'Who's The One'

I've been on a real Winger kick here lately. Honestly, Winger is about the only thing I have listened to in the past three weeks, except for some KIX to get ready for the show last Friday. I've always thought Winger's Pull was a beautiful and completely underrated album and I feel even stronger about it today. In many ways, the album was way ahead of its time.

Beyond "Down Incognito" I think the strongest track on Pull is "Who's The One." In fact, it just might be one of the best Winger songs, period. Even the video - with its themes and news clips - could have been made today and been considered "current."

Pull has a rich sound and I attribute that to producer Mike Shipley. He worked on so many albums I love including Def Leppard's Hysteria (as an engineer), Aerosmith's Just Push Play and Nickelback's All The Right Reasons. He won a Grammy for his work on Paper Airplane by Alison Krauss and Union Station - another one of my favorites.

When most people think of Winger, they probably conjure up images of the "Seventeen" video. For me, it's the clip below.

Comments

[Kixchix]

I can see Kip continuing to grow into his career while other contemporaries tread water. I’m rooting for him

[stu]

i prefer “karma” but pull is very underrated.

[Him]

"Down Incognito" was the song that led me to eventually reassess my feelings about Winger. And thank goodness I did.

Granted, Kip had a lot of work to do escaping his past, be it his hairy chest or some of his more cringey lyrics. That said, he was/is capable of crafting some great high- and low-level metal. I recognize, and celebrate, that now.

This isn't about me. But I am really glad I finally gave the band an honest listen. They continue to reward, where others, as Kixchix suggests, are plying their trade off past glories (rightly or wrongly won).

[Gogmagog]

I think they were headed in the direction of what Pull became on In The Heart Of The Young. There are tons of songs on that record that fit what a friend of mine calls "rock music for adults." I'm talking "Rainbow In The Rose" and "In The Day We'll Never See," and maybe even "Easy Come Easy Go." Even if the band wasn't quite there yet, looking back I think you can see the direction they wanted to go.

[Him]

Gogmagog, do you think this was all part of them getting a contract and then branching out in ways that were more in line with what Kip wanted to do initially?

I sorta' feel the same about Skid Row's transition from the first to the second album. The second one felt more like where they wanted to be. The first one sold a crap-ton, granted. But the second one felt more natural and less in line with what the corporate taste-makers wanted/needed/required. Just asking.

[Metalboy!]

I’ve been recently refreshing “Hair Metal” playlists and dragged Winger over to the latest ones.

You boys may be familiar with some of these little ditties (in no particular order) beyond the ubiquity of the ever dubious and perfunctory “Seventeen” …

“Battle Stations”
“Headed for a Heartbreak”
“In the Heart of the Young”
“Can’t Get Enough”
“Miles Away”
“Madeliene”

[Gogmagog]

Him ... there are several possibilities. One is yours -- they wanted to more mature stuff, but the record company kept pushing "Seventeen," etc, and the success of the first record bought the band more creative freedom. Could be just a natural evolution of the band, or it could be in response to the changing musical tastes as lots of pop metal bands were getting heavier at that point in response to Guns 'N Roses taking the world by storm. I'm thinking the aforementioned Skid Row and Warrant as two of the best examples.

Speaking of Skid Row, I read an article once where Baz claimed the band didn't want "I Remember You" on the first album because they thought it was too sappy, but an AOR guy stopped by the recording studio one day, heard the song, and immediately told them, "Oh, yeah, that's going on the record."

[Him]

Gogmagog, I think the 'changing musical tastes' thing must certainly be a factor as well. Thanks for pointing that out.

Going back to my premise and your partial nod, I do think a lot of those bands back then catered to a sound that was selling so as to sell themselves too. Then, with a contract in hand, they had a bit more freedom (even if but for a little while). Consider: the Bulletboys and others.

But. sure, a host of bands shifted as the grunge and GnR tides started turning. Case in point? [Don] Dokken's "Too High to Fly" (1994). That song, to my mind, still stands up and would have been an easier vocal road for Don . . . but it doesn't sound like Dokken. Another case in point? Motley Crue's 1994 album. For many/most,. not MC, even if I think it still holds up (and so do Tommy and Mick).

Again, really appreciate your input, Gogmagog.

[Gogmagog]

Like Winger and songs like "Seventeen," which I'm certain was highly encouraged, if not mandated, by the record company, I'm convinced the glam bands that survived into the early '90s were told by executives that they had to change their sound if they had any hope of selling records.

Haven't listened to it in decades, but at the time I thought Dysfunctional was a pretty good album. Going back now, Dokken's pivot to grunge is harder to listen to, in part because I got sick of dropped-D tuning so quickly in the early '90s. Every now and then it's great (I'm thinking of stuff like "Outshined" and "Them Bones" from early in the grunge era, and, going back, "Lay It Down" and "Cinnamon Girl"), but when it's every song, then all the songs start to sound the same.

I'll add another to Him's list ... "Eileen." I think it's a fantastic song, but it's mostly Alice In Chains and not Skid Row.

[Him]

Wow, Gogmagog, "Eileen"! Hadn't listened to that in a long time. The intro had me giggling, as I was about to start singing "I don't mind stealing bread . . .", but I quickly got myself together. Another good example of bands having to change to suit the times/chase the trends/keep their contracts (at least, for a little while).

Also, nice to see you nod to drop-D songs that don't suck. I appreciate an open mind, no less a definite set of principles! Question: how do you feel about "Black Hole Sun"?

[Gogmagog]

I like "Black Hole Sun," though it's awfully overplayed. If you want to get creative, we start discussing songs in double drop D (tune the high E string down a whole step, too), like "Going To California." Then we can work our way through all the open tunings (half the Rolling Stones catalogue for example), and eventually get to "The Rain Song," which is about the funkiest tuning that I know of ... D-G-C-G-C-D, which is an open Gsus4 chord.

[Gogmagog]

OMG ... just remembered that one of my two or three favorite Chris Cornell/Soundgarden tracks is in drop D ... "Sunshower."

[Him]

You demonstrate your talent/genius, yet again, Gogmagog. I wish I had but a smidgen of that sort of musical acuity. I guess I have to live with a talent for snarky asides and bad puns.

Thanks, as always, for your informative replies.