Sunday
Nov282010
Mr. Big, 'Undertow' - New Video!
Sunday, November 28, 2010 at 12:01AM
Mr. Big knows how to rock. Their new song "Undertow" is just excellent. Really, there's no other way to describe it: the song has a modern edge, yet it is not nu-metal so I don't think die hard fans would be alienated. The production is great and the video is even excellent. "Undertow" is a single from the forthcoming release What If...due out in early 2011. Have a listen:
Reader Comments (29)
There's more to just being a pro than just excellent musicianship.
It's called songwriting.
Sure, I'll give 'em "To Be With You", even tho it reeks of disingenuousness and mediocrity -- classic Receptionist Rock -- you know the stuff that would be playin' real soft on the receptionist's portable radio under her desk at work back in the day.
And then there's "Addicted To That Rush", Mr. Big's only really great song, which must have happened by accident because the rest of their stuff suxx so bad.
Like this...
Hey, look, The Metal Lords know I tried. I saw them at The Cat Club (with Alice and Chains opening, hahaha!!!) at their height, along with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley (who weren't acknowledging each other's presence) and Ahmet Ertegen.
Man, that cat, Ertegen, knew how to put it away -- drinkin' and minglin' 'til closing without even the blink of an eye and the dude was like pushin' 70 back then! -- and cool -- I said, "Hello" and he said "Hi" back. Same couldn't be said for Ace who was being walked by two bodyguards or "person holder-uppers", of which there must have been many back then to help our idols navigate through life.
Wish I could afford 'em myself, hahaha!!! Just kiddin' -- I'm not that shot, but you might have thought different if you ran into me on Shiprocked! (well, from dinner on...)
Anyway, yeah, so I watched Alice In Chains, who were unreal. It was so vivid, I could walk into the Cat Club and tell you exactly where I was standing for the better part of that show.
Then I just roamed the room, workin' the chix during Mr. Big. It's like no one was watchin' them, to be honest, except toward the end when they whipped out "To Be With You" and all the receptionists and seceretaries stormed the stage.
Hey, what the hell, I got nothin' against receptionists and secretaries, I'm just being the normal complete a*s I've alwasys been. Look, I was right up there with 'em and in front of overqualified bass player unextraordinaire (he really ought to form a band with Neil Peart so he would leave those poor Rush boys alone -- remember how killer they were before Peart came along and f*cked the whole thing up?!).
Point blank, I watched Mr. Big, in front of Sheehan, who's bass solo, I'll admit is the real thing that drew me to the stage and not the chix. Anyway, these clowns, Big, are all winkin' at each other, like the whole thing's a sham, which it is, but I gotta say, they put the pedal to The Metal when they played, "Addicted To That Rush", which really is just phenomenal! Hey, everybody usually gets at least one right.
Except for Alice In Chains, which got it all right, until the end of their heyday. They just tore the Cat Club apart and made Mr. Big look like a bunch of poseurs.
p.s. Excellent, tho admittedly "Cheesy", AOR/Glam Metal act, Valentine, were also there to witness Mr. Big's Cat Club appearance. I remember my chick, Julliet (of course), introducing me to 'em. They were all leanin' against the wall over by the door, acting like they were ready to escape, making sure they were witnessing the whole charade from as far away as one could get while still being in the same building. They also may have been stunned by how killer and "REAL" Alice In Chains were and how phony Mr. Big was and were faced with their own reality that "Valentine" was poseur crap on par with what they had to look at in the Metal Mirror, realizing they were just like Mr. Big: Small...
Love the video. :)
But those bands returning is bad news, it's like cash grab nothing more as this song is average at best. It lacks passion, fire, hunger, something from the deepness of soul. Just well played hard rock.
That's why I prefer listening to new "glam" rock bands like Vains of Jenna, Reckless Love or The Last Vegas because they still belive in music, as well as some older bands like Europe or Tesla. But all those cash grab nostalgia acts/reunions like Poison, Mr. Big, Warrant are much to silly and stupid. Even Motley Crue are caricatures of themselves they've become what they were against which is sad and Vince Neil can't sing anymore.
Out of great 80s/90s bands only Axl is true to hismslef. Hate or Love it he is still what rock n' roll is about - rebellion. He doesn't care about reunion, cash, album sales , critics , fans and that's what rock n' roll really is about. He is not selling out like guys from Poison, Motley Crue , some of his former members. He might be the last great rockstar and guys from Mr. Big will vanish once more faster than they re-appeared
DiMartino dusts whoever the hell this clown guitarist is...
And remember, I seen 'em both back in their heyday! Mr. Big shoulda actually been named Mr. Little. What a frickin' snorefest! (Sorry, Xandra, darling...)
p.s. I even have all of these Bozos' albums, too, hahaha!!! Argh!
Don't forget Metalboy - if you don't like them it doesn't mean they are bad. It just means they are not your cup of tea. That's all.
AOR! AOR!
Receptionist Rock!
Except for "Addicted To That Rush", they were and still are total sellouts...
UNCATCHY and totally UNROCK!
DiMartini BURNS! Gilbert "plays"...
I strongly believe that "Metalboy!" IS DeMartini.
Sobbing into his fretboard becasue, oh no, Paul Gilbert makes him look like a llama trying to play guitar.
Dry your eyes, yeah?
Paul makes us all look bad.
Its ok.
Talk to someone.
Take some deep breaths.
Learn to spell your name.
Okay, boyz! You win! I will get out all of my Mr. Big discs and listen to 'em and get back to you.
But, again, no matter how technically proficient Mr. Gilbert may be, I still think these guys were edgeless, middle-of-the-road total sellouts. I grant you, these guys are overplayers par exemplar. They just lack imagination and songwriting ability.
You guys still insist on technical ability trumping songwriting. It's not just knowing how to play. It's either writing great songs or playing on them. So Gilbert can play. But he ain't playin' any good songs, IMHO.
On the other hand, there are tons of great songs written by people who can barely play.
I saw the faux grimaces, shit eating grins and winks to each other on stage, boys, point blank. There is not an ounce of genuine Rock'n'Roll in this band.
And, by the way, Chilv, I've got tons of Mellow Metal, believe me. I mean, look, I even have every CD of a band I think SUXX! I've got a Playlist of nothing but Power Ballads with a total running time of 1 Day, 11 Hours with 471 songs on it, no repeats and your jerks are even on it with that barforiffic Power Barfid, "To Be With You" (and I have like three more Power Ballad Playlists meeting the same criteria, about half as long).
And the only thing I'm miserable about is jerks like you having to resort to language like that to make your case.
I will overlook it and listen to your crap band's CDs in succession and render my final verdict. I can tell you right now, I will probably hear why you are so in love with your boy, Gilbert, but I strongly doubt it won't change my mind how shite Mr. Big's songs and albums are... I will probably manage to find at least one more song I like besides "Addicted To That Rush", which, as I said, is totally killer...
De Martini! Lynch! Vincent! Jabs! Hoffman! Now we're talkin'!
Okay, I'm an a*s about Gilbert. He was in Racer X! Though I don't find that stuff very listenable, I will say, he shreds it up, no doubt...
p.s. What the hell?! I admit, I am pretty one-dimensional, when it comes to Metal, for sure. I love Glam Metal and kinda like any other Metal, but again, it's all about the songs. I mean, there's Poison, Crue and Ratt songs I can't stand either. Just not as many as Mr. Big's entire catalog except for "Addicted To That Rush", hahaha!!! Gilbert obviously needed the money. Without the aid of Wikipedia, it's all comin' back to me. Child Prodigy. Went to Guitar Tech or whatever the hell it is in L.A. where Vai taught Satriani, Satriani taught Vai, etc., etc. Gilbert became an instructor, I believe. I get it -- Guitarists sticking up for Guitarists for Guitarist's sake, Chilv totally ignoring the fact that Mr. Big Bites The Big One just cuz his boy is in the band... ZZZZZzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!