Power Ballads!

[Mattman]

Some love them, some hate them, and here's where we talk about it!? Yes, power ballads.? List your picks for the best and the worst power ballads ever right here.? In order to qualify as a true "power ballad" for our purposes, the song has to:
1) Be by a hard rock band from the 70s and 80s.
2) Start out quiet and build to a crescendoing guitar solo.
3) Have been a single with a video, because, after all, the modus operati for the power ballad is commercialism.

My picks:

BEST:
Motley Crue, "Home Sweet Home"
Aerosmith, "Dream On"
Metallica, "Nothing Else Matters"

WORST:
Europe, "Carrie"
Harem Scarem, "Honestly"

[Walk]

The Unforgiven is better than Nothing Else Matters. If you can consider it a ballad, Fade to Black is Metallica's best. As for the cheesy 80's hair ballads, Every Rose has its Thorn is unbeatable. Sebastian Bach does the best vocal performance on I Remember You, however.

Best anti-power ballad break up song. Pantera's THIS LOVE!!!!!!!!!!! It's just the ultimate song to play when you're telling that bitch it's all over with, pack your bags and leave! 

[Skeletor]

I'm not sure if this counts as a power ballad, but it does meet your criteria: Styx - Come Sail Away

The video is cool, no matter how Queen-infuenced it may be..

[matt88]

Hmm i maybe alone on this one, but i've never considered Dream On a power ballad. Usually a power ballad is well "cheesy". Dream On is NOT cheesy. Usually a power ballad is a love song. Compared to the rest we've stated Dream On is hardly about love or a person.

[MadmanDan]

Well with Don't cry and NR, Axl showed everyone how a power ballad should sound like!!!

[GnFnR87]

dunno about the worst ones, but here are my favorities, ive heard in various places of "Dream On" being referred to as a power ballad.

Metallica-Nothing Else Matters
Metallia-Fade To Black
GnR-November Rain
Aerosmith-Dream On
Aerosmith-Seasons of Wither
Aerosmith-What It Takes
Aerosmith- Cryin'
Skid Row-I Remember You
LA Guns- Ballad of Jayne

[gypsy eyes]

don't get me wrong here, i LOVE dream on and nothing else matters but... are we looking for a love song? becasue dream on sure as hell isn't a love song, and neither is nothing else matters, i read an interview with the band where they talk about it and say how it was the feeling when they were on tour that they were trying to capture, james wrote about his friends, not a GF!!!

sorry to bitch so are we looking for a love song? or something that only sounds like a love song?

oh and can i add bon jovi with always to it? yes i know it's old and gay and not nearly as good as anything GnR or Aerosmith made but the song just has a special meaning to me

[GnFnR87]

In order to qualify as a true "power ballad" for our purposes, the song has to:
1) Be by a hard rock band from the 70s and 80s.
2) Start out quiet and build to a crescendoing guitar solo.
3) Have been a single with a video, because, after all, the modus operati for the power ballad is commercialism.

theres ur answer folks

[Lord Blackadder]

Crazy - Aerosmith
These Are The Days Of Our Lives - Queen
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (most of it is a ballad)
Always - Bon Jovi
Don't Cry - G n' R
November Rain - G n' R
Too Much Love Will Kill You - Brian May
Sweet Child O' Mine - G n' R
Don't Look Back In Anger - Oasis (really is a good song)
Stairway To Heaven (i think) - Led Zeppelin

[Dave_Rose]

GN'R - SCOM
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters (S&M Version)
Posion - Every Rose Has Its Thron (I am gonna get slated for that)
Bon Jovi - Dry County

[GnFnR87]

wow, "I Remember You" is really good, i just listened to it and added it to my post lol.

[slave2thegrind]

Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Skid Row - I Remember You
GNR - November Rain
Bon Jovi - Always
KISS - Forever
Firehouse - I Live My Life For You (i'll admit...it's kinda cheesy, but chicks melt over it)

Those are my fav's

[J?]

Oh man I watched Power hour on this canadian channel here in canada called MuchMoreMusic, and saw that Carrie video by Europe that song is god aweful , man I wanted to kill everyone named Carrie after that horrible horrible horrible song! 

[Izzy]

Def Leppard - Photograph, if all power ballads were this good the genre would never need to hide from view again

[Mattman]

I've always thought that "I Remember You" is a decent power ballad, but little more.? "18 & Life" is really where it's at for me in terms of Skid Row ballads.

Aerosmith and Bon Jovi are pretty much the masters of the power ballad as far as I'm concerned, but the quality varies greatly.? Like, with Bon Jovi, you've got power ballads like "Bed of Roses" that are among the best the genre has to offer, but lately they've just started to seem formulaic.? Like that one from their new album - "You Had Me From Hello" or something like that.? Aerosmith is kind of the same thing.? They've done some amazing power ballads, like "Dream On" and "Angel", but also a lot of stinkers.? The main one I'm thinking of is "Crazy".? I like the other two power ballads from Get A Grip, but I'm sorry, "Crazy" is just the lamest, most contrived power ballad I've ever heard from Aerosmith.

Two horribly underrated power ballads that I highly recommend: 

L.A. Guns, "Ballad of Jayne"
Faster Pussycat, "House of Pain"

[Skeletor]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Don't You Ever Leave Me or Million Miles Away by Hanoi Rocks. They're true classics, for real.

[GnFnR87]

thanx Mattman "Ballad of Jayne" is really good, im addin' that too lol

[Mr Cowbell ?]

Behind Blue Eyes - Who
Bohiemean Rhapsody - Queen

Cheesy
Rod Stewart - Maggie May

[SLCPUNK]

Hysteria def leppard

[Lord Blackadder]

Crazy is better than Dream On and Angel.

I forgot Heaven For Everyone by Queen and Bed Of Roses by Bon Jovi