Eurobeat Prime :: Forum

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SEB VOL.223, I like 8 songs

1 MAKE ME WONDER / LILLY
2 WALKING ALONE IN LONDON / MEGAN (on I Tunes!, soooo good)
3 AMAZING LOVE / BABY GOLD
4 INTO THE SUNRISE / DAVE RODGERS
5 TEARFUL EYES / LES (also on I Tunes)
6 WELCOME TO THE SHOW / TANITH & DARK EVIL
7 OVERJOY / LESLIE PARRISH
8 MISS YOU /MICKEY B

Here are my initial thoughts after giving the full album one complete listen. Overall, I'm pretty impressed, although there are a few stumbles along the way...

MORE HIT THAN MISS

01 DAVE RODGERS / INTO THE SUNRISE
This seems to be getting a tough time, and I don't think it's totally justified. It's not quite classic Dave, but I love the fact that the hook seems to hark back to the old A-Beat C days melodically and rhythmically, and I hear a lot of Manuel-esque work in the chorus, especially around the synchopation in the "can't you see my desire" line - that gives me BIG nostalgia and makes me smile.

03 DAVID DIMA / HEART'S ON FIRE
Again, this one is getting a bad rap in my eyes. I adore the direct kick drum, and the intro just has the right amount of energy to make my sit and listen. Kudos for the interesting structure of the main hook (with the "woah-oh-oh-oh" and the varied synths). David's vocals have sounded better, but for me this is definitely one of the most energetic and interesting compositions that he's put out in a long time (love the way the beat drops to highlight the guitar in the second verse too).

04 MEGAN / WALKING ALONE IN LONDON
The first melodies in the intro instantly make me think of "Memories Of You" by Orlando! The italo-influence in the chorus of this one is just screaming out at me everytime I hear it. What isn't so great is the fact that the bass is so loud compared to Megan's vocals, but overall I enjoy this one for the sense of nostalgia it gives me. It's great to hear a female-led SS track with some balls! And there's a key change in the synth hook

05 NUAGE / CRAZY LITTLE LOVE
OMG!! Listen to those trance synths! I absolutely freakin' adore the intro and hook of this one! When the vocals kick in, it takes some time for things to settle in, since I don't really think Nuage is the right vocalist for this track. Having said that, the vocal melodies and composition is quite fresh sounding, probably thanks to Freddie/Kaioh being the writer. A nice surprise

08 LILLY / MAKE ME WONDER
Oh wow, what is this? HRG has massively beefed up it's kick drum and bass, and this track definitely benefits from that, as it feels a lot more modern and fresh to me. The stuttering synths in the intro combined with the guitar and the bouncing bass pattern gives a great tension builder. Vocally, this is towards the natural end of the HRG hype spectrum, which again is a massive benefit. This one has me wanting more, and I really enjoy the subtle shifts in sound which have made such a massive difference to the overall feel of the production.

09 RICH HARD / BLUE
Aaaargh, this one has me torn, since it has so many elements that I adore in a song such as the key change half-way through the chorus, the glissando effects on the synths in the hook and other things that I probably couldn't explain - I just know I like the sound. The thing that is niggling me is the production - I just think it's a bit too messy overall, also I really like certain ideas. If SCP or Dima produced this track, it would easily be my top track of the album. Right now, it's a quirky thumbs up but with a raised eyebrow

12 BORIS / RINGTONE
So Boris is Delta's answer to the Hi-NRG Attack Russian-themed tracks. Fair enough, I can live with that. I quite enjoy this one - sure, it's been done before, and probably slightly better, but I do think that this track at least makes the best of Delta's crisp and jaunty production style to give you a no-messing hit of tongue-in-cheek cheesy Eurobeat. It'll never be the most complex song in the world, but for what it is it works really well. And if anything, I actually enjoy this song more than Shalaka Boom.

13 LESLIE PARRISH / OVERJOY
That hook just screams Odyssey to me, which gives this track an instant plus point for me. I don't hear a massive amount of Travis in the vocal melodies if I'm honest, but that's fair enough since they've probably tweaked to fit more Clara's vocal style. I do think that the fact the song was a swiftly shifting bass-line gives the song a certain vivacity that can sometimes be missing from Delta tracks. A good track overall and I'm looking forward to this one growing on me more and more in the coming weeks. Nice outro too.

14 LES / TEARFUL EYES
It's strange when I find the bridge of a song far stronger than the verse and the chorus since really that's only supposed to be a linking section, meaning that I want to only listen an endless loop of climactic tension-building without ever reaching a satisfying conclusion. I adore the melody of the bridge in this track so much. The rest is a bit of a disappointment, although I still do enjoy it a lot. The main hook is delicious, and the production is at least straying from the standard SS format. I'd be a bit more sparing with the long string layers in the future though - they are a little overpowering at times.

15 TANITH & DARK EVIL / WELCOME TO THE SHOW
This does actually sound a lot more hyper-techno than I expected, so it'll take a bit more adjustment for me I think. Ennio is extremely in your face with the shouting - even more so than in Go2. The best part is still the delicious measures 5-8 of the chorus with that rising female vocal line - I love it! If this is the future of SCP on SEB (which I highly doubt - I'd be more inclined to say that track 5 is a better reflection of that...) then I'm more than a little undecided of how happy I am with the change. But fair play for switching things up again SCP!


ON THE FENCE FOR NOW

07 MICKEY B / MISS YOU
The main issue I have with track is that from the minute the beat drops, it just seems to stay on the same level with no sense of progression or drama. The verse blends into the bridge and then into the chorus, and before you know it we're back at the hook. I also don't believe that the production is sympathetic to the vocals, since they seem to have little ro no support in the verses especially and end up sounding a bit amateur, which is something I never thought I'd say about Mickey B. Okay melodies, so I need to give this a bit more time I think...

10 STEPHY MARTIN / FLYING FREE
Now this is different. Fair play to Dima for trying something a bit unorthodox with the more stripped back feel of the beat etc. It helps to showcase Stephy's vocals to their full potential. I'm not massively taken by the melody of this song yet, which is a shame since that's always the key thing with Stephy - a killer melody makes for a killer track, a so-so melody ends up getting forgetting about. For now, I'm sadly undecided, but the production is great!


MORE MISS THAN HIT

02 BELIGHT / TONIGHT IN PARADISE
An SCP filler track by numbers. The vocals are insipid and non-descript, and I really don't dig the sharp synths and jaunty offbeat hits mirroring the bass line. It's just all a bit too kindergarten, and the melody isn't even that appealing, sounding like a really old Kiki & Fancy cast-off.

06 POWERFUL T. / MAGIC CAR
This one is just a bit all over the place. The melody never seems to allow Tiranti to settle into a steady and assured tone and he ends up flicking between warbling excessively and squealing. The bass again is too loud with the vocals too treble-heavy, so it needs a good re-mastering as well, but mainly I just don't buy this track. There are some nice lyrics in the verses/bridge, but I'm not sure how much I'll listen to this one.

11 BABY GOLD / AMAZING LOVE
This just sounds mega-noisy, and for some reason the beat, bass and background synth layers sound like they are distorted underwater for some reason. I have a feeling that the production elements have been tweaked again to try and refresh the sound, but for me it doesn't quite work for this track. The vocal melody also fails to really make an impression - the only memorable part is the cute way we get "AEE-MAZING LOVE" in the chorus! A miss for now, but might move up...

Tearful Eyes is incredible.

the_ditz wrote:04 MEGAN / WALKING ALONE IN LONDON
The first melodies in the intro instantly make me think of "Memories Of You" by Orlando!

You mean 'In Your Arms' by Kate Project, right? That's the song I instantly thought of as well if that's the case.

I've listened to the album in full now and the only songs that I'm enjoying at least somewhat are 'Tearful Eyes,' 'Crazy Little Love,' 'Heart's On Fire' and 'Flying Free.' That's it.

Overall, what a terrible album. The last time that I only liked four songs from an SEB album was 167, and the only reason I'm not counting 223 among the worst albums of all time just yet is due to the fact that there's less songs.

A couple first-impressions after hearing the samples; which was possible thru lebon. Thanks Sorry guys but the Eurobeat babes outdid you on this disc.


1. INTO THE SUNRISE / DAVE RODGERS
I alwyas love Dave's productions, but this one a carries a vibe somewhat like I heard on those Euro Energy vols. The ones with the unreleased AbeatC material. Even the title gives me that vibe.Dave's vocalwork has also been better. What sounds exciting is the riff. That's epic 100x


2. TONIGHT IN PARADSE / BELIGHT
So I guess you guys were not a fan of Vibration's Dominique Pratt. The style is almost identical to Always On My Mind from Euromach 4. I'm probobly enjoying this sample alot more than the rest of you; since I did like that particular song. Ayway I hear a definate early Vibration sound here and since Dominique was never deciphered; could it be her?


3. HEART'S ON FIRE / DAVID DIMA
Power chorus. Love the ohohohs, but then again; who wouldn't? That's the upside. The slight downside is that it's a song Dima has produced a few 100 x. Like a said; a slight downside, because this happens to be the style I enjoy from Dima.


4. WALKING ALONE IN LONDON / MEGAN
I still wish the female singers had more umph with thier vocals, but I'm loving this sample from all angles. The speedy angle, The Italo flava angle and the title of the song seems to stand out among all the rest. It's like a 90 degrees turn around. Gonna love this one to death.


5. CRAZY LITTLE LOVE / NUAGE
Jeez I couldn't even recognize this as being her. What happened to "Shine"? That's one thing this sample didn't do. I think it's that trancy element inserted inbetween the verse and in the chorus that makes me cringe a bit. Sounds like more to fit Pamsy's style.


6. MAGIC CAR / POWERFUL T.
This guy is really putting out his heart ito the vocal delivery. I can't explain it but there seems to be something missing. I have to hear the whole song to hear what. So far., all systems go, but ... Shit I just remembered this is gonna be the shortest song. That's gonna hurt it.


7. MISS YOU / MICKEY B.
Wow! I din't care for this at all. She sounds extremely bored in that chorus delivery. It also has a somewhat trancy vibe here and there in the synth riff. Not a fan.


8. MAKE ME WONDER / LILLY
Wow!!! let's turn up that those levels. This is gonna be my favourite. It has that classic never failing HRG Attack melody in the riff I laughed when Synthjunkie wrote Jilly instead of Lilly, cause it sounds like it could have easily been wriitten for Jilly back in 1994. Has that strong prodution Live Music studios used at TIME studios.


9. BLUE / RICH HARD
The first thing I noticed is that Rich Sounds great vocally! The sample also if full of what I'm hearing as rich's signature stamp. powerful synth chords inserted throughout verses and chorus. The melody in the chorus is really original and love all the crazy inserts.


10. FLYING FREE / STEPHY MARTIN
It's sounding promising. Concidering how quickly I burned out on Power & Love; I'm hoping this one's epic value is longer lasting. I hear it in that bridge; which by the way, is the stand out, even among the chorus.


11. AMAZING LOVE / BABY GOLD
Again; where is the love for my Baby Gold? I'm really digging on this sample. It's fast but and very according to the engrish of "Aeemazing love" line. BTW, AMAZING CHORUS!That Riff is pure hyper magic done that HRG Attack way. That part heard at the end sounds like crazy fun.


12. RINGTONE / BORIS
Aside from the Title, which sounds to "bling bling"; I love all Russian style Eurobeat. All labels at one TIME or another have gone the Moscow route. One of the male highlights on this cd.


13. OVERJOY / LESLIE PARRISH
Yeah, I can imagine a live performance with Clara on vocals and Travis going ape-wild on the synths. That alone gives this sample a smiley with shades. BTW, I love Engrish. Wheather it's done on purpose or not it serves the Eurobeat purpose. Clara sounds sexy as F**k singing "Baby Boy, Baby Toy"


14. TEARFUL EYES / LES
....and yes the hands down new classic from the incredible Bratt Sinclaire. never lose hope. The vocalist does indeed have a Elena Ferretti vibe to her. This is aishu in 5th gear.


15 TANITH & DARK EVIL / WELCOME TO THE SHOW
I am not a fan of this style. "Everybody Raid"? I think not. I'll either be pressing stop by the TIME this track comes around or returning to track 14. I get a feeling Fastway is yelling at me instead of singing. I do hope they save that rather tasty synth riff for another song though. that part is salvagable.

Like a i said Girls= 10, Guys 5
Great batch of songs. Working on sleeve covers for rest of songs so I'll be rady by TIME disc arives. maybe I'll try some alternative ones for Megan and Les.

fav three samples
MAKE ME WONDER / LILLY
TEARFUL EYES / LES
WALKING ALONE IN LONDON / MEGAN

1. INTO THE SUNRISE / DAVE RODGERS (Sunfire)
Dave Roders, despite being "the" lenegendary male hero of Eurobeat, has always left me incredibly split. He did and still does good song but sometimes, I just can't help but also dislike some of his work. In other words, I'm split when I see a new Dave track. This time around, he gets the opening spot on the brand new SEB compilation. I held my breath, not waiting for anything. However, I've got to say. He's done it again. This one good. The song is really fact paced, fast vocal works flows really well with the fast melody, giving the mood an happy swing. The synth riff makes me remember, like some would say, the Dave's happy days. In my opinion, the whole song is really amazing. However, the highlight of the song really is the chorus. Catchy! That said, I think it's one of the best Dave Rodgers in a good while.

Rating : 10

2. TONIGHT IN PARADISE / BELIGHT (SCP)
Like many people here, my initial reaction to this song was indeed "WTF". The alias for this song made me think of "April" and I think I might have a good reason to believe that this alias and April are related. Back to the song, the melody is funny and hypnotizing. You just cannot go and forget that synth riff just like that. It's funny and puts up a smile on your face. I really like that. Yes, the melody is weird and will put up a bad first impression, however, for me, it quickly have grown on me and I really like it. The happinest the song brings life to it, and because of that, I think it's a really good song.

Rating : 9½

3. HEART'S ON FIRE / DAVID DIMA (Dima)
Dima... Like Dave, I'm always split when I see his name come up. He has good song but he has the habit to have some mediocre stuff too. Heart's On Fire is, well, a split between good and borderline good. Let me explain. The melody during the verse, brisge and chorus: it's very good. Catchy, memorable, etc. Everything a good song has. However, the synth riff is just meh. It's the opposite of memorable: cheap and weak. For that, I have to amputate the score, unfortunately.

Rating : 7½

4. WALKING ALONE IN LONDON / MEGAN (SinclaireStyle)
Hello, my name is "In My Arms" by Kate Project! Now, you cannot unhear! Yes, the minute I've heard the intro, my mind linked both songs together. It's blatant. However, I don't shout for plagiarism because it might just be a coincidence. However, it has a positive impact on the song for me. "In My Arms" is a very good song (despite the obvious mistake at the beginning of-said song). At first, I wasn't fond at all of "Walking Alone In London". It grew on me really fast, however. It's a shy melody, a melody that might back people away. But, it's not half bad. The bridge is what really shine in the structure of the song, it really hooks you up. However, a shy melody is also a negative point because, even if it grew on me, it doesn't mean that it's stellar either. It's not a bad track but it's the most awesome track Sinclaire has produced. Oh, and, one good thing, the vocals seem clearer than usual.

Rating : 7½

5. CRAZY LITTLE LOVE / NUAGE (Go Go's Music)
Look who we have here. Someone we thought had abandonned the Eurobeat train. "Cloud"'s back in force with Go Go's Music and Dave's son wrote and produced a brand new track for her. Personally, I never liked Nuage. The only song I liked is "Sunday", one of the Eurobeat anthems. Do I like this track. I must say... it's not bad at all! Frederico really did a good job to make a good song for her. I really like the synth and the instrumental parts. The breakdown has also a very good and dreamy melody. I really like dreamy melodies. The verses and chorus are not half bad but they aren't masterpiece either. Nonetheless, I enjoy this track. Not as good as the last of this album or even Tonight In Paradise for that matter, but still, it's a good song.

Rating : 8

6. MAGIC CAR / POWERFUL T. (Sunfire)
Powerful T., what can I say? The alias had great songs in the past so, when I saw the tracklist, "Interesting" came to mind. However, it turns out be kinda lackluster even though the title fit what Powerful T. would sing about. The melody isn't very catchy and doesn't bring any excitement to my soul. The synth riff is kind of an anticlimax. With such title, I would expect something much more lively than that. This song is such a deception in my eyes when I'm really into "Fall In the Web Of Desire" and "Glorious" these days...

Rating : 5

7. MISS YOU / MICKEY B. (A-Beat-C)
Mickey B. is another "I don't like that alias usually". Neverending Night was an exception back then, it was pretty good. However, this track, is another deception. Kind of filler. There are those "stops": before the riff, before the verse and before the chorus. I mean, come on! What a way to break the energy. I don't say once or twice but... NINE TIMES (Before riff 1, after riff 1, before chorus 1, before riff 2, after riff 2, before chorus 2, before riff 3, after breakdown, before last riff)?! Jesus fucking christ. That kills the song for me. The riff isn't bad but with all those drops... geez... No, sorry, you killed it before it gave birth.

Rating : 5½

8. MAKE ME WONDER / LILLY (Hi-NRG Attack)
There is this neverending debate on Hi-NRG and their inability to bring out something fresh to the table. It's true, Hi-NRG Attack has always been hit or miss for me in general. This track, however, brought, in my opinion, a breeze of fresh air to the table. Of course, there's always the signature soundworld but, for once, the synth-riff is totally fresh, exciting and memorable. The vocals are very good, flows amazingly with the melody. The hints of electric guitar adds a nice touch on the melody. Overall, this is in the better tracks Hi-NRG Attack has produced in the recent years. It certainly is fresh air from the last entries that sounded a lot alike.

Rating : 9½

9. BLUE / RICH HARD (Sunfire)
When you see a tracklist, you always look for you favorite artists/alias. Rich Hard was one that caught my eyes immediately. So, you kind of hype the release, waiting to hear the artist you like's new song. Unfortunately for me, I hyped myself too much. The intro is boring, the riff is lifeless and, in overall, like the riff, lifeless. It's the first Rich Hard track I can't find any good to say about, or even better, the first song of his to go to the garbage outright. It's a shame because Wild Boys was much better than this...

Rating : 4

10. FLYING FREE / STEPHY MARTIN (Dima)

Stephy's last entry, even if I gave her a good mark, left me kinda empty. I love her a lot, don't get me wrong: Emotions, Mad Desire, Speed Demon, I Belong To You, Fever Of Love, Out Of Love, etc. are all amazing songs with whoever they were produced with. With Flying Free, we have another slower number with some vocals effects in the verse in which, I think, works great. The riff is very good and fits the mood very well. The breakdown is probably one of the best moment of the song, very dreamy and sets the mood amazingly. Overall, I think it's a very good song however, I don't think it sticks as much as Speed Demon (Original Ver.), Fever Of Love and I belong To You did even if I praised it. There might be something missing after all... but God knows what.

Rating : 8½

11. AMAZING LOVE / BABY GOLD (Hi-NRG Attack)
Baby Gold is an Hi-NRG Attack alias we haven't seen in a good while. But, I think it was time we see more than males. Other people will agree with me too. However, I can't make myself like this song at all and the terrible mixing at the 4 minute mark doesn't help either.The one good thing about this song is the fresh riff. It's out of place a bit but it doesn't remove its quality. I can't find myself anything else to say right now... I jsut wish to press the "Next" button.

Rating : 6

12. RINGTONE / BORIS (Delta)
That intro... How many time I've heard something similar already? On top of that, it's boring. And, it doesn't help to get into a song. Really not. However, the rest of the song isn't half that bad. It's pretty catchy singing about singing on your smartphone's ringtone and looking forward to phone calls and text messages. Haha. However, the riff and intro just throws me off it's not even funny. Talking of riff, it sounds like a cheapened Hi-NRG Attack one...

Rating : 7

13. OVERJOY / LESLIE PARRISH (Delta)
Cherry. Another Hit or miss for me. Paraboy was good but it was pretty long ago and since then... we haven't seen much of that alias if at all. I can say it already: Travis did a good job on the song's melody. But what's really odd in this song is Clara. I can't help but don't like that chorus at all: it feels really out of place and thus, I cannot find myself to like that song because of that.

Rating : 6

14. TEARFUL EYES / LES (SinclaireStyle)
Les, a new artist. It's been a while since we've seen a new face appear right? And to welcome her, Sinclaire produced one heck of a track. The synth riff is one beast of a riff! The vocals are really good and smoothly mixed within the melody. This gives a nice flow to the song. The melody of the song itself is really good and fits justifies the mood of the vocals. A really great track and another great track to add to Sinclaire's repertoire!

Rating : 9½

15. WELCOME TO THE SHOW / TANITH & DARK EVIL (SCP)
THE SONG of the album. I love all the song the alias sung in the hyper techno genre. I always loved Fastway's extremely catchy rapping and the additional vocoder effects adds a nice layer of amazing to the song. Irene/La Gatta's vocals are just amazing and greatly catchy. The melody has hints of dubstep in places: exemple: the intro. However, it's nothing to worry about for those that hates dubstep (like me). There's no heavy wubbing. It's just a "hint" of dubstep effects. That's it, it stops there. Anyway, overall, this song is just... AMAZING. Hands down.

Rating : 10

The album overall has a couple of standouts here and there but I feel it's really lackluster compared to SEB221 and 222. There are much more middle-of-the-road tracks than hits, in other words, fillers. I can count 7 out of 15 here. The tracklist didn't bring a spark in me and, beside a few surprises here and there, I was right: the album isn't incredibly special overall.

Overall rating : 7½

Best tracks:
"Welcome To The Show"
"Into The Sunrise"
"Tearful Eyes"

Honorable Mentions:
"Into The Paradise"
"Crazy Little Love"
"Make Me Wonder"

The Worst:
"Magic Car"
"Blue"
"Miss You"

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Label count:
Sunfire : 3
A-Beat-C : 1
Go Go's Music : 1
Dima : 2
SCP : 2
Delta : 2
Hi-NRG Attack : 2
SinclaireStyle : 2

lebon

Hello, my name is "In My Arms" by Kate Project! Now, you cannot unhear! Yes, the minute I've heard the intro, my mind linked both songs together.

I guess everyone hears something different. I hear Cherry- When I close My Eyes in the riff, just faster. meaning I will probobly hear the same in the intro. Cherry's song is from DELTA, which also makes a bit of more sense.

good review. lebon= Another lucky SOB

drnrg wrote:lebon= Another lucky SOB

Not really... it was leaked the day before release.

I love the Powerful T. song 'Flying With My Magikarp'. ;D

I haven't got this SEB yet, but I must say that Sinclaire delivered an awesome presentation!

Quote:
Hello, my name is "In My Arms" by Kate Project! Now, you cannot unhear! Yes, the minute I've heard the intro, my mind linked both songs together.


I guess everyone hears something different. I hear Cherry- When I close My Eyes in the riff, just faster. meaning I will probobly hear the same in the intro. Cherry's song is from DELTA, which also makes a bit of more sense.

Honestly this song came immediately in my mind when hearing the intro:
'MEMORIES AND MELODIES' / 'VANESSA'

EurothunderNL wrote:

Quote:
Hello, my name is "In My Arms" by Kate Project! Now, you cannot unhear! Yes, the minute I've heard the intro, my mind linked both songs together.


I guess everyone hears something different. I hear Cherry- When I close My Eyes in the riff, just faster. meaning I will probobly hear the same in the intro. Cherry's song is from DELTA, which also makes a bit of more sense.

Honestly this song came immediately in my mind when hearing the intro:
'MEMORIES AND MELODIES' / 'VANESSA'

I actually hear "Killing me softly" by Roberta Flack, from her 1973 album.
I think this song was the basis which inspired the melodies for all the above Eurobeat songs which follow in a similar melody.
The Fugees also covered this song back in 1996.

EurothunderNL

Honestly this song came immediately in my mind when hearing the intro:
'MEMORIES AND MELODIES' / 'VANESSA'

You are so right. The beautiful piano intro. You should hear that one in extended.

Got another TIME intro for you that comes to mind.

Phil & Stan- I Wanna Love You Tonight

I gotta say after looping the Rich Hard sample over and over; that one is sounding the most innovative. There is somthing definately charasmatic about all those special keyboard inserts througout that sample. I'm dying to hear what Pasquinni dreampt up for a breakdown.

Phil & Stan- I Wanna Love You Tonight

still love the good old Phil & Stan songs!!