Kip and the boys released a surprisingly good 4th opus last year. In the wake of their newfound “stardom” they released a collection of demos and now, in support of WINGER IV we are finally presented to a WINGER live recording. The CD contains the same tracks as the DVD does except one, so I’ve chosen to review the discs’ overall outlet.

First of all – Don’t expect any studio magic as this is a pretty raw live recording – I guess that’s fine by me, since you always get the impression that Winger’s sound is pretty intangible – Good to finally hear them without a net!

No doubt, these guys are TALENTED - especially Kip Winger and Reb Beach (check out that over-the-top guitar solo!) but alas, they’re not in their mid-twenties anymore and that, being their initial forte, is now, ironically, their fall from grace. They may be a tight bunch of entertainers onstage but the raw energy that HAS to be evident in Melodic Hard Rock has been lost along the way.  This becomes ever clearer when the band performs their newer material – They sound like being content with dwelling in their own melodic ecstasy – and apparently they let their fans down a bit.

I know, the 80s are over – But on the other hand, what once led this band to widespread recognition within the genre should, in my opinion, still be their sales pitch!

This is a rather good live recording although I’ve heard better -