REVIEW: Survivor, Greatest Hits
- Bob Gajarsky
When you think of Survivor, theme songs to two Rocky movies ("Eye of the Tiger" and "Burning Heart") immediately come to mind. Former lead singer Jimi Jamison has had a non-descript career since leaving the band, with his keynote being the theme song to the television show "Baywatch". But, Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan, the writing genius behind the band, have still remained together. And, a reuniting with original lead singer Dave Bickler has caused a release of the Survivor compilation, Greatest Hits.
This twelve song compilation features ten Survivor cuts spanning seven albums and three soundtracks. It also includes two new songs, "You Know Who You Are" and "Hungry Years".
The two Rocky themes, which garnered the group the most attention and established a then-record for the largest selling single in CBS' Records history (for "Eye of the Tiger"), are included here. Most of the songs are familiar, and bring back a feel-good quality of the 80s rock that Survivor's sound captured so well. The poppy side of the band is included with "Is This Love" and "High on You", and the syrupy ballad side of "The Search is Over" is also here. However, this pop style is not altogether indicative of the Survivor sound.
"Somewhere In America", taken from 1980's debut Survivor, includes Dave Bickler on lead vocals in a song similar to the sound of Steve Perry and Journey. "Poor Man's Son" and "American Heartbeat" both have deep down rock and roll roots with Springsteen-styled lyrics,
"You Know Who You Are", which was released as a single without much fanfare, sounds surprisingly like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. "Hungry Years" has the musical poppiness of recent Genesis work without the Phil Collins vocals.
This compilation was released earlier this year to reintroduce Survivor fans to original lead vocalist Dave Bickler, and welcome in a new era of Survivor hits. Unfortunately, it seems that the band has lost their original base from the early 1980's that expected a rock and roll, and not pop, sound. The sound is still there, with a mainstream accessability that everyone can accept. So, as a compilation that not only looks back to the 80s but harkens forward the rest of the 1990s, Survivor's Greatest Hits proves it can fight back with the rest of today's music.
Track listing: Eye of the Tiger, You Know Who You Are, Burning Heart, The Search Is Over, High On You, Is This Love, I Can't Hold Back, Hungry Years, American Heartbeat, Poor Man's Son, The Moment of Truth, Somewhere In America
