SONIC WAVES….Billy Squier/Hear And Now

 

Ahhh frigg,it’s 1989 and no one cares about Billy Squier after that one video ( I ain’t saying it here) demolished Squiers career into the waste bins of North America! But me buying and snapping up everything in sight musically related back than, I seen Billy Squier under the new release section with Hear And Now. Now don’t feel to bad for Mr Billy as when he signed his record deal in the early 80s it came with full control(no middle man)in other words he gets all the $ when someone nowadays samples his music. Business savvy that fellas was/is. When I seen the cover (You tube pic is the cover of Hear And Now) it looked like one of two things.  1- a mug shot or 2- Billy’s all night Bender photo. I took the gamble and bought this and boy am I ever glad I did. Now this is not crazy balls out heavy record but a well written big o slab of melodic rock. Billy outdid himself on this album. Too bad the masses did not take notice,I did though and Hear It is,

Let’s give Billy some props now shall we,

ROCK OUT/PUNCH SOMEBODY- starts off the record with some crowd noise and Billy asks ya Do you wanna Rock out?  Hell ya sez I! If not Billy’s gonna Punch ya out! This is a great leadoff track as Billy throws down the gauntlet! Welcome back !

STRONGER-is a nice little mid tempo rocker with a pretty cool sax solo thrown in. Pretty cool rhythm drives the track along…..

DON’T SAY YOU LOVE ME- this one is a little more of a slow groover. Pretty neat little riffing on this one.One thing I say this album has some good production on it. Always dug Squiers voice. This was I believe the first single off of it…..

DON’T LET ME GO- Billy’s night goes from the previous Don’t Say You Love Me to Don’t Let Me Go which is the first slow burner on Hear And Now. Song starts off with some classical guitar and it finally ramps up a bit……

TIED UP-must have been a single also but why this didn’t catch on in 89 who knows why. Oh yeah that Video with him from back in 1985…. shit not going there! But this song ends side one on a high little fast paced rocker…Atta boy Billy don’t give Up!

(I PUT A)SPELL ON YOU- Billy cranks up side two right out of the box with a straight ahead rocker kinda like the same pace that Bill had done with Everybody Wants You. Good solid tune!

G.O.D- hey where you going now G.O.D.? Asks Mr Squier. This song is pretty damn cool and one of my faves on this album.  Funky beat and Billy pulls out the stops on this song. Once again I really dig the vocal!

MINE TONIGHT -Is a simple song ,straight ahead pull no punches power ballad. It’s alright on this album would not be so on AC-DC Blow Up Your Video album! Why the hell I said That I have no idea, it just came to me.

THE WORK SONG- C’mon Billy says..get up,get moving,check out the cool horns on this little bad boy ..oh yeah Billy is saying Work Baby Work……this song is like a head on collision between Pour Some Sugar On Me and The Stroke..

YOUR LOVE IS MY LIFE- Yep Billy notches it right down to close the album off in Squier ballad fashion….

I had a buddy named Moose who was big into the Ramones,D.O.A,Forgotten Rebels,Motörhead, Gwar ,get the picture? Well as soon as he heard Hear And Now he jumped on board and got his own copy of Hear And Now. That my peeps is the power of a good rock n roll album.

Now as for the vids….Tied Up is a pretty cool little rocker and once again check out the cover! The second vid is Squier live from 2009( about the 2 minute mark,after the dudes drum solo)Good on him getting his rock n roll feet moving again!