Winger ~ Pull (album review) ... Pull this one out of your ear!

Style: hard rock
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1993
Home: New York City, New York

Members: Kip Winger ~ vocals/bass/acoustic guitar/keyboards
Reb Beach ~ guitars/b. vocals
Rod Morgenstein ~ drums/b. vocals

Additional: Frank Latorre ~ harmonica
Alex Acuna ~ percussion


I consider Winger a guilty pleasure. Big hair rock with some awesome guitar playing courtesy of the creative Reb Beach. They remind me of Dokken in some ways in that respect. Basically straight ahead 80's rock with all the clichés we all both love & hate, but underneath is some magical guitar playing that is quite creative. Almost too creative for the mold of the music ... to be honest ... another hint at Dokken there. Pull is Winger's third album & finds the boys already in the land of grunge & it's not a surprise to say they'd break up after this release, like so many of their peers who chose not to struggle on. This album finds them as a three piece, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Paul Taylor leaving from exhaustion after a long tour. John Roth would take his place on tour & also in their reunion albums. In some ways Pull is the transition album. It doesn't have the slick sound of the earlier albums, less pop & more harder edged, though Beach always has had a metal influence in his chops. The lyrics also begin to go a bit more serious (i.e. "Blind Revolution Mad", "In For The Kill"), though never too serious for their own good. At the time, the sound developed here could have been seen as the what if moment - what if the band had continued to develop & record what would it sound like? In hindsight, their reunion actually answers that question as the follow-up of IV in some ways builds more on this album than the earlier 80's releases. This later Winger is far heavier & less pop in some ways, moving away from the hair metal template. Actually, there should be a new category of music for old bands rediscovering their music as they now sound like the next generation that was once inspired by them. Pull wasn't commercially successful at the time, probably due more to the grunge influence, though its actually a bit more creative & heavier than what Winger pulled out before. But, really if you like one Winger album you'll probably like the others. It's interesting to note one direction that they creativity went here is in the heavy use of acoustic guitars, on most of the ten songs actually, as either part of the layers & more often than not the focus of a bridge or intro. It's as if they're trying to pull away from the hair metal sound or expand it, while the world has changed where the acoustic guitar is no longer just the power ballad instrument. Listen to "Down Incognito" with its thumping bassline, acoustic guitar bits & a harmonica for a fusion of styles, along with a highlight of the album. Though, there is a bit of an acoustic excess that keeps the album more mellow than many might want & makes it very pop ... in a way that Bon Jovi is today for a quick comparison. There are a few weak songs on the album, but they suffer more because of the lyrics than the songs themselves which are trying to rise up. The template is just too small for these boys. Sort of the same problem I've had with Dokken, to mention them a last time.

Winger ~ Winger (aka debut) ... Buckle up, this is your captain speaking!

Style: hard rock, hair metal
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1988
Home: New York City

Members: Kip Winger ~ lead vocals/bass/string arrangements
Reb Beach ~ guitars/b. vocals
Rod Morgenstein ~ drums/b. vocals
Paul Taylor ~ keyboards/rhythm guitar/b. vocals

Additional: Beau Hill, Ira McLaughlin ~ b. vocals
Sandra Park, Rebecca Young, Hae Young Ham, Maria Kitsopoulos ~ strings

Guest: Dweezil Zappa ~ guitar solos

I've enjoyed guitarist Reb Beach when I heard him before so I decided to go back & listen to his breakthrough early days with New York City's own Winger. Winger is, obviously, essentially focused on frontman Kip Winger .... deja vu of Dokken here. The difference is I prefer Kip's singing over Don's ... though both are of the mold of cliched 80's tenor singing/hollering that may not have aged that well, but I just enjoy Kip's tonal quality better. But, then there's the lyrics. I'm not a fan of Don Dokken's & these aren't really that much better. There really is only so many songs you can write about how you're hungry for some chick's love & how you can't go on without her & the 80's weren't always a good time for anything but cliched love songs. Were these guys writing these lyrics because they had nothing else to say or that they didn't think folks wanted any other topic, or that chick cherry pie songs got on the radio faster? It makes a great voice excruciating painful after awhile to hear such blather. But, at least there's some good sing along choruses with Winger. Just avoid power ballads "Waiting For A Heartbreak" & "Without the Night", though the former does have some good guitar solos but drags horribly. When all your songs are about chicks & then you write a power ballad about chicks the variation on a theme doesn't go that far. Same song just played slower & not necessarily better or more interesting because it is slower ... or more importantly, at the time they might have sounded good but the power ballad doesn't always age well. I'm glad the obligatory power ballad is no longer obligatory. Forcing the emotions might still happen but getting rid of this one track is one step back to real emotions. It's hard to say if the lyrics you'll remember from this debut album by Winger but I'm sure the guitar you will, so let me return to the reason I'm writing. Not enjoying Don Dokken I always turn my ear to guitarist George Lynch. Not being big on Kip Winger's words I turn to the band behind him & what a band. Obviously Beach on guitar, but he's got some good bandmates, together turning in a very heavy sound, almost too heavy at times for the pop lyrics they're being handed. Or, maybe I should say I'm more reminded of some of Y&T than typical 80's hair metal of the era. But, this is New York City glam rock, the Skid Row variety, no the Poison variety. The coasts are different. One of them doesn't wear make-up & is copying from Twisted Sister, the other is copying from Hanoi Rocks. I prefer New York City. There's a gristle to the riffs, let alone super technically challenging which I've continued to see in Beach when he lets it all out & decides to break the mold. Ironically, Beach was a successor to Lynch in Dokken, the one post Lynch album I like by them. While these are your straight forward 80's glam rock songs the guitars are swinging out something with more feeling & a harder deeper sound. It's quite shocking. Yes, you can almost visualize the band in your mind with big hair & leather pants & you would probably be right. But, go back & ignore the obvious moments of the era, ignore the lyrics & go for the guitars. Trust me you'll like them. There's something really good here & it has never gotten the accolades it deserves. As starters check out their cover of "Purple Haze". Not so bad ... if you picture Van Halen doing it, because it certainly doesn't sound like Hendrix ... & seeing how many times this song gets covered I'm happy to hear Beach's great playing over a powerful funky rhythm & even some good singing ... oh, & Dweezil Zappa shows up to trade solos in this one too & you may not have heard a dueling guitar "Purple Haze" before. This particular line-up would make a second album before Winger became a trio for a third album only to die by the hand of grunge soon after. Beach went on to play in other bands, currently Whitesnake, Kip Winger went solo & the other guys returned to the world of session playing. They'd reunite for a couple great albums. Okay, okay, Kip Winger often gets a bad wrap, so I have to give him some kudos having said I didn't care for his lyrics. Not too many lead singers were out there who were also bassists. It definitely makes him more interesting to watch.

Dokken ~ Erase The Slate (album review) ... Take the chalk & try again!

Style: hard rock
Label: CMC International
Year: 1999
Home: Los Angeles

Members: Don Dokken ~ vocals
Reb Beach ~ guitar
Jeff Pilson ~ bass/keyboards/b. vocals
Mick Brown ~ drums/b. vocals

For me Dokken is all about guitarist George Lynch. I'm not a big fan nor that familiar with his work, but enjoy a lot of what I've heard of it. Don Dokken is a good singer but does nothing for me. He's a singer, but I've written many times I like vocalizers more & his songwriting doesn't wow me beyond the lucky turn of phrase. So, Dokken without Lynch on guitar? Without Lynch's composing influence? I already turn to Lynch Mob & the one-off Lynch/Pilson before Dokken as it is. Thus, the first non Lynch album Erase The Slate really needs something special about it to get my interest as a casual listener. But, it has that in new guitarist Reb Beach. I'm not the biggest Winger fan, but when I saw him with Whitesnake a couple years ago I was blown away. I know every talks about Doug Alrich, but I think when Reb is given a chance he turns in some interesting phrases. Originally John Norum, ironically also of Whitesnake, was brought in to replace Lynch but couldn't stay beyond the tour. So, Beach was called into the studio to help compose & play, though this is his only studio outing with Dokken. Dokken's previous album took a more alt rock direction & has been called the lowest point of their career. Sadly, this album didn't pull them out of the hole very much, but its has some great moments. The problem is that the songs just aren't that interesting beyond Beach's guitar parts & even then he can't always save things looking for commercial hit or interesting hit. Post-Lynch Dokken has been criticized for turning in bland hair metal with little individuality & this just proves the point, though personally I hear that bland cliched sound with Dokken straight through their career from their first hit "Breaking The Chains". Don Dokken just doesn't excite me as anything but a Joe Lynn Turner wannabe but with less of a bluesy soul & this album isn't getting me to change my mind. That being said, whatever of the weaknesses of this album, my view of Beach isn't changing. When this shines its all due to Beach turning in either a great riff or solo & sometimes, thankfully, both. I'd throw some of the tracks on this album on a CD to someone who wanted some examples of Beach's great playing. The title track has a good guitar solo & "Change The World" a good riff & solo, but the lyrics don't do anything for the result, nor the fact that I'm sure Stryper wrote "Change The World" or something similar 10 years previous, or it sounds like it. While I think they wrote "Who Believes" at the same time, too. The songs that work the best are the more experimental, or riskier, & include where Don Dokken does something different with some more tonal & emotional variations getting out of his comfort zone, such as the great "Maddest Hatter". Dokken may try to erase the slate but they don't leave the comfort zone as much as they need to. "Drown" follows as a highlight with interesting guitars & vocals, though here the heavily criticized alt rock feel becomes apparent. But, its that sense of something different is what's lacking overall here, so while Dokken might not be the next Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the variety is welcomed & needed & the necessary comfort zone break. Without the variety there's no push to the music to be something different from what Dokken did countless albums before. One of the best songs overall on the album is "One" by Harry Nilsson, though many may know this by Three Dog Night. Having spent so much time on Beach's contributions I'm leaving out someone who needs more credit & has a few moments that need to be heard - bassist Jeff Pilson. For a funk version of something that sounds like Tool check out "Voice Of The Soul" where Pilson carries the song. Pilson would join Lynch for Lynch/Pilson, an album I've reviewed glowingly elsewhere & hearing this album now I know that review didn't exaggerate. When Pilson does more than echo Beach's guitar he shines with funky independent lines that are as important as Beach's riffs & are anything but cliched hair metal. "Upon Your Lips" is a great song that also features Pilson incredibly active & is well-worth hearing, while the album ends with the short little bonus instrumental of "Little Brown Pill" that's Reb Beach meats Pilson aka Billy Sheehan, Jr. Dokken released a live album, Live from the Sun, before the departure of both Beach & Pilson, the end of an era for Dokken. John Norum would come back into the picture, but sadly I know less about him then I do Beach, so this is a sell by luck, that's just a tough sell to me.

Whitesnake ~ Live: In the Still of the Night (DVD review) ... Making love in the still of the night!

Style: hard rock, blues-rock
Label: Hip-O
Year: 2006
Home: n/a

Concert location: Hammersmith Apollo, London, England
Year Recorded: 2004
Length: under 2 hours
Bonus Features: behind the scenes documentary; photo gallery

Members: David Coverdale ~ vocals
Doug Aldrich, Reb Beach ~ guitars/b. vocals
Timothy Drury ~ keyboards
Marco Mendoza ~ bass
Tommy Aldridge ~ drums

I've loved David Coverdale ever since I can remember, or at least since my earliest MTV watching days. His voice always stood out for me from so many other bands. I even picked up his late career solo album & I think Coverdale/Page might be one of the best both of those guys have done. I've even gone back to his Deep Purple days, though I'm a Blackmore fan so that's a given. Yet, there's still some albums I haven't heard & the early bluesy post-Deep Purple Whitesnake isn't my cup of tea, but where the music lacks I always enjoy his voice. Whitesnake has gone through numerous line-ups over the years, even at one point including Steve Vai, with the current line-up continuing to hold the torch high. Two of the members have been around since 1989, but the rest are all new boys. Though, boys is the wrong word. Unlike Alice Cooper whose filled his band with extremely young bucks & now gals, Coverdale brings in some well-trained old hats whose combined resume includes Pat Travers, Ozzy Osbourne with Randy Rhoads, Thin Lizzy, the Michael Schenker Group, John Sykes, Winger, Alice Cooper & even Don Henley, amongst countless others. There's a bonus to not having a too young back-up group as it takes the focus away from the fact that the frontman has gotten old. This new band has also managed to put their stamp on the old classics, here including Deep Purple's "Burn" & a refrain from "Stormbringer", let alone reaching back to the bluesy roots of the band. It's interesting to note how many of Coverdale's hair metal peers have found a new footing doing basic blues-rock. Coverdale has gone from a big-hair girls-on-cars MTV sex idol to a British elder gentleman of rock, still sexy even if looking a bit wrinkled from the California sun ... & there's more than an occasional or accidental groin shot in the video to show he's not given up on that image of himself, let alone overly excessive microphone stand stroking. He also puts as much energy has he can into his live show as if he's not going to let his age stand in his way. But, watching him today there's something different. The music is great, he basically sounds good though its obvious his voice has changed, the classic 80's hits are as great as ever & shown their legacy is not unfounded, the current incarnation of Whitesnake Coverdale is not going to let go of soon if he can help it ... but, something is different & its in Coverdale himself that the change is obvious. Watching him do "Is This Love" & then stopping to watch the original video it all becomes obvious what the problem is - this Coverdale is an imposter. That's right. It's not him. It can't be. No ... not really, but the changes abound & its hard to reconcile the elder statesman on this stage with the once MTV icon. He's changed that much. Besides his new look & his aging face, though he's still in great physical condition as he goes around with his shirt open, his voice has changed quite a lot. Coverdale basically has two voices - a screaming Robert Plant-esque falsetto & a deep sexy baritone, here obvious in "Sweet Satisfaction" that demonstrates both with abandon. He used the baritone to absolute finesse with Coverdale/Page & that's the voice I like. That hasn't changed, though I wish he'd use it far more as its stronger & more distinctive. His falsetto has changed. It's shrunk down in its ranged & watching him singing it often feels like he's struggling to sing the notes or trying to sing them with clenched teeth. Its not until watching the old videos that it's obvious he's also singing some of the lower songs in his deep voice much more than they were originally recorded. I hate to say he's lost his voice, but he doesn't have the smoothness he used to have. I actually saw Whitesnake with this line-up in concert a couple years ago promoting their new Forevermore album. I was shocked just how much backing vocals were used, something he's been heavily criticized for, that would often drown out his voice. I hate to say that this, amongst some other things, made for the live experience less than I'd hoped for & I'd say stick to the DVD. As for the band, they again deserve mention ... as they're so good they very well mike pull the attention away from Coverdale. Lead guitarist Doug Aldrich has a fingering technique that should be on everyone's top ten list of best guitarists, let alone studied by every guitarist. His sans band guitar solo will make you sweat after only a minute due to its fury, leading into "Crying In The Rain" that is sadly disrupted by a drum solo ... but at least Coverdale lets everyone in the band have their moment to showoff, even if he has to take one of the hits that everyone knows to do it with. I also have to give kudos to his other guitarist Reb Beach, formerly of Winger, who seems to always get lost in discussions. In this DVD Aldrich takes most of the solos, but in the live show I saw the pair had a very prolonged guitar battle. I actually walked out being far more interested in Beach's interesting melodic choices & its only now that I get to see Aldrich. Also of note, live I was mesmerized by bassist Marco Mendoza. Killer playing. Sadly, Mendoza & drummer Tommy Aldridge have been with Whitesnake the longest, but I neither live nor watching this could I tell you a thing about Aldridge or keyboardist Timothy Drury. It's interesting how your ears catch certain things. I mentioned that my live experience, sans re-discovering Reb Beach, was less than stellar. Most of that has to do with Coverdale's desire to talk & talk & talk in this seemingly put-on cockney accent ... for a guy that's lived in America for half his career ... with a lot of bad jokes & sexual innuendos. The banter is chopped down to the minimal here, or maybe edited out. The audience groaned at my show as he flirted with women in the audience then pointed out his wife in the balcony. It's almost as if he's trying to create a character, while it leaves one wondering what he's really like. One may forget that during the 90's Whitesnake dropped off the charts & for awhile didn't exist & Coverdale struggled, even going back to his natural brown hair & cutting it short for his solo album. Coverdale/Page was a comeback in the full sense of the word, cut prematurely short when the Robert Plant comparisons came to the fore. The fact is that Coverdale doesn't need to be anything. Is is truly a survivor of the music industry. One can't help wonder if Coverdale isn't as confident as he puts it out there. Though, there is one great line between some early songs as he takes some flowers from the audience, from a woman whose obviously been his fan for decades: "More fucking flowers, does that mean I have to have my legs in the air all night? But I don't have a vase do I?" Reading note "'Thank you for your voice & your music.' Thank you very much. Thank you for your tits. Most inspiring I assure you. No, they are, they are." It's interesting to think that once upon a time Coverdale was considered a Robert Plant imitator. There's no comparison anymore. Actually, Whitesnake is doing the music that I expected Plant to do, particularly following his Calling All Nations, not the moody blues & folk that I've lost interest in. There's little that would not make this DVD a recommendation. It's also hard to begrudge the set-list, as its a broad swipe from his full career, not just focusing on the hits. He gives the Brits a touch of a lot, while for Americans we'll get the hits. As for the unfamiliar songs, its such a high octane concert one will never get bored. If there's any problem its with the cinematography. Too much bouncing around, cutting back & forth. It's hard to focus, but that's the way video work goes now. What's worse is that there's also an occasional bounce to a shot in black & white. It's not necessary, let alone distracting. Coverdale might have had gimmicky videos with girls - no girls in the live show interestingly enough - but the songs have withstood the test of time & don't need any gimmick. Coverdale could pull out acoustic renditions with lights on full & band sitting down & I think the show would still be great. Maybe he will someday, everyone else has. So, jumping around with black & white cuts to create a flashy experience is not necessary. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes documentary & a photo gallery. The DVD was also released in a DVD/CD set, with an abridged concert of only an hour on the CD.