Aldo Nova (Exp) [Original recording remastered]

Aldo Nova | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 29, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sbme Special Mkts.
• ASIN: B00160ANKA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,567 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Fantasy

2. Hot Love

3. It's Too Late

4. Ball and Chain

5. Heart to Heart

6. Foolin' Yourself

7. Under the Gun

8. You're My Love

9. Can't Stop Lovin' You

10. See the Light

11. Foolin' Yourself [Alternate Version][#][*]

Editorial Reviews

Japanese release featuring a bonus track: 'Foolin Yourself (Demo Version)'. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pop Metal Blueprint Remastered, July 28, 2004

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Aldo Nova (Exp) (Audio CD)

Aldo Nova's 1982 self-titled debut is a blueprint for the pop metal, or sometimes deridely called hair metal, music that would become tremendously popular throughout the 80's. The album is built around double tracked guitar riffs, sledgehammer drums and crisp melodies. The songs are either rocking anthems or power ballads. Mr. Nova spent three years as George Harrison in a Canadian version of Beatlemania, so he brought a strong sense of melody to the power chords. The album's open track and first single is the superb "Fantasy". The song opens to the sounds of helicopters and then kicks in with a searing guitar riff. The lyrics are pure 80's hedonism with talk of street girls and white powder. Mr. Nova was also one of the first artists to embrace MTV and his video for the song is a classic and peaked at number 23 on the charts. "Ball & Chain" and "You're My Love" are strong power ballads. "Foolin' Yourself" has a strong pop sound and was a small hit peaking at 65. "Heart To Heart" & "See The Light" heavily incorporate synthesizers into the mix. The album had a strong influence on Bon Jovi (whose cousin engineered the album) and he practically copies the album's format on his first few releases (Mr. Nova plays guitar on Bon Jovi's first hit "Runaway"). The album peaked at number 8 in early 1982, but Mr. Nova would never again crack the top 50 on the charts. He would later go on to big success as a songwriter and producer mostly notable for fellow French-Canadian Celine Dion for which he would win a Grammy for his production. This is a superb remastering of the album. The sound is a marked improvement over the original CD release which contained alot of hiss. Their is one bonus track, a demo version of the album's second single, "Foolin' Yourself", but the overall sound improvement is reason enough to buy th ealbum.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gotta love that first track, October 23, 2010

By 

Todd7 (Michigan) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Aldo Nova (Exp) (Audio CD)

Aldo Nova was a cool dude in '82: a laserbeam/helicopter/sonic intro to one of the most recognizable hard rock/pop/metal songs was fuel for what was a solid album overall. The song of course is FANTASY, which many people consider to be "sexy." Yes, this song is an absolute rocker with all the attitude. The guitar is superb, the drums loud, and the vocals (while not great) are still adequate. There are other standout songs on this album, including the slow BALL AND CHAIN, as well as FOOLIN' YOURSELF, then the up-tempo SEE THE LIGHT. Aldo was a master in the studio, and after he hung 'em up for good, he became a renowned producer for other great artists. Aldo Nova more or less invented or defined pop metal. This album is solid. Get it. 8.5/10

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of his time- Aldo Nova reshapes melodic rock into Glam/Hair metal in 1982!!, November 15, 2010

By 

Nikiforos V. Skoumas (Athens Greece, Cambridge UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aldo Nova (Exp) (Audio CD)

Debut album by Canadian melodic rock/AOR composer, guitarist and singer Aldo Nova, originally released in 1982. In many ways the `Aldo Nova' debut was a sign of things to come for the rock music world in the 80s - the mixture of the well established AOR/melodic rock sound of bands like `Journey', `Foreigner' and `Styx' through a harder, more polished and stylish prism was the most significant step in the development of the `Hair metal' genre.

Much like Gary Moore, John Sykes and Jeff Paris, Aldo Nova showcases incredible skills in songwriting, singing and guitar playing. One has to admit that it is not very common for musicians to match two of the above criteria, let alone all three. Therefore the album is bound to impress or at least prove itself substantial, even in 2010. The material on offer here, "Fantasy", "Hot Love", "Heart to heart" and "Under the gun" walk the fine line between late 70s AOR/melodic rock and 80s Glam metal. In addition, the album features the much slower tunes "Ball and Chain" and "Can't stop loving you" setting the standards for the glam metal ballad of the 80s which would develop into an inescapable must for any band wishing to dominate the charts at the time.

While the album bares the above characteristics of the Glam/Hair metal stle, it also differentiates itself through minor yet significant qualities: Foremost no instrument is overproduced on Nova's debut, therefore one finds no huge drumming or screaming/vibrato filled guitars while the keys are either piano or atmospheric string section.

Overall, the Aldo Nova debut could be considered both a melodic rock/AOR and Glam metal album at its own right; and while it proved not to be the most extreme or outrageous of glam metal albums, it is definitely one of the first and most substantial releases of the genre.