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The albums have been graded on the most common grading system used in Finnish schools. Where 4 is the worst, and 10 is the best. The final score for the album is most of the times the average for all of the tracks, though it can also change if the reviewer wishes so. The Super Eurobeat Non-Stop albums will be reviewed as full collections, and the individual songs won't be reviewed, unless they are completely new. Though Euromach and JGTC albums for example will have complete song by song reviews.
The grading system simply goes as ie. 4- (3,75), 4 (4), 4+ (4,25) and 4½ (4,5) and the next one again would be 5-. A simple system we have over here in Finland.

  Super Eurobeat 172

1.Pamsy - Once Upon A Time (SCP)
Our lovely Pamsy is back after the previous entry on 167. By now it's clear that SCP can produce killer hits time after time and Pamsy has been the fortunate lass to end up getting the longer straw than many of the other titles. Once Upon A Time reproduces the well received style Pamsy has been doing for a while now, but with a few interesting new features in the mix. Fast paced melody kicks off with a neat intro that reveals the biggest catch of the track: Stomping background bass that keeps the sound flowing constantly at incredible style. Vocals are handled great as always and the track reaches its clear climax at the awesome bridge that is repeated multiple times fortunately. Kick ass album opener and maybe even Pamsy's best track to date.
Rating : 10

2.Fastway - Go Racin' Go (SCP)
Another famous SCP title to start the album off with, can our Mister Energy keep his pace up still? Go Racin' Go is a rather typical song you can expect from Ennio both in good and bad. I was expecting something as stunning and irresistible as Shock Out was, but sadly this time he can't produce as much of a bull's eye. The song has aggressive synth along with a phat beat that really takes you for a rollercoaster ride, vocals sound great and chorus is catchy, but I still kept feeling that something was missing. I can't really say why the song just didn't strike as much as some of the past Fastway songs did, either way it's a nice song that'd suit ID perfectly.
Rating :

3.Stephy Martini - Mad Desire (Delta)
Stephy is back with yet a new kind of a track to surprise us with. If you were expecting to hear another ballad along the lines of Emotions you'll be disappointed as Delta presents us with a very fastpaced and energic eurobeat song. The song really sounds like good old eurobeat with a strong beat, electric guitars and the good old synth to back it all up. The song is not as unique and noticable as the previous Stephy entry was but it's still none the less a very nicely producer eurobeat song that sounds perfect for a JGTC album if you ask me.
Rating : 9-

4.Alexis - One Night In Tokyo (Time)
I have mentioned this before, but Time can really work up marvellous intros, just sad that most of the times the rest of the song can't keep up the same level. Alexis is hardly a name I could really call a favorite of mine, but I have to admit this time around Time managed to take the best out of me. One Night In Tokyo is an interesting combo of a fast flowing beat and the basic time elements, but at the same time really modern and fresh sounds. The verses can't really kick in the punch that the chorus and c-melody do, but the low points are easily beaten when the chorus will sweep you away. A refreshing feature from the label yet I still sort of wish to hear more distinctive female vocalists from the label (not that there's anything wrong with Elena's vocals).
Rating : 8+

5.Vivi - Gimme Gimme Gimme (SCP)
I wasn't the biggest fan of the Vivi debut back on 163, so I wasn't really expecting to get anything special this time around. This young prodigy still sounds really pleasant and it's always great to hear new vocalists in this small genre of ours. The song has a very cheery mood to it, even though most of the song sounds relatively serious. The peppy chorus and c-melody pack a lot of energy that always leave me wanting for more, but it never comes through the verses, fortunately the song otherwise can please the ear. A fun filler song for the album, but I am sure Vivi could present us with even better.
Rating : 8

6.Lou Grant - Don't Stop The Music 2006 (Time)
As far as remakes go this track is not really one of the songs I would have wanted to hear re-done. I don't really consider the track to be that much of a masterpiece when compared to the other Time classics. Either way Don't Stop The Music is originally from the golden years of Time when they put out a hit after an another, and the song is considered as one of the more well known eurobeat songs due to its frequent ID airplay. The original was an energy packed fun track that was fun in small doses, but the remake has somehow lost the feel what made the original enjoyable. The newly reworked sounds got a really thin feel to them and as much as it does sound like a modernized version it just ain't the same without that classic eurobeat sound. Thumbs down.
Rating :

7.Dave & Meri - I Wanna Give You My Heart (A-Beat C)
After the more quiet period with Dave songs he has been appearing a lot lately under his own name and some duets as well. The solo songs he has presented have been striking and irresistible but somehow the duets have lacked the punch I've been hoping to hear from them. The good old days when Dave & Domino put out such jewels as Forever, Red Hot Zip & Click Your Heart are long gone as these songs just don't get the similar kind of feel. The vocals work really nicely and Meri's vocals fit along with Mr. Giancarlo rather nicely, but the song just doesn't have a memorable melody nor very striking sounds. Nothing bad, but nothing good either.
Rating : 7

8.Jungle Bill - Baby Call Me Frankenstein (HI-NRG Attack)
Well it's Halloween today and guess a theme song for the celebration is at place. I was sort of keeping my fingers crossed for a new Scream Team song but Jungle Bill will have to do for now. The song starts with a really cool intro that reminds me a lot of some other HI-NRG Attack song that I just can't point my finger at, but I'm sure if I spent an hour or two browsing through the entries I'd find what song this one has been ripped off of. The song has a slightly dark mood to it with the heavier than normal sounds and Halloweenish sound effects, I felt that these small yet noticable changes really did a lot of good for the song. The verses and sounds in general are really good but the chorus goes by without notice, the first time I was listening to the song I realized the chorus had gone just due to the c-melody starting. Not the best production by any means but it's still a really nice song, yet I would've still wanted to hear more female vocals in this one á la Scream Team.
Rating :

9.Manuel - Countdown To Destination (A-Beat C)
I've been replaying lots of Manuel songs lately and a few of the tracks I didn't originally enjoy have slowly grown on me, so I've tried to give a few more chances to the tracks I'm reviewing, Countdown To Destination didn't need more than 1 chance though. The song starts with a very classic kind of a synth and excellent vocals that for some reason remind me of good ole Lolita all the time. It's probably just my imagination but at least I like to think it's her adding some flava to the song. Great chorus, nice way of distinctively separating the verses and chorus with totally different sounds. Nice song and maybe sometime soon we could even get a Manuel solo album?
Rating : 9-

10.Nando - Dark And Bright (Delta)
I wanted to like this song a lot, I really did. I listened to this track a lot on repeat when I originally got the album as I liked quite a few parts of the song, but as a complete track the song just feels somewhat "broken". The sounds are really nice, but the vocals seem slightly off-key and the whole structure of the song felt somehow chaotic to my ear. The parts about the song I really liked are the vocals on the chorus and the intro, but the rest of the song just feels, weird. Can't really explain it, but I just don't get the song at all.
Rating : 7-

11.Paul Harris - Every Night (Delta)
Eurobeat Disney makes yet an another comeback and this time with a very very strong song! This song has both a Christmas feeling and Disney to it at the same time which feels slightly confusing at first but after a while I started to appreciate the uniqueness. The sounds have very awesome gimmicks all around that sound really pleasant and always catch the attention from the strong vocals which is nice to notice. As said, the vocals are strong but have this certain nasal tone to them occasionally which may not please all but if you're finnish and know the title Nylon Beat you probably won't be one bit bothered by the vocals here. A very big surprise from Delta and a nice pop-eurobeat hybrid combination I would love to hear some more in the future.
Rating :

12.Ray Sun - Black Devil (A-Beat C)
Speculations flying about, new name or not, who cares. It's eurobeat, all a big mystery. Distinctive bass kicks this song going but once the vocals start my full attention was taken by the strong and in my opinion very 'handsome' voice of this male singer. The song has a rather steady melody going with not too many jumps to any special direction but it doesn't really matter when the track can still keep the level high from the start to the end. Nice way of presenting a new title for us, and a very sexy title at it as well.
Rating : 9+

13.Queen 26 - Keep On Loving You (Delta)
Even with all the specialities with Queen 26 I must admit that I love the unpredictability the name offers. With the songs she has pulled off so far we've had very different sounding tracks and even though all may not have been the highest quality, it's fun to have a name that doesn't stick to a simple pattern. This song sounds a lot like the happy-go-lucky females that Delta had going in the late 90's (see: Suzy Lazy, Vicky Vale etc.), and we haven't really heard a lot lately. This song has a bubbly beat and the vocals are full of lust for life. A strong eurobeat song at all fronts with nice melody to back up the good vocals.
Rating : 9

14.Kasanova - Love Shining (Time)
With all the Time bashing I would like to adress my biggest problem with the label (already sort of suggested it earlier as well). The real lack of different vocalists hurts the label a lot in my eyes, I don't really love their current major vocalists nor do I dislike them, but I just feel like it's the same neverending song going on with only a few vocalists to go around. When they broke the pattern with new vocalists (see: Sara for example) the loophole was instantly broken. Gambogi is back in business this time under Kasanova and it sounds all good, but also like something I would've heard in the past as well. Basic steady good stuff, but also so easily forgettable.
Rating : 7-

15.Barbie - Para Para Girl (Time)
Read what I said above and apply it to this track. I assume that the vocalist here is Elena Ferretti as the similarities are so very striking but the big difference now is that the vocals are slightly pitched and give her a very distinctive sound (reminds me of the great times back when Emmanuelle was singing alongside the other Time women). I wouldn't honestly believed that this is a Time song if I didn't know better but as it is, it's a very nicely done song I would love to hear more from them. Happy and bubbly eurobeat which we very rarely get from them these days, if this is Time's answer for new ParaPara I would love to hear more of it! Very catchy and irresistible in a neat package. I want more.
Rating :

16.Martina Dry - Get A Boom (HI-NRG Attack)
With a title that has a Boom in it, you can't go all that wrong, at least I believe so. And so it applies to this track as well. The very basic essence that is HI-NRG Attack is the soul of this song: Energy, fun, bouncy and overall really wacky. The song has one of the most upbeat melodies we've heard in a while and the typically pitched female vocals sound like a hundred other HI-NRG Attack songs but maybe I've just grown to accept the fact that they won't offer any non-pitched female vocals for us. A really nice song that carries on the good mood Barbie put up previously at a steady level.
Rating : 9

17.Lisa & Ace - Getting The Fever (SCP)
Ace has probably done a duet with about all of the women of SCP, but where are the duets with Fastway or the other men? Why is it always him doing the duets... Questions aside, we are treated to a song that keeps on the steady level of duets: Nothing breath taking but nothing bad either. A nice lil' song that is fun to listen to once in a while but I couldn't keep listening to it on repeat or I'd get bored relatively fast.
Rating :

18.Annalise - Promised Land (A-Beat C)
With her very strong comeback Annerley has been putting out songs that have pleased fans a lot. The album closener is a rather nice combination of acoustic instruments and very basic eurobeat sounds, I had a slightly Ann Lee feel when I listened to this song and I still feel that they've had somewhat of an inspiration from the old titles that Annerley sung. A very unique sound and great vocals that wrap up yet an another SEB volume with style.
Rating : 9

Final Words :
Okay my initial reaction to this album was full of 'meh' and 'boring'. But by time I've grown to love a lot of the songs and I have to say that out of the last 10+ SEB volumes this is definitely from the better end. The album has practically no *bad* songs on it, but on the other hand there are only a very few titles I would call as something really phenomenal. The album's high points are definitely the Pamsy, Paul Harris & Barbie songs. The album does suffer from a certain amount of safe playing as the songs are mostly around the basic 'good' level but can't really reach new hights (few exceptions aside). With the depression around the eurobeat genre for the past few years this album does indeed really sound like a very good production, but we are still far from the best days of SEB. Also nice to see the labels all doing pretty nicely in general, no clear misses for any of them.

Final Score : 8½

The Best 3 Songs

- Pamsy - Once Upon A Time
- Paul Harris - Every Night
- Barbie - Para Para Girl

The Worst 3 songs

- Lou Grant - Don't Stop The Music 2006
- Nando - Dark And Bright
- Kasanova - Love Shining

Honorable Mention

- Ray Sun - Black Devil

Reviewed by Bore