I’m an 80′s music freak. I love 80′s music. But not only do I love 80′s music in general, I love 80′s rock in particular. One of my favorite bands was is Winger. I used to be a huge Alice Cooper fan and started playing bass because of Alice’s bass player – Kip Winger. Kip left the band and formed Winger in 1987 and hit it big with songs like “Seventeen”, “Headed for a Heartbreak” and my favorite “Hungry”. One of my favorite concerts was when Winger and Skid Row hit the road together. In 1993 they released the album Pull with my new favorite Winger song, “Down Incognito”. When I was DJing at the Navy and Army clubs in Japan, I made it a point to play “Down Incognito” at least three times per night. I couldn’t get enough of it. Unfortunately, it was around that time that the band decided to go their separate ways.

IV CD Cover
Cover art by Ethan Van Sciver & Moose Baumann

Well, they’re back. And better than ever in my opinion. As you can see, from the moment you lay eyes on the CD cover, you can see that they love our troops. The cover depicts a service member clad in desert camouflage and body armor and carrying an M16 rifle, looking into the distance as three angelic figures watch over his shoulder. The first song, “Right Up Ahead” starts the CD off with a bang and a good bit of common sense:

Angel wore a green bar for a living
Sleeping in the sand every night
Cindy’s holding protests
But it ain’t no use to blame
Both sides feel the pain tonight
Hold yourself real tight
Deny…
Votes are down, now fight!

The song continues to follow a Soldier (the Angel) as he kicks down the door of the enemy with a loud “huah!”. The next song, “Blue Suede Shoes” is a “dedication to our troops” and tell the story of why we serve, starting off strong with:

I am the son who believed in the call
Standing beside you I witness it all
Walk hand in hand throught cities of clay
Far from the ocean so far from the ocean

You wonder why
Don’t you know somebody you’d die for?

As you listen to the song, you can feel the explosions in the background. It invites a feeling of intense patriotism as the person telling the story “braves the distance” and “takes the call”. If the next war film doesn’t pick this song up as a theme, they’re missing out on the emotion it evokes. In my mind I can see the bullets flying flying and Soldiers sprinting from building to building, only to calm down and remind us:

Free to decide
Salute the lives laid down before me

Put on my blue suede shoes ah…
Red, White, and Blue suede shoes all for you…

“‘Blue Suede Shoes’ is definitely a dedication to the troops,” Lead Singer/Bassist Kip Winger said. “I’m writing as if I’m in the shoes of one of those guys. I wanted to give it some dignity — I didn’t want it to be hypocritical.”

“M16″ deals with the demons and thoughts that combat can do to Soldiers (or PTSD possibly?). The M16 is our best friend. It’s there when we’re threatened and takes out anything in our way (when it doesn’t jam). There are many like it, but this one is mine. “M16″ bursts with excitement as a fast paced jam through a Soldiers struggles in a combat zone and deals with some possible setbacks:

Thoughts are reeling
People screaming
No chance I’ll ever be the same again
Blindfold the freaks in my head
All they can see is red

Between these songs is more of perhaps Winger’s best work yet. Each song is listenable and GREAT cruising music. Personally, I’ve been blasting “M16″ and “Blue Suede Shoes”. If you’re looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for your “adopted” Soldier overseas, THIS is what I’d want. Unfortunately, Kip wasn’t available for a full interview, but left me his email address to get in touch with him when he’s back in the country. Hopefully, I’ll have that soon.