WINGER — Winger (review)

WINGER — Winger album cover Album · 1988 · Glam Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Negoba
Solid Heirs to Journey's Throne

People often forget that Journey started as a group of young Santana alumni and that the players were actually really talented musicians. Super-slick pop can seem easier than it is, and Winger got a lot of flack for putting out a VERY slick product. But although it seemed like this band was another group of faces propped up by a savvy producer, it was actually a single face and four studio level musicians. All had done session work before, with Rod Morgenstern having a big gig with Steve Morse's Dregs. Reb Beach had been a fave of mastermind Beau Hill already. In fact, Winger the band was Hill's creation and such deserves a bit of the jabs.

But for those of us who like glam metal with plenty of guitar chops, Winger was a tantalizing band. Reb Beach had developed post-Van Halen tapping to a level that virtually only Satriani and Vai had achieved at that time. What's more, his incorporation of the techniques into the monstrously active and tasty solo to "Headed for a Heartbreak" but him on the guitar map forever. He gets some great spots throughout the album, but this solo is his legacy. I saw Winger on this tour as part of a triple bill, the first rock concert I attended. Beach's solo was one of the more impressive I've ever seen. But I digress...

The songs are good hard pop rock, with much more in common with Journey than even AC/DC and certainly little in common with Iron Maiden. But the chops of the players and especially the shred guitar are what elevated the album to more metal-minded interests.

Bottom Line: Pop Metal with a Great Shredder
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