The title and bottom line of this review are overstatements designed to grab attention. The author wishes to assure his readers that despite the occasional aural similarities of Winger's third album Pull to the music of Def Leppard, Yes or even Metallica, it is not his opinion that Winger is a better band than any of the other three.

Well, OK – two of those three…
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Changes

When I last discussed Winger, the band was on cruise control with the release of their second album, content to play it safe with power ballads and straight up hair metal/rock. They'd shed some of the elements that they included in their first album, turning their back on their own progressive rock roots to craft a popular recording.

I'm not about to fault the band for making hay while the sun shines, but I will applaud Winger for returning to the sounds they loved and had the talent to create when storm clouds obscured the sun in September, 1991. It was that month in which Nirvana released Nevermind, an album that stormed the music industry and washed away the hair metal genre in a flash-flood of trend-destroying grunge rock.

By the time Winger recorded Pull, keyboardist Paul Taylor had left the group, leaving drummer Rod Morgenstein, lead guitarist Reb Beach and bass/lead vocalist Kip Winger to produce the band's final album for Atlantic Records. The guys made a very smart move with this recording – they didn't try to ride the wave of grunge's popularity. Instead, they remained grounded, going back to the music they loved and the sound that they felt most comfortable with – as a result, Pull is an interesting combination of some progressive rock elements, polished metal stylings, and a hardened rock edge that the band had never before displayed.

Simply put - Pull is Winger's best album.
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Adrenalize

Winger takes a big risk by opening the album with what seems to be their lightest ballad ever - Blind Revolution Mad starts with a flowing acoustic guitar under Kip's gentle vocals. Performed as two long, cryptic verses, the first ninety seconds of the song appear to be some sort of reflection on the plight of a hurting, orphaned child – the imagery is completely different from anything else Winger had done to this point. I'm sure that it had Winger's die-hard fans completely flustered, unsure of exactly what direction the band was taking, or the point they were trying to make with this haunting introduction.

With no place to go now, little boy brave
Wanders the streets, faithfully prays
But his broken arrows, once filled with pride
Aimed and missed
At the dreams never lived, dreams never died

It's at the minute thirty mark that Winger begins to hint at something new, something different, something better… Kip's bass begins to move, accenting his vocal –Reb hits a couple lead notes, one on the left, one on the right. It's at one minute fifty that Winger unveils their new sound – Kip stretches the final note of the introduction into a rising scream, the band explodes into hard rock mode on all sides and the song goes into overdrive. The orphaned child can be seen as our own individual and collective innocence, abandoned by a society completely out of control…

Campaign smokescreen glorifies the mainstream, cities on remote control
Meanwhile vigilante gangs dig their fangs into the streets
They've overthrown while plastic faces
Run for king of this disassociation land
I'm dying to find anyone who understands
Behold…one more Blind Revolution Mad
One more chance of a lifetime…

Mind in the gutter turned another boy bad
Behold…one more Blind Revolution Mad
- Blind Revolution Mad (K. Winger/R. Beach)

The remainder of the song is high energy, with all the polished style and hi-gloss sheen of Def Leppard's (oops, I mean Mutt Lange's) best work, but there is absolutely no question in my mind which is the better band. Winger does "Def Leppard" better than Def Leppard by writing songs that are more intricate, more intense, and more interesting - the better than Def performance level is maintained in every song they use the sound.
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Enter Sandman

Pull brings in another sound, new to Winger, and familiar to many – whether it's intentional or not, one of the songs displays a strong Metallica influence. Kip sings with a somewhat decent Hetfield growl (if Hetfield sang high tenor) and the guitars crunch ominously in Junkyard Dog. One important thing to point out here – while I believe Winger exceeds Def Leppard by using Yes-style riffs and rhythms, they only manage to sound like they're imitating Metallica. It's not a bad imitation, so if you like that sound and you're feeling inclined to give Winger another chance, you won't be disappointed – but I want to be perfectly clear about this. Metallica has nothing to fear from Winger…

Both Junkyard Dog and In My Veins contain some of the newly improved Winger lyrics – both songs contain references to drug addiction. Junkyard Dog is actually about drug addiction, while In My Veins relies heavily on addiction for imagery to describe one's extreme need for an object of desire. It's an interesting choice for the band, lending them an edge they didn't have in either of their first two albums.
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Pull

What's this? Politics? Social dissent? Drug addiction? From Winger? Apparently, Seventeen grew up, went to college, got an education and a social conscience… and to me, that's much more attractive. Pull displays Winger in top form both musically and lyrically; as they did for their second album the band performs songs that show they know what people want to hear, but this time around, they don't compromise by suppressing the progressive elements they prefer to play

Pull is the real Winger - creative and slick, cynical and angry, and defiantly unapologetic for doing what they were best at despite the changing tides of the music industry. Pull demands attention and respect with the band's strong musical performances, improved lyrics, and dedication to a harder rock sound that really suits them.

It's not too late to love Winger - don't leave it if you find a copy of Pull at your local record store.
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Winger Pull
Originally released in 1993 by Atlantic Records

Track Listing
Blind Revolution Mad / Down Incognito / Spell I'm Under / In My Veins / Junkyard Dog (Tears on Stone) / The Lucky One / In For the Kill / No Man's Land / Like a Ritual / Who's the One

Related Reviews
Kip Winger biography
Winger
In the Heart of the Young
Down Incognito (Kip's acoustic solo album)

Recommended: Yes