for the three songs he has done for movie soundtracks:

Fast Times (the Best Years Of Our Lives - Fast Times At Ridgemont High

On Your Own - Metopolis

Shake Down - St. Elmo's Fire

Anybody buy the theory that his career died because of his dancing?

Superjuice wrote:Anybody buy the theory that his career died because of his dancing?

I think it hurt him, but the music was going grunge in the 90s.  He didn't change and the industry left him behind.

Superjuice wrote:Anybody buy the theory that his career died because of his dancing?

The industry - and he - claim that the "Rock Me Tonight" video from 1984 ruined his career by showing him dancing, preening, and writhing in a very effeminate way.  The industry story is that most of his audience was made up of teenage boys and that many were horrified and dropped him immediately.

If this is true, it was hardly fair because back in the 80's, there were many cringeworthy videos, from the likes of Mick Jagger, Billy Idol, Kiss / Paul Stanley, REO Speedwagon, Wham, Kajagoogoo, and others. So either they had a more diverse and forgiving audience, or something else was going on here.

I suppose it is possible though because 7-8 years prior to the Billy Squier debacle, Peter Frampton suffered a similar career-killer with the 1-2 punch of the "I'm In You" album (1977) followed by the disastrous "Sgt. Pepper" movie (1978). So there is precedent for an artist to lose a significant segment of his or her audience through career missteps.

alldatndensum wrote:

Superjuice wrote:Anybody buy the theory that his career died because of his dancing?

I think it hurt him, but the music was going grunge in the 90s.  He didn't change and the industry left him behind.

You can't blame grunge for everything.  There was nearly 8 years between his decline and the Nirvana revolution.

Constantine wrote:

Superjuice wrote:Anybody buy the theory that his career died because of his dancing?

The industry - and he - claim that the "Rock Me Tonight" video from 1984 ruined his career by showing him dancing, preening, and writhing in a very effeminate way.  The industry story is that most of his audience was made up of teenage boys and that many were horrified and dropped him immediately.

I don't think the mtv audience was big enough yet to destroy a veteran rocker.  I think he just didn't fit in with what was going on with the LA glam movement.  All my friends were into Crue or Twisted Sister at the time.

Superjuice wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

Superjuice wrote:Anybody buy the theory that his career died because of his dancing?

I think it hurt him, but the music was going grunge in the 90s.  He didn't change and the industry left him behind.

You can't blame grunge for everything.  There was nearly 8 years between his decline and the Nirvana revolution.

True, but hair metal (if we can briefly use that term) had to change in the late 80s and early 90s for a grittier sound that gave way to the grunge movement.  The bands had TO CHANGE.  Squier did not and got left behind.