- The Go Go's : VH1 Behind The Music

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, released by the Bee Gees and other artists in 1977
Overall Rating: 9.5*
Best Song: Night Fever
Worst Song: Calypso Breakdown

The ultimate disco record. Get ready to boogie-woogie!!!

Written by Ratko Hribar

I admit I'm kinda scared to review this one. I mean, this was the alpha and omega of the whole disco movement in the late seventies as it was filled with numerous hits. Further more, in the liner notes is clearly stated that it was sold in over 25 million copies (until 1992, that is, who knows, maybe the correct number is more along the lines of 40 millions nowadays). Anywaaaaay, it's hardly possible to forget all about this nifty soundtrack since I hear "Stayin' Alive" in commercials every day. In fact, some boyband just covered "Night Fever" and it's constantly on television... Eh, I know it was quite unexpected for me to review this one, but damn it! I love to shake my ass along those sleazy disco rhythms and the bizarre falsetto voices of those Gibb brothers (if I'm joking or not, I'll leave it to your own judgment). Actually, this ain't bad at all. Granted, disco music is maybe responsible for today's atrocities like dance, techno & trance and who knows what else, but it was also a step up from the pointless mind-numbing soul or R&B records that ruled the charts. And hey, it was fun too! Come on! Like you would be born if your parents didn't meet in the disco, got drunk and consumed their love in the toilet! Hah! Err... I appear to be losing my point rapidly. Hmm... please don't think that this outing is thoroughly magnificent or whatever, finally, this was a double-recording and you can't pull off such a pretentious package without losing yourself in lots of low grade filler. Anyway, the arrangements can vary from pretty cool to almost unlistenable, and the songwriting from a wisely structured boogie to a simplistic boogie. There are some schlocky ballads thrown in, as well as some dull lengthy plodders with no particular aim. The most important thing about this record is that it shows these Gibb fellows on their creative peak, and there's no way I can deny it. Truthfully, their numbers are the most accomplished and hook-filled of the whole lot, but there are some other gems here and there.

The very first track "Stayin' Alive" places the Bee Gees on the throne of all things disco, and makes them the procreators of the genre, if you wish. Indeed, the melody is irresistible in the true sense of the word, as it grabs you by the throat and drags you to the dance floor. The cool funky rhythm doesn't loose any of its charm through its almost five minutes of duration, and the vocal hooks can't be denied. Oh sure, so it ain't exactly intelligent and it even can be considered to be lame and shallow, but you can't say it's not well-written. Still, the second tune "How Deep Is Your Love" surely can't repeat the excitement of the opener by any means, and not only because it's a ballad. It's a rather lousy ballad, too. But then again, the vocal melody is just as much catchy as it's overly sappy, so it's not likely you'll be able to resist it. Of course, it's intolerable schlock, but it just clobbers you over the head and you can't help but listen to it with amazement. However, sometimes even the sticky vocal melodies can't save a number from becoming a total embarrassment. That is particularly visible on "More Than A Woman", yet another corny disco ballad which just brings out your best vomit. Goddamn! Those vocals are positively sickening when they start humming those bland lyrics! Sandwiched between the two ballads the ultimate disco anthem "Night Fever" is placed, and it scores a massive vocal melody and a gazillion other hooks. I think it's the best song here cause I simply can't bring myself to proclaim "Stayin' Alive" to be the highest point, since it strikes me as somewhat more generic than this one. Obviously, "Night Fever" is better just by a tiny bit, but every bit is important for yours truly. I like it more, so shoot me.

Eh, and we also have Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" which is catchy and fun, but nothing particularly memorable, even if I do like her voice. However, what is particularly intriguing is Walter Murphy's steaming instrumental based on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. It would be a grave mistake to write it off completely since it clearly demonstrates exactly how complex and soulful disco can be. The arrangement is impeccable with all kinds of superb instruments playing that ingenious melody without losing any artistic integrity. Of course, I'm not saying that "A Fifth Of Beethoven" is better than the splendid original, but it is just as good, only in a different way, filled with fun instead of seriousness. It's more like a successful entertaining parody than a fully-accomplished classical composition, which is good in my book. The up-tempo "More Than A Woman" by Tavares hardly possesses more charm than the Bee Gees number as it is a dumb happy ditty with passable chorus lines and gorgeous main melody. Now, David Shire's "Manhattan Skyline" is another one of those numerous, lengthy multi-part instrumentals. It starts quite climatic right away, and calms down to pleasant mid-tempo prowling featuring a neat side-kick melodies backed by tasteful well-organized orchestration. The track is exciting throughout as it shifts from a crescendo-like parts to silent passages, and flows easily. The best thing about it is that it's doesn't get tiresome at all, and it clocks slightly under five minutes time.

The following brontosaurus is a really dull plodder then. Ralph McDonald's "Calypso Breakdown" just jams for solid eight minutes and even though it's a multi-part, too, I'm practically forced to push the skip button. You see, the side melodies are constantly shifting, changing and evolving, but the main disco beat doesn't go anywhere and it really gets mind-numbingly boring. Sure, the composer made those different musical section to be interesting with cool guitar noises (a fine solo is thrown in, too), neat saxes and even a surprisingly distorted bluesy riff which pops out in the song, but the whole thing started to slip from the very beginning and it quickly descends in uniformed generic mud. A pity, perhaps, because it would even be a decent number if McDonald haven't insisted on a such routinesque disco beat. David Shire's "Night On Disco Mountain" (which is based on "Night On Bald Mountain" by Mussorgsky) is also a successful diverse cut, which at least sounds intriguing and not at all pointless or uninspired. Further more, its classic melody proved to be highly suitable for disco experiments and it comes across perfectly effective. Kool & The Gang's "Open Sesame" is a top highlight and the only tune that is just as good as the Gibb-penned material.

"Jive Talkin'" and "You Should Be Dancing" are two more blistering melodic compositions by the Bee Gees, both superbly written and hook-driven. The short but very pleasurable "Boogie Shoes" by K.C. And The Sunshine Band is a top dance track that has hit material written all over it, and the best part of it are those neat sax "riffs". The weaker link appears with yet another relatively short David Shire instrumental called "Salsation". The orchestration is impeccable as always, and the melody is terrific as always, but it seems to wonder aimlessly and it's quite a hard listen overall. The instrumental ditty "K-Jee" by the mystical M.F.S.B. deservedly found its way here since the main melody is solid, but it lacks diversity, or, to be more exact, it doesn't have particularly enjoyable side melodies and the featured sax solo isn't something astonishing. However, the track that succeeds in being the worst and the best in the same time has to be "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps, cause if there ever was a track that begs to be edited, it's this one. Everything is magnificent, from the catchy as hell melody and chorus, to the splendid songwriting, but it's just sooooo overlong. I mostly don't mind repetitive songs, but ten minutes of abusing that brilliant melody is just sickening and it can't help but become utterly dull, which is a shame cause it would be the best song here if the length was cut down considerably (as in five or six minutes).

Perhaps it's a pity that such a noble and creative genre like disco was soon turned to the utter laughing stock, especially after one notices that it actually had a lot of potential, so I beg of you that you don't make a big mistake and trash it right away. Look, it's hardly anyone's coup of tea, but let us not judge the people who actually had enough bravery to drink it.

Written by Neal Grosvenor

I was in a pretty bad mood this weekend and was frantically searching my collection for something to suit my mood...Radiohead? Too whiny....Joy Division? Too suicidal...Napalm Death?...Too loud...after much deliberation, I threw on my copy of the Go-Go's compilation just because I hadn't played it in awhile. You know that feeling that hits you when you hear a truly great collection of songs...this is how I felt as these 80's California girls banged out their songs for me on that rather depressing night. I always knew this was a good collection, but I hadn't had a chance to actually examine it song for song.

They're always referred to as a punk band, but I think that may be stretching things a little. More poppy really...actually great pop in a style that would make Phil Spector proud. What is punk about them is the no-nonsense bare bones production, which I suppose became more lavish as their short career progressed. Most bands were experimenting with keyboards and synths back in the 80s, but this production is more late 70s than anything else. The songs on this collection prove that the Go-Go's were a stellar singles band. One which had more great songs than the hits "Vacation", "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got The Beat", which are what most people remember.

"Skidmarks On My Heart" is memorable, as is "Turn To You", with its great guitar sound in the mix. It's funny because I love all the Motown stuff and girl groups, but never could get nostalgic about it because all of it was released before I was born. When I heard the opening drums and guitars to "Our Lips Are Sealed" though, it's like I was ten years old again. That's not necessarily a bad feeling when you were as depressed as I was. But..ahem..nostalgia or not, this is a really good record and highly recommended for those with a passing interest in the group because it reveals far more than what the hits did. Grab your leg warmers and banana clips girls! Get out those skinny ties guys! Well...ok there's no accounting for taste in clothes but this album is an instant party.

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VOLUNTEERS released by Jefferson Airplane in 1969
Overall rating: 9*
Best song: Wooden Ships
Worst song: A Song For All Seasons

Much better than �After Bathing At Baxter�s� and rarely boring either!

Ah, after writing my After Bathing At Baxter�s review I went and bought this album. I have already heard it twice and did not find anything good at all � but why? Maybe I was deaf at the moment and didn�t recognize a lot of good songs on here? Now, I think that the album is better than Bathing for many reasons.

First of all, guys proved their songwriting skills on this one � almost not a tune (except �A Song For All Seasons� and even that was written by Spencer Dryden, who got some chances to made up noisy collages before, but nothing more) is bad or something like that � they all are classy. Seems that guys spent a lot of time (almost all of 1969, including a perfomance in Woodstock with the title track and �Eskimo Blue Day� from this album), recording, writing and jamming. And Volunteers is a result of a long-long work. It�s good.

Second, the album is a huge step from the hippie psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane was before. It is almost proggy. Moreover, �Eskimo Blue Day� and �Hey Fredrick� is your typical prog � with a lot of jamming, bombastic meaningless lyrics, twisted composition structure. And it stands far from noisy meaningless jamming Grateful Dead have done year or so earlier. The first example of American prog- rock? Whatever � I don�t really wish to say about genres or types of the music on some album, I want to listen to the music and rate it.

The whole album seems to be very political, but I can hardly hear some political stuff in the songs, except, of course, two famous anthems of Unity of America and New Generation revolution (???) � �We Can Be Together� and �Volunteers�, which opens and closes the album. They both have the same loud riff, but don�t hope to hear any other smiliarites. The first one is a long (almost six minutes) Paul Kantner�s anthem with a lote of singing, gorgeous melody and famous chours with that hillarious line �Up against the wall, motherfucker!�. Funny, but in a booklet of Volunteers we can read: �Up against the wall, Fred!�. Consider that there is a song called �Hey Fredrick� and which is kinda angry, everyone can say that the name �Fred� is the synonym of the word �Motherfucker� for Jefferson Airplane (and kinda possibly to Jefferson Starship, but they didn�t bother write songs with �Fred� in a titles � just gentle piece of crappy 70�s stuff like �Miracles�. Freds, just fucking Freds � that�s all I can say to you!). By the way, if we consider this rule, I loudly declare Right Said Fred to be the most original band title I have ever heard.

�Volunteers� is a short piece of anthemic rock�n�roll with Paul�s music and Marty�s lyrics. Jorma plays the cool solo, the best solo on the record (if �Wooden Ships� never existed, it�s certainly would be so). That�s all... Uh, wait, wait. Both of those two songs sound very dated. Especially for today. It may sound not-so-dated for 1969 � I simply don�t know. But the songs are good � catchy, have good melodies and a splendid riff and everything else, so I really need to listen them from time to time again.

Uh, the album shows (or proves � as you wish) that Jorma, Grace and Paul was a main mind of the band at that time � only one song on the album isn�t written, arranged or co-written by them. And that one song is an absolutely piece of shit � the reason why I didn�t give the album a 14. As you might guess, this is terrible �A Song For All Seasons� � a country-rocker with silly lyrics and such a weird vocal melody that you can�t remember at all � it�s even doesn�t stay in your mind. I�d even prefer some cover of old rock�n�roll tune or jamming. But not song like these, please. If I want to listen some country, I�ll take Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, some Byrds, but not Spencer Dryden � that�s for sure.

Jorma has a three songs on here, but, in fact, he had penned only one � a ballad �Turn My Life Down�, which was given to Marty to sing. Good song. Somewhat touchful, too. I don�t really care for it, but it seems to be worthy to hear someday for you.

Other Jorma-driven songs are a traditional folk song called �Good Shepherd� (good, catchy and memorable � the stuff you need from a folk song), sung by Jorma himself (I dig it! Really!) and... Oh, the other song is an anthem of Soviet Union Red Army in the time of Civil War called �Polushko-Pole� (here titled �Meadowlands�), arranged by Jorma for a Hammond Organ and played by Grace. Really funny, but it�s just a waste of time. It could be interesting if they sung it with klyrics translated to English.

Grace contributes two big epics: �Hey Fredrick� (which runs for 8:33) and �Eskimo Blue Day� (which runs for 6:36). The first one starts as a gloomy strange song with Grace vocals working in fearing the listener and later goes into five-minute jam section which... oh it surely rules. Piano and Jorma�s psychedelic guitar is here and there. Good. �Eskimo Blue Day� also has some jamming. Not so powefull as in �Hey Fredrick�, but it rules too. The song itself is going to be devoted to enviromental problems (�save-the-tree� kind of a song, a theme that later will opens on Paul and Grace album Sunfighter, I haven�t heard yet). But, gosh, give me Manfred Mann some day to write enviromental lyrics better than that.

Finally, almighty Paul went and, except of �We Can Be Together� and �Volunteers�, wrote two other songs. The first of them, �The Farm�, is a good trying to do country with funny lyrics, pet sounds (nup, not quotations from Beach Boys album) and great duet of Paul and Grace. Uh, and the second song is the one you may well know. Even I heard it one or two times on radio!

Of course, it is �Wooden Ships� � post-Apocalyptic anthem to people who runs on wooden ships from some disaster. It was co-written by Paul, David Crosby and Steven Stills (not a surprise it was recorded on Crosby, Stills And Nash album) and, I believe, with Neil Young (although he doesn�t really credited to a song, I believe he wrote something � the song sounds Young-ish overall). Paul, Grace and Marty sing for three characters which have different fates. Overall, the song is very dramatic � from singing and lyrics (sometimes romantic: �If you smile at me/ You know, I will understand/ �Cos there is something everyone does in the same language�) to beautiful Jorma�s guitar solo and catchy chours �Wooden ships on the water veryyyyyyyy freee and easy�. The song is classic, and I even prefer Jeffersons version to CSN�s one.

Uh, so that�s all. The album is long, good and professionaly-made. And the cover is cute. Buy it now � leaving your collection without this album is unforgivenable mistake.

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HYBRID THEORY, released by Linkin Park in 2000
Overall Rating: 6.5*
Best Song: I dunno, they're all very even. Maybe Papercut.
Worst Song: Crawling

Faceless and bland, but not amateurish, with some nice steaming moments. The overall feel is kinda eerie, although the guys really should vary their tone a bit.

NEVERMIND, released by Nirvana in 1991
Overall Rating: 5*
Best Song: Smell Like A Ten Spirit
Worst Song: None, even if this doesn't mean they are all good, simply they go on the same boring level

Written by Federico Marcon

I bought this album for fun: made curious by all positive reviews I had heard, I decided to buy the album that according to a great number of people REVOLUTIONED the rock in the 90's. Uhm... from the first listen I've never managed to achieve a good feeling towards this record but I said "My ears are more trained in 60's music, maybe with a couple more listens I'll get into it"; now I think to be able to judge it. The most remarkable feature is without doubt the particular mood: from this point of view the highlight point of the album is listening to Curt singing with his dark and depressed voice "I'm so happy..." (the song is "Lithium"). Most of the song are well built, the riffs are often solid (I don't want to investigate if Nirvana stole them or not; maybe they did, but I don't care, I think it's hard to found new hard-rock riff after the passage of Who, Kinks, Stones, Cream and all the punk bands of the late 70's), the lyrics are sometimes deliciously depressed and full of frustration and rage, often well written even in the case they mean nothing (just think of "Come As You Are"); well, those guys want to communicate us their frustration but for what worth that is, who cares? I can't stand people saying "They are great because they are sincere", how can you say this!?!? You know they are sincere? How? Really, I'm not joking, just explain me why. If their frustration had an universal meaning, I'd stand their songs, but who really cares of personal feelings? Plus this record express of a sense of... like this "I'm depressed, I'm angry, but without any reason except for the sake of unhappiness". I'd be glad if anybody would be able to explain me this. To be honest, Nirvana has some -few- merits; the first is that they create highly energetic music, a furious reaction to all the nodless virtuosism of 80's heavy metal, a pure and simple brutal assault; their music can make aggressive even the most peaceful hippy! Second, Cobain is an average but prolific songwriter, able to express all the possible nuances of grunge and this is a good thing, because the genre's ways of expression are very limited and uniform (think to another grunge group, Pearl Jam and how they abandoned the pure grunge in order to be more expressive, and listen to this quest in their album Vitalogy). But even if the songs are average and energetic, and the lyrics are quite good, the album is boring. Well produced, very good work on drums but nothing more (Nirvana are not a band famous for the virtuosity of its members); you see, it's too uniform and it's also overlong: I'd give it a higher rating if it stopped after "Polly", in fact the second part of the album it's a rip-off of the first and the boredom grows. Is this enough to call the album revolutionary? What did it carry to music? Simple but efficient songs built on heavy riffs? Stones did it in the early 60's. A savage behavior and a "shock the system" attitude? Led Zeppelin and The Stones were savage and the punk generation was much more "shocking" than Nirvana. Highly distorted and furious guitar? The Who did it first and Hendrix did it better. Strange noises? Where?! Originality? Well, you see they rip off most from the "Big" of the 60's/70's, plus what do Nirvana have that other grunge groups don't have? They were lucky to find a producer and become famous. Good and diverse songs? You will be bored of the uniformity of an album, just try to listen to a couple of them. Musical skill? No, in this ground the guys are not excellent and never try to be. What does make this album revolutionary? The only thing Nevermind can revolutionize it's my waste-basket when I throw in it.

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HELLO HALO, released by Pollyanna in 1997
Overall Rating: 8*
Best Song: Brittle Then Broken
Worst Song: Butterman

Written by Neal Grosvenor

My friend from Australia created a mix tape for me back in 1998 with a bunch of Aussie bands that were more or less popular at the moment. It was a real education for me, as I had no real knowledge of the more obscure artists from down under, as anyone who has visited there from abroad has found that the music community seems to exist in a world of its own, oblivious to the rest of the world. That's kind of a bad thing because there is so much to get excited about. Anyway, my friend, being a music geek like myself, chose the artists on this mix tape based on her personal taste, rather than what was momentarily getting massive video or radio play. Pollyanna were on there, and the song "Peachy Keen" really stood out for me. At first listen, they reminded me of the best of Teenage Fanclub crossed with Bob Mould's post Husker Du band Sugar. They were loud, but controlled, with most of the emphasis being on singer/guitarist Matt Handley's songwriting. Formed in Melbourne, they are a power trio, and at last check, do not have a European or North American record deal, so I could be the only person in Canada who owns at least two of their albums. Anyway, on a trip to Oz in 1999, I picked up their album "Delta City Skies" and was totally floored. I recently picked up "Hello Halo" and so have decided to review it first.

I guess this is what you would call a no nonsense guitar record, which I suppose many of which were available in a post-Nirvana world in 1997. However, when compared with the many, Handley's songwriting definitely stands out. He's kind of like a hyper Neil Finn with more punkish tendencies. The is a more country rock feel on songs such as "Cooling Your Heels", but he quickly shifts gears into pop mode on "Effervesence" and "Cinnamon Lip". The album does hold together pretty well as a whole, with not too much of one style to bore the listener. "Brittle Then Broken" is probably the "rockingest" song on the record and I believe was one of the singles off this album. This song actually reminds me of The Posies for some reason. Could be the chord progression reminds me of the latter bands' "Dream All Day". The production is minimal, that is, there are no complicated string sections or bells and whistles, just much "amplifier overkill" that would make Bob Mould proud (or more deaf), and a heavy Steve Albini-type drum mix.

Pollyanna are still together and released an album last year (2002) so I hope they decide to tour these parts soon. Highly recommended for those who are serious about their songwriting. Hadley is definitely a diamond in the rough.

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SIGN 'O' THE TIMES, released by Prince in 1987
Overall Rating: 7.5*
Best Song: The Cross
Worst Song: Hot Thing

Messy and sprawling, this doesn't exactly highlight Prince's strenghts.

Written by Ayoze Garc�a

Prince, and that's how I'm gonna call him until my keyboard includes the sign he wants to be represented by, is an accomplished musician, that's out of discussion: great singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he's got it all, but his ego is so enormous that makes Todd Rundgren seem humble in comparison. Speaking of what, I don't think that Sign 'O' the Times marks any improvements over the crazy-ass-melting-pot-of-styles genre pioneered by the author of "Hello, It's Me" (who had taken himself the idea from Zappa's We're Only In It For The Money, credits where credits due). This is probably Prince's most ambitious effort ever (let's not mention the Emancipation three record extravaganza): a double-album-one-man-band-in-the-studio masterpiece. Or so I'm told. Let's see: the title track grooves just fine, with a lazy melody and a cool bass line, and "Play In The Sunshine" will surprise you with its childish a capella coda, but then... yuck. "Housequacke" is just stupid, tuneless hip-hop and "The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker", Joni Mitchell references aside, is nothing really memorable. "The Cross" (as good as The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes", no less) is the only song here that doesn't come across as the creation of some soulless machine churning out flawless but insincere ballads ("Slow Love", the overblown "Adore"), tired funky mantras ("It", "Hot Thing") or catchy, by the numbers pop songs ("Starfish And Coffee", the Phil Spector-ish "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man"), that simply leave me cold with all those mechanical dance beats and dull keyboards. Sing 'O' The Times may well be an everlasting testimony of Prince's boldness and all, but that's not enough to maintain my attention for eighty minutes. Avoid it unless you happen to find funny his - controversial to say the least - lyrics, and dig his often strained voice.

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HEAR MY CRY, released by Sonique in 2000
Overall Rating: 5*
Best Song: Sky
Worst Song: Drama

There's good dance music and there's bad dance music. I haven't got a clue what this is!

Written by Ratko Hribar

Yeah, it's weird that I decided to review modern pop music, and yes, I'm quite aware it's a useless and somewhat stupid thing to do. But the truth is, I just couldn't help it. Sonique is one of those rare pop divas (if you pardon this slightly inappropriate expression) which I actually had some respect for. Mind you, I said HAD. This offering here gave me a few much needed lessons to be sure. I've heard her big infectious dance hit "It Feels So Good" and I was naturally quite pleased with it, so I did my best to borrow this album from someone. And while I did succeed in that respect, I must say it was a remarkably disappointing listen. Call it a typical thoughtless act or whatever, I've put it in the disc and was blown away to see how dreadful it exactly was. No doubt, the little lady is foxy enough and her voice is nice and soulful, but the songs just aren't any good, with the overall energy level being very, very low. Almost below ground. I naturally thought that it was a dance album, but it really isn't. After a hopeful start with three exciting beat-driven disco numbers things unexpectedly calm down with an intimate (overly intimate, if you ask me) R&B atmosphere and some slightly catchy grooves (not catchy enough, I'm afraid). The difficulty is that there's too much uninspired soul-meets-funk ditties on this outing. By the way, as expected, the production values are luxurious and slick as hell.

The opener "It Feels So Good" forces me to admire the clever use of strings (sampled or otherwise) and the fine structuring of the song. The dance beat is interesting and somewhat untypical, and the electronic noises are too cool to take (especially the pleasant buzz), and the chorus! Powerful and gentle in the same time, soulful enough to be an obvious smash. It also builds up in a cool way, I must add. The next explosive dance track is the roaring cover of Jay Hawkins's "I Put A Spell On You", which is smoothly updated for the millennium and very memorable. Strangely enough, it ignites with a wise and exciting use of strings and continues with a classic dance beat (a bit generic, obviously). "Are You Ready?" has a suspicious beginning, but a neat groovy beat soon takes the stage and the track flows nicely from there. It uses some cool sax "noises" in the chorus part (again, probably sampled) and the tune is just your average night boogie anyway. The immensely dragging "Cold And Lonely" relies on a dance beat too, but it's rather dark and disturbing, and it doesn't really move you anywhere. On the other hand, I'm not terribly fond of pessimistic-sounding tracks like this one, and her echo-driven vocals leave me cold. I presume it's well-written, but I like my disco uplifting and this just makes me suicidal. Thank you Sonique, but I hope you wont mind if I don't blow my brains out just yet.

Songs like "Drama" set me in panic as Sonique mercilessly performs an astonishingly generic mellow duet with a certain Calvin Richardson, and the whole nasty incident is ear-shatteringly sappy and cheesy with lots of badly outdated eighties music effects. Richardson has a classic smooth voice that you'll find on many contemporary British stars like, say, Craig David, so it looks like an enormous embarrassment very much in the vein of Dionne Warwick's most sleaziest duets with Jeffrey Osbourne, Kashif and the likes of them. And like you haven't guessed it already, it's a formulaic uninspired ballad that only relies on Sonique's fine soulful vocal to earn it a passing mark. Still, Sonique doesn't truly save the ditty so it's one of the most violent offenders here. The mid-tempo "Move Closer" is a return to form, I guess. Let's see. You have your techno-inspired beat, some echoic vocals by Sonique, some allegedly "cool" electronic noises throughout, some depressive lyrics and a bearable vocal melody. The chorus is rather dumb and ineffective, and the disco beat is pedestrian and annoying. Not much of a track really. "Can't Get Enough" on the other hand, is a true return to the enjoyable party vibe of the beginning. Granted, it starts dull with some silent wailing and an overused disco beat, but it does get a trifle better later on as it reaches the climatic chorus. It's not unlike the previous one but it's simply speedier and plainly more entertaining. I don't know if it flows more or anything, but it's effective with those bombastic chorus lines and expectedly silent echoic vocal passages.

"Hear My Cry" is a basic slow disco plodder with sleazy backing vocals and a thoroughly dumb-ish vocal melody (especially the nagging and repetitive "heeeeeeear my cry-aaaaaaay-aaaaaay-aaay-yeeeah" part). Musically, it drags badly with too much uninteresting electronic noises, echoes and God knows what else. The slow techno ballad "Empty (Hideaway)" is a real shocker since Sonique completely deserts the happy disco vibe and goes totally dark, dreary and depressive. It starts with doomy electronic beats so I get the impression that she wanted to make a haunting atmosphere, in which fully succeeded, too. The backing vocals put the whole thing over the top with their unnecessary "we hideaway" intrusions, but without them this would sound thoroughly creepy, especially with the use of a certain, pretty spooky, oriental-ish electronic effect. In fact, this is menacing enough to serve as a intro to some Alice Cooper song. Subsequently, the party time is back on with "Love Is On Our Side", an full-tilt up-tempo number with a obligatory climatic chorus, and the whole track seems quite anthemic overall. Of course, there's the second gigantic hit off the record, "Sky". Believe it or not, that one is actually the best by far. You can look at it from any angle you wish, and it's still the coolest ditty here. The chorus and the vocal melody are unbeatable and anthemic. Besides that, the disco beat on "Sky" is one of the most intriguing on the record, and those electronic effects are catchy and somewhat mysterious.

Unfortunately, the piano-driven sugary ballad "Learn To Forget" is a total low point since it makes me cringe like any contemporary Diana Ross number would. It's just overly sleazy and sappy with silent strings in the background (or keyboards, I dunno which is correct) and it's not even mediocre or passable, but repulsive and sorrowful. Naturally, it's completed with corny lyrics and tiresome backing vocals so the overall generic atmosphere is firmly set in place. The closing track is a club mix of "It Feels So Good" and it's a good one, too, with an atmosphere very reminiscent of classic seventies disco. However, it's a sad thing that they wasted the overall potential it had by stretching it out too far and for too long.

As for the final word, I'll say this much. This offering is very inconsistent with some tunes being splendid, but others... eh, others are solidly produced but unmeasurably dumb and well, predictable. This isn't so bad like I feared, but then again, it sounds acceptable now, but how will it look twenty years from now? My bets are hardly optimistic when it comes to the future. Meanwhile, for today's dance music this is as good as it gets, so if you're willing to give it a chance, then you probably should, but don't forget this isn't truly a good-time party album by any means.

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FIRE AND ICE, released by Yngwie Malmsteen in 1992
Overall Rating: 9*
Best Song: Fire And Ice
Worst Song: All I Want Is Everything

Distinctively European in flavour, it remains one of the Swedish guitarist's greatest works

Written by Howard Kelly

Yngwie Malmsteen is a European guitar legend and songwriter, albeit considerably more celebrated for his skill in the former, who has always found it difficult to receive the recognition he deserves in the USA. Alas, the Swede's arrogance is almost as legendary as his guitar playing and, while this is not seen as a big problem in Europe (in the UK a lot of us would be happy to have someone in the modern music industry with a spine), it continues to bring Malmsteen unwelcome negativity and a degree of disdain from some who overlook his music in favour of his personality. But then, Yngwie couldn't care less. Fire And Ice is my favourite Malmsteen album by quite a way and seems to get better with every listen. You can always expect the trademark fast and skillful guitar playing in all of Malmsteen's albums, but often the songwriting is of a much inferior standard and this brings the album down considerably in my reckoning. Fans have often said, "Who buys an Yngwie album for the songwriting?", but I say that the underlying quality of the songs must not be simply overlooked no matter how well Malmsteen plays on the album.

Fire And Ice is the most Scandinavian sounding of Yngwie's albums, although to an extent all his albums sound European, and this is mostly due to the fact that all those who feature on Fire And Ice are Swedish. This album also marks a degree of musical experimentation from Malmsteen as it features a string section which is heard throughout the album (and is even given its own "solo" sometimes), Yngwie plays a sitar, and Lolo Lannerback appears on flute. All the music on the album is written by Yngwie Malmsteen although some of the song lyrics are written by, or co-written with, G�ran Edman - an excellent progressive rock songwriter. The album opener "Perpetual" is an instrumental which serves to accustom the listener with the style of the album, a style which is quite radically different to Malmsteen's previous recordings. "Perpetual" itself is fairly unorthodox compared to Yngwie's many other instrumentals in the way which it utilises both drums and keyboard - usually only drums are used - to compose the backdrop on which the guitar will shine. This is one of Malmsteen's most complex instrumentals and one of my personal favourites but its not for the purist. "Dragonfly" is one of the most musically interesting songs on the album and one of my favourites overall. Again, G�ran Edman's lyrics and singing shine through along with Yngwie's guitar, which in the majority of places here is somewhat unusually relegated to the background of the musical ensemble, and Mats Olausson's wonderfully experimental keyboard work. The song is distinctly northern European in sound.

"Teaser" is another interesting track but not in the same way in which "Dragonfly" is interesting. "Teaser" takes the form of a pop hit - but it is too fast paced. It also takes the form of an anthemic rocker - but it is too soft. In many ways it sounds almost like a quickened version of "I Wanna Be With You" by Bruce Springsteen but lighter and with a more manufactured feel. In short, not good at all. "How Many Miles To Babylon" opens with an almost two-minute long coda consisting of strings and acoustic guitar before developing to include Yngwie's electric guitar. The song truly begins when Bo Werner's drums enter the fray with G�ran Edman not far behind. This track is reminiscent of "Gates Of Babylon" by Rainbow but I am not sure about G�ran Edman's performance here as he sounds rather strained. Overall, an average creeping slow-rocker where Yngwie really doesn't do all that much. "Cry No More" is an enjoyable ballad-esque song which includes some fine atmospheric drumming from Bo Werner and good background work from Yngwie. The string section solo directly preludes Malmsteen's fitting guitar solo and this same musical introduction is used throughout the album. "No Mercy" is an example of the total lack of imagination that Malmsteen sometimes displays with his songwriting as far as lyrics are concerned. I always allow that some leeway must be given for songwriters who are not speakers of English as a first language but here, considering Yngwie has lived in America for a good few years, this quality of songwriting is barely forgivable.

"C'est La Vie" is one of the best songs that Yngwie has ever written. It is a step down in pace from a lot of Malmsteen's work but this seems to suit him as he is allowed more time for expansion on his guitar solos during the progression of this Rainbow style, Middle-East influenced, power-ballad. Although the lyrics for this song are co-written between Malmsteen and Edman, I would have to say that Edman probably had more input here as they are closer to the progressive rock side than Yngwie's hard-edged influences. This song also features Yngwie playing the sitar at the start albeit only briefly heard. "Leviathan" is the second of three instrumentals on the album and this time it is the more predictable style of Malmsteen instrumental, i.e. Drum and guitar. All in all, nothing overly special from Yngwie here but nevertheless a high quality instrumental featuring the mercurial Michael Von Knorring on drums The title track is one of the best songs on the album purely for songwriting skill and is one of the closest things to a "pop song" that Yngwie has ever written. I like it, and I have spoken to many people who also like it despite not being fans of the genre. Malmsteen lays off on the guitar until the later stages of the song - wait for the solo - as he leaves it to the power of Bo Werner's drums and Mats Olausson's keyboard to carry the track along. Excellent in its own right and a fine example of the more "accessible" side of Yngwie's work. "Forever Is A Long Time" is a song with clear G�ran Edman influences both lyrically and musically and contains an effective strings solo as a prelude to Malmsteen's guitar solo. It is an excellent Euro-sound fast, inevitably guitar-driven, rocker.

"I'm My Own Enemy" is undoubtedly, in my mind, the best traditional ballad Yngwie Malmsteen has ever written and played. Many critics have criticised him for his supposed lack of emotion in his playing and his lack of songwriting skill - this is the song with which to refute their slurs. That said, the lyrics here are from G�ran Edman as is apparent because they are quite simply a class above anything Malmsteen has ever written. Yngwie sticks to what he is best at commendably and plays his own music with feeling and great skill. After the highs of the last track we were destined to be right back down to earth for "All I Want Is Everything". This song is almost amusing in the way it unintentionally mocks stereotypically American early-70s rock. I say unintentionally, you really need to hear it to understand what I mean, in the way the song jibes with the ever heavily accented vocals from G�ran Edman and the laughably poor lyrics courtesy of Yngwie Malmsteen - for instance: "You always thought that you were so cool, You used to say that I was a fool, And all this time you were just a tool, You couldn't see that I made the rules". Now please, those lyrics really only serve to insult the intellectual capacity of the listener. Yngwie take note - if you are going to write any more lyrics like that then please make sure you write more instrumentals in future.

"Golden Dawn" is the penultimate track of the album and the final instrumental. This is a medieval sounding acoustic guitar solo, a little bit similar to some of Vinnie Moore's work, and is rather enjoyable. "Final Curtain" draws the album to a close with its effective stormy opening, intelligent lyrics, and Yngwie's creepy guitar playing. Actually this is one of the few Malmsteen songs to display use of sound banks to any real extent and the rain sets up this haunting power ballad perfectly as does the use of the the strings section during the choruses and guitar solos. A great song to end a fine album.

Fire And Ice is the most musically rich album from Yngwie Malmsteen due to the willingness for experimentation. For example, Yngwie's use of a string-section to add atmosphere to tracks such as "Final Curtain" and to play a musical introduction for Yngwie's guitar solos. The production quality is, as usual with Malmsteen, excellent and G�ran Edman always sounds as though he is putting his heart into the singing even when there is a distinct lack of imagination in the songwriting department such as in "All I Want Is Everything". I must reveal that I am a G�ran Edman fan however but nevertheless his exemplary performance here does improve one area where Malmsteen's work has been considerably lacking in the past - vocals. It is quite hard to believe that Fire And Ice was recorded in 1992 because to me it sounds a few years older. Yngwie has said before that does not care about the so called "music scene" and that his own music is in his own personal style and I congratulate him on this. To sum up - a quality Euro-sound hard-rock album with some particularly outstanding tracks that I would recommend to any fan of Scandinavian rock or, to a degree, any fan of the work of Rainbow during the Joe-Lynn Turner era.

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