I`m actually drinking a bit of rocket fuel tonight, when you go without booze for a while and then get on the Southern Comfort you feel pretty woozy.
`Kyrie` of course is one of the bands most famous songs, but unlike what a lot of people think, it's not about a girl.
I`m not exactly getting pickled or anything, just having a few shots with some ginger beer. My brother actually was supposed to get this bottle of Southern for giving me a lift to the airport a couple of weeks ago, but he didn`t end up giving me a lift in the end so I`m stuck with it. I dont know how I can possibly live with myself haha.
Alrighty, lets talk about music hey! Back in the hair band 80`s, not a lot of bands had what you call a lot of grainy musical substance, over-produced pop and pop metal were big on catchy choruses and creating memorable hooks here and there, but not
too many matched glossy production and ear pleasing melodies with real style and soul.
too many matched glossy production and ear pleasing melodies with real style and soul.
One pop metal band that I had a soft spot for always was a one-hit album band from the US called Mr. Mister.
The band formed in 1982 in Los Angeles,
the band consisted of Richard Page (lead vocals and bass), Steve George (keyboards and vocals), Steve Farris (Guitar) and Pat Mastelotto (drums).
the band consisted of Richard Page (lead vocals and bass), Steve George (keyboards and vocals), Steve Farris (Guitar) and Pat Mastelotto (drums).
Page and George were in fact session musicians backing the mega-successful AOR band REO Speedwagon before forming Mr. Mister with Farris and Masteletto.
The production qualities of Mr. Mister`s three albums owes much to Page`s and George`s time with REO Speedwagon, but on the substance scale, Mr. Mister always had a lot more in the tank than the soulless studio artistry of Kevin Cronin`s crew.
Mr. Mister would end up backing up Tina Turner on her sell out world tour in the mid 80`s, a gig that would catapult the band to stardom on the back of their immaculately produced progressive pop rock masterpiece `Welcome to the Real World`, which was released in 1985.
This was their second album, their warmup album`I Wear The Face` produced the minor hit `Hunters of the Night` but largely it sunk without a trace without achieving
much commercial success.
much commercial success.
Welcome to the Real World threw up a few mega-hit singles, like radio staples such as `Broken Wings`, `Kyrie` and `Run To Her`.
One song off the album which saw Steve Farris turn into a heavy rock guitar soloist
to good effect was the underrated`Black/ White`.
to good effect was the underrated`Black/ White`.
This song sounds so much like beefed up Duran Duran, but the metallic finale to the song by Farris puts him momentarily in the
same league as Steve Lukather or even Eddie Van Halen.
same league as Steve Lukather or even Eddie Van Halen.
`Kyrie` of course is one of the bands most famous songs, but unlike what a lot of people think, it's not about a girl.
Kyrie is short for Kyrie Eleison, which in fact
is a exclamation which is recited during Catholic Mass. So the song is actually very religiously inspired and not just another airy fairy pop song like you might imagine.
is a exclamation which is recited during Catholic Mass. So the song is actually very religiously inspired and not just another airy fairy pop song like you might imagine.
After the cloud nine success of `Welcome to the Real World`, it was always going to be difficult to match it commercially speaking, if not artistically as well.
The band re-convened in 1987 to record the album `Go On`, which despite being a commercial lemon was probably their most accomplished album out of the three they made.
`Go On` is a lot dryer with production but much more soulful than`Welcome to the Real World`. You`d be hard pressed
to find a better piece of white soul than the inspirational `Healing Waters`.
to find a better piece of white soul than the inspirational `Healing Waters`.
The song is a bit like `Tusk` from Fleetwood Mac, takes a minute or so to get going but it
really becomes an epic as a result of choir like backing vocals and sincerer than sincere singing from Richard Page.
really becomes an epic as a result of choir like backing vocals and sincerer than sincere singing from Richard Page.
`Watching the World` is a great big chorus rocker, more in the style of bands like Survivor and Night Ranger than Speedwagon or Duran Duran, which Mr.
Mister was influened by the most.
Mister was influened by the most.
`Power Over Me` is a slow paced keyboard led Genesis-like ballad that is remarkable for its very unique bridge between the first verse and the chorus, just have a listen to it and you`ll know what I mean.
Mr. Mister was attempting to prove that they weren`t just another sugar coated soft metal band from the 80`s.
`The Tube` is a really great piece of experimental progressive pop, it sounds
nothing like the rest of the album.
nothing like the rest of the album.
`Something Real` is probably the most 80`s radio hit sounding tune on `Go On`, while the synthesizer versus guitar extravaganza
`Man of a Thousand Dances` is the closest the 80`s got to having a pop rock band doing cartwheels while playing a real guitar, a real keyboard, a real bass guitar and a real drum kit. Mr. Mister were at times totally unreal!
`Man of a Thousand Dances` is the closest the 80`s got to having a pop rock band doing cartwheels while playing a real guitar, a real keyboard, a real bass guitar and a real drum kit. Mr. Mister were at times totally unreal!
No comments:
Post a Comment