How did I manage to overlook one of the greatest voices in rock music for more than 40 years?

Like most people of my generation, I first discovered Survivor in 1982 when Sylvester Stallone unleashed Rocky III on an unsuspecting world.

Arguably the best movie of the entire Rocky franchise, it introduced us to one of the most recognisable rock songs ever recorded.

Eye of the Tiger.

More than four decades later, that opening guitar riff remains instantly recognisable. It’s been played at sporting events, in gymnasiums, on movie soundtracks and just about anywhere someone needs a little motivation to get off their backside.

And deservedly so. It’s a magnificent rock song.

I bought the vinyl album back in 1982 and it’s still sitting proudly in my collection. The album went platinum in the United States, selling more than a million copies, and deserved every bit of its success.

But here’s the thing. Eye of the Tiger wasn’t simply an album built around one enormous hit.

Tracks like Children of the Night and Ever Since the World Began are beautifully crafted examples of early 80s melodic rock. Terrific musicianship, soaring melodies and arrangements that sound as good today as they did in 1982.

I must have listened to that album a thousand times.

Even back then, I remember thinking these blokes were much better than your average bunch of rock musos. They were tight, accomplished and seemed to have an almost instinctive understanding of how to put together a great song.

And then, for reasons I can’t adequately explain, I pretty much stopped listening to them.

For the next 40 years!

What an idiot.

Who the $#@! is Jimi Jamison?

A few months ago, I decided to broaden my appreciation of Survivor beyond that wonderful old vinyl album.

I found the band’s Essentials playlist on Apple Music and started working my way through their catalogue.

And then something extraordinary happened.

I heard this voice.

Not just a good voice. An absolutely magnificent rock voice with a richness, power and effortless melodic quality that stopped me in my tracks.

Who the $#@! is Jimi Jamison?!

As it turns out, Jimi Jamison was Survivor’s second lead singer, replacing original vocalist Dave Bickler in 1984.

And somehow I’d managed to overlook one of the defining rock vocalists of the 1980s and 90s.

How annoying is that?

You spend decades listening to music, thinking you’ve got a pretty reasonable understanding of the great rock performers, only to discover someone of this calibre has been hiding in plain sight the entire time.

Born in Mississippi, Jamison possessed a wonderful southern quality to his voice that occasionally brings to mind Elvis Presley.

In fact, if I were to describe Jimi Jamison to someone who’d never heard him sing, I’d suggest imagining a combination of Elvis Presley and John Farnham.

A little bit of southern drawl, a little bit of growl, plenty of attitude and an extraordinary ability to deliver a soaring rock melody without ever losing control of the song.

Like Farnham, he could unleash enormous vocal power while remaining right in the sweet spot of mainstream rock music.

It’s a rare combination.

And boy, could this bloke sing.

Where have all these songs been hiding?

Once Jamison joined Survivor, the band produced an extraordinary collection of melodic rock classics.

Start with High on You from the 1984 album Vital Signs.

It’s infectious. One of those beautifully constructed pop/rock songs with a chorus that takes up residence inside your head and refuses to leave.

Then there’s Is This Love from 1986’s When Seconds Count.

Absolute perfection.

The melody, the guitar arrangements, the harmonies and that extraordinary Jamison vocal all come together in a song that could comfortably sit alongside the very best of Journey, Foreigner or REO Speedwagon.

And that’s before we get to I Can’t Hold Back, The Search Is Over, First Night and Man Against the World.

Good grief!

How does a band produce this many magnificent songs and somehow escape my attention for four decades?

What makes Survivor particularly impressive is the quality of the songwriting. These aren’t simply catchy rock tunes with a big chorus thrown in for good measure.

There’s a sophistication to the arrangements, a wonderful balance between keyboards and guitars, and an understanding of melody that few bands ever achieve.

And remarkably, much of this music sounds as fresh today as it did when originally recorded.

Hollywood’s favourite rock band

Of course, Survivor’s association with Hollywood didn’t end with Rocky III.

They returned to the Rocky franchise in 1985 with Burning Heart, the theme from Rocky IV, this time featuring Jamison on lead vocals.

Another absolute monster of a song.

The band also recorded The Moment of Truth for The Karate Kid in 1984.

And if Jamison’s voice sounds strangely familiar even though you don’t recognise his name, there’s a very good reason.

He also sang I’m Always Here, the unmistakable theme song from the television series Baywatch.

Yes, that Baywatch.

The bloke was practically providing the soundtrack to popular culture throughout the 1980s and 90s, and I still didn’t know who he was!

Sadly, Jamison died in 2014, aged just 63.

What an extraordinary talent.

And let’s not forget Dave Bickler

It would be terribly unfair to celebrate Survivor’s achievements without acknowledging original vocalist Dave Bickler.

After all, it was Bickler who delivered that unforgettable performance on Eye of the Tiger.

But his contribution goes well beyond that single song.

Go back to the band’s earlier recordings and you’ll discover tracks like Poor Man’s Son, Rebel Girl and Summer Nights.

These are wonderfully unpretentious examples of late 70s and early 80s American rock.

Simple melodies, great guitar work and a natural energy that makes them immediately appealing.

Bickler had a terrific voice in his own right, and his recordings demonstrate that Survivor’s musical foundations were firmly established long before Jamison arrived.

The common thread running through both eras is the band’s exceptional songwriting and musicianship.

They simply knew how to write great rock songs.

1,785 plays. I think I have a problem.

Now, here’s where things have become slightly ridiculous.

Over the past three months, I’ve listened to 86 different Survivor songs on Apple Music.

Nothing particularly unusual about that, you might think.

Except I’ve played those 86 songs a combined total of 1,785 times.

Yes. One thousand, seven hundred and eighty-five.

Morning, noon and night.

In the car. Around the house. While working. Whenever I get the opportunity.

I’m obsessed!

And the extraordinary thing is that I’m still discovering little musical gems buried throughout their catalogue.

A vocal harmony here, a guitar arrangement there, a beautifully constructed chorus that somehow escaped my attention the first dozen times around.

It’s an absolute joy.

There’s something wonderful about discovering an artist who makes you feel like a teenager again, eagerly working your way through a collection of albums and wondering what musical treasure is waiting around the corner.

Survivor has given me that feeling all over again.

And perhaps that’s the greatest compliment I can pay them.

Forty-four years after buying Eye of the Tiger on vinyl, I’ve finally discovered just how good this band really was.

Better late than never, I suppose.

Survivor. Five guitars out of five.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got another 86 songs to listen to.