Richard E. Aaron, Getty Images<\/span><\/p> If there was any singular group that helped define the characteristics of arena rock, it was Queen<\/a>. Their style wasn\u2019t designed simply to get attention or make fans move, it was created to rattle people to the core.<\/p>\n The band\u2019s early years featured an intriguing, yet not fully refined hard and prog rock blend. Things really began to click in the mid-\u201970s when Freddie Mercury<\/a> added a more operatic influence to the group\u2019s sound. Lush harmonies, thunderous guitars and Mercury\u2019s distinctively powerful voice became Queen\u2019s calling card. Tracks like \u201cBohemian Rhapsody,\u201d \u201cKiller Queen\u201d and \u201cSomebody to Love\u201d were designed to rouse the masses \u2013 and fans happily embraced every note.<\/p>\n Then came 1977\u2019s News of the World<\/em> and the classic song \u201cWe Will Rock You,\u201d a tune Brian May<\/a> designed specifically for audience participation. \u201cWhat could you ask them to do? They’re all squeezed in there, but they can clap their hands, they can stamp their feet, and they can sing,” the guitarist thought to himself. His creation became an anthem that effectively set a blueprint for what arena rock could become. Nearly 50 years after it was recorded, it continues to reverberate around the globe.<\/p>\n Roger Ressmeyer, Getty Images<\/span><\/p> There is perhaps no band more closely linked to the arena rock sound than Journey<\/a>. Of course, things didn\u2019t start out that way. The band\u2019s early albums feature a more prog rock, jazz fusion sound, and it wasn\u2019t until the late \u201870s that they began melding in a noticeable pop influence.<\/p>\n Singer Steve Perry<\/a> arrived in 1977, with keyboardist Jonathan Cain<\/a> joining in 1980. Both of these additions helped propel Journey into a new sonic frontier, one which aligned perfectly with the rise of arena rock.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no coincidence that Journey\u2019s most commercially successful era came with this evolution. 1978\u2019s Infinity<\/a><\/em> offered a glimpse of the style \u2013 with hits like \u201cLights\u201d and \u201cWheel in the Sky\u201d \u2013 but the early \u201880s trio of Departure<\/em> <\/a>(1980), Escape<\/a><\/em> (1981) and Frontiers<\/a><\/em> (1983) really cemented the band\u2019s arena rock prowess. \u201cAny Way You Want It,\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Believin\u2019,\u201d \u201dOpen Arms,\u201d \u201cSeparate Ways (World Apart),\u201d \u201cFaithfully\u201d \u2013 the onslaught of soaring, anthemic hits was incomparable.<\/p>\n Decades after their heyday, Journey\u2019s arena rock superiority remains unmatched. Their material is beloved by generations of fans and it\u2019s almost impossible to attend a sporting event in America without hearing one of their songs.<\/p>\n Paul Natkin, Getty Images<\/span><\/p> Unlike some of the other bands in our Big 4 that gradually found their arena rock sound over the course of several years, Bon Jovi<\/a> pretty much arrived with the elements all intact. No, fame didn\u2019t immediately welcome the band \u2013 their first two albums only generated marginal attention \u2013 but sonically the group already had the characteristics necessary for their arena rock breakthrough.<\/p>\n That arrived in 1986 with their monumental album Slippery When Wet<\/a><\/em>. With massive hooks, radio-friendly melodies and captivating lyrics, the album became one of the era\u2019s best sellers. “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive\u201d all helped Bon Jovi capitalize on glam metal\u2019s mainstream moment, but it was the band\u2019s unifying force that kept fans coming back for more. Bon Jovi\u2019s brand of arena rock was designed for mass appeal, with fans, arm-in-arm, singing along at the top of their lungs.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes down to Jon and I writing a song, it\u2019s pure. We\u2019re not thinking about business,\u201d guitarist Richie Sambora <\/a>recalled in the 2009 documentary Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful<\/em>. \u201cWe\u2019ve written specific songs earlier in our careers saying, \u2018This is going to work in an arena\u2019 or \u2018This will work in a stadium.\u2019 They were specifically made to get the crowd ready, get everybody\u2019s dander up, and deliver the knockout punch.\u201d<\/p>\n Chris Walter, Getty Images<\/span><\/p> Sure, Van Halen<\/a> cut their teeth playing small clubs in Los Angeles, but there was no way those rooms could ever contain them.<\/p>\n Everything about the band was oversized, from Eddie Van Halen<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0gargantuan riffs to David Lee Roth<\/a>\u2019s onstage theatrics. Armed with unbridled energy and earth-shaking tunes, Van Halen quickly rose to become one of the biggest acts of their era.<\/p>\n Their swagger was unmatched, but (most importantly) they had the material to back it up. Tracks like \u201cJump,\u201d \u201cRunnin\u2019 With the Devil,\u201d \u201cHot for Teacher\u201d and \u201cPanama\u201d maintained plenty of rock fury, but mixed in just enough pop sensibilities to become concert sing-alongs. Meanwhile, the uptempo nature of the material kept fans moving, gyrating and dancing along to every note.<\/p>\n Of course, the biggest weapon in Van Halen\u2019s arena rock arsenal was Eddie\u2019s guitar wizardry. A virtuoso player who completely revolutionized what the instrument could do, he commanded the attention of every fan in attendance the second he walked onstage. \u201cA guitar is a very personal extension of the person playing it,\u201d Eddie once explained. \u201cYou have to be emotionally and spiritually connected to your instrument.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Halen’s music was always destined to shake the world, a rare combination of prodigious talent and muscular bravado the likes of which\u00a0rock fans have rarely seen.<\/p>\n UCR takes a chronological look at the 100 best rock albums of the ’80s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso and Michael Gallucci<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nQueen<\/h3>\n
Journey<\/h3>\n
Bon Jovi<\/h3>\n
Van Halen<\/h3>\n
Top 100 ’80s Rock Albums<\/h2>\n