Pepsi’s been bery, bery good tune me
Without question, the lyrics of this song are trying very hard to be deep – “You’ve been left on your own, like a rainbow in the dark.” But it’s very hard to take any 80s hair band seriously. Except for the music in some cases. This song, along with others like “Holy Diver,” are standouts in a generation I best remember for the tendency to have every band member play as loudly as possible regardless of the consequences. But “Rainbow” has a flair in its melody and a nice use of strings (or simulated strings – it’s hard to tell). Then again, I feel most any tune can benefit from violins and cellos, especially Rock songs.
The Supertones style comes through loud and clear – lots of brass and an interesting way of presenting the Word – but there’s a quirk in this track that I just can’t nail down. This is just the third song of theirs that I have. Their perennial “Superfly” isn’t what I’d call an on-message Christian song but is good anyway while “Wilderness” has to be the best kick-in-the-teeth, get-it-or-forget-it, Christian song out there. If I hadn’t acquired “Overcome” for free I’m not sure it would be in my playlist, though its likely to grow on me.
“Drum Song” by Earth, Wind & Fire, from Open Your Eyes
Here’s a prime example of why iTunes samples need to be 45 seconds long or more. If I had heard more of this track it wouldn’t have been sallying about in my Shopping Cart for a few days. This is what percussion should be; not just one guy on a drum kit (sorry, Buddy & Gene). Then again, even if it was just a drum kit, anybody with a whit of R&B in their body could make it sound good. This is just better for the mix of instruments, the Afro-centric rhythms, and the utter passion that comes through in this session.
“Birdland” by Weather Report, from This Is Jazz, No. 10: Weather Report
With as many tracks as Apple iTunes stocks and sells, one would think that there would be more than one decent instrumental version of “Birdland” available, let alone a great one. After some time looking, I finally gave up and got this one. It lacks feeling and is too heavy on the synth. I write this despite that some consider this rendition fairly legendary (do a Web search and you'll see). Based on the samples of the other renditions available it could be much worse, but it too readily shows its late 70s heritage and Disco influence. It almost reminds me of Meco (and, yes, I do have a few of those on vinyl).
