Super Eurobeat 184
-
zarksentinel
- Bad Bad Bad
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 24 Dec 2007, 03:20
Review is up!
1. SUPER RIDER / MARK ASTLEY: (9+)
I wasn't looking forward to Mark Astley opening the album, but the_ditz suggested that this song is a real grower and easily one of the best tracks of the decade so far, so I gave it a few listens. At first, this felt kind of average, but by listening to it more and more, I slowly became a lot more aware of how catchy it really is. The intro got my attention quickly before traveling up a building pace that ultimately peaked during the c-melody. This song isn't completely memorable for the entire duration, but it has by far one of the best-executed choruses I've ever heard in a while and easily makes up for the fact that I'm still not really a fan of the Akyr-style production that was similarly used in Iron Man. Overall, a great way to start off the album.
2. WILD NIGHT / MIKE WEST: (9-)
Okay first off, ugh at the structure rip-off of Love For Money 2008. The deja vu effect that was originally present in Big In Japan 2007 one album ago is getting annoying quickly and does nothing but convince me how lazy Time has gotten over the past few years. That aside, Wild Night does still manage to prove itself on its own as well. The different key signature and noticeably different approach in contrast to LFM '08 make for a nice change, and with that, we're of course treated to all the right materials from a male performance from Time. The synth hook is bouncy, and the chorus has that funky edge to compliment the production's catchiness. Whereas BIJ '07 played almost exactly the same way as DSTM '06 did, Wild Night reworks the materials to present itself on its own. An original structure would've been nice, but still your everyday quality Time.
3. SPIN SPIN BABY / JEFF DRILLER: (7+)
Okay, this track was actually really cool after like one listen, but the fun wasn't very longlasting. There's nothing remotely bad about Spin Spin Baby, but it really just doesn't have anything new to offer compared to the other recent performances by HRG. The flow and pace of the song are solid as ever, but without any new ingredients or ideas, everything just becomes redundant and old far too quickly. If anything, I'm kind of getting tired of the Jeff Driller alias, seeing that Rimonti has already done 3 different songs under it since 181, but even compared to the other 2 tracks he's done so far, this doesn't really stand out in any real way. Totally average HRG material.
4. COME ON UP / KING & QUEEN: (6-)
Well, I didn't expect to rate this track as low as I did either. I had nothing truly against it after hearing its sample, but once I got to the full cut, I noticed myself becoming bored out very quickly. It seems, at a glance, that it should be typically catchy, satisfying A-Beat C material, but somehow it just wasn't. The melodies are somewhat catchy, but they sound like they're trying too hard to act lively and end up sounding a lot cheerier than suggested by the dull soundworld and thus just don't function very effectively. The package as a whole ultimately felt very amateurish and failed to leave any real impression over my tastes.
5. EVERYBODY SHAKE / NUAGE: (8½)
Thankfully, Nuage's track is on a far better scale than the previous number. I've loved Nuage's style all the time, but lately her performances have been a bit trancy and unremarkable for my likings. Everybody Shake is definitely a step in a completely different and revolutionizing direction, however, and immediately brought me back a few years to when A-Beat C was still putting out quality all the time. The synth hook is catchy and a lot better than reported by others imo, and the chorus has that same beat to it as any typical production from the label during its golden years. The verse is a little modest, and I'm still not really a fan of the trancy effects in the backgrounds, but compared to what else we've been left with lately, this is a definite improvement.
6. MY SWEET FOREVER / PAMSY: (9-)
Pamsy's style is one that sounds great due to her powerful voice, but occasionally it becomes a bit dull after a while in contrast to other SCP performances if she's not performing to her best. Lately, she's kind of been going down this path, releasing good songs nonetheless, but not anything close to Once Upon A Time, So Fragile, etc. My Sweet Forever, fortunately, is one of her better tracks to recent date and does manage to display her immense talent pretty decently. I got vague images of regular pop music with the track's melodies and smart inclusion of a guitar and saxaphone to support Pamsy's vocals. The chorus sounds very nice in its purity, and even though the unvaried synth became somewhat repetitive after a while, as a whole I was pleasantly surprised by this.
7. JUST A GAME 2008 / ALEXIS: (5+)
Sort of a meh situation here. The intro rip-off, as pointed out, revealed the lack of creativity Time has been suffering lately, and the rest of the track isn't much better. As far as remakes go, Time either produces covers that either work perfeclty, or just very average-sounding ones that don't achieve much beyond modernizing the song while sacrificing its original edge at the same time, and this track just falls under the latter. Elena's vocals are nothing new to be hyped over about, while the sounds are just plain vanilla, not really leaving any spark of interest at all in the end.
8. IMAGINE / JAY LEHR: (8½)
Nice to see Jay Lehr continuing his stay at SCP with another track that's sure to warm up some emotion. Imagine has a very dreamy, airy drift to it, but with the label's typical high-quality production methods, it doesn't end up dragging at all. I'm not quite so sure if Lehr was the best pick as the vocalist, as his pronunciation style begins to sound just a bit tired and tedious during the dreamy chorus, but his track still works nicely, all things stated.
9. HAPPY SNAPPY VALENTINE / NIKITA JR.: (9+)
I was pleasantly surprised by this track's sample, and I wasn't too let down at all once I got the CD. I'm kind of a sucker for faster eurobeat so long as the track itself is catchy enough because it gives more of a drive to a more standardized counterpart, and that factor definitely worked nicely for Happy Snappy Valentine. The track in many ways reminds me of Jenny ROM, from the sheerly pitched-up vocals, the fast pace, and nonsensical but catchy lyrics, and ultimately I got a nice cheesy impression all over it. It may become a bit irksome in overexposure, but still a nice, fun little track to play around with.
10. NO BORDERS / ANNIE: (9½)
The rest of Time's presentations on the compilation suffer from similarity problems, but No Borders is anything but that. Annie's an excellent addition to Time's female lineup, and I really wish they'd give her a bit more room over Ferretti, but thankfully when she does show up, her style works fabulously. Whereas Come On Up tried to be fun yet ironically ended up sounding bland, No Borders seems as if it should be boring yet isn't at all and instead gives something different for a change. I'd call this a softer DD Dance overall, but even with the sparseness and dreaminess prominent throughout, the song somehow isn't boring at all and only sounds beautiful and more freshing. Annie's vocals are well-equipped, and the soft pace leaves you perfectly inclined to continue listening. Easily one of the labels best tracks thus far of the 180's decade. Oh, and it even got a proper ending as well.
11. NEVER GONNA GIVE UP / ESTER: (8½)
Go Go's Music is back again with quality as usual, giving Ester a second shot after her quickly-forgotten debut on 178. In a sense, this track felt like a female translation of Red Light & Sex because the production similarities, but Ester's style is clearly defined on its own to leave a warm impression. Her vocals sound clean and effective and tie quite well with the song's uplifting melodies. Not really a major standout, but a good addition that easily proves that the new artist has what it takes to keep up with the rest of GGM's lineup.
12. WHITE LOVE / ACE WARRIOR: (7+)
Finally it's time for Ace Warrior to slow down a bit with a far softer performance than what everyone's gotten used to in the past. Unsurprisingly enough, it's not really a standout track that will be remembered by most eurobeat listeners, but I do still give it a bit of credit. The main problem here would be the rather transparent, uninspired production and structure, but for what he's left with, Ace Warrior doesn't perform poorly. His hard, heavy vocals are still just as prominent as ever, and even though this track still kind of dragged on with redundancy as a whole package, it's at least not nearly as poor or offensive as Matt Land's Bad Boys was previously.
13. VALENTINO'S DAY / ANNALISE: (7)
Annerly back at it again, whoopy. I've never really been a big fan of her style, as she hasn't managed to present too many hits since her comeback. Valentino's Day was actually a bit better than I expected, but it's still by no means a very memorable track. Annalise does a fine job of performing throughout, but the song itself isn't new or exciting to compliment that. Okay, but still below par when compared to the majority of other tracks present here. Also, it seems that I was wrong about A-Beat C completely giving up fadeouts forever.
14. LOVE FOR MONEY 2008 / MONEY MAN: (N/A)
It's a bit too difficult for me to rate this track here, so I'll let it pass for this review. Even though I'd easily give it a 10 on a regular scale thanks to its energy and catchy new structure reworked from the original classic by Gino Caria, it honestly really doesn't belong on Super Eurobeat 184, especially with its clone, Wild Night, already present. Having been released before, it's nice to see such a great remake earn its promotion under the Super Eurobeat title after its original debut on the previous Initial D Soundtrack, the fact that it's not new material doesn't help matters at all.
15. FULL METAL CARS / DANIEL: (10)
I was not as convinced by the original sample from Avex, but once again the rest of the track managed to improve it so much that it ultimately finds its rating as high as a 10. Daniel's vocals are effective as always, but what truly caught me off guard that I wasn't expecting was how awesome the verse turned out to be. The melody is assuredly confident and incredibly catchy, and the novelty contained in the lyrics handles those factors in the best and most passionate way possible. The rest of the song felt perfectly in-place with the strong prominence of the verse, making it a really cool song to blast wherever you are, driving or not. This is one of those tracks that I'll be addicted to for ages, and that's a sure sign of true quality.
16. YES I WILL / CHERRY: (10+)
With Saifam absent from the Super Eurobeat series, the influences that cetain Delta producers draw to them is beyond welcome, and the quality that the label constantly pushes out compliments them perfectly. Aside from the coincidental relations to Pink's U + UR Hand, the energy of this track flows like wow, with not only the top-notch production qualities, but also the thrill unleashed by Clara's powerful vocals. Really catchy Delta material that manages to hit all the right marks in the right places and will surely be remembered for years to come.
17. LET IT GO / MEGA NRG MAN: (9+)
If A-Beat's going to leave us with at least one real standout, for me it comes in the form of Mega NRG Man's latest performance. The last couple of releases from him were both kind of meh overall, but Let It Go manages to take a step into a far more remarkable turf. The background synths are still kind of echoey and light for my likings, but aside from that the song is so effective that it really doesn't matter that much. Tomas's loud yelling and angsty vocals finally manage to live up to the drive and aggression of the rest of the song, so the pace is held together solidly just enough that the performance works just well enough to be a hit. With a bit of a synth revamp, this could be a true classic, but still nice to finally have another track that lives up to Mega NRG Man's title.
18. SPEED OF LIGHT / THE SNAKE: (10+)
But overall, the strongest performance of the album comes from the newest male act to join the roster of SCP's lineup. Whether The Snake is 2 people or not, the new title is surely more than welcome to the label's near future. The vocals are just as rewarding as the rest of Castanga's male performers, stylistically fitting right in between Fastway's aggression and Ace's harmonic tone. Energetic performances from SCP this memorable are a rarity compared to the past, so it's truly nice to be finally jumping back onto that winning streak. While Nick Mansell's song from 183 was a dynamic display of male eurobeat at its best, Speed Of Light is a perfect example of a perfectly-crafted faster-paced, hardcore SCP floorfiller. The massive intensity that lends the song its edge is backed up by raging guitars, addressed by the stunning vocalwork that manages to put forth so much emotion that you just can't ignore it, especially if this is your style of eurobeat. An excellent ending to another great compilation in Super Eurobeat history.
FINAL SCORE: (9-)
The 180's so far have been constantly above-average for me, and this release is no expection to that streak. The highlights are many throughout the CD, and there weren't a very large amount of tracks that I didn't care much for. I'm starting to get a bit worried about the repetitive direction that Time seems to be heading down with their constant recycling of old elements, and I'm still kind of waiting for a little more variety from HRG (Happy Snappy Valentine could've been on 177 based on the catalogue), but in general just about all of the labels had a fair share of highlights, some truly skyrocketing to an almost undefeatable level. Avex has done a nice job lately of picking out the right tracks, so hopefully the rest of the decade won't stop this solid pace from vanishing.
TOP 3 SONGS:
1. SPEED OF LIGHT / THE SNAKE
2. YES I WILL / CHERRY
3. FULL METAL CARS / DANIEL
BOTTOM 3 SONGS:
1. JUST A GAME 2008 / ALEXIS
2. COME ON UP / KING & QUEEN
3. VALENTINO'S DAY / ANNALISE
HONORABLE MENTION:
- NO BORDERS / ANNIE
1. SUPER RIDER / MARK ASTLEY: (9+)
I wasn't looking forward to Mark Astley opening the album, but the_ditz suggested that this song is a real grower and easily one of the best tracks of the decade so far, so I gave it a few listens. At first, this felt kind of average, but by listening to it more and more, I slowly became a lot more aware of how catchy it really is. The intro got my attention quickly before traveling up a building pace that ultimately peaked during the c-melody. This song isn't completely memorable for the entire duration, but it has by far one of the best-executed choruses I've ever heard in a while and easily makes up for the fact that I'm still not really a fan of the Akyr-style production that was similarly used in Iron Man. Overall, a great way to start off the album.
2. WILD NIGHT / MIKE WEST: (9-)
Okay first off, ugh at the structure rip-off of Love For Money 2008. The deja vu effect that was originally present in Big In Japan 2007 one album ago is getting annoying quickly and does nothing but convince me how lazy Time has gotten over the past few years. That aside, Wild Night does still manage to prove itself on its own as well. The different key signature and noticeably different approach in contrast to LFM '08 make for a nice change, and with that, we're of course treated to all the right materials from a male performance from Time. The synth hook is bouncy, and the chorus has that funky edge to compliment the production's catchiness. Whereas BIJ '07 played almost exactly the same way as DSTM '06 did, Wild Night reworks the materials to present itself on its own. An original structure would've been nice, but still your everyday quality Time.
3. SPIN SPIN BABY / JEFF DRILLER: (7+)
Okay, this track was actually really cool after like one listen, but the fun wasn't very longlasting. There's nothing remotely bad about Spin Spin Baby, but it really just doesn't have anything new to offer compared to the other recent performances by HRG. The flow and pace of the song are solid as ever, but without any new ingredients or ideas, everything just becomes redundant and old far too quickly. If anything, I'm kind of getting tired of the Jeff Driller alias, seeing that Rimonti has already done 3 different songs under it since 181, but even compared to the other 2 tracks he's done so far, this doesn't really stand out in any real way. Totally average HRG material.
4. COME ON UP / KING & QUEEN: (6-)
Well, I didn't expect to rate this track as low as I did either. I had nothing truly against it after hearing its sample, but once I got to the full cut, I noticed myself becoming bored out very quickly. It seems, at a glance, that it should be typically catchy, satisfying A-Beat C material, but somehow it just wasn't. The melodies are somewhat catchy, but they sound like they're trying too hard to act lively and end up sounding a lot cheerier than suggested by the dull soundworld and thus just don't function very effectively. The package as a whole ultimately felt very amateurish and failed to leave any real impression over my tastes.
5. EVERYBODY SHAKE / NUAGE: (8½)
Thankfully, Nuage's track is on a far better scale than the previous number. I've loved Nuage's style all the time, but lately her performances have been a bit trancy and unremarkable for my likings. Everybody Shake is definitely a step in a completely different and revolutionizing direction, however, and immediately brought me back a few years to when A-Beat C was still putting out quality all the time. The synth hook is catchy and a lot better than reported by others imo, and the chorus has that same beat to it as any typical production from the label during its golden years. The verse is a little modest, and I'm still not really a fan of the trancy effects in the backgrounds, but compared to what else we've been left with lately, this is a definite improvement.
6. MY SWEET FOREVER / PAMSY: (9-)
Pamsy's style is one that sounds great due to her powerful voice, but occasionally it becomes a bit dull after a while in contrast to other SCP performances if she's not performing to her best. Lately, she's kind of been going down this path, releasing good songs nonetheless, but not anything close to Once Upon A Time, So Fragile, etc. My Sweet Forever, fortunately, is one of her better tracks to recent date and does manage to display her immense talent pretty decently. I got vague images of regular pop music with the track's melodies and smart inclusion of a guitar and saxaphone to support Pamsy's vocals. The chorus sounds very nice in its purity, and even though the unvaried synth became somewhat repetitive after a while, as a whole I was pleasantly surprised by this.
7. JUST A GAME 2008 / ALEXIS: (5+)
Sort of a meh situation here. The intro rip-off, as pointed out, revealed the lack of creativity Time has been suffering lately, and the rest of the track isn't much better. As far as remakes go, Time either produces covers that either work perfeclty, or just very average-sounding ones that don't achieve much beyond modernizing the song while sacrificing its original edge at the same time, and this track just falls under the latter. Elena's vocals are nothing new to be hyped over about, while the sounds are just plain vanilla, not really leaving any spark of interest at all in the end.
8. IMAGINE / JAY LEHR: (8½)
Nice to see Jay Lehr continuing his stay at SCP with another track that's sure to warm up some emotion. Imagine has a very dreamy, airy drift to it, but with the label's typical high-quality production methods, it doesn't end up dragging at all. I'm not quite so sure if Lehr was the best pick as the vocalist, as his pronunciation style begins to sound just a bit tired and tedious during the dreamy chorus, but his track still works nicely, all things stated.
9. HAPPY SNAPPY VALENTINE / NIKITA JR.: (9+)
I was pleasantly surprised by this track's sample, and I wasn't too let down at all once I got the CD. I'm kind of a sucker for faster eurobeat so long as the track itself is catchy enough because it gives more of a drive to a more standardized counterpart, and that factor definitely worked nicely for Happy Snappy Valentine. The track in many ways reminds me of Jenny ROM, from the sheerly pitched-up vocals, the fast pace, and nonsensical but catchy lyrics, and ultimately I got a nice cheesy impression all over it. It may become a bit irksome in overexposure, but still a nice, fun little track to play around with.
10. NO BORDERS / ANNIE: (9½)
The rest of Time's presentations on the compilation suffer from similarity problems, but No Borders is anything but that. Annie's an excellent addition to Time's female lineup, and I really wish they'd give her a bit more room over Ferretti, but thankfully when she does show up, her style works fabulously. Whereas Come On Up tried to be fun yet ironically ended up sounding bland, No Borders seems as if it should be boring yet isn't at all and instead gives something different for a change. I'd call this a softer DD Dance overall, but even with the sparseness and dreaminess prominent throughout, the song somehow isn't boring at all and only sounds beautiful and more freshing. Annie's vocals are well-equipped, and the soft pace leaves you perfectly inclined to continue listening. Easily one of the labels best tracks thus far of the 180's decade. Oh, and it even got a proper ending as well.
11. NEVER GONNA GIVE UP / ESTER: (8½)
Go Go's Music is back again with quality as usual, giving Ester a second shot after her quickly-forgotten debut on 178. In a sense, this track felt like a female translation of Red Light & Sex because the production similarities, but Ester's style is clearly defined on its own to leave a warm impression. Her vocals sound clean and effective and tie quite well with the song's uplifting melodies. Not really a major standout, but a good addition that easily proves that the new artist has what it takes to keep up with the rest of GGM's lineup.
12. WHITE LOVE / ACE WARRIOR: (7+)
Finally it's time for Ace Warrior to slow down a bit with a far softer performance than what everyone's gotten used to in the past. Unsurprisingly enough, it's not really a standout track that will be remembered by most eurobeat listeners, but I do still give it a bit of credit. The main problem here would be the rather transparent, uninspired production and structure, but for what he's left with, Ace Warrior doesn't perform poorly. His hard, heavy vocals are still just as prominent as ever, and even though this track still kind of dragged on with redundancy as a whole package, it's at least not nearly as poor or offensive as Matt Land's Bad Boys was previously.
13. VALENTINO'S DAY / ANNALISE: (7)
Annerly back at it again, whoopy. I've never really been a big fan of her style, as she hasn't managed to present too many hits since her comeback. Valentino's Day was actually a bit better than I expected, but it's still by no means a very memorable track. Annalise does a fine job of performing throughout, but the song itself isn't new or exciting to compliment that. Okay, but still below par when compared to the majority of other tracks present here. Also, it seems that I was wrong about A-Beat C completely giving up fadeouts forever.
14. LOVE FOR MONEY 2008 / MONEY MAN: (N/A)
It's a bit too difficult for me to rate this track here, so I'll let it pass for this review. Even though I'd easily give it a 10 on a regular scale thanks to its energy and catchy new structure reworked from the original classic by Gino Caria, it honestly really doesn't belong on Super Eurobeat 184, especially with its clone, Wild Night, already present. Having been released before, it's nice to see such a great remake earn its promotion under the Super Eurobeat title after its original debut on the previous Initial D Soundtrack, the fact that it's not new material doesn't help matters at all.
15. FULL METAL CARS / DANIEL: (10)
I was not as convinced by the original sample from Avex, but once again the rest of the track managed to improve it so much that it ultimately finds its rating as high as a 10. Daniel's vocals are effective as always, but what truly caught me off guard that I wasn't expecting was how awesome the verse turned out to be. The melody is assuredly confident and incredibly catchy, and the novelty contained in the lyrics handles those factors in the best and most passionate way possible. The rest of the song felt perfectly in-place with the strong prominence of the verse, making it a really cool song to blast wherever you are, driving or not. This is one of those tracks that I'll be addicted to for ages, and that's a sure sign of true quality.
16. YES I WILL / CHERRY: (10+)
With Saifam absent from the Super Eurobeat series, the influences that cetain Delta producers draw to them is beyond welcome, and the quality that the label constantly pushes out compliments them perfectly. Aside from the coincidental relations to Pink's U + UR Hand, the energy of this track flows like wow, with not only the top-notch production qualities, but also the thrill unleashed by Clara's powerful vocals. Really catchy Delta material that manages to hit all the right marks in the right places and will surely be remembered for years to come.
17. LET IT GO / MEGA NRG MAN: (9+)
If A-Beat's going to leave us with at least one real standout, for me it comes in the form of Mega NRG Man's latest performance. The last couple of releases from him were both kind of meh overall, but Let It Go manages to take a step into a far more remarkable turf. The background synths are still kind of echoey and light for my likings, but aside from that the song is so effective that it really doesn't matter that much. Tomas's loud yelling and angsty vocals finally manage to live up to the drive and aggression of the rest of the song, so the pace is held together solidly just enough that the performance works just well enough to be a hit. With a bit of a synth revamp, this could be a true classic, but still nice to finally have another track that lives up to Mega NRG Man's title.
18. SPEED OF LIGHT / THE SNAKE: (10+)
But overall, the strongest performance of the album comes from the newest male act to join the roster of SCP's lineup. Whether The Snake is 2 people or not, the new title is surely more than welcome to the label's near future. The vocals are just as rewarding as the rest of Castanga's male performers, stylistically fitting right in between Fastway's aggression and Ace's harmonic tone. Energetic performances from SCP this memorable are a rarity compared to the past, so it's truly nice to be finally jumping back onto that winning streak. While Nick Mansell's song from 183 was a dynamic display of male eurobeat at its best, Speed Of Light is a perfect example of a perfectly-crafted faster-paced, hardcore SCP floorfiller. The massive intensity that lends the song its edge is backed up by raging guitars, addressed by the stunning vocalwork that manages to put forth so much emotion that you just can't ignore it, especially if this is your style of eurobeat. An excellent ending to another great compilation in Super Eurobeat history.
FINAL SCORE: (9-)
The 180's so far have been constantly above-average for me, and this release is no expection to that streak. The highlights are many throughout the CD, and there weren't a very large amount of tracks that I didn't care much for. I'm starting to get a bit worried about the repetitive direction that Time seems to be heading down with their constant recycling of old elements, and I'm still kind of waiting for a little more variety from HRG (Happy Snappy Valentine could've been on 177 based on the catalogue), but in general just about all of the labels had a fair share of highlights, some truly skyrocketing to an almost undefeatable level. Avex has done a nice job lately of picking out the right tracks, so hopefully the rest of the decade won't stop this solid pace from vanishing.
TOP 3 SONGS:
1. SPEED OF LIGHT / THE SNAKE
2. YES I WILL / CHERRY
3. FULL METAL CARS / DANIEL
BOTTOM 3 SONGS:
1. JUST A GAME 2008 / ALEXIS
2. COME ON UP / KING & QUEEN
3. VALENTINO'S DAY / ANNALISE
HONORABLE MENTION:
- NO BORDERS / ANNIE
-
drnrg
- Eurobeat Guru
- Posts: 6957
- Joined: 17 May 2005, 07:18
- Location: searching for missing Eurogrooves trax
the_ditz
Actually Love For Money was released in 2007 on Super Eurobeat Presents - Initial D - Battle Stage 2. I think it came out around late August of last year which means it was produced before Wild Night, unless Sergio Dall Ora wrote both at the same TIME, and just decided to release Wild Night this year. You never know with these labels.Wild Night > Love For Money 2008 any day - LFM 08 sounds like it's trying to imitate Wild Night badly, which says to me that Wild Night was made first and then LFM 08 was produced as a bit of an afterthought...
-
euro up north
- Eurobeat Fan
- Posts: 144
- Joined: 19 Jun 2004, 14:57
- Location: Umeå
1. SUPER RIDER / MARK ASTLEY: (7)
A catchy riff that build the song. Maleside is the darkside of eurobeat, but Astleys song i a tough and cool maleside song. One of very few. Super rider has a great refrain and a good riff that catches you. Like the verse too. Cool. Suprisingly good for be the maleside.
2. WILD NIGHT / MIKE WEST: (5)
A typical average malesong. It is a very jumpy riff that build up this song. A very simply and plain refrain. Next song please...
3. SPIN SPIN BABY / JEFF DRILLER: (6)
HRG is the number on label of eurobeat. No question asked. This is a song that has typical HRG-male-sound, with the significant crazyness.
Driller has done better than this, but the song doesn´t peak and is a pretty average HRG-song.
4. COME ON UP / KING & QUEEN: (6)
King & Queen mixes good with total disaster. Come on up is the simple song with an uptempo refrain. But it doesn´t make very happy, but not very sad either. A song that is average.
5. EVERYBODY SHAKE / NUAGE: (6+)
Nuage has a stabil sound, but I am not really in to it. This is a good song for being Nuage and the riff is catchy. Good - for being this album, but that don´t say so much.
6. MY SWEET FOREVER / PAMSY: (5+)
A song that works to be powerful. And manage in some ways to be that. Pamsy has the voice, but the song really don´t peak.
7. JUST A GAME 2008 / ALEXIS: (5+)
Just a game is an Vanessa song. And it was not a hit then and it is not a hit now. But the eurosound hotted up the original and the verse is ok. But the refrain is simple and not very catchy. An average song.
8. IMAGINE / JAY LEHR: (7-)
Never underrestimate Jay Lehr. One of very few male singer that really has it. An intesting intro, with a nice happy vibe. Jay Lehr has a vocal with potential. It is a sweet refrain where Lehr uses his vocal. I am not really into the song, but it is one of the better of this album.
9. HAPPY SNAPPY VALENTINE / NIKITA JR.: (5+)
Nikita JR has hits in the past. This is one of the new generation songs from HRG. Their primetime seems more to be in the past. It was a while ago I heard something really good from HRG. This was a great disapointment. The crazyness is missed and the refrain is so simple that i could count the song out, before i heard it. A step backwards for HRG.
10. NO BORDERS / ANNIE: (5+)
A male intro with a heavy guitar. I really don´t like the guitar in eurobeat. The rest of the song has the charistic eurobeatsound, but the song never lifts of. A very straight song with no moments in. A boring song that you forget direct after it ends.
11. NEVER GONNA GIVE UP / ESTER: (4+)
Ester had a song on 178:th album. I don´t remember it, and I will for certain not remember this one. Some kind of "male-sound" but a female song. Boring refrain and more boring verse. The intro sounds lika a TV-game from the 80´s.
12. WHITE LOVE / ACE WARRIOR: (6)
An pretty average song. Uptempo refrain with a nice riff. Ace is not my favorite, but this is a good song for being him.
13. VALENTINO'S DAY / ANNALISE: (7)
A good eurobeat song. Nice song and refrain. Annalise delivers sometimes and this song is one of the better songs i have heard of hear.
It is something sweet over the song that i like.
14. LOVE FOR MONEY 2008 / MONEY MAN: (4)
Money man? This song will not make many dollars. Never had, never will. An annoying refrain.
15. FULL METAL CARS / DANIEL: (4)
Already when I saw the title I felt sceptic. And yes, this song we have heard before - a couple of hundred times.
16. YES I WILL / CHERRY: (7+)
The old friend Cherry. She is always welcome, but it was a while ago I heard something that I really liked with her.
This song is actually a good one with influence of eurodance from the 90´s.
Nice riffs, but i miss a the rapverse.
It is a tough song. I like it
17. LET IT GO / MEGA NRG MAN: (3-)
The TV-game guy has never made a song for the top 500 of eurobeat. This i not an exception. And the sound is the same as always with Mega NRG Man. There could not be so much more variation of sound left too go. Please let´s place Mega Nrg man in the eurobeat history from now and on. I really hope this was his last song. R.I.P
18. SPEED OF LIGHT / THE SNAKE: (3+)
The hardrockeurobeat maleside. I am sure I have heard this one before. Or have I? Nothing new about this song that really sounds like 99,8% of all malesidesongs produces on this side of the century.
FINAL SCORE: (4)
The only motivation I have when i listen too SEB nowadays is too find one song I like. That is what I hope these days. On the SEB 1-100 there were at least 3-4 topsongs and a handfull of good songs. The 20 latest SEB-album has been very weak. Maybe I am stuck in the past. The eurobeat has evaluted, and I am only searching for the old happy feeling eurobeat once in a time delivered. Still I want to listen to albums....maybe there is a revivel coming - and if it is coming - i really don´t want to miss it.
This album is already forgotten. A few average songs to listen to for a month.....next.
A catchy riff that build the song. Maleside is the darkside of eurobeat, but Astleys song i a tough and cool maleside song. One of very few. Super rider has a great refrain and a good riff that catches you. Like the verse too. Cool. Suprisingly good for be the maleside.
2. WILD NIGHT / MIKE WEST: (5)
A typical average malesong. It is a very jumpy riff that build up this song. A very simply and plain refrain. Next song please...
3. SPIN SPIN BABY / JEFF DRILLER: (6)
HRG is the number on label of eurobeat. No question asked. This is a song that has typical HRG-male-sound, with the significant crazyness.
Driller has done better than this, but the song doesn´t peak and is a pretty average HRG-song.
4. COME ON UP / KING & QUEEN: (6)
King & Queen mixes good with total disaster. Come on up is the simple song with an uptempo refrain. But it doesn´t make very happy, but not very sad either. A song that is average.
5. EVERYBODY SHAKE / NUAGE: (6+)
Nuage has a stabil sound, but I am not really in to it. This is a good song for being Nuage and the riff is catchy. Good - for being this album, but that don´t say so much.
6. MY SWEET FOREVER / PAMSY: (5+)
A song that works to be powerful. And manage in some ways to be that. Pamsy has the voice, but the song really don´t peak.
7. JUST A GAME 2008 / ALEXIS: (5+)
Just a game is an Vanessa song. And it was not a hit then and it is not a hit now. But the eurosound hotted up the original and the verse is ok. But the refrain is simple and not very catchy. An average song.
8. IMAGINE / JAY LEHR: (7-)
Never underrestimate Jay Lehr. One of very few male singer that really has it. An intesting intro, with a nice happy vibe. Jay Lehr has a vocal with potential. It is a sweet refrain where Lehr uses his vocal. I am not really into the song, but it is one of the better of this album.
9. HAPPY SNAPPY VALENTINE / NIKITA JR.: (5+)
Nikita JR has hits in the past. This is one of the new generation songs from HRG. Their primetime seems more to be in the past. It was a while ago I heard something really good from HRG. This was a great disapointment. The crazyness is missed and the refrain is so simple that i could count the song out, before i heard it. A step backwards for HRG.
10. NO BORDERS / ANNIE: (5+)
A male intro with a heavy guitar. I really don´t like the guitar in eurobeat. The rest of the song has the charistic eurobeatsound, but the song never lifts of. A very straight song with no moments in. A boring song that you forget direct after it ends.
11. NEVER GONNA GIVE UP / ESTER: (4+)
Ester had a song on 178:th album. I don´t remember it, and I will for certain not remember this one. Some kind of "male-sound" but a female song. Boring refrain and more boring verse. The intro sounds lika a TV-game from the 80´s.
12. WHITE LOVE / ACE WARRIOR: (6)
An pretty average song. Uptempo refrain with a nice riff. Ace is not my favorite, but this is a good song for being him.
13. VALENTINO'S DAY / ANNALISE: (7)
A good eurobeat song. Nice song and refrain. Annalise delivers sometimes and this song is one of the better songs i have heard of hear.
It is something sweet over the song that i like.
14. LOVE FOR MONEY 2008 / MONEY MAN: (4)
Money man? This song will not make many dollars. Never had, never will. An annoying refrain.
15. FULL METAL CARS / DANIEL: (4)
Already when I saw the title I felt sceptic. And yes, this song we have heard before - a couple of hundred times.
16. YES I WILL / CHERRY: (7+)
The old friend Cherry. She is always welcome, but it was a while ago I heard something that I really liked with her.
This song is actually a good one with influence of eurodance from the 90´s.
Nice riffs, but i miss a the rapverse.
It is a tough song. I like it
17. LET IT GO / MEGA NRG MAN: (3-)
The TV-game guy has never made a song for the top 500 of eurobeat. This i not an exception. And the sound is the same as always with Mega NRG Man. There could not be so much more variation of sound left too go. Please let´s place Mega Nrg man in the eurobeat history from now and on. I really hope this was his last song. R.I.P
18. SPEED OF LIGHT / THE SNAKE: (3+)
The hardrockeurobeat maleside. I am sure I have heard this one before. Or have I? Nothing new about this song that really sounds like 99,8% of all malesidesongs produces on this side of the century.
FINAL SCORE: (4)
The only motivation I have when i listen too SEB nowadays is too find one song I like. That is what I hope these days. On the SEB 1-100 there were at least 3-4 topsongs and a handfull of good songs. The 20 latest SEB-album has been very weak. Maybe I am stuck in the past. The eurobeat has evaluted, and I am only searching for the old happy feeling eurobeat once in a time delivered. Still I want to listen to albums....maybe there is a revivel coming - and if it is coming - i really don´t want to miss it.
This album is already forgotten. A few average songs to listen to for a month.....next.
-
DJ Mike TJG
- Eurohero
- Posts: 847
- Joined: 10 Feb 2007, 12:44
- Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom
This comment stupifies me - I have to wonder what you listen to modern Eurobeat for when you find so little that you actually like in the genre? It sounds to me like you hang on to it for a bygone era of "old style" EB/Italo-Disco from the 80s which has long since passed and is really unlikely to be revived (at least in the direction EB has taken in the modern Japan-infused era).euro up north wrote:On the SEB 1-100 there were at least 3-4 topsongs and a handfull of good songs. The 20 latest SEB-album has been very weak. Maybe I am stuck in the past.
-
para_rigby
- Euroheater
- Posts: 1624
- Joined: 17 Sep 2005, 18:50
- Location: Wichita, KS, USA
- Contact:
I kinda don't get the review myself...the comments seemed so general. I'm not trying to flame or anything, but I think even the people who love "old school" realize that Eurobeat has evolved and that there are gems in the recent year or two of great music. As much as I like the sound of SEB 1, I love the music in the 180s too.DJ Mike TJG wrote:This comment stupifies me - I have to wonder what you listen to modern Eurobeat for when you find so little that you actually like in the genre? It sounds to me like you hang on to it for a bygone era of "old style" EB/Italo-Disco from the 80s which has long since passed and is really unlikely to be revived (at least in the direction EB has taken in the modern Japan-infused era).euro up north wrote:On the SEB 1-100 there were at least 3-4 topsongs and a handfull of good songs. The 20 latest SEB-album has been very weak. Maybe I am stuck in the past.
-
drnrg
- Eurobeat Guru
- Posts: 6957
- Joined: 17 May 2005, 07:18
- Location: searching for missing Eurogrooves trax
euro up north
and Frank's Torpedo's original Love For Money was very popular back in the Beatfreak days. At leat that is what Iventi D' Azzurro magazine claimed. and they were pretty accurate.
You got your opinions and we have ours. I respect that, but don't claim a song was not a hit when it clearly was. Otherwise Mr. Dall Ora would not choose for it to becaome a cover. It's nice to know what you are talking about before saying anything.
I didn't get what he wants to hear in Eurobeat either, but Vanessa's song was a huge hit back in the day. I mean a video was made with the vinyl's cover model lip-syncing. If that isn't a hit then what is?Just a game is an Vanessa song. And it was not a hit then and it is not a hit now. But the eurosound hotted up the original and the verse is ok. But the refrain is simple and not very catchy. An average song
and Frank's Torpedo's original Love For Money was very popular back in the Beatfreak days. At leat that is what Iventi D' Azzurro magazine claimed. and they were pretty accurate.
You got your opinions and we have ours. I respect that, but don't claim a song was not a hit when it clearly was. Otherwise Mr. Dall Ora would not choose for it to becaome a cover. It's nice to know what you are talking about before saying anything.
-
euro up north
- Eurobeat Fan
- Posts: 144
- Joined: 19 Jun 2004, 14:57
- Location: Umeå
I am not gonna say I am sorry for my review. That would make me a lier, and it is a sin to lie. But it have been more clear for me that eurobeat were better in the past. In my opinion of course.
Eurobeat have given me so many happy moments over the years (like ten years of modern eurobeat and over 20 with eurobeat in general - before eurobeat were eurobeat), so I just can´t let it go. I still find good songs, but rarly on SEB, that still is, the backbone of eurobeat.
But I wonder if SEB hasn´t done it. As the music developed, it wouldn´t be wrong to start a new serie - for a new era...
Just a suggestion.
The thing that keep me still hold on to SEB is that I still can feel the chance of finding a great song. There is few more nice moments, than find a really good song you wanna play all hour.
So, don´t lets us be unfriendly for having diffrent thougts. And I still think that reviews, sometimes could send another message than "wow what an album.
There are few critics here, but it is not surprising. Eurobeat is a thin genre and many people that like Eurobeat - like all of it. I don´t.
See you - after next SEB.
For my own good - I hope there are a few hits...
Eurobeat have given me so many happy moments over the years (like ten years of modern eurobeat and over 20 with eurobeat in general - before eurobeat were eurobeat), so I just can´t let it go. I still find good songs, but rarly on SEB, that still is, the backbone of eurobeat.
But I wonder if SEB hasn´t done it. As the music developed, it wouldn´t be wrong to start a new serie - for a new era...
Just a suggestion.
The thing that keep me still hold on to SEB is that I still can feel the chance of finding a great song. There is few more nice moments, than find a really good song you wanna play all hour.
Don´t get angry. I meant of course that this song with Vanessa was not a hit - for me. But generally it was of course a hit. That is true.drnrg wrote
I didn't get what he wants to hear in Eurobeat either, but Vanessa's song was a huge hit back in the day. I mean a video was made with the vinyl's cover model lip-syncing. If that isn't a hit then what is?
Don´t take it personal, but it was a very general album of SEB, of today. Nothing really edged. Still it is my opinion.para_rigby
I kinda don't get the review myself...the comments seemed so general.
As wrote above, I still feel there is a chance that a hit could be hidden in all other material. And my favorite label, the one and only Hi-nrg-attack, still have two songs on the series. Attack is still such as big favorite that I really want to here the songs.DJ Mike TJG
This comment stupifies me - I have to wonder what you listen to modern Eurobeat for when you find so little that you actually like in the genre? It sounds to me like you hang on to it for a bygone era of "old style" EB/Italo-Disco from the 80s which has long since passed and is really unlikely to be revived (at least in the direction EB has taken in the modern Japan-infused era).
So, don´t lets us be unfriendly for having diffrent thougts. And I still think that reviews, sometimes could send another message than "wow what an album.
There are few critics here, but it is not surprising. Eurobeat is a thin genre and many people that like Eurobeat - like all of it. I don´t.
See you - after next SEB.
For my own good - I hope there are a few hits...
I didn't really have time to review all of the tracks in depth, so I chose my top four and bottom four, which I thought worked well for a review.
_______________________________________________________________
Top Four
CHERRY - YES I WILL (Delta)
-- Everybody knows by now where the sabi's melody was snitched from, so I'll skip that. Yes I Will possesses a heartwarming tone which is reinforced by Clara's chirpy vocal work. The track is also very upbeat and utilises a steady rhythm that flows through from start to finish effectively. The joyful synths sneaking in and out of the arrangement were definitely Yes I Will's strength. Not much else to say - a flawless effort.
SCORE: 5*/5
NUAGE -EVERYBODY SHAKE (A-Beat C)
-- If Gordon couldn't sing an upbeat production with brazen vigor, De Vincenzo certainly can. The fair Denise takes us to happy fun adventure land with this chipper of a track. Although the introduction sounds out-of-place as always, it still scores highly for delivering us the cheeriness that A-Beat C has been lacking lately. In particular, the B-Melo is my favourite element of Everybody Shake, which highlights De Vincenzo's beautiful vocals. I'm pleasantly surprised with Pasquini's effort here as it proves that he can step out of his sorrowful comfort zone and explore uncharted lands, and do it effectively. I miss the epoch of the Go Go Girls and Lolita screaming their hearts out, so hopefully De Vincenzo - the best substitute for now - will perform more of these bubbly tracks in the future for A-Beat C.
SCORE: 5/5
ANNIE - NO BORDERS (Time)
-- If it weren't for this track, I would have had to reevaluate my stance on TIME since they've become more and more repetitive ever since the late 170s with their rehashes and remakes. I understand why, but it won't win the hearts of its fans if Dall'Ora continues in this general direction. Anyway, the previous few Annie productions were all remarkable and No Borders is no exception. Her trademark is the breath of uniqueness that we're treated to time and time again. The build-up from the B-Melo to the euphonious and fetching sabi is brilliant, all topped off with Annie's sweet vocals. Let's hope for more unique TIME productions contrastive of No Borders in the future.
SCORE: 5/5
ACE WARRIOR - WHITE LOVE (A-Beat C)
-- There were three other songs which I felt should have deserved the last position as well (Super Rider, Happy Snappy Valentine and My Sweet Forever), but my playcount illustrates that White Love topped them all. So here we are. Most people detest these cautious and mellow A-Beat male productions, but I enjoy them. We're not treated to them regularly, and I've come to appreciate anything with a tint of creativity from the labels nowadays. I'm still trying to get my head around these mellow male productions as I feel artists like Powerful T. and Ace Warrior perform at their peak while singing their riskier and hardcore counter-productions. Despite this, White Love still works effectively with its lovely composition blend. The mysterious vocalist sounds vengeful as always in this speedy track that is soft on the melody. The apexes of the track are the compelling sabi and riff. Still not 100% sold on these introductions though.
SCORE: 4/5
_______________________________________________________________
Bottom Four
ANNALISE - VALENTINO'S DAY (A-Beat C)
-- Gordon wins the wooden spoon for the third time this decade. If it's any consolation, it's not as bad as True Colour! Absolutely no spark in the song, accompanied with a tranquilizing melody and cacophonous vocal work... The track essentially covers everything negative I've said about her for the past few SEBs. What on earth is Pasquini doing with her productions?
SCORE: 0/5
JEFF DRILLER - SPIN SPIN BABY (Hi-NRG Attack)
-- Too humdrum for my tastes. While I appreciate Hi-NRG Attack stepping out of their comfort zone and ditching the craziness and wackiness, I don't like them this transparent. If matters couldn't get any worse, the bored vocalist makes it tedious to listen and appreciate this song fully. A chaos is what I'd like to call it. Better luck next time, Driller.
SCORE: 0/5
MEGA NRG MAN - LET IT GO (A-Beat C)
-- Uh oh? Marin seems to be suffering from the Annalise syndrome lately. Ever since Super Eurobeat 173, he has appeared in full on every SEB compilation except one (including extended and remix discs). Judging by Pasquini's ASCAP profile, he isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Let It Go is one of Marin's most inferior productions to date (fortunately, not as nightmarish as Catch My Fire was). The track sounds like an obvious rip from another one of his tracks, which hasn't really been a problem before. Not unbearable, but certainly doesn't compete with his better productions in the past 10 albums. Generic and a tad annoying all over. The overabundance is certainly not winning him any points from me.
SCORE: 1/5
KING & QUEEN - COME ON UP (A-Beat C)
-- It was tricky deciding who would honour the last position of the bottom four since the rest of the tracks on Super Eurobeat 184 were decent, but I opted for the other Gordon track on the disc. What irks me is that Pasquini decided to use an upbeat and jubilant melody, yet possesses a sort of melancholic overlay. Personally, I feel Gordon's vocals, while not as scratchy as usual, make the song sound joyless. Come On Up is clearly trying to be something that it isn't. While it was a fair effort, De Vincenzo sings these bubbly tunes better.
SCORE: 2/5
_______________________________________________________________
Top Four
CHERRY - YES I WILL (Delta)
-- Everybody knows by now where the sabi's melody was snitched from, so I'll skip that. Yes I Will possesses a heartwarming tone which is reinforced by Clara's chirpy vocal work. The track is also very upbeat and utilises a steady rhythm that flows through from start to finish effectively. The joyful synths sneaking in and out of the arrangement were definitely Yes I Will's strength. Not much else to say - a flawless effort.
SCORE: 5*/5
NUAGE -EVERYBODY SHAKE (A-Beat C)
-- If Gordon couldn't sing an upbeat production with brazen vigor, De Vincenzo certainly can. The fair Denise takes us to happy fun adventure land with this chipper of a track. Although the introduction sounds out-of-place as always, it still scores highly for delivering us the cheeriness that A-Beat C has been lacking lately. In particular, the B-Melo is my favourite element of Everybody Shake, which highlights De Vincenzo's beautiful vocals. I'm pleasantly surprised with Pasquini's effort here as it proves that he can step out of his sorrowful comfort zone and explore uncharted lands, and do it effectively. I miss the epoch of the Go Go Girls and Lolita screaming their hearts out, so hopefully De Vincenzo - the best substitute for now - will perform more of these bubbly tracks in the future for A-Beat C.
SCORE: 5/5
ANNIE - NO BORDERS (Time)
-- If it weren't for this track, I would have had to reevaluate my stance on TIME since they've become more and more repetitive ever since the late 170s with their rehashes and remakes. I understand why, but it won't win the hearts of its fans if Dall'Ora continues in this general direction. Anyway, the previous few Annie productions were all remarkable and No Borders is no exception. Her trademark is the breath of uniqueness that we're treated to time and time again. The build-up from the B-Melo to the euphonious and fetching sabi is brilliant, all topped off with Annie's sweet vocals. Let's hope for more unique TIME productions contrastive of No Borders in the future.
SCORE: 5/5
ACE WARRIOR - WHITE LOVE (A-Beat C)
-- There were three other songs which I felt should have deserved the last position as well (Super Rider, Happy Snappy Valentine and My Sweet Forever), but my playcount illustrates that White Love topped them all. So here we are. Most people detest these cautious and mellow A-Beat male productions, but I enjoy them. We're not treated to them regularly, and I've come to appreciate anything with a tint of creativity from the labels nowadays. I'm still trying to get my head around these mellow male productions as I feel artists like Powerful T. and Ace Warrior perform at their peak while singing their riskier and hardcore counter-productions. Despite this, White Love still works effectively with its lovely composition blend. The mysterious vocalist sounds vengeful as always in this speedy track that is soft on the melody. The apexes of the track are the compelling sabi and riff. Still not 100% sold on these introductions though.
SCORE: 4/5
_______________________________________________________________
Bottom Four
ANNALISE - VALENTINO'S DAY (A-Beat C)
-- Gordon wins the wooden spoon for the third time this decade. If it's any consolation, it's not as bad as True Colour! Absolutely no spark in the song, accompanied with a tranquilizing melody and cacophonous vocal work... The track essentially covers everything negative I've said about her for the past few SEBs. What on earth is Pasquini doing with her productions?
SCORE: 0/5
JEFF DRILLER - SPIN SPIN BABY (Hi-NRG Attack)
-- Too humdrum for my tastes. While I appreciate Hi-NRG Attack stepping out of their comfort zone and ditching the craziness and wackiness, I don't like them this transparent. If matters couldn't get any worse, the bored vocalist makes it tedious to listen and appreciate this song fully. A chaos is what I'd like to call it. Better luck next time, Driller.
SCORE: 0/5
MEGA NRG MAN - LET IT GO (A-Beat C)
-- Uh oh? Marin seems to be suffering from the Annalise syndrome lately. Ever since Super Eurobeat 173, he has appeared in full on every SEB compilation except one (including extended and remix discs). Judging by Pasquini's ASCAP profile, he isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Let It Go is one of Marin's most inferior productions to date (fortunately, not as nightmarish as Catch My Fire was). The track sounds like an obvious rip from another one of his tracks, which hasn't really been a problem before. Not unbearable, but certainly doesn't compete with his better productions in the past 10 albums. Generic and a tad annoying all over. The overabundance is certainly not winning him any points from me.
SCORE: 1/5
KING & QUEEN - COME ON UP (A-Beat C)
-- It was tricky deciding who would honour the last position of the bottom four since the rest of the tracks on Super Eurobeat 184 were decent, but I opted for the other Gordon track on the disc. What irks me is that Pasquini decided to use an upbeat and jubilant melody, yet possesses a sort of melancholic overlay. Personally, I feel Gordon's vocals, while not as scratchy as usual, make the song sound joyless. Come On Up is clearly trying to be something that it isn't. While it was a fair effort, De Vincenzo sings these bubbly tunes better.
SCORE: 2/5
-
wolftickets1969
- Eurobeat Master
- Posts: 532
- Joined: 17 Jan 2008, 02:29
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot] and 34 guests