Just curious what some of the BGP "music critics" have to say about this song/video. It's the title track from Winger's latest release, "Better Days Comin'". Released in April 2014, the album debut at #21 on the Top Current Rock Albums Chart and #85 on the Billboard 200. The band comprises of 3 of the 4 original members, Kip Winger (Lead Vocals & Bass), Reb Beach (Lead Guitar), & Rod Morganstein (Drums). John Roth (Guitar) has been with the band since 1993. On all the songs, Kip Winger displays his vocal range that is still the same after 25 plus years of rockin'.

BTW, Mrs. Lawnboy still thinks Kip Winger is "hot"!

 

Give it a listen and tell me what you think. Pretty damn good if you ask me

 

[video=youtube_share;7iar9r_oS5I]

 

Other videos released from the album, nothing like the Winger of 20-25 years ago....great stuff IMO.

In the immortal words of Alan Jackson, they've "gone country".

Congratulations to Winger. It only took them this long to figure out how to sound like Alice in Chains in 1995.

 

 

Was that "music critic" snarky enough for you?

Congratulations to Winger. It only took them this long to figure out how to sound like Alice in Chains in 1995.

 

 

Was that "music critic" snarky enough for you?

 

You're doing us proud, Grasshopper.

Sounds like Winger is bringing more of a "stoner" vibe than I recall from them.

 

That one tune "Rat Race" has a drive that reminds me of Judas Priest's "Rapid Fire" from their British Steel release.

 

Here they are performing it live in 2012

 

 

The original is much faster:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhXUutpELRA

Never liked them. Still don't.

 

Now that I think about it, the only long haired singers I truly loved/love were/are Robert Plant and Jon Bon Jovi. Kip is neither of those two. :lol:

But then I also have to give credit for that drive in "Rat Race" to Moterhead with "Ace Of Spades"

 

 

...and then you had Accept being influenced by Moterhead demonstrated here with "Fast as a Shark"

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKml8LwF_0M

I don't think this has gone the way Lawnboy was hoping lol

I don't think this has gone the way Lawnboy was hoping lol

 

Not so fast Hellbird.

 

Personally I needed a few listens to process.

 

It's pretty good stuff.

 

Has a nice groove that's making me tap my foot and bob my head.

 

Kip's got a strong cool voice and vibe.

 

They seem to be wearing their pre-80's, 70's straightforward rock on their sleeves which tells me where their true heart in rock n' roll really is, which personally I can dig more than their somehow over produced fluff of the 80's.

 

Some might see the 90's stoner thing in them, but the 90's sound was more or less a backlash reaction to the 80's that begged to return to the 70's in some ways.

 

It feels a bit more timeless rock n' roll than what they were doing to make themselves famous..

 

If they were to show up at a local pub unannounced and just started jamming where the audience had no preconceived notions, I think before long folks would be up and jamming and shaking, wondering who this rockin' bar band was with the dude with a solid voice.

 

There's two camps on Winder, hate them or love them, so I think they'd get more people to pay attention if no one was really sure who they were.

 

If LB hadn't told us who they were, I would not have guessed it was Winger.

 

I'm not completely in love with all of these tunes but I can dig some of them, and I give them credit for updating their sound and staking a stab at staying relevant.

In addition to what I said, the more I listen I can see that they haven't entirely ditched some of their 80's sound as it still bleeds through too somehow. I think their look blinded me to that on first listen. Some of the lead breaks are not 70's, or 90's, so you really can't point to any other era for that than the 80's.

 

I'm hearing the meat in some of their tunes, but also getting a fair portion of cheese to go with it. They look like they're having fun jamming, so who am I to knock that?

 

Kip might as well get all the milage out of his voice that he can, because considering his age, his pipes are still strong, so might as well not waste 'em and go and continue to do what he loves to do, and do what he does best.

 

Not sure that they could attract a large arena crowd anymore, but there's bound to still be an audience out there somewhere that can still appreciate what they're doing.

 

They still have the power and energy to blow the roof off of a smaller club, so they can still remain relevant enough to bring the party to some 40 and 50 somethings out for a night of rock n' roll that has them reliving their youth.

Following the release of "From the Moon to the Sun", Kip Winger, studied with Michael Kurek and composed a thirty-minute symphonic piece, "Ghosts", written for strings, piano and harp for a ballet commission, and a world premiere with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra on November 14–15, 2009. Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon created the ballet "Ghosts", which premiered at the San Francisco Ballet on February 9, 2010, with set design by Laura Jellinek, lighting design by M.L. Geiger and costume design by Mark Zappone. Winger was nominated for an Isadora Duncan Award for Excellence in Music. The ballet was a hit and was brought back for a second season in 2010.

 

Winger was honored by the United States Government and Military by being presented with an honorary plaque and a historic United States of America flag. His musical composition, "Blue Suede Shoes", honoring the service and sacrifice of the United States armed forces and their families, was honored. In a surprise presentation ceremony during the taping of the PBS television program, Legends & Lyrics, Winger was praised by General Harold Cross.

 

Drummer Rod Morganstein is currently an Associate Professor teaching Percussion at the world famous Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He has also been a columnist for Modern Drummer magazine.

Beavis and Butthead/Metallica Nothing eles matters video killed Winger.

Kip Winger is a great musician but seems like a total jerk...

 

"That is why it’s the great irony that we ended up on that geeky guy’s shirt on Beavis & Butthead, because Metallica couldn’t play what we play, they couldn’t do it, they literally – technically couldn’t do it. And I’ll challenge those chumps to a fight any day of the week, but we could play their music with our hands tied behind our back."

Beavis and Butthead/Metallica Nothing eles matters video killed Winger.

Kip Winger is a great musician but seems like a total jerk...

 

"That is why it’s the great irony that we ended up on that geeky guy’s shirt on Beavis & Butthead, because Metallica couldn’t play what we play, they couldn’t do it, they literally – technically couldn’t do it. And I’ll challenge those chumps to a fight any day of the week, but we could play their music with our hands tied behind our back."

 

They got bogged down in that hair metal garbage at the time. If they'd abandoned the trappings of that era, I'd have more respect for them. Musically they're definitely miles ahead of a lot of the groups from that time, but that isn't a very high bar to jump.

The era they came up in really hurt their credibility in the eyes of many.

Truth is, they were all highly respected studio musicians that met and came together because of always bumping into each other.

Rod Morgenstein is a great drummer... He got started with the Dixie Dregs and the Steve Morse Band.

Reb Beach played on several famous studio recordings including tons of BEE GEES stuff.

 

And Kip Winger played and sang backing vocals on several Alice Cooper recordings as well as many other artists.

 

I've met Rod a couple of times and he's a super nice guy...

[video=youtube;Rh5NV-Lyzok]

 

Sounds more like a slighty more funk-ified version of Bad Company to me. (Please take my use of the word "funk" very loosely.)