Bon Jovi, Aldo Nova, Richard Marx. Could any of them be considered closer to corporate creations?
Bon Jovi, I think was much more right place, right time. Of course, the record company helped him immensely with resources, but much like Skid Row, he wasn't this experienced music business guy. He was just talented, with a band, and like lots of other bands, he was signed to a deal and given resources. I don't think he was created, just discovered, and invested in, much like the bands of the 60s and 70s were discovered and then invested in.
Aldo Nova quit the music business as a performer because he hated the record companies' influence on his album. So I certainly can't call him corporate rock. However he did flip the script and became part of the corporate scene in that he wrote songs and played on numerous, numerous albums. So, no, he was not a corporate creation as an artist, but yes, he was as a songwriter and studio musician for other mega artists. I was shocked when I heard the guy I used to rock out to in junior high was writing songs for Celine Dion.
The guy who wrote
"Monkey On Your Back" is now producing soft rock for housewives?
Richard Marx, now, one could say, yeah. My understanding is he was initially rejected by all the major record companies. But a secretary at a record company pulled his demo tape out of the trash just to give it a listen herself. She liked it and kept playing it at her desk. But that doesn't exactly jive with the fact that he was a songwriter for other artists 1st, and then got his own record deal later. But was he created? I mean, he did write almost all his own material, unlike a Celine Dion type who has almost exclusively outside songwriters.
Asia is the only band I am aware of that was indeed assembled by a record company man who purposely brought together seasoned musicians to form a new band and were signed based simply on reputation rather than proving their worth ahead of time.
To an extent, the short live band "Bonham" was sort of a creation, in that the record company signed Jason Bonham to a deal to put together a band around him and make money off of his name. But it's not like the record company made him play with seasoned musicians, he was free to hire unknowns at the time. As much I love the very cheesy (and I admit it's cheesy)
"Wait for You" I do believe that the band didn't last is it was assembled around Jason and not an organic band that came up through the club scene and had to fight for recognition.
But the fact is most bands that get accused of being corporate rock bands (Journey, Styx, Boston, etc) were not assembled by corporations. They weren't influenced by corporations any more (or less) than the Beatles or Rolling Stones were in the 60s.
