Customer Reviews

Four Winds

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

 

 

"Four winds" by Tangier is a great album, featuring melodic straight forward hard rock with no frills. The style can be described as a kind of a southern approach with good vocals from Bill Mattson, who sadly quit the band after this debut. Tangier brings on a musical feel connected to the 1970's hard rock scene, but since the record was released in 1989 I guess it got lost, competing with the whole hair metal scene. That's too bad because Tangier's "Four winds" is absolutely a better choice than any album by bands like Poison, Cinderella, Tesla etc.

I would say that all of the songs are very good indeed and this forgotten and overlooked album will certainly satisfy any rock fan of early Whitesnake, Bad Company and others in that genre. Maybe this is a 5 star effort, at least it is a very strong and powerful album featuring all the ingrediences we love about hard rock music. Highly recommanded!

The follow up album "Stranded" is not by far as good, and the band did the only decent thing - called it a day...

Originally released in 1989, Four Winds was the debut album by hard rockers Tangier. You wouldn't know it by Tangier's bluesy, Southern fried rock & roll (not to mention the Young Guns attire they're sporting on the album cover), but the band actually hails from New Jersey.

The band took the basic melodic hard rock style that was so popular at the time and gave it a Southern edge, much like Tora Tora and to a lesser extent Baton Rouge. I'm also reminded a bit of Jon Butcher, but that's mostly due to Bill Mattson's midrange vocals. What Four Winds lacks in originality, it more than makes up for with its upbeat, rockin' sound. Highlights include opening rocker "Ripcord" and the swinging "Southbound Train." The title track rocks as well.

This probably isn't anything you haven't heard before, but if you're into late 80's to early 90's hard rock, chances are you'll enjoy this one. If you like what you hear, be sure to pick up the band's second (and final) album Stranded.

Edition Notes: Wounded Bird reissued Four Winds in 2008. Like all Wounded Bird reissues, it has not been digitally remastered, nor does it have any bonus material. It's great to see this forgotten album back in print, but if you already own the 1989 version there's no need to replace it.

Tangier's FOUR WINDS is a great lost classic which has finally gotten the reissue treatment it deserves. I originally got it on cassette as a gift for the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, and the album rocks as much today as it did in 1989, when I listened to it on a weekend trip to tune out someone who said negative things about a friend of mine from camp (according to Jewish law, you're not supposed to listen to slander and gossip, so this reissue is a big help to tuning such loshon hora, or "evil tongue", out, just as the tape was 20 years ago). This album juxtaposes Bill Mattson's Lou Gramm/Paul Rodgers-style vocals, Doug Gordon's Southern-rock-influenced lead guitar, and a rhythm section that kicks with the energy of the best 70s rock. I think this reissue is long overdue, and hopefully the band will get back together for a new CD and tour.

TANGIER IS ONE OF THE GREATEST HARD ROCK BANDS FROM THE LATE 80'S . BLUESY ROCK'N' ROLL INFLUENCES MAKE THIS RECORD SOUND AMAZING . HEARTFUL VOCALS , GREAT GUITARISTS AND GOOD PRODUCTION MAKES FROM THIS ALBUM A MASTERPIECE ! IT'S A MUST FOR EVERY GREAT WHITE FANS ! ENJOY IT !

Tangier's "Four Winds" was released in 1989. When you think of that year, you think of the radio-frenzy hair-bands like Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses, Poison, Bon Jovi, just to name a few. But your average heavy metal listener will not think of Tangier. This is a totally awesome album and not one bad song on this release. "Ripcord" is just the perfect opening track, especially the way the song begins in a unique sort of way with the bass for eight seconds and the whole song comes together afterwards. "Southbound Train" is a standout and should have gotten air play it deserved in the late 80's and early 90's. Other great tracks include "Mississippi" (a bluesy hard song), "Sweet Surrender" "Bad Girl" and Good Lovin'." The album track, "Four Winds" is probably Tangier's masterpiece. It starts out slow and bluesy for the first verse and the chorus. After the chorus, then the song picks up in a faster tempo. It's such a brilliant song. If you like the sounds of Metallica and Pantera, then you will like Tangier.

this was a very good album. their style can best be described as "Southern Hard Rock" . the sound is in the style of alot of the 70's bands like bad co. or skynrd. with a later 80's kick to it. its too bad this style didnt really jive with the Hair slease LA sound of the day and it got basically ingnored by the masses. If you like The 4 horsemen or Black Crowes, this album is perfect for you.

I was fortunate enough to work the club these guys came out of, and got to see them play live. Bill Mattson's vocals are the highlight of this CD with some good to great songs to back him up. The CD is definitely on the bluesy rock side with songs like Mississippi and Fourwinds. To be honest these two songs alone are worth the price of the CD. Good stuff!

I remember these guys from the 80's. I had their cd then but over time I lost it. I just found an original ATCO pressing. These guy were over looked big time. They got lost in the flood of hairbands in the late 80's. It's sad because these guys were actually pretty good. I remember seeing them open for Cinderella in the late 80's in Atlanta,GA.
If anyone likes blues based rock n' roll they will like these guys. They have a little southern rock edge on them. I know they re issued this and I was going to resort to it but today I got really lucky and found a original issue. It does not matter becaus this is one of those lost gems of the 80's

WHAT A GREAT ALBUM TO CLOSE OUT THE DECADE. THIS DEBUT ALBUM IS DYNAMITE! STAND OUT TRACKS INCLUDE "ON THE LINE" AND "SOUTHBOUND TRAIN". I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RECORD TO ANY ROCK FAN.