WINGER – Demo Anthology

In the music business, it’s not unprecedented to re-release an expanded edition of a classic album where the “expansion” includes previously unreleased demo tracks. It’s not even out of the realm of the impossible, even though it stretches fans’ loyalties, to release a CD’s worth of demo tracks nowadays as a full-fledged release. More times than not, though, these recordings usually sound pretty crappy. So, one would undoubtedly have to wonder what the hell was running through Kip Winger’s mind by releasing, not one CD worth of demo tracks, but TWO CDs worth of demo material! That’s just what Kip has done with Winger’s latest “release” entitled Demo Anthology.

The impetuous reasoning behind such a bold move, according to Kip, is that over the years several of these demos of the band have made it onto the Internet. So, why not bundle what he has onto an official release to make them readily available to even the casual fan, or perhaps the unknowing diehard Winger fan? Of course, coming off a successful comeback tour in support of their latest studio release, IV, doesn’t hurt matters as the Winger name is again on everyone’s mind after last year.

The amazing thing about this release, and one of the reasons it receives such high marks, is that these demo tracks sound unbelievably good for not being recorded with a full band. A lot of start-up bands nowadays would be ecstatic to put out a demo release with the audio quality of this one. Not only are there two CDs worth of demos offered here, but each CD is also “packed” to the gills with digital audio bits! Kip offers up a total of thirty-seven, count ‘em, thirty-seven tracks in all!

To make the pot even sweeter, there are ten tracks (that’s almost a full album’s worth) of previously unreleased demo songs that never made it to an album. The musical quality of these “forgotten” tracks is on par with a lot of the released Winger material, using the normal 80’s winning Winger “formula.” There’s even more value here for the diehard fan when an included track like “Hour Of Need” is actually the music of “In My Veins,” from Pull, with completely different lyrics. Then there are tracks like “Madalaine,” which sound similar to the officially released track, but seems like they are tuned down for another look into how it might have turned out.

Overall, a lot of these tracks have a nice raw feel and energy to them. Kip’s vocals sound great, Reb’s guitar is up in the mix and he even has a few surprise licks here and there. Based on the quantity, quality, and the previously unreleased tracks on offer here, it’s hard not to recommend this anthology. Bottom line, this is a recommended buy for even the half-hearted Winger fan and certainly a must buy for the diehards out there!

Tracklisting

CD 1
Madalaine * Hungry * Seventeen * State Of Emergency * Time To Surrender * Hangin’ On * Headed For A Heartbreak * Only Love (previously unreleased on album) * Can’t Get Enough * Loosen Up * Easy Come, Easy Go * Rainbow In The Rose * In The Day We’ll Never See * Under One Condition * Little Dirty Blonde * Star Tripper (previously unreleased on album) * You Are The Saint I Am The Sinner * In The Heart of The Young

CD 2
All I Ever Wanted (previously unreleased on album) * Skin Tight (previously unreleased on album) * Never (previously unreleased on album) * Someday Someway (previously unreleased on album) * Blind Revolution Mad * Down Incognito * Spell I’m Under * Hour Of Need * Junkyard Dog * The Lucky One * In For The Kill * No Man’s Land * Like A Ritual * Who’s The One * Written In The Wind (previously unreleased on album) * Until There Was You (previously unreleased on album) * Without Warning (previously unreleased on album) * Give Me More (previously unreleased on album)