My Sunday Song – “Down Incognito” by Winger

For My Sunday Song #439, we are talking “Down Incognito” by the band Winger which was from their third album, ‘Pull’, which came out on May 18, 1993. The song was the band’s lead single for the album and went all the way to #15 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Chart. The song was written by Kip Winger and Reb Beach who are both so talented as is this while band. Thanks to Beavis & Butthead, they never got a fair shake…but that is a whole other story.

The song is about dealing with Addiction. It talks about how he is out of money, can’t pay the rent and that he is waiting on a cure for his condition…addiction. There is a line about “My monkey’s M.O.” and the so called monkey is a term used for said addiction. By the end of the song it sounds like he has beat if for now, but it is right there over his shoulder waiting for him to slip. He can reminisce about it now, but the taste for it is always there. At least that is what I get out of it.

I love how the song opens with that bluesy, yet haunting harmonica. Then we get a Reb riff, a driving bass from Kip and a pounding drum beat from Rod Morgenstein. Kip’s vocals are stellar as always, but it is those harmonies in the chorus that really take the song over the top. It is huge and catchy as hell. The harmonica pops up every now and again and even gives us a little solo. The hidden secret to the song are the keyboard fills that add just the right amount of texture. A great rock song with some great pop sensibilities. A band that should have been bigger than they were as they were more talented than 99% of the bands out there.

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C.F. Kip Winger – Solo Box Set Collection – Album Review

Kip Winger finally re-releases his solo albums after a time period where they were out of print.  The big difference this time is he has released them only in a box set simply called the Solo Box Set Collection.  The set includes 5 CD including his 4 solo album as well as a bonus CD of bonus tracks from all the Japanese editions of his albums and one new song.

Before Kip started with his solo albums, you would know he was in the band Winger, obviously.  Winger’s last studio album prior to the solo albums was 1993’s ‘Pull’ (and one of my favorite Winger albums).  After this album, the band sort of dissolved and wasn’t doing anything anymore.  Then in 1996 Kip started his solo career.  That solo career produced 3 studio albums, 1 acoustic album and now some Classical pieces that he did not include in this set.

Before we get into the music, let’s talk about the set itself.  It comes in a very sturdy box that was nice and thick, well made and should last a long time.  The one thing you notice is the sad figure on the cover.  I am sure it is some famous painting or something, but I do not know who it is or what the story is with the picture.  Another thing you notice is Kip’s name.  He now puts C.F. Kip Winger as his name.  He has been doing that with his Classical pieces he has written and now it is spilling over into his other solo work.  The C.F. are his initials for his name Charles Frederick Kip Winger.  Maybe “Kip” didn’t sound professional enough for the classical music scene.

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