Post
by the_ditz » 24 Dec 2005, 10:26
My reviewof SEB 163 if you're interested....
01 GO 2 - SUPER STRIKER [9/10]
I cannot deny that in such a short space of time Go 2 have become a massive force to be reckoned with in the Eurobeat world. Not really surprising when it's Ace and Fastway behind the name, but still this song is a very confident and well-produced anthem. They used the classical sample (and now clearly soccer anthem!) to great effect, especially when it appears in the bridge section. I absolutely love the chorus - Go 2 seem to have a knack for choosing lyrics in the chorus that just sound great together (Funky, funky funlover! Super, super striker!) A great, explosive opening to this album!
02 PAUL HARRIS - EVERYBODY'S LOOKING [8/10]
Ooooh, now I love the intro in this. The synths soooo cute! Overall this has a very nice feeling about it, although for me the song loses some of its initial impact when the beat kicks in. The very start of the chorus makes me think Paul is gonna burst into the verses of Boys (Summertime Love) by Sabrina, a Hi-NRG classic! This has a very strong tinge of 80s to the melody, but with a more modern twist. Quite cute.
03 KEVIN JOHNSON - GOT TO BE YOUR LOVER [8/10]
Just like someone said already, this sounds exactly like an old Stock, Aitken and Waterman track - Jason Donovan would've loved this track in the 80s! Everything from the flow of the vocal melody to the bom-didi bass line absolutely reeks of 80s cheese (that's not a bad thing!). There are some uniquely Eurobeat touches (such as the beat break after the secnd line of the 1st verse), and I also love the start of the 2nd verse with only the beat and vocals. Surprisingly listenable compared to recent 80s revival tracks from SEB...
04 LINDA ROSS - LOVE IS DANGER 2005 [6/10]
Oh dear, I knew this strong start couldn't last! The intro of this makes me think of Naoki Maeda in his experimental youth stage, i.e. not massively bad but also not great! The vocal line saves this song a bit - from the bridge onwards, I really like the melody and the vocals are
well done. I hate the synth hook though - it sounds a bit out-of-tune to me.
05 THE FACTORY TEAM - GUN BOY [9.5/10]
WOAH, that beat!! I can tell SAIFAM is at work here, and I like it!! This is a loud, brash and unapolagetic track with a very confident vocal melody, frantic stuttering synths and an absolutely fantastic beat! To be honest, this song strays very close to Hi-NRG attack territory a lot of the time in terms of the vocal line, but it somehow seems more serious and better-produced (sorry HRG!) And just listen to that final measure before the first synth hook - hello HI HI MAZINGA! A fantastic track - best on the album so far!
06 QUEEN 26 - MORE THAN A FEELING [8/10]
Woo! More 80s! And surprisingly, it's still the well done kind! The first vocal strand is a blatant rip-off of a classic 80s Dance track which I can't remember the name of at the moment! I think I probably like the bass in this one slightly better than "Got To Be Your Lover" simply because I love the rising pattern at the start. The synth hook is a bit odd and doesn't seem to sit well with the rest of the song. I really like everything else though - suddenly everyone has remembered what made 80s music great!!
07 JOCK LEE - I WANNA ROCK WITH YOU [7/10]
Hmmm, the first impression is vocals that sound a bit like the weak, slightly constipated Bryan Adams. The synth hook is cute and reminds me of a lot of most of the Eurobeat Flash albums for some reason. The verse is pretty frantic, but the chorus doesn't really convince me much - he's screaming "I Wanna Rock With Yoooooouuuu" as loud as he can, but he still ends up sounding a bit like your old grandad at a wedding after one too many scotches...a 7 for trying though, because it's listenable.
08 LOLLY'O - CHILLY BOY [9.5/10]
WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!! More SAIFAM!! Of course, thanks to Jayveemon, I had this track before any of the others, and much like Shin with "Gun Boy" this still hasn't grown old! More than any other track in SEB (even Yellow Butterfly) this sounds like a direct crossover from either the Dancemania Speed series or the DDR series itself. The synth is somehow stronger than most Eurobeat songs, and the trademark SAIFAM beat is back again! As for the vocals, Lolly'O is fantastic - she's like a more muted, and slightly more bearable version of Lolita! I absolutely love the melody of the verses in this song, and like all SAIFAM tracks this tune has a great cohesion between verse, bridge and chorus. Top
notch!
09 D.ESSEX - FAHRENHEIT EURONIGHT [7.5/10]
Rather strange comparison time - the synth hook if this makes me think of "Hot Hot" by Donna from SEB 160 everytime I hear it! Anyway, I used to think of D.Essex as a real Eurobeat heavyweight to rival the likes of Ace and Mr. Rodgers, but to be honest I feel like he's gone slightly off the boil over recent times. This is another one of those songs where the individual parts of the song (verse, chorus etc.) are actually pretty good. But they when you put then together, they just sound a bit strange to me. This is still a good song, and the lyric are your classic Eurobeat fayre, but the whole package doesn't overly convince me.
10 NORMA SHEFFIELD - FALLING DOWN [6/10]
This is a big disappointment to be honest - it sounds watered-down and weak compared to the excellent Love Collision. Sentimental mushiness has never really sat well with me, and this occupies that area quite comfortably. There isn't much else I can say about this to be honest.
11 RICK CASTLE - MOVE INTO MY HEART [8/10]
I love the atmospheric piano intro to this track, but I really want to know where the synth hook has disappeared to! It really sounds like there is a synth lead missing... Anyway, the vocal melody is great, I love the rise and fall of the chorus especially and the background vocals add another dimension to the track. The bridge also has a really nice flow to it. If only the synth hook was better...
12 GROOVE TWINS - VIVA THE NIGHT [9.5/10]
I'm trying to think what this song reminds me of, and I think it's "Please Don't Go" by Manuel from the synth hook. Still, this song doesn't need such comparisons to make it more enjoyable, as it is easily one of the highlights of this album. Actually, I've just thought, the verses are like "My Sweet Banana" by Go Go Girls....sorry, random tought processes again! Anyway, I love the way the vocal melody always seems to spring nice surprises on you all the time - for example, in the chorus the chord changes is "bouncing around" seems to add another dimension to the melody and keeps me interested. I also love the "dum-da-ba-da-da-da-dum" part, but let's not mention the screamy intro strand....VIVAAAAA?!??!?!
13 SOPHIE - TOUCH ME TOUCH ME [6.5/10]
More 80s influences here by the sounds of things, although the production is a lot more modern. This is the type of Eurobeat that I can take or leave to be honest, and "jangly bell synth" kind which only really comes into its own if it's used on a Super Euro Xmas album or as a faster track on the mid Eurobeat Flash albums. Sophie's vocals are quite soft, and therefore the whole song sort of makes me want to sleep a bit. It doesn't really hold my attention that's for sure.
14 VAN TK - TAKE ANOTHER CHANCE [8.5/10]
This bassline is soooo common in certain Eurodance genres at the moment - just check out the original versions of "Move Your Love" by Sean & Kim (Double Nation) as an example. It's not a bad thing however, and I reckon I does help this song to stand out quite a lot. The synth hook is back to slower burning kind, a trend started by 2love 4love. In fact, the overall production of this track is really similar to that Pamsy & Ace classic, only not quite as good. Still, I really like this track for that same fact, a very enjoyable track and a good vocal performance by Van TK in my opinion.
15 MICKEY B - NEVER MIND [8.5/10]
This reminds me of another song from the 140s that I totally can't remember at the moment. Anyway, this was a bit of a surprise when it got going as the intro was pretty unremarkable. The vocal melody is a classic in the making, and I've had the chorus in my head for hours! This sits well beside Take Another Chance as another well-produced slow burner.
16 VIVI - JUST FOR ME [7/10]
This is the sticking point for me, as it just sounds far too similar to loads of Eurodance songs that I've had over the years. From the soft vocals, to the explosive synth hook when the beat drops, and everything in between really! Of course, you're now wondering why this is a bad thing when I'm such a massive Eurodance fan. Well, it's probably because I don't like the two genres (Eurobeat and Eurodance) to merge so closely, as I've always thought Eurobeat was something that would never actually be found in Europe. This track however could've been found quite easily languishing in the middle of some random Eurodance chart in the year 2000. This will be a love-hate relationship for me, I can just tell!
17 NEO - I WAS BORN FOR BURNING [9/10]
Now this is what I call Eurobeat!! Time for more comparisons as well I'm afraid...check out the chorus and tell me there isn't the essence of "Running In The 90s" in there! In fact, come to think of it, Neo also scarily sounds like Mr. Rodgers' "Eldorado" in the chorus!! Of course, these songs are not to be ashamed of, and they give this track a real pedigree feeling somehow. Basically, this is Initial-D style male Eurobeat at its best - and I actually think it's more convincing and enjoyable than Go Go Money!
18 JEFF DRILLER - SUPER GUTS [8.5/10]
I still can't take this song seriously because I'm convinced Jeff is shouting "Super GAS" at the start, so either he's been at the baked beans, or he's just found some rocket fuel! Hi-NRG Attack are the only people that can get away with this insanity to be honest, and I would disappointed if they were only going to stick to the "Maid Attack" style in the future (*shudder*) as this is without a doubt what they do best. The over-dramatic vocals and the insane synth lines combined with wacky lyrics make this another safe but winning formula for the crazy kids of the Eurobeat world!
OVERALL:
This album strikes me as the most consistantly enjoyable throughout since either 156 or 159. The 80s-style tracks were a very nice surprise, and there are some absolute classics on here. I would like to personally request more SAIFAM on future albums, as their presence here in "Gun Boy" and "Chilly Boy" is phenomenal! This has now easily become my favourite 160 album, although it doesn't contain the best tracks from these 4 albums (hello So Fragile and Yellow Butterfly). It has made me more confident in the future of Eurobeat though, as so many of these tracks have a great back-to-basics feel to them, just the way I like it!
BEST TRACKS:
CHILLY BOY
VIVA THE NIGHT
GUN BOY
DOESN'T BELONG:
LOVE IN DANGER 2005 (enough of the crappy "new" versions already!!)
.
