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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Winger's best album. Too bad nobody was paying attention., April 11, 2008
Ah, Winger. The poster boys for chick-friendly hair metal in the 80's. I think their fate was sealed when the wimpy neighbor kid Stuart - who always sported a Winger t-shirt - was introduced on MTV's Beavis and Butthead cartoon. I'll let you in on a little secret though: Winger was good, and I mean really good. Every member of the band was a highly skilled musician, and they had the perfect grasp of what made the late 80's melodic rock sound work.
1993's Pull was the band's third album. It didn't have any MTV-ready hits like "Seventeen", and by 1993 no one was really paying attention to this kind of music, but that didn't stop the band from releasing what is probably their finest album. Pull showcases a tighter, more mature Winger. Pull is a very well written melodic rock album, reminiscent of bands like Bon Jovi and Mr. Big that knew when it was time to outgrow their hair metal phase. Songs like Down Incognito, Spell I'm Under, the Lucky Ones, and Like a Ritual are worlds removed from Winger's early days, and show just how far Kip Winger and Reb Beach had developed as songwriters. In a perfect world, Pull would have been the album that made people take a second look at Winger. Instead it came and went with little fanfare while the music industry was replacing spandex and hairspray with flannel and angst.
If you're an 80's rock fan, you really need to get this album. Forget what you think you know about Winger (especially if it's primarily the video for Seventeen). They're a better band than anyone thinks.
NOTE: Wounded Bird reissued Pull in 2005. The reissue does not include any bonus material, and it has not been remastered, so if you have an older copy of the album there's no need to replace it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Way under-rated CD..., December 17, 2007
I have to disagree with the other reviewer who said "it's great like Winger's other CDs". I have "Pull" as well as their first two, and there's no comparison. The first two were pretty much standard hair metal. GOOD hair metal, but that's definitely what it was.
With "Pull," Winger finally showed their true talent. This CD actually borders on "progressive metal," which is a compliment to any band typically labelled as hair metal. Serious chops, great songwriting, yet still catchy.
Their first two CDs are a "guilty pleasure" that I now rarely listen to, but "Pull" is a great CD that I've recommended to many friends, and is the one Winger disc that still gets somewhat-regular play.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the few absolutely perfect albums, September 30, 2005
Winger... man, they just never get or got enough respect. Yes, this is the band that gave you "Seventeen" and it was a bit lyrically cheesy. Or perhaps you didnt like the boringly standard ballad "Miles Away". But, even from prior albums there were brilliant songs like "Under One Condition" that were unique and tragically overlooked as singles. Pull takes that concept into a full album of incredible songs... and even took Winger into some of the heaviest songs they ever laid down. Most importantly the songs are complex musically and lyrically without ever losing the ability to easily grab you. The musicianship is also absolutely top notch. Blind Revolution Mad, like many songs on the album, will tease you with its lighter intro before opening up into a straight out rocker. In fact, I think on first listen some might be taken back by just how much acoustic guitar is prevalent on this album (I know I was at first)... but, just stick with it... because once you absorb this album, you will never look back on the acoustic work as a negative in this case. Junkyard Dog nearly reverses the slow to heavy form on some of the other songs with being nice and heavy most of the song only to mellow out more in its ending (which is essentially a whole other song)... but it is done in a way that is extremely cool. The Lucky One remains my all-time favorite song lyrically... its just a clever way of constructing the message without being overly intellectual as some try to do in order to make their lyrics "impressive". It's also a beautiful song... and you can feel the pain in it. No Mans Land is another favorite of mine... nice and heavy, and driving, and yet very melodic... pretty much exactly what I prefer in a song. Down Incognito, the main single is a great song as well. Heck, there is no song on this album that isnt either great or very very good... hence why I think it is a perfect album. In for the Kill is another that starts slow and then still has a powerful chorus. Like A Ritual is cool more for its instrumentation... and I love the tribal drums in it. Speaking of that, I have to shout out to Rod Morgenstien's drumming... it is spot on perfect throughout the album... it completely accents and adds to the songs without overpowering them like so many drummers do. Placing your drum skills into a song is better than showing off everything you can do in every song. His cymbal work is top notch. The production on this CD is also great... it sounds excellent. I cant say enough good about it. I wish they would reunite as I think Reb and Kip together create better than when they are apart. Without Reb, Kip loses some edge... and Reb just doesnt write as well on his own as he does with Kip.
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