Mr. Should Have Been Big - The band Mr. Big is full of some very talented musicians. Paul Gilbert of Racer X fame is one of the greatest (and fastest) guitar players of all time. Billy Sheehan, is considered the greatest bass player ever. The vocalist, Eric Martin, is a huge rock star in Japan. This album is full of 80s rock with amazing solos, cathcy lyrics, and power drills. Fans of Firehouse and Extreme will enjoy this excellent album.
A perfect hard rock album - This is the perfect hard rock album. Seriously. There s something for everyone on this CD: love ballads that can be either depressing (Just Take My Heart) or hopeful (To Be With You), rock songs with pop influences (CDFF-Lucky This Time, Green-Tinted Sixties Mind), full-force hard rock tunes (Daddy, Brother, Lover...) - some of which have a bluesy edge to them (Alive and Kickin ).I m going to comment on some of my favorite songs on the album:Alive and Kickin - this is probably my favorite song on the album. It s got a bluesy drive, although the emphasis is clearly on hard rock. It starts out with a short bluesy guitar solo that sets the tone for the song, and quickly progresses into the main riff, which remains dominant thru-out the majority of the song. In other words, this song keeps it simple and to the point.CDFF-Lucky This Time - I am a big hard rock fan, so I will love anything that... rocks hard. This song mixes pop and rock very well - it reminds me a lot of Bon Jovi. Great vocal work by Eric Martin.My Kinda Woman - guitarist Paul Gilbert originally wrote this riff for his rock / metal band, Racer X, but he let Mr. Big record it first. The song has a chugging riff that carries it along smoothly, and has a seemingly somber tone. The original title for this song (when it was written for Racer X) was Mad at the World, so that explains its musical mood.Just Take My Heart - this song is about a relationship break-up. Just take my heart when you go, I don t have a need for it anymore. As the lyrics suggest, the song has a sad tone, but it is captivating enough to hold your attention. As with Alive and Kickin , the tune starts with a guitar intro that sets the tone for the song and stays consistent to the end.These are the songs that I feel best represent the album as a whole. An honerable mention goes to Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy. This song stays fast from top to bottom, and features Paul Gilbert on guitar and Billy Sheehan on bass playing their instruments in harmony with electric drills. You can t miss it.
GUITAR LICKS for CHICKS - If you took away the hair and the posturing, Mr. Big would still be left with great instrumental and vocal skills. Their ability to write memorable pop/rock tunes is an added bonus. Due to that ability, this CD has probably managed to find it s way into the homes of the teenaged girls and the guitar freaks...WOW!Bottom line for this album is great playing and singing coupled with some fairly strong songs.Enjoy
This one will do - If you have decided to get only one Mr. Big album (which is in fact a good decision since one is enough), this is the one to get. It s decent hard rock typical for the time of its release. Many people seem to think Eric Martin is a great singer, well I don t... I even think he has a tendency to be boring in the long run and after hearing more than one Mr. Big album in a row you might even begin to hate the guy s voice... At least I tend to do!
2nd album showed they could WRITE as well as they could play - The first Mr. Big album showed that the band members were each virtuosos on their individual instruments. More chops than a butcher block as singer Eric Martin described it. But their second album, Lean Into It, showed that Mr. Big could also strip away all the flash and 7-minute solos, and simply create well-written songs with rhythm, groove, and good melodies.By the late 80s, shred was somewhat popular -- the new wave of progressive musician s bands who could play mind-blowing complicated riffs on their instruments at lightning speeds. Mr. Big was in that same category that would include musicians like Steve Vai, Nitro, Blues Saraceno, Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, and Dream Theatre. On top of that, members Billy Sheehan (ex-David Lee Roth, Talas) and Paul Gilbert (ex-Racer X) already had that reputation before forming Mr. Big.However, with this album Mr. Big proved they were truly a BAND, not just 4 individual musicians waiting for their turn to solo. This crucially set them apart from the many short-lived groups of virtuoso musicians thrown together. Lean Into It certainly has its share of dazzling playing in the solos and certain intros, but over all it s a CD that non-musicians are going to like too. Alive and Kicking and Never Say Never are great hard rock songs with a strong 4/4 grooving beat. Little Too Loose and Voodoo Kiss are great heavy, bluesy songs, one up beat and the other really laid back. Road to Ruin and Green-Tinted Sixties Mind have incredible singing harmonies by the band. And of course there is the #1 hit, To Be With You, with its great vocals and a guitar solo that s flawless in every way. Mr. Big followed up with more albums of damn fine song writing, but this was the real big turning point in their writing direction. They re one of the few bands to master both technical playing and song playing, and it s a shame that most people aren t familiar with them beyond one song.