WINGER - Chapter One: Atlantic Years 1988-1993
November 25, 2023, a year ago
(Atlantic / BMG)
Winger seems to get a mighty bad rap. While some tended to merely write them off as pretty boys (hey, is it Kip Winger or Reb Beach's fault that they were good-looking blokes?) and compared them to the likes of Bon Jovi, Poison, and Ratt due to similar lyrical subject matter in their tunes, the lads in the band were much more accomplished and skilled musicians than your average hair metal band.
Case in point, Reb Beach being an in-demand session player, Rod Morgenstein serving as a Berklee professor and drumming for fusion daredevils the Dixie Dregs, and Kip Winger eventually composing bloody symphonies.
And as the title suggests, the just-released box set, Chapter One: Atlantic Years 1988-1993, collects all of Winger's albums from that era – 1988's self-titled debut, 1990's In the Heart of the Young, and 1993's Pull – which spawned such melodic hard rock radio/MTV hits as “Seventeen” and “Madalaine,” and the power ballads “Headed For A Heartbreak” and “Miles Away.”
Available as both vinyl and CD versions, both include a fourth item entitled Demo Anthology, which features original demo versions of Winger's biggest hits. Unfortunately, one entire digit simply has to be deducted from this set's final rating due to an absolute no-no – attempting to cover one of the most untouchable rock tunes of all time on their debut (Jimi Hendrix's “Purple Haze”). But overall, a dandy gift for the hair metal enthusiast of your family this holiday season!
