Recently Ron Wasserman announced that he was working on a project where he would re record various music from MMPR using modern technology. Of course, the fans went nuts, rightly proclaiming it to be a totally awesome idea. Over the weeks that followed, Ron uploaded rough board mixes which whet the appetite of the fans’ appetites for what was to come. However, did the album live up to expectations?
Album Artwork
OK, I’ll start with the small stuff. The album comes with three pieces of artwork- the ‘default’ art, which is of a hand holding a lightning bolt, and two versions of a depiction of the MMPR helmet. I’ll be brutally honest and say that I just don’t like the default cover. I can see what look the artist was going for, but it just doesn’t work. Firstly, there’s a lot of space which looks plain. Adding a gradient helps a little, but it just feels very plain and unfinished as a result. Using a hand holding a lightning bolt is a great idea in theory but (since I live in South Australia) it keeps reminding me of the logo of the Port Adelaide Football Club. The way the lines of the lightning bold flow makes it look like the bolt is being bended by the hand, which makes it look awquard. The font for ‘Ron Wasserman’ is a little too ‘90s Metallica’ which again could be what the artist was going for, but just doesn’t work for me.
The two ‘bonus’ covers are the same image but with a different colour scheme. Going in to nitpick mode again, there’s just too much text on this cover for my liking. ‘The Power is On Again’ is redundant and really didn’t need to be there. It clutters up the design too much. That said, the font choice works well for this cover- it’s a thin font and as a result doesn’t distract from the overall design of the cover. The hint of diamonds at the bottom help break up the colour and using a silhouette for the helmet just works. Another small nitpick, the lightning bolt on the visor is unnecessary, but it’s not bad thing. For use as an icon, I used the red one because it’s a little more lively than the grey one, and the helmet stands out more.
The Music
Well, after talk about design, what about the music? Does it stand up? Let’s go through track by track, shall we?
Go Go Power Rangers
The intro riff is played slightly different, but I like it. Overall the song just sounds great- the guitars are solid sounding, and Ron’s just sounds fantastic. Getting this song right was just crucial because it’s the iconic song for the franchise. The little runs between lines during the verses are great and the song overall is just full of energy. There’s just enough reverb to give everything depth but not so much that it gets distracting. The solo is wonderful- short and fitting with the overall style and energy of the song as a whole. Solos should serve a piece of music as a whole, and this one does so perfectly.
Fight
One of my favourite Wasserman songs, when I got back into PR and got the German DVDs, I was waiting to hear Fight for the first time- remembering the song after 15 years! So this song is one that I was looking forward to. It just works so well as a fight song! The strings work fantastically in the intro, and again, Ron sounds great and the echo ono the words ‘fight’ and the ‘we’ll take them down’ line sounds great. Once again there are great guitar licks between lines in the verses that just make it fun to listen to. This is a fun song to sing along with, love it.
Hope for the World
This is one song that works great as a stand alone song. That’s one thing that as a fan is a real treat- backing music that works well by itself as well as backing music. Unlike the past two songs this is a little more laid back, and just rocks along at a nice pace, fitting the subject of the song. The coda is brilliant in the way it leads back into the solo, which is just a *touch* too short. I was hoping for about 20 seconds more... Overall this is a solid song.
Combat
Combat is a song that I discovered is awesome as an adult fan. Again, this is a song that works fantastically as a stand alone song. Having the voices jump back and forth from left and right is a great technique and then it launches into a fun pre-chorus and chorus. Having the first section about the rangers running, then the second about the monster running was a great idea lyrically and pretty much summarises an episode of MMPR- they face a monster, there’s a retreat, they work out a plan, then they use as much explodium as they can find. The instrumental section is great and (apart from providing a nice musical section for use in episodes) provides a change for the listener.
Cross My Line
The synths make the intro for me, as it goes into something great and energetic. To be honest this isn’t a fantastic song, but a good, energetic song that is nice to listen to. Like the other songs, Ron puts in a great performance that’s energetic. His performance helps sell the music because his voice is great to listen to. His voice brings forward the energy that’s in the guitar parts and that’s what helps make things that much better.
Lord Zedd
This is an interesting one. Ron clearly upped the ante by putting heaps of synth and strings in it to spice it up, especially in the beginning. This makes sense of course, the original, though it was really good, wouldn’t work as stand alone music. He really pulled something out of the bag for this, composing a piece of music that’s really interesting. The long note singing is fantastic.
We Need a Hero
Another one of my favourites. We Need a Hero is great for representing a lot of what Power Rangers is all about. The people of Earth need people to stand up and say no to the evils of the universe. The Rangers always hope for a good, peaceful universe, and in the meantime they step forwards and do what necessary. The layering of the lyrics is just so pleasing to the ear as well as the main riffs that just keep the pace going. The slow section (with some very nice singing from Ron’s wife) is a nice change and gives the song some musical depth it wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Go Green Ranger Go
A good song, but not one of my favourites. I like it when it’s used in good circumstances, which increases the awesomeness factor fo the song- the use for “Green No More”? wonderful. That said, this song has the same pluses as every other song- beautifully recorded, sounds great, and a fantastic performance. I know I’m repeating myself a little, but this song is really energetic and it makes it an absolute joy to listen to.
Unite
This is another great stand alone song. It has great pacing and energy, and I can’t fault it. For a long time I thought Ron was singing “you’re nothing but a dumbass” which I thought was odd for Power Rangers... though I turned out to be wrong. Ron continues his run of having great to listen to solos here, and when he plays over the backing vocals it sounds great.
5-4-1
I like just about everything about this song- the main riffs, the layered lyrics, the strong drum part, the cool solo, but... the chorus just feels a bit meh for me. Ron has explained that the title is a reference to the well known catchphrase of The Three Musketeers, but it just doesn’t work for me. Every other element of this song I love, but the chorus just doesn’t sit very well. They all can’t be gold, and this song sits as being a good song, just not as awesome as a majority of the other stuff here.
I Will Win
This is another song I remember from my childhood of watching Power Rangers. The overall theme of determination and working hard towards achieving a dream is one that’s applicable to bothe Power Rangers and life in general. It’s something that I love about Ron Wasserman’s songs- they’re about the Power Rangers but in their own way they’re about doing what’s necessary to achieve something great. This song is the best example of this.
Instrumental Reduxes
I won’t go into this into a track by track level because there’s not much to say that I haven’t already said. They’re a good bonus, especially for people who play guitar and want to learn the songs- it’s much easier to work a song out by ear without the lyrics getting in the way. That said, I really don’t listen to them much, I see them as a bit of a bonus.
Overall
Why haven’t you bought this album yet? Go to Band Camp, it’s a GREAT music site- you choose your format to download, you don’t need a client (like that piece of crap called iTunes) and it’s obscenely user friendly. This is a fantastic album, and a must for every Power Ranger fan, past and present.
GET IT NOW.
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