The next installment in our review of 17 Reasons Why material is going to be the song "Tear Down". Tear Down is the title track from the band's only full length CD which was released in 1993. Marco says in reference to this song "There was that same kill all the towelheads mentality at the time, and it was my reaction to not only that but racism, intolerance, and hatred in general." The song also was responsible for landing 17 Reason Why a victory in the Yamaha/Soundcheck Best Un-signed Band Contest.
This song was actually written at Roscoe's studio during the recording of the album. The song mentions some of the happening around the time such as the fall of the Berlin wall (just because some wall came down, it don't mean the cold war is through! marco be speakin' the truff!) and "Desert Storm". Ah yes... "Desert Storm", our country's first foray into Iraq. With that conflict everyone seemed to think it was a sporting event or something. Yes, the see it live on TV war! T-shirts and bumper stickers were being sold like it was the Super Bowl or a rock concert. When in reality we were fighting to restore a monarchy that did not even give it's female citizen's the right to vote. As usual it was the civilian population that suffered the most casulties from our "smart bombs". The song also speaks of ignorance and violence, two things that always go hand in hand. If anyone thinks that ignorance is in short supply these days then check this out. It seems ignorance is abundant on both sides of the aisle, and where power meets arrogance and ignorance you are only left with tragedy.
nuff said... now back to the song...
As the song starts with it's ska/funk like staccato guitar riff, you are at a loss of where it is going next, but you know you're on to something good. Once the pounding drums and syncopated bass line kick in you are trapped. Then come the horns to slap you in the face and the aforementioned lyrics kick in with our very own Marco delivering them in a soulful, somewhat angry fashion. He is still angry. Angry because 15 years later and we have not learned a thing. Near the end of the tune, an interesting guitar solo comes in which seems to be probing for the right notes, asking questions, looking for the answers. The songs then ends with a guitar-horn riff that puts an exclamation mark on the whole song.
But..... 15 years later and Marco is back in Roscoe's studio recording a new album with My Secret Life. The question is will there be another "Tear Down" to come out of these sessions? Confidence is high. Chances are very good that MSL will be able to come out of these sessions with a John Lennon meets James Brown classic such as "Tear Down". A further continuation of "Mind Games":
"Love is the answer and you know that for sure, Love is flower you got to let it, you got to let it grow"
Peace and a different world start within all of our minds. Stop playing games and tear down those walls!
Give it a listen, then give it some thought!
Jamando
1 comments:
This was the probably the first newly written tune I worked on with 17RW. Everything else had been written prior to my arrival. Vondy's blocked chord horn mimicking he did gives me serious wood.... I get chills when I hear it, and it's the first thing I think of when I think of riffs Vondy played.
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