Customer Reviews

Influence

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was talking to my younger brother recently who is a huge Styx fan like myself, and I mentioned that this cd was due to come out shortly, which excited him, but when I told him it was cover tunes, be became less excited. He asked what was it with everybody putting out cover albums lately, including Styx, Def Leppard etc., and now this release. Here is my theory for what it's worth. First-They have nothing left to prove, they KNOW the current state of the music business, which is you have to be pretty and wear skimpy clothing or use sequencers and drum machines and "talk" your way through a song or it will never get on the radio, and second, the only way to get on rock radio, which is primarily classic rock radio, is to record again a classic rock song e.g. Styx's cover of I am A Walrus, which actually charted, and was the first Styx song since the Kilroy album to get any commercial airplay. Having said all of that, this cd is excellent. It has a wide variety of covers, done in the very organic sounding Shaw/Blades fashion, covering everything from mainstream pop to nods of progressive rock. Very impressive. And the vocals are absolutely perfect. I would love to see these guys guest host on American Idol, or a least show some of those contestants how to really sing. If you enjoyed the Hallucination cd then you will love this one. It has all of the qualities of that work with timeless classic songs to boot. Highly recommended.

I heard Shaw/Blades plugging an appearance this morning on the Stern Show and they sounded amazing! They were so good, I got goose bumps listening to their harmonies! I definitely bought into what they're doing with this album. I'm a bit disappointed with the studio recordings but I still like the album very much. The live performance just came off so much better. To be honest, the album sounds like it came straight out of the 80's. It sounds just a bit bigger than it should ... know what I mean? I much prefer the stripped down version I heard on the radio.

I'm a child of the 80's and a veteran of more than a few Styx and Night Ranger concerts so I'm happy to support these guys and their album. The title boils it down for you. If you have to describe this album in one way ... IT'S FUN!

As a life long Tommy Shaw fan I held high expectations for this release. Considering that 8 of the tracks are among my all-time favorite songs I held very high expectations for this release. However, considering Jack Blades' had such a poor showing on his recent solo debut, I had some reservations about this forthcoming release. I did not listen to any of the streamed audio online as I wanted to listen to the cd with a fresh set of ears unprejudiced toward any or all of the disk.

Aside from the incredibly sparse liner notes, this cd is a monster of an album. From the very first notes of SUMMER BREEZE on through to the end of DANCE WITH ME, I was simply amazed. Though Jack appears to sing lead vocals on most of the tracks, he sings with his natural voice (as revealed on the DAMN YANKEES debut and early NIGHT RANGER releases) and never tries to sound 'too different from Tommy Shaw' as he began doing on the DON'T TREAD release and throughout his SHAW BLADES and solo releases. As such, the songs sound fresh, vibrant and natural... albeit individualized for Tommy and Jack.

I despise cover tracks where in the musicians try to 'make the song their own' by changing the sound and arrangement of the track so much that it hardly resembles the original. I believe that with genuine vocal and instrumentation talent that a true artist can 'own' the song and yet honor the original recordings by staying true to the basic style of the original. Tommy and Jack do just that.

Never does Tommy stray too far with his guitar solos and never do the boys' vocals perform in any way other than admiration for these classic tracks. DANCE WITH ME and I AM A ROCK offer distinct changes to the styles of the songs, yet never too much to dishonor ORLEANS or SIMON AND GARFUNKLE.

Many critics have regarded this release as being an "acoustic" album, which could hardly be true. While the majority of tracks feature the acoustic guitar, this album has more than enough electric six-strings, keyboards and drums to be a rollicking rock and roll album. Never could this be considered an 'unplugged' cover album as one critic remarked.

This is a GREAT covers album. It met my expectations and exceeded them. I tip my hat to Tommy Shaw... this album exemplifies his genuine artistry through and through.

As a life long Tommy Shaw fan I held high expectations for this release. Considering that 8 of the tracks are among my all-time favorite songs I held very high expectations for this release. However, considering Jack Blades' had such a poor showing on his recent solo debut, I had some reservations about this forthcoming release. I did not listen to any of the streamed audio online as I wanted to listen to the cd with a fresh set of ears unprejudiced toward any or all of the disk.

Aside from the incredibly sparse liner notes, this cd is a monster of an album. From the very first notes of SUMMER BREEZE on through to the end of DANCE WITH ME, I was simply amazed. Though Jack appears to sing lead vocals on most of the tracks, he sings with his natural voice (as revealed on the DAMN YANKEES debut and early NIGHT RANGER releases) and never tries to sound 'too different from Tommy Shaw' as he began doing on the DON'T TREAD release and throughout his SHAW BLADES and solo releases. As such, the songs sound fresh, vibrant and natural... albeit individualized for Tommy and Jack.

I despise cover tracks where in the musicians try to 'make the song their own' by changing the sound and arrangement of the track so much that it hardly resembles the original. I believe that with genuine vocal and instrumentation talent that a true artist can 'own' the song and yet honor the original recordings by staying true to the basic style of the original. Tommy and Jack do just that.

Never does Tommy stray too far with his guitar solos and never do the boys' vocals perform in any way other than admiration for these classic tracks. DANCE WITH ME and I AM A ROCK offer distinct changes to the styles of the songs, yet never too much to dishonor ORLEANS or SIMON AND GARFUNKLE.

Many critics have regarded this release as being an "acoustic" album, which could hardly be true. While the majority of tracks feature the acoustic guitar, this album has more than enough electric six-strings, keyboards and drums to be a rollicking rock and roll album. Never could this be considered an 'unplugged' cover album as one critic remarked.

This is a GREAT covers album. It met my expectations and exceeded them. I tip my hat to Tommy Shaw... this album exemplifies his genuine artistry through and through.

The playlist on this album of covers initially turned me off and tuned me out--but I've been won over.

I loved Tommy Shaw's song Girls With Guns even before it zoomed through a Miami Vice episode back in my childhood. And I also liked forgotten stuff from his unCharted territory like See Me Now, and Count On You, and even What If from that Remo Williams movie. I was even there for Weight Of The World.

And as for Night Ranger--okay, Sister Christian, yes--but I loved Rumors In The Air even before that annoying kid in the movie Sixteen Candles was listening to it on his no-doubt wax-encrusted earphones. As for unCharted territory, I loved Don't Start Thinking (I'm Alone Tonight), I Did It For Love, and the title track from Night Ranger's Man In Motion, uh, cassette.

But let me jump to the present and yet blast to the past at the same time, via Influence.

The first four tracks really get me pumped, and I'm not even a big fan of the original when it comes to Your Move. What's happening here--for my ears, anyway--is the removal of any Sixties or Seventies mellowness, or softness, in favour of some fist-pumping, maybe even head-banging on I Am A Rock. Summer Breeze--not a song I love--gets a bit of a hard-driving gust to it. My favourite of the first four, when it comes to the originals, is probably Time Of The Season, and the cover here is also somewhat rowdier than what was before. All these shots of adrenalin to the tunes work for me, as does trimming Your Move.

Now, I don't like the song Lucky Man much at all, though I know how groundbreaking the original was (listeners trying to pinpoint what was making that sound!)--and Shaw/Blades at least give me a fresh take on it. I still can't really get with the pretentious lyrics.

Okay, now we come to two classics which, IMO, really need to keep some of the haunting, ethereal quality (I see leaves blowing in an aimless wind) to stay great: The Sound Of Silence, and California Dreamin'...easily my two favourite songs here. I like the cover versions on Influence, but I miss the soft sadness that flows through what went before. Nice job, anyway, and Shaw's vocals really suit all the material so far. His voice effortlessly exudes wistfulness, loneliness, pain and regret when necessary, or he can shift gears and make that high pitch of his happy or delighted. But he can't quite haunt me, and he's definitely not trying to mellow me out.

The final four songs: again, very interesting...none of the originals ever really lit me up, except for For What It's Worth. And so Shaw/Blades can sneak in there and give me a new appreciation of these tunes, just with some tweaking, and some enthusiasm (though I'll probably never come around to On A Carousel; I prefer a candy bar). Dance With Me provides a lively wrap-up to a playlist yanked into the new millenium with lots of energy, and some refreshing experimentation. I like some of these cover versions more than the originals.

I'm not a 60's guy, and I am not a covers type guy, but this CD is pretty damn good.
The highlights for me are California Dreamin**, The Sound Of Silence*, Your Move, I Am A Rock & Dirty Work. The Carousel song is pretty bad( no one could save this yawner).

As for the artists, Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades were made for each other. Apart they are both very good artists. Together they are tremendous. Here's hoping that in they future we can get a CD of original material from these two very underrated performers.

This CD is very good. I highly reccommend it.

One of the best cover records ever released not a dud in the bunch hope they do more!

Being a big fan of Styx,Damn Yankees and Night Ranger,I knew I would love this cd. Received in the mail and thought it was great. Either acoustic,heavy,it doesn't matter to me. This is a fine collection of stripped down tunes from great songs of the past. Love it from beginning to end,but the standouts are,Summer Breeze,Your Move,I Am A Rock,The Sound of Silence,Dirty Work and Dance with Me. You can say I pretty much love the whole thing.If you love the music of these guys,with their bands or the original songs they covered,I highly recommend this one. They did a great job!!!!

Love, Love, Love, this CD. The song selection is fantastic. There is something for everyone. Whether these are the songs of your youth or you are new to this music, this CD will blow you away. The harmonies are amazing, their voices blend so well together. Jack and Tommy really know how to stay true to the song and also make it their own at the same time. I love each and every track. It has not left my CD player since it has arrived. A must have for your music collection.!

Purchased for my husband - who is a music guru. We both thought it was wonderful. They did a nice job harmonizing. Would recommend this CD!