Classic Rock Bottom

This week we're back on track with THAT series so it's not only album #10 in THAT series but it also is yet another series, piggybacking on an AOTW from 2011 but also continues a series from last year featuring followup albums to an artist's big (not necessarily biggest) selling album so it's a series within a series of a series related to a series pertaining to yet another series that's just a sub-series of a series. We'll just call this album 10.1 in THAT series to clear up any confusion.

This week it's the 1987 release from Mr. Mister, go on.... which was the followup to their mega-selling Welcome To The Real World which was released in 1985.

Unlike the previous album which reached #1 in the US, received platinum status and spawned three top 10 singles, go on... only reached #55 on the charts, received no RIAA status (but went gold in Canada) and charted one single ("Something Real") which reached #29.

Say what you want about Mr. Mister, but WTTRW had quite a few catchy tunes unlike go on.... It's not a bad album, but it's quite mellow and there's really nothing as catchy as the precious album. 

This would be the final album from Mr. Mister until 2010 when Pull was released. There is an interesting backstory on that album if you want to take the time to check it out.

Allmusic.com will finish this up:

For their third and final record, Go On, Mr. Mister made few changes. The record contained an uplifting pop/rock vibe that was consistent with their first two efforts. They continued to write songs in the vein of '80s pop bands like Mike & the Mechanics and Genesis, and their lyrics continued to center around the vaguely spiritual themes explored in their hit singles "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie." The only significant change was in record sales. Go On produced one moderately successful single, "Something Real (Inside Me/Inside You)," which lacked the killer hook of their previous hits, though it did include some compelling experiments with exotic keyboard sounds. The greatest strength of the record is its lyrical substance. Songwriters Richard Page, Steve George, Steve Farris, and John Lang are not the most skilled wordsmiths in pop music, but they find some laudable ways to express their favorite themes. "Man of a Thousand Dances" is written from the perspective of a man who is doggedly haunted by a presence that we begin to feel may be divine. "The Tube" blasts couch-potato culture and its illusory perfection: "I want to live in a dream that's neverending/ I want to love all the wasted time I'm spending." Released in 1987, during the height of the materialistic '80s, Go On was an example of a band using its pop culture bully pulpit to suggest that the "greed is good" philosophy was leaving a spiritual vacuum in American culture.

go on...

1. Stand And Deliver
2. Healing Waters
3. Dust
4. Something Real (Inside Me/Inside You)
5. The Tube
6. Bare My Soul
7. Control
8. Watching The World
9. Power Over Me
10. Man Of A Thousand Dances
11. The Border

Availability: Around $15-16 new, remastered with bonus tracks (not included here).

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I remember when Pull was posted, I was actually excited to hear it but it turned out to be snooze fest - not like a Tull snooze though... At least this has some tempo to it at least right off the bat. 

Jon is in a very poppy mood lately which may be the theme here.  Its a side of Jon we rarely see as he is far more diverse than a pop record woudl suggest.  Yes that was a compliment!  So I wonder how long he can remain poppy without, well... popping!

I like Page as a vocalist, always felt like he was the right choice to replace Cetera that would've kept Chicago interesting, at least for me it woudl have.  But alas, he had different plans which we may never know since he kinda rode off into the sunset - seemingly anyway.

The opener does nothing for me really, its mid tempo and keyboardy and its got that hollow production of the times. And so it goes through red track.  Not much to distinguish track from track.  

Started to notice something strange about the sequence of the songs versus what was listed in the player, seems tracks 2 and 11 are the same song and thats thrown the track listing off by one all the way to #10.  Now no one will ever be able to know what the real Cherry pick is!!

Could be. Noticed something weird going on in the car and just didn't care about the order. Blame your favorite music re-release company since it's taken from that. And the red track is correct. Eat it and suffer. 

So this is the first in a new series?

The first in what series?

Please explain?

Image result for confused gif

pretty sure its now the sub-series of a series...

That's some messed up sequencing.

What do I know about this band? Not much, except for the Broken Wings, which I have probably on few Ballad compilation albums and it's a song I like. It's from the time when I was actually looking forward to a ballad in every style of music. Other than that, not much. I don't think I ever heard a whole album by them. Not because I didn't want to, but because they stayed under my radar. However here is the chance to correct that.

The first 3 tracks (I gave up trying to figure out which titles they are) were one of those, fill the background, yet still not intruding the conversations at your local Bistro's patio songs. I think the term is "nice" and they fall under, no one is asking "who plays this?" category. From there on, while the attractions remain in neutral, the arrangements and the guitar solo's break out the practice to bring some excitment. Track # 10 is kind of a relapse, for me.

So... Rock Candy released this one? It might pass for an AOR, but you really have to squint your eyes. Coming from the 80's I might have a bit of a soft spot for this music (just a bit) but I too am surprised to see it here.

Green track? Tube.

Oh, and I'd like to solve the clue 0.1 The new theme is:

A man under clouds and utility poles stands on a long road in front of a tree surrounded by farmland. Either that, or "Dot in the name of the band".

Has anyone mentioned that the sequence is off?  Oh wait, I'm behind and this was so last week. Besides, who the heck am I to complain?

Well, I totally dig the pop goodness of the predecessor.  It's just a good album from top to bottom.  And this one isn't one bit bad.  It is quite mellow, a lot of slow to somewhat slow songs.  Very mellow.  A good mood music album, if you know what I'm talkin' 'bout!  Occasionally a nice little bit of guitar playing.  

Page has a great voice.  Dude can sing.  

I think the best song here is Control.  Or at least, I think it's Control, since the track sequencing is misaligned.  He says control a good bit, so I guess that's it.

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