Mr. Big
Influences And Connections

INTRODUCTION - Ever since I worked for Novella 2000 as a paparazzo, I discovered that the "average Italian" is much more interested in gossip & rumors than in real news, and besides the confirmation I had from Fabrizio Corona (we stayed in prison during the same period), the audience ratings of "Studio Aperto" speak for themselves (unfortunately). People want sad and tragic stories about famous people, and fortunately for us scandal photographers, there are plenty. But the saddest story ever that I happened to follow is the saga of Mr. Big; it had everything for a B-grade American sitcom: naivety, ambition, deserved success, Asian women, drag queens, resentment, anger, and... band breakup! (if there was also a nice story of hidden identities, FBI cover-ups and a murder, RAI Uno's prime-time schedule would have something to offer).

The story begins like this: four very talented, clean-cut guys (Eric Martin on vocals, Paul Gilbert on guitar, Billy Sheehan on bass, and Pat Torpey on drums), after years of conservatory hardscrabble and endless mishaps with girls (and it's understandable why, just look at them with those teased haircuts), a manager (Mike Varney playing himself) thirsty for money and tax reductions, summons all four of them into a broom closet to see if they can stand each other. After about 2 minutes, while the boss is having them sign the contract that "will make them super famous" (his words), Billy Sheehan and Eric Martin have already started a little spat because they're annoyed by each other's perfume. They start bashing each other with a broom until the famous executive admonishes them with these words: - stop it! now that you've given me your soul.. uh, ..I meant your consent, you two will get along for eternity! ha ha! - and disappeared metaphorically from the closet. It was then that the four began writing songs together, and (in the case of Billy and Eric) cordially detesting each other, playing innocent pranks on each other.

The most famous example (the classic drop that made the vase overflow...) happened when Billy, before a show, spread the word among a group of transvestites saying that the frontman was attracted to them and wanted the privilege of attending a private show just for him, even leaving them the hotel room number and a copy of the keys with the promise that they would visit him as soon as the show ended. The next day, Billy paid the bail to let Martin out of jail and found out that due to the confusion that broke out the night before in his hotel room, he had been banned for life from entering the Tokyo Hilton. Since revenge is a dish best served cold, as soon as the bassist was within "reach," he greeted him with a deadly smack and broke his favorite Fender bass (the one with the skull, from the early live shows, to be clear...). The die was cast, Paul Gilbert said: - oh yeah?!?! you guys are immature... I'm leaving; you guys are driving me nuts! - which in musician terms means: - I discovered I'm good at writing songs, and I enjoy it even more if I sing them myself... so I'll make more money if I put the name PAUL GILBERT big on the records and recruit an unknown bassist and drummer, have my wife play keyboards (when there are any), and do everything family-run, I just need to open a VAT number etc.. - the rest is history of our days.

But putting aside that joker PG, let's get back to Mr. Big: now they found themselves as three, the bassist without 2 teeth and a broken bass, the singer with an irreparably compromised criminal record, the drummer disheartened, and to honor the contract, they still had to record 5 albums: everything seemed to end for the worse, but at that moment the phone rang: it was Richie Kotzen, the former guitarman of Poison who had called the three for a pizza together and ended up being their fourth man for the next five years of life "On the Road". Recording commitments loomed: not to waste time, they released a greatest hits with 2 new tracks to add volume, then the first studio album with Kotzen, "Get Over It", but during the tour, Billy and Eric spat in each other's faces and they had to be let in by separate entrances, rent 2 limousines and eat from different caterings. One evening Eric told the staff that Billy (a lifelong and half Buddhist) wanted to increase his muscle mass, so the catering had to be only red meat-based. When the poor bassist saw all that meaty havoc in front of his vegetarian eyes, he refused to play until the entire staff recited a prayer to his God (whoever that may be), and then he quit.

But it didn't end there (it's worse than Beautiful, you see?!), the record label picked him up with the hook threatening him with a hefty fine if he even tried again. Thus, they signed their last studio album, "Actual Size", then the usual farewell tour (to sell a bit more) with a live album... and it seemed like the end of the game, but there was still an LP missing, good old Mike Varney eager to finish his Porsche payments, (or Fiat Duna, you choose) thought about it over and over and finally said: of course! if the two refuse to work together again, we'll make a "TRIBUTE ALBUM", call some international rock/AOR/metal stars so they advertise for us, and we do the same for them... yesssss! genius, I'd marry myself...

And now that I've clarified how things went without further ado, I'll move on to the actual review (it was necessary to understand the background first... and then gossip has always been appealing, especially those invented on the spot) -END OF INTRODUCTION-

To remember the value of this band, in 2004, Frontiers Records released a Tribute titled "Influences Connection". What positively strikes about this album and makes it interesting in itself is the considerable number of big names in hard rock involved in the project: Paul Rodgers, Joe Lynn Turner, King's X, John Waite, Glenn Hughes, Pat Torpey, etc... Truthfully, the project also involved three members of Mr. Big: the virtuoso bassist Billy Sheehan, Richie Kotzen, and Pat Torpey.

It starts with the song "Mr Big", a Free track with Paul Rodgers, the original vocalist. The song is well-performed and Paul's voice stands out for the usual brilliant performance. So we arrive at the second track, "Take Cover", played by some members of King's X. Here too, you come across an instrumental performance not devoid of taste and in any case not such as to cry foul and yearn for the original version. The vocals are good, and the guitar work, if not exactly the same as in the Mr. Big original, is overall easy to listen to. "Colorado Bulldog" features Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, who, with the help of a good rhythm section and brilliant riffing work, offers the listener a pleasant pastime. The cover is executed... without particularly turning the listener's nose up. The next "Wild World" is another cover of the Cat Stevens cover. Here the song is interpreted in an even more updated way, becoming a romantic ballad with softer tones. John Waite's performance here follows this register perfectly, although, honestly, Eric Martin and company's cover feels more engaging and successful. Glenn Hughes provides voice and bass in the following "Price you Gotta Play". In this track, there's a very "solid" rhythm section work evident, with Glenn's bass notably in the spotlight. "Promise Her the Moon" showcases Ann Wilson's performance. The track resumes the elegance of the fundamental arpeggio of the song. The execution here is also faithful to the original, flowing smoothly in the player. Next, "Addicted to That Rush" has Billy Sheehan on voice and bass, rearranged for harmonica and deep voice: ironic and very enjoyable. "Just Take My Heart", the eighth cover of the album, features Mickey Thomas as a guest. Following that, "Shine" sees Dogstar engaging in a good execution of the track, thanks to a brilliantly set riff and very deep vocals. Perhaps some other more interesting songs could have been taken from the Mr. Big repertoire. In the next "Crawl Over Me", we find another original member of Mr. Big engaging in the re-elaboration of an American band's track. I must say Torpey surprised me here, proving a very "warm" vocal performance in line with the dark and at times decadent atmosphere of the track. With "To Be With You", redone by Kotzen in a more electric way, we are approaching the end of the album and "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind", here presented by Donnie Vie, offers another opportunity to look at the famous Mr. Big hit single from a slightly different perspective. However, a flaw in the track's execution cannot escape the listener: it lacks, in fact, the gritty and extremely challenging tapping riff that opens the song, bearing Gilbert's signature. The album closes with the cover of "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy", again with Joe Lynn Turner on vocals. With a touch of irony, the performers remind us that this piece is inspired by a Deep Purple anthem song: "Highway Star". But Malmsteen on lead guitar gives us a fast solo and the album closes here, moderately, I would add.

P.S.: If anyone knows the current relationship between Martin and Sheehan, feel free to update me, I'm retired now...