Customer Reviews

Everybody's Crazy

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Contrary to what most middle-aged women think nowadays, there WAS a core group of Michael Bolton fans before 1987 - and this was his pivotal album. Revered by most of his current fans (if they've even heard of it) and virtually ignored by Bolton himself, it is a nine-track synopsis of the entire AOR movement. Overblown? Yes. Glossy? Yes. Heavy? Yes. Hooks? Plenty. The ingredients of the perfect AOR album are all there - and it was voted #2 of the all-time best AOR albums by a British magazine in 1987 (behind Journey's Escape). I think his 1983 self-titled album was equally as strong, but also quite different, with less synthesizers and a different guitar-based feel to the songs. Highlights from Everybody's Crazy - the title track is worth a listen just to hear Bolton at his heaviest, "Everytime" was a sure-fire hit that wasn't even a single, "Desperate Heart" was poppier than the rest of the album but a great track, and "Call My Name" is the only real power ballad but it's great, and arguably contains the best sax solo in pop music. All in all, this album is great and deserves a listen if you can find it. Columbia was sure it would be THE Michael Bolton album when they recorded it...but radio wasnt ready and it just wasnt the right time.

In most cases, you are either a fan of the "new" Michael (the schmaltzy MOR crooner) or the "old" (the pretentious leopard jacket wearing "rocker"). The big difference is, Bolton was writing classic AOR masterpieces in his "rocker" phase. The first album was good, but could not prepare anyone for this CD, plainly put one of the 10 best AOR CDs of all time. Great AOR means huge overblown arena rock with masterly crafted hooks, atmospheric verses, and bridges that call for crying from the dephths of ones soul. Michael does all of the above with effortless mastery. The real treats come in the middle of the CD. Call My Name, Everytime, Desperate Heart and Start Breaking My Heart are so urgent, so emotional, so expertly crafted that you would just have to have a heart of stone not to love them. Bolton won't even acknowledge this album exists, but this CD is a landmark. After this Bolton descends into easy listening hell.

I never though I'd be writing a review saying that a Bolton album is good but I am. I was very suprised to find that Mr.Bolton actually did metal. This album starts off with Save our Love a pretty good song. Then Everybody's Crazy (The title Track)this song is a great sing a long arena rock anthem;the guitar sound is very good on this song.
Track 3 Can't Turn it Off is decent song as well(I espically love the guitar riff on this song).
The next 4 tracks on this cd aren't really that good,(You can tell Bolton wanted to move to a new musical level but it's not horrible like his other stuff he did in the 90's).
The last 2 tracks really rock (I can't believe I'm saying this but they do). I've taken a lot of flack for liking this album but it's a good cd. If you love 80's AOR/Melodic Metal than buy this cd. It's worth shelling out 11 dollars for it. His first self titled album isn't that bad either(If my friend saw this review i'd take even more flack), but what the heck the 80's where a great time when music sounded good not like today's trash. Long Live the 80's. I'd take a early 80's Michael Bolton album over today's Velvet Revolver(They really stunk despite Slash being in it) anyday.

After two solo albums for RCA and two albums with BLACKJACK for POLYDOR,Michael Boloton became Michael Bolton and released a self-titled debut for COLUMBIA records in 1983.As solid and as promising as that effort was, any and all momentum was lost with this long out-of-print follow-up released in 1985.The original cover photo (not shown here) has him decked out in David Coverdale's (or Bea Arthur's)Best, and it's all too obvious that the label wanted to market him in the Melodic-Metal scene that was about to break.This may have all worked out,had the material on the album been as consistant as it's predecessor.There are some great songs here,it's just that when taken as a whole, it doesn't add up to much. HOWEVER, that's not to say that you won't enjoy this disc in all of it's flawed glory,the title track alone is worth every penny.Loud,swaggering and anthemic,it's the greatest song that KISS never wrote So,order it now before it's out of print again,give it to mom and tell her it's his latest..just make sure that the de-fib is at arms length...c'mon,it'll be a hoot....

I had all of Michael's albums except this one and his self titled one but once I heard this one I was amazed! This is not the crooner you are used to hearing on A/C radio. This is Michael with a hard rock edge to him and a little attitude thrown in for good measure especially in the songs Everybody's Crazy, You Don't Want Me Bad Enough Stop Breaking My Heart and Can't Turn It Off.

He shows a bit of his softer side in Save Our Love, Every Time and Don't Tell Me It's Over, Desperate Heart and Call My Name. I believe that had Michael stuck to his hard rock roots he would have caught on with more fans and his work would be taken more seriously than it is now which is a shame because he is a great singer and songwriter.