REVIEWS:
Winger are one of the least respected bands coming from the third wave of hair metal, and it wasn't just because their generic rockers were symbolic of the staleness of the scene around that time - also contributing to their downfall was a fat, unaccepted zit faced character in a Winger shirt named Stuart on the then new TV show Beavis And Butthead. Some of the hatred was deserved - their early work often suffered from a tendency to sound like bad, substanceless party metal (not unlike the majority of the Kiss output), but there were other aspects of their material that were quite good, such as their ballad-writing and the accomplished progressiveness of their third album Pull. I don't judge them by the anti-hype - I just take them as they are, which is a pretty decent, although not really spectacular, hard rock band with their own obvious flaws and strengths.
Note: After the band's career ended, frontman Kip Winger went on to a solo career, releasing his debut album This Conversation Seems Like A Dream in 1995, and an album made up of acoustic renditions of a few songs from This Conversation and other Winger songs.
--Nick Karn
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COMMENTS
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! WINGER! THAT IS ONE THE MOST CHEESIEST BANDS IN THE WORLD! SHE'S ONLY SEVENTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN! SHUT UP! KELLY OSBOURNE CAN SING THIS ONE ALIVE I MIGHT SINK MY TEETH AND LICK HER WAISTBAND PANTIES! OH KELLY! FUCKE SUCKIE ME LOVE YOU LONG TIME! FUCK YOU WINGER! GRUNGE RULES!
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Winger's debut is a very mediocre, embarassingly commercial, cheesy and generic first effort. The musicianship here (composed of bassist/vocalist Kip Winger, guitarists Reb Beach and Paul Taylor and drummer Rod Morgenstein) is precise - better than most bands of the time and shows promise, but the arrangements are often ineffective and the songs often just hang there ("Hangin' On", "Time To Surrender", the first ballad "Without The Night"). Plus, the lyrics are terribly cliched and a few songs have really dumb anthemic choruses. Fitting into this category are the weak 80s Kiss styled opener "Madelaine", the limp "Poison Angel" and "Hungry".
Elsewhere, the band gets another strike against them by attempting to cover the stellar Jimi Hendrix classic "Purple Haze", which they royally bludgeon. The album also features the infamous, cheezy hit "Seventeen", which has an unbearable chorus and bad lyrics, but is actually one of the better songs here instrumentally, though, highlighted by a fantastic Reb Beach guitar solo and cool time changes in the verses. Overall, Winger definitely has a good amount of forgettable material that pushes it close to a 4, but is saved a little by the high flying, expertly arranged and darn catchy "State Of Emergency" and the powerful closing ballad "Headed For A Heartbreak", which has fabulous atmosphere in the keyboards.
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COMMENTS
I enjoyed this album when I was in the eighth grade, but it sure sounds stupid when I recall some of the songs today (that is, the 50% or so I can actually recall). That's generic, second-wave hair metal for ya', though--definitely hasn't aged well. For me, "Seventeen" is a guilty pleasure; probably the only reason why I'm bothering to comment on such a mediocre butt-rock album. But the lyrics are really bad indeed. I guess "Madeleine" is another guilty pleasure for me. And "Heading for a Heartbreak" and "State of Emergency" are decent rock songs too, of course. But most of this is just pretty putrid. The worst thing here is that unbelievably horrific cover of "Purple Haze," which is possibly the worst song ever recorded by anyone. I totally agree with the 5.
WINGER OR SHOULD I SAY DICK FINGER HAS EMBARRSED MY HIGH SCHOOL FRINEDS BECAUSE OF MY IDIOT FRIEND JACKIE! NOW MY FRIEND'S APOLOGIZED ME BECAUSE I AM COOL BECAUSE I LOVE NIRVANA AND SMASHING PUMPKINS. KELLY OSBOURNE IS MY WET DREAM! ANYHOW THESE JOKERS KILLED PURPLE HAZE! LOOK MOTHERFUCKER! JIMI HENDRIX WAS THE MEGA REVOLUTIONARY GUITAR MAN EVEN GEN X'ERS LOVE HENDRIX KEEP YOUR POODLE HAIR BULLSHIT AWAY FROM ME! WINGER SUCKS DICK! GRUNGE RULES!
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
The band's sophomore effort is somewhat of an improvement over the debut in most aspects, as there are a few more ballads (which play to their strengths), they start to venture more into progressive, epic territory in which their musicianship benefits. In The Heart Of The Young still isn't great, though, as it's brought down by a few too many generic and somewhat subpar rockers that are a little too substanceless. The opener "Can't Get Enuff", which has a weak arena chorus, is the first of these. The trashy "Little Dirty Blonde" and the stale "Loosen Up" also fall flat, while "Baptized By Fire" and "You Are The Saint I Am The Sinner" don't make that much of an impression.
The ballads, though, which curiously the detractors of this album mostly complain about, are very strong - the hit "Miles Away" has a very yearning and emotional chorus that is quite breathtaking, the closing title track has its' majestic moments to end the album on a positive note (especially in the intro), and the romantic "Under One Condition" is also a very notable track. Rounding out the rest of the album are the average, horn-laced "Easy Come Easy Go", and a couple more epic styled tracks, the keyboard laden "Rainbow In The Rose" and the engaging "In The Day We'll Never See" that are among this album's highlights, both of them very dramatic, accomplished, and highly memorable. It's close to, but not qute, a 7.
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bon jovi could sing in this 1990 debacle by winger! can't get enuff! WELL! I SAY I CAN'T GET ENUFF OF FUCKING KELLY OSBOURNE NICE PANTIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OW! SWWET LOOOOOOOOVE! THAT'S GOOD FUCKING! KEEP YER FUCKING POODLE HAIR SHIT OFF NOW! I KNEW THAT KELLY IS MY LOVER! OOH GIRL! SEX ME DSO GOOD I SAY DO ME! DO ME! DO ME! PUSH IT ! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! WINGER SUCKS DICK ! THIS IS NOT HEAVY METAL IT'S POP! GOOD CHARLOTTE HAS KILLED THE GOOD NAME OF PUNK ROCK WITH THE SWEEET TASTY BUBBLEGUM POP PUNK BULLSHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! MAYBE WINGER SHALL COVER OLD SWWET SONGS LIKE TOM TOM TURNARAOUND ORLITTLE WILLIE! HEY FUCK OFF!
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
This is the kind of album that has so much more power and songwriting depth to it than a band's previous work that it completely catches the listener off guard, even though, really, the potential was there all along. Such is the case with Winger's third effort, Pull, which was a huge commercial disappointment that effectively ended the band's career. As a result, it's an album condemned to spend time in the $5.99 bargain bins for all eternity, but it's truthfully one of the better deals you can find in this respect, as it's simply an all-around excellent hard rock album with great instrumentation, powerful melodies and soaring, progressive song dynamics This is showcased immediately on the opening "Blind Revolution Mad", which has one of the most stunning intros to an album I've ever heard, all played acoustically and sung in such a dark and moody fashion that it keeps you on the edge of your seat before the song explodes into an awesome politicized rocker with a stellar chorus.
The major highlight of the record "Down Incognito" is even better, as a slower verse section gives way to a dramatically melodic chorus that makes the song sound like it should go on for awhile with an extended jam. It unfortunately doesn't, but it's still a first-rate number nonetheless. Also, I can't help but get the feeling that this sounds like the album Def Leppard should have made after Hysteria instead of the decent but overly formulaic Adrenalize, as Kip Winger's vocals are very Joe Elliott-esque at times, and the band harmonies also tread very close to the Leps. The emotive ballad "Spell I'm Under" is the best example, but it actually doesn't sound like a blatant ripoff, but more like a fabulous emulation.
Most of the other songs are great too, with "Junkyard Dog (Tears In Stone)" seeing their 'epic song' potential completely coming together, with astonishing emotional singing, forceful playing, awesome lyrics, and a brilliantly complete package, "Like A Ritual" having a powerful tribal feel, while "The Lucky One" and "Who's The One" are really beautiful stripped down acoustic numbers played with feeling. Overall, Pull isn't quite a brilliant release, as the very unpleasant trashy throwaway "In My Veins" and failed attempt at a serious social statement "In For The Kill" drag it down just a notch. Still, a totally recommended outing and excellent listening experience.
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COMMENTS
PUT IT THIS WAY I DON'T LIKE LIMP BIZKIT,DMX,LINKIN FART,SHITNEY QUEERS,PISSTINA GAGOLERA,GAYSTREET BOYS,NSTINK,CREED,ANUS LATRINE,KORN, AND FINALLY EMINEM! BUT THERE IS NOTHING MORE I HATE IS WINGER!
released by Kip Winger
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
The first solo album from the former Winger frontman is a record hardly anyone knows or cares of its' existence, on account of that band's former past, and it's a damn shame. This Conversation Seems Like A Dream is even further removed from Winger's sometimes embarrassing and generic output than Pull, their infinitely better swan song that commercially stiffed. This release makes a trip into very mellow, soul-searching and gorgeous territory, dominated by lush keyboards, acoustic guitars, strings, and pleasantly singable melodies, practically nothing like the average Winger basher would expect, and clearly the work of someone who has a good amount of songwriting talent. A good comparison soundwise I guess would be Sting, although I'm not really terribly familiar with his post Police work (but they both play bass, that much I know… ha).
The opening "Kiss Of Life" is a very good representation of the rest of the material here - very relaxing and intimate, plus well executed organ backing during the catchy chorus, while "Monster" has a darker and more brooding feel while at the same time bringing to the forefront Kip Winger's bass playing skills, and the piano-led "Endless Circles" is the first serious attempt at an emotionally powerful introspective song, and it's melodically, lyrically and certainly atmospherically strong enough to pull it off. Meanwhile, "Angel Of The Underground" and "Steam" are probably the only songs here that even remotely attempt to rock out - the former is done acoustically, and it plays out like a pretty darn addictive campfire singalong tune, while the latter isn't very heavy, but it is a bit majestic, with the string backing in the chorus. "I'll Be Down" is similar to the opening track in construction and reliance on the bass and keyboard aspect of things, but is probably the least interesting song melodically - it's still good though.
It's from here where the mood gets quite beautiful - the acoustic verses of "Naked Son" work extremely well with the fantastically breathtaking bridge, and the phenomenal "Daniel" creates a spectacular 'overlooking the city' at night mood (great chorus) while still only relying mostly on acoustic guitar and string arrangements. The ballad "How Far Will We Go", meanwhile, is an absolutely gorgeous, emotionally yearning ballad with a compelling piano intro and verse melody (with more really nice acoustic guitar) to go along with it. The final two cuts are also very ballad like - "Don't Go" has very nice harmony and atmosphere plus some bluesy soloing that adds to the song, and "Here" has more priceless, pure credit rolling majesty and melodic beauty as probably the finest single song of all. Throw out all previous conceptions of Kip Winger right now - This Conversation Seems Like A Dream is the finest and most complete work with his name on it, and in my opinion it simply counts as great music anyway, no matter who does it.
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released by Kip Winger
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
This release basically consists of laid back, acoustic versions of Winger and Kip Winger songs, and it's as close to a best of album as you can possibly get with either. Now before you all cringe at the very thought, let me point out right off the bat the notorious "Seventeen" isn't performed here - in fact, the only song performed from the band's cheesiest and most forgettable album by a long shot (their first) is that record's fine highlight "Headed For A Heartbreak". The rest of the collection, with the exception of the fillerish new song "Another Way" that opens it, is among the best and most immediately memorable of the careers of both - "Down Incognito" (my personal favorite Winger cut), "Miles Away", "Blind Revolution Mad", "Rainbow In The Rose", and "Daniel" all have much more substance and talent than the naysayers would think, and are very pleasurable, sometimes even exceptional, listens.
My opinions of the original versions of these tracks, as well as the remainder including "Under One Condition", "Steam", "How Far Will We Go?", "Naked Sun", "Spell I'm Under", and "Easy Come Easy Go", are all detailed in my previous reviews, so I see no point in going into them. Of course, the downsides of Down Incognito are that these renditions aren't quite as captivating as the originals (though still worthwhile), and the all-acoustic tone of the music can easily put one to sleep (not that this is entirely a bad thing). Still, an enjoyable record to put on when in a relaxed and mellow mood.
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