I had forgotten all about this until I saw this online again and remembered that Clemens had posted about it, so here I am. I don't know much about QR other than listening to their music so it's interesting to hear how they've taken ideas and is now doing an album of this nature.....three years after Winger has already done it. I had metioned in an earlier post that I would post the link I had seen, so here are some excerpts from different sites. I have a lot of respect for all artists and to even think that one artist borrows from another, just doesn't seem right to me. On the upside, it could also be viewed as a compliment to Winger since they are the ones who originated the concept years ago.
Excepts from a follow up Press Release From Frontiers Records - August 2006
"Several songs on this record" reveals Kip, "were inspired by my experience performing at military bases, after meeting the men and women who are in the line of fire. I wrote songs like Blue Suede Shoes, Right Up Ahead and M16 as a way of giving something back to the soldiers who sacrifice themselves for the rest of us to live free."
Excerpt's from SoldiersMind.com "Tunes for the Troops" 2007
Their new album, Winger IV is no exception. The first 4 songs on the album tell a story from the perspective of a soldier. When asked about his inspiration for the album Kip said, "I wanted to write it from their perspective. I didn't want to minimize what they're going through and what they're doing, so I tried to write it from their perspective. I can't begin to imagine what it's like to do what they do. I didn't write it to get Thank You's or public acclaim, but instead wanted to tell them (the troops) Thank You for the job that they do." I think Kip and Reb did a fantastic job of writing from the perspective of a soldier and getting the message they wished to convey across. From the response Kip has gotten from soldiers, the troops must think so as well. Kip said that he's gotten some really good letters from troops in response to Winger IV and what the band was trying to say. Kip commented that Winger doesn't make an album unless they have something they feel needs to be said. With Winger IV, the message that comes across Loud and Clear is that Kip Winger and Winger, fully stand behind our troops, appreciate the sacrifices they make and support them 100%.
I asked Kip about the cover of the album, which features a soldier dressed in Desert Camouflage, holding an M16 with 3 angels protectively watching over his shoulder. The front cover depicts this soldier with a blazing sun in the background and the back cover depicts the same soldier and angels under the full moon. Kip said that he told the artists Ethan Van Sciver and Moose Bauman what his concept was for the album and they just ran with it. In Kips words, "The result was phenomenal." I fully agree with that. The artwork is fantastic and fully conveys the message Kip and the band are trying to share in their songs.
I asked Kip, if he had to pick just 1 song off the Winger IV album for the troops to hear, which song would that be. Without hesitation Kip said "Blue Suede Shoes,"which is a dedication to our troops. Kip feels that it's the best song of the album, in fact he feels that it's the best song they've ever done. This song is written from the perspective of a soldier, telling the reason they so proudly serve their country. Kip gave me permission to post any of the songs from the album, along with the lyrics here for you all to enjoy. Blue Suede Shoes is the song I've chosen and decided after listening to it, that I would create a video, which I think gives the words and music even MORE impact. After listening to the song and reading the lyrics, I think you'll agree that Winger has a definite HIT on their hands!
Blue Suede Shoes
(Dedication to our troops)
Written by Kip Winger and Reb Beach ®
I am the son who believed in the call
Standing beside you I witness it all
Walk hand in hand through cities of clay
Far from the ocean so far from the ocean
You wonder why
Don't you know someone you'd die for?
Put on my blue suede shoes all for you...
I'm not a trophy you hang on your wall
Levy illusion rob Peter pay Paul
I brave the distance I take the fall
Of extreme words unspoken with deeper devotion
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...
One look around
Won't you see someone you live for?
Put on my blue suede shoes ah...
Red, white and blue suede shoes all for you...
Excerpt's from A Soldier's Perspective.com "Winger Salutes Soldiers" 2007
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 oceanYou 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.
Excerpts from Army Times Interview - September 2006
We caught up with Kip in late September as the band was gearing up for a monthlong European tour. In a telephone interview from his Nashville, Tenn., home, he talked about the new album and its military connections.
Among his more recent tour dates was a series of gigs at military bases as part of a VH1 tour and his significant exposure to the military and that experience hit home. "I was just blown away by the people," he said.
So when he and the rest of the old Winger crew were out from under other commitments and ready to do another album, that time among the troops shaped his songwriting.
"How cool would it be," he explained, "to write some songs from the perspective of what they actually experienced?"
Military themes figure most prominently in three songs on "Winger IV" -- "Blue Suede Shoes," "Right Up Ahead" and "M16." In particular, "'Blue Suede Shoes' is definitely a dedication to the troops," he 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."
In the dramatic power ballad, he sings of a service member in a combat zone who explains his reason for going to war.
I am the son who believed in the call.
Standing beside you I witness it all.
Walk hand and hand through cities of clay.
Far from the ocean, so far from the ocean.
You wonder why.
Don't you know someone you'd die for?
The military also figures prominently in the album art, drawn by veteran comic book artist Ethan Van Sciver. The 32-year-old artist has worked for both DC Comics and Marvel Comics on titles including "Flash," "Wolverine," "New X-Men," "Batman," "Green Lantern" and "Superman."
As he talked with Kip Winger about the concept, "over the course of a few conversations with him, I started to understand his feelings that led to the songs he wrote for the album," Van Sciver said in an e-mail interview. "He really tried to put himself into the shoes of a soldier, to feel what they must feel. And a lot of this album is something like a prayer for them."
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 angels are the prayers and hopes and best wishes from us, to them," Van Sciver said. "We hope they're being looked after as they risk their lives each day. I hope each of them has their own little angel. Or three."
UPDATE: Okay well, I was trying to resixe these images since they're so huge, but I can't unless I go through PB and edit. Sorry!
Deeandra
