WINGER
Reviewed by Ray Van Horn, Jr.
Poor ol’ Kip Winger has likely suffered the tortures of the damned ever since Beavis and Butthead single-handedly decreed him uncool. Then again, his immediate success following a nice run with Alice Cooper made Winger hard rock poster boys with “Headed For a Heartbreak,” “Madalaine” and the notorious “Seventeen.”
"In the Heart of the Young" had a little bit of staying power, but by that album, Mike Judge had thrust the dagger into the band’s heart and Kurt Cobain stomped it to finality.
Winger took another shot in 1993 with "Pull," but the damage had been
done and, like contemporaries such as Firehouse, Warrant and Slaughter, they fell into the abyss of hard rock nostalgia. Now,
in 2006, in the midst of a metal revival, Winger takes yet another shot with
"IV," and -- ridicule them if you like -- but this is actually a pretty good rock record.
Basking in the aura of patriotism, "IV" is a rock'n'roll love letter to the U.S. soldiers fighting abroad; in fact, the swaying anthem “Blue Suede Shoes” is dedicated especially to the troops. Check your politics at the
door and I’ll do the same. Regardless of my spiteful feelings about the war and the administration, let’s give some hope to these brave folks that their efforts aren’t completely in vain. If that’s Winger’s agenda—and assuming it’s in earnest—then cheers.
Whether or not the mean age of the troops fighting in Iraq is going to endear them to Winger is questionable, but for those of us listening here at home, let’s just say that Winger, with his main pal Reb Beach, have for themselves a pretty solid album with other songs like “Four Leaf Clover,” “Right Up Ahead,” “Short Flight to Mexico” and “Livin’ Just to Die” that have hard-driving edges with pop pepperings that make them distinctly Winger without being sappy. While “Disappear” and “M16” are a little overbearing, Reb’s solos keep them interesting, and there’s the obligatory ballad “On a Day Like Today” that’s a bit long but still quite good.
Yes, they’re all coming back, folks, so just hunker down and keep an open mind. Some of it is obvious cash cow, and Winger’s IV could be perceived thusly if not for a pretty ambitious undertaking on the band’s part.
For more information, check out Learn more about them at www.kipwinger.com.
"The
Very Best Of" (Atlantic/Rhino; 2001)
Reviewed by Keith Guillotine
As we all know, Winger is no newcomer to the rock'n'roll world. These guys have been around since the mid-80's, enjoying varying degrees of success and, of course, failure.
This CD is a compilation of their best work from their
previous studio albums, "Winger," "In The Heart Of The
Young," and "Pull." It also contains an extra track called
"On The Inside" which added guitarist John Roth. "On The
Inside" is great. It has a dark sound to it, almost like Whitesnake's
"In The Still Of The Night." Not what I expected from Winger.
The first three tracks start out slow but then explode into a heavy metal sound
that would get any mosh pit jumping. However, the next three slow right
down and make the album seem fairly melodic.
Track 10, "Easy Come Easy Go" (which is from
the band's "In The Heart Of The Young" CD) definitely kicks ass. I
have never heard that album in its entirety, but this track is making me curious
enough to possibly check it out. It hit #41 on the pop charts back in 1991, so I
guess I'm not the only one who thinks it's good. "Easy Come Easy
Go" has a Dokken-like sound (and Dokken is another one of my favorite
bands).
Other songs on the CD include: "Seventeen" (#26 in 1989),
"Madalaine," and "Headed For A Heartbreak" (#19 in 1989) and
more. The entire CD is loaded with great guitar riffs and has a total running
time of almost one hour and fourteen minutes. So you get plenty of Winger for
your money.
Winger: Kip Winger - Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, Guitar;
Rod Morgenstein - Drums, Percussion, Vocals; Reb Beach - Guitar, Vocals; Paul
Taylor - Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals; John Roth - Guitar and Vocals on "On
The Inside."
For more information, check out Learn more about them at www.kipwinger.com.
Reviewed by Jeff Rogers
Forget what you have ever heard about Winger.
Repress your memory of fat little Stuart wearing that shirt with the Winger logo
on it while being berated by Beavis and Butthead. If you don't have this CD, you owe it to yourself to get it and never let something like this happen again. You can probably find it in the bargain bin for about
four bucks, but that's not because it's bad, it's because grunge came in and,
well ... you know the rest.
This is one the best hard rocking CDs that never saw the light of day. Released in 1993,
"Pull" still holds its ground. The vocals are sharp and strong, the guitar is blistering and,
in my opinion, may never be matched again. Reb strangles the guitar into submission. The drums are as tight as a military bed.
The song “Spell I'm Under” was written for Kip’s wife Beatrice whom Kip would unfortunately
lose in an auto accident a few years later. This is a great song for the arrangement and the emotion.
This disc is one of my favorites because there will never be another like it. I would even let someone borrow it, and I never do that.
The best songs on the album are “Blind Revolution Mad,” “Down Incognito,” “Spell I’m Under,” and “Who’s The One.”
Winger: Kip Winger - vocals; Reb Beach - guitar; Rod Morgenstein - drums.
For more information, check out http://www.kipwinger.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 04 Nov 2008 01:18:57 -0600.
