Venus in Overdrive

Rick Springfield | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 29, 2008)
• Original Release Date: July 29, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: New Door Records
• ASIN: B000V2KQPQ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,865 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Rick Springfield has withstood the test of time far better than most critics would ever have imagined writing and performing some of the best-crafted power pop of the past 30 years. Rick has sold over 19 million records while charting a whopping 18 Top 40 hits to date. Rick's most recent release, a concert DVD, Live in Rockford was released in October 2006. Filmed live as part of the HDNet Concert Series at the historic Coronado Theatre in Rockford, IL, Rick showcases his talent and everlasting energy in this special release DVD. Rick's most recent album release The Day After Yesterday, was released in July of 2005, on his own label, Gomer/DKE Records. December of 2005 brought about Rick's long anticipated return to ABC's daytime hit show, "General Hospital," in the role he originated nearly 25 years ago-- Dr. Noah Drake. Having performed for millions of fans over the last three decades, and showing no signs of slowing down, Rick continues to play 100 shows a year, sharing his love of performing, unstoppable energy and his unique brand of crowd interaction with thousands of fans each night. Rick literally wades deep into the crowd at each show.

Product Description

Venus in Overdrive was recorded in a record 32 days by Springfield and Matt Bissonette, Springfield's long time bass player. According to Rick, "it is an album about love in all its forms, and since Venus is the goddess of love, it's called Venus in Overdrive. There is a lot of personal stuff in these songs but we have tried to craft them so they still have a universal voice. We are older, yet still teenagers, we have lost people we love and still love the people who are on our journey with us, we are angry at some of the crap in the world yet love our human failings."

The first single from Venus in Overdrive is "What's Victoria's Secret?" Rick says the title of the song "is one of those titles that was waiting to be written and we just got there first. Matt came up with it and we wrote the song while we were doing 5 nights of shows in Milwaukee. I had some recording gear brought into my hotel room and we wrote it there at the haunted Pfister hotel, room 804. It's basically about the sexualization of women and how we as males, want that, but also resist it and mainly need to connect to women as human beings. It's a dichotomy that most men feel I think."

Two songs on the record, "Saint Sahara" and "Oblivious," pay tribute to Sahara Aldridge, a young girl who frequently attended Rick's shows and whom the entire band came to love and who recently passed away. Rick explains that "Saint Sahara" "is about who Sahara was and how hard it was to have her leave. It's also a celebration and recognition of the people she affected in this world. Her mom said (before she died) that if I were to write a song about her daughter, could I make it a celebration and not something maudlin, so it's basically a song celebrating her great sprit. `Oblivious,' is the soul side of the song, `Saint Sahara,' what we all felt and how we dealt with it. It is sometimes so good to be numb to pain but life can't go on if you stay numb all the time. The song itself is about the denial of the finality of death, but it's still a love song."

As part of the promotional plan for the new album, Rick will be returning to "General Hospital" in July as Dr. Noah Drake and his alter ego rocker Eli Love. The storyline will reunite him with the characters of Robin, Patrick and Anna as well as allow him to perform the single, "What's Victoria's Secret?"

Rick Springfield Photos

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC!!!, July 29, 2008

By 

Rick (Chicago, Ill) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Venus in Overdrive (Audio CD)

Can't say enough great things about VIO!
This is probably his best work since "Rock Of Life" as the writing is top notch, the songs have a great edge and Rick's voice sounds great for his age.
Although "What's Victoria's Secret" is a terrific single, my personal favorites are "Time Stand Still" (it ROCKS!) as well as "3 Warning Shots" (I hope John Lennon's killer, Mark Chapman, hears this song since it's all about him)and the two songs for Rick's fan who passed away ("I'll Miss That Someday" and "Saint Sahara"). Like my personal favorite Rick Springfield song "My Father's Chair", Rick can certainly take emotional experiences and touch others thorugh his music.
When you listen to the album as a whole, it is extremely cohesive and just a brilliant and contemporary work from someone who's been in the business as long as Rick.
I'm not the typical Rick Sprinfield fan (I'm a guy after all.. hahaha). But I can tell you that anyone who likes good music should check this out. You won't be dissapointed!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars VENUS Is A Thing Of Beauty!, September 18, 2008

By 

Jef Fazekas (Newport Beach, California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Venus in Overdrive (Audio CD)

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure where Rick Springfield would go next, as far as his musical career was concerned. After the aching darkness of 2004's SHOCK/DENIAL/ANGER/ACCEPTANCE and the unfulfilled promise of 2005's covers album, THE DAY AFTER YESTERDAY, I think it was anyone's guess. That's why VENUS IN OVERDRIVE, Springfield's strongest album in over two decades, is such a pleasant surprise. A lot has been said about how much the opening track, the high energy "What's Victoria's Secret?", sounds like "Jessie's Girl", and it's true, it does. But after repeated listens, the cut really does stand on it's own two feet. Strong vocals, punchy instrumentation and smart lyrics about the push and pull between the sexes all come together to form a strong opening track. Those strengths all continue with "I'll Miss That Someday." Springfield's vocals alternate between a purr and a scream, while the arrangement is whip-smart. Add lyrics that consist of both clever wordplay and sheer poetry ("One season, one reason/Screaming I won't say the words/Bite my tongue/Cause nothing lasts forever") and you have a gutsy song about the ins and outs of a relationship. The disc's title track is another winner. Picture Hall & Oates meets Pink meets 311.....and it works! This is probably as close to headbangin' as Springfield will ever get, but it's legit and it's fun. Toss in some quirky guitar riffs, some great backing vocals and honest lyrics ("I write words about it/But I doubt it"), and you have an abnormal, edgy love song that nevertheless works. "One Passenger" is one of only two tracks off of VENUS IN OVERDRIVE that just doesn't do anything for me. In this case, it's not that it's a bad song...it's just that everything else on the disc is so much stronger. Yes, the song has a nice melody, and Springfield's lead vocal is honest, earnest and even sincere, but the track ultimately feels like it's treading water, giving a "filler" vibe to it. And that's too bad....this disc is too strong to be saddled with any filler whatsoever. Far stronger is "Oblivious", one of two cuts penned about a young fan who has passed on. Part of this track's beauty is that it's a touchingly gorgeous eulogy, but it can also be seen as a powerful break-up song; the death of a relationship can be just as traumatic as the death of a loved one. Delivered with a hushed, delicate lead, aided by a soaring chorus, the words really hit home ("Forever is a long, long time/Forever/We'll be at rest/Until that day I'd rather be/Oblivious"). Gorgeous, simply gorgeous. "3 Warning Shots" is gut-wrenchingly intense. Springfield's anger over John Lennon's death (as well as, maybe, the current state of "stalkarazzi's") is palpable, rising to the top like a bitter cream. A heated lead vocal, an economical, yet precise, arrangement and tight instrumentation all blend together to form a track that hits you like an open palm across the cheek. Definitely one of Springfield's most powerful songs to date (Just an off thought....I would LOVE to see Joan Jett cover this song!). "Time Stand Still" is the other track that just doesn't do anything for me. Oh, sure, everyone can identify with the universal theme of aging ~ I LOVE the lines "MTV and shopping malls/Tell me that I'm growing old" ~ but, overall, this too is filler....in the "old days", this would have been track four on side two of the album. Far better is the Stones-drenched "God Blinked (Swing It Sister)." VENUS' most upbeat track, there isn't a single thing about this cut I don't like (Oh, O.K., the lyrics aren't PARTICULARLY deep.....!). From the spirited lead vocal to the good-time groove of the horn section, this exuberant workout would have been a huge hit twenty years ago....and still should be today! "Mr. PC" is a scathing rocker that nails both the media and talking head politicians to the wall. A frenzied arrangement keeps things moving along at an energetic pace, while Springfield's vocals get in your face with some insightful, spot-on lyrics: "Politician talking/And I know where to find you/Swinging from your branches/With your super careful phrases/Never taking chances." Yet another VIO high point! "She" has a classic vibe to it, sort of a mix of the Beach Boys and the Beatles. This mesmerizing love song just swells and swoops, soars and sizzles. Without a doubt, it's one of the best vocal workouts on VENUS...and Springfield is up to the task! I also love the poetic grace that some of the lyrics exhibit ("Spiritual bandages placed on a wound that will heal/Takes away all of my vanity/Clears up my sanity/Makes me the man I should be"). This is a love song for real, breathing adults. Very nice. "Nothing Is Ever Lost" is really more of a musical interlude than a song, but it works. A nice bridge between "She" and "Saint Sahara", the album's touching closer, this slice of melodic pop could have also easily fit onto a latter-day Beatles release, what with it's slightly airy/trippy groove, and that's saying a lot. Things wrap up with the aforementioned "Saint Sahara", a second (and sweet) ode to his departed fan (and friend). Featuring some gorgeous guitar work, the song is both uplifting and touching. Blessed with a strong lead vocal and thoughtful lyrics ("Come on, close the book and turn out the light/Put your plans aside tonight/Yeah, I know it's not wrong/But it sure isn't right/An angel bids a last "goodnight" to us"), this is a song of loss ~ and love ~ that everyone can identify with. And I think that's part of VENUS IN OVERDRIVE's magic....it's charming, it's fun, it's honest, it's REAL. If he keeps on making records like this one, Rick Springfield will be SO much more than just an 80's afterthought...he'll be an artist who still really matters. (As with all my reviews, I'm docking the disc half a star for not including the lyrics...did we REALLY need sixteen pages of photos of Springfield and his fans?!?!?).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant., July 29, 2008

By 

CD Dude (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Venus in Overdrive (Audio CD)

i really didnt know what to expect, but WOW--this is incredible. I can't remember the last album i heard with this much melody and tight, pop hooks.
I love it, and you will too.