The era in which ‘Pull’ was released wasn’t a good one for melodic rock bands. Suffice to say that Kip Winger thought that the material on ‘Pull’ was some of the best stuff he’d ever done.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Winger
ALBUM: Pull
LABEL: Atlantic
SERIAL: 82485-2
YEAR: 1993
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Kip Winger – vocals, bass, keyboards * Reb Beach – guitars, vocals * Paul Taylor – guitars, keyboards, vocals * Rod Morgenstein – drums, percussion
TRACK LISTING: 01 Blind Revolution Mad * 02 Down Incognito * 03 Spell I’m Under * 04 In My Veins * 05 Junkyard Dog (Tears On Stone) * 06 The Lucky One * 07 In For The Kill * 08 No Mans Land * 09 Like A Ritual * 10 Who’s The One
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
The era in which ‘Pull’ was released wasn’t a good one for melodic rock bands. Suffice to say that Kip Winger thought that the material on ‘Pull’ was some of the best stuff he’d ever done, and on relection I’d agree with him. I wasn’t truly convinced of Winger’s material up to this point: both the debut and ‘In The Heart Of The Young’ proved popular among the late teen brigade and the women folk of course!
But for serious rockers they were either too light for heavy metal and too heavy for pop-metal. Go figure! With ‘Pull’ however it was a total revamp, with a serioudly good producer in Mike Shipley on the desk. 6 months in the studio and reduced to a trio with the departure of Paul Taylor, ‘Pull’ was all about heavy rock, committed lyrics and a pristine sound.
The Songs
There are no commercial throwaway tracks on this album. The subject matter has meaning. ‘Blind Revolution Mad’ the lead-off track was also going to be the album-title, but Winger anticpated that the media wouldn’t buy into the album, so he renamed it ‘Pull’, as in clay-pigeon shooting. Still, ‘BRM’ is a fantastic opener, quite intense, dramatic and deep.
Less so ‘Down Incognito’, which has big bright choruses adding colour to things. ‘Spell I’m Under’ is another shot of intensity, the chorus quite easy on the ear. This song is about Kip’s wife at the time Beatrice Richter, who unfortunately was killed in a car accident in November 1996. ‘In My Veins’ is another heavier track with an emphasis on drug addiction.. ‘All I want is your trash, In my veins, Make it last, For days, Want your beast, Need your rage..’ ‘Junkyard Dog (Tears Of Stone)’ is a version of Winger you’ve probably never heard before. Dark, angst driven and fiery.
‘The Lucky One’ is part ballad part mid-tempo, and it works a treat, the acoustic guitar work and reflective vocals gives this one a degree of warmth. ‘In For The Kill’ is the sort of song that Def Leppard only wished they could write, and with Mike Shipley’s deft hand (and having worked on Lepp’s ‘Adrenalize’), this one sounds every bit a winner.
‘No Mans Land’ is a track full of steely resolve, Reb Beach holds the aces with a solid six-string performance. He continues with some horse-strangling guitar soloing for ‘Like A Ritual’. Acoustic guitar is the instrument of choice for the closing ballad ‘Who’s The One’. Again, a aura of warmth is imparted from this tune, quite lush and beautiful to be honest.
In Summary
It might very well have been a labour of love for Kip, but ‘Pull’ died on the vine, meaning that the three members had to go off and find other work. Kip went solo and released a handful of albums right up into the new century, Beach went off to join Dokken, and he currently shares his time in Whitesnake and the revamped Winger (band), which reformed in 2001.
Winger on Video
Entire Album (Select Tracks)
