[2008-07-29] Rick Springfield "Venus In Overdrive"

Linda · **Posted:** Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:12 pm

About the Artist
Rick Springfield has withstood the test of time far better than most critics would ever have imagined writing and performing some of the best-crafted power pop of the past 30 years. Rick has sold over 19 million records while charting a whopping 18 Top 40 hits to date. Rick's most recent release, a concert DVD, Live in Rockford was released in October 2006. Filmed live as part of the HDNet Concert Series at the historic Coronado Theatre in Rockford, IL, Rick showcases his talent and everlasting energy in this special release DVD. Rick's most recent album release The Day After Yesterday, was released in July of 2005, on his own label, Gomer/DKE Records. December of 2005 brought about Rick's long anticipated return to ABC's daytime hit show, "General Hospital," in the role he originated nearly 25 years ago-- Dr. Noah Drake. Having performed for millions of fans over the last three decades, and showing no signs of slowing down, Rick continues to play 100 shows a year, sharing his love of performing, unstoppable energy and his unique brand of crowd interaction with thousands of fans each night. Rick literally wades deep into the crowd at each show.

Product Description
Venus in Overdrive was recorded in a record 32 days by Springfield and Matt Bissonette, Springfield's long time bass player. According to Rick, "it is an album about love in all its forms, and since Venus is the goddess of love, it's called Venus in Overdrive. There is a lot of personal stuff in these songs but we have tried to craft them so they still have a universal voice. We are older, yet still teenagers, we have lost people we love and still love the people who are on our journey with us, we are angry at some of the crap in the world yet love our human failings."

The first single from Venus in Overdrive is "What's Victoria's Secret?" Rick says the title of the song "is one of those titles that was waiting to be written and we just got there first. Matt came up with it and we wrote the song while we were doing 5 nights of shows in Milwaukee. I had some recording gear brought into my hotel room and we wrote it there at the haunted Pfister hotel, room 804. It's basically about the sexualization of women and how we as males, want that, but also resist it and mainly need to connect to women as human beings. It's a dichotomy that most men feel I think."

Two songs on the record, "Saint Sahara" and "Oblivious," pay tribute to Sahara Aldridge, a young girl who frequently attended Rick's shows and whom the entire band came to love and who recently passed away. Rick explains that "Saint Sahara" "is about who Sahara was and how hard it was to have her leave. It's also a celebration and recognition of the people she affected in this world. Her mom said (before she died) that if I were to write a song about her daughter, could I make it a celebration and not something maudlin, so it's basically a song celebrating her great sprit. `Oblivious,' is the soul side of the song, `Saint Sahara,' what we all felt and how we dealt with it. It is sometimes so good to be numb to pain but life can't go on if you stay numb all the time. The song itself is about the denial of the finality of death, but it's still a love song."

As part of the promotional plan for the new album, Rick will be returning to "General Hospital" in July as Dr. Noah Drake and his alter ego rocker Eli Love. The storyline will reunite him with the characters of Robin, Patrick and Anna as well as allow him to perform the single, "What's Victoria's Secret?"

1. What's Victoria's Secret?
2. I'll Miss That Someday
3. Venus In Overdrive
4. One Passenger
5. Oblivious
6. 3 Warning Shots
7. Time Stand Still
8. God Blinked (Swing It Sister)
9. Mr. PC
10. She
11. Nothing Is Ever Lost
12. Saint Sahara

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000V2KQPQ/?tag=imwan-20

Linda · **Posted:** Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:13 pm

If this isn't a #1 hit then there's no hope for the music industry:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5hXcg8YEaE[/youtube]

Chris · **Joined:** 11 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 21258

Rick has put out some amazing music in the last 10 years that has gone almost completely unnoticed by the critics and the public.

Karma was an amazing album, and Shock, Denial, Anger, Acceptance was a hard rocking brilliant album.

I honestly feel (and have felt for decades) that Rick Springfield is an utterly brilliant songwriter full of depth.

Midnightwind · **Joined:** 08 Mar 2008 **Posts:** 71

After kinda forgetting about him from 1988-1999, I picked up the 2-cd WRITTEN IN ROCK. Was pleasantly surprised that I missed his music for a long time. Then I got the covers cd. His voice is ravaged and sounded horrible. Thought I'd give it a try again and downloaded WHO KILLED ROCK-N-ROLL on last year. Not impressed. Song is cool, but his voice just is not good.

Yvonne · 30 Jan 2005

I saw Rick in concert two years ago. He was spectacular!!!!!

Chris · **Joined:** 11 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 21258

Midnightwind wrote:

After kinda forgetting about him from 1988-1999, I picked up the 2-cd WRITTEN IN ROCK. Was pleasantly surprised that I missed his music for a long time. Then I got the covers cd. His voice is ravaged and sounded horrible. Thought I'd give it a try again and downloaded WHO KILLED ROCK-N-ROLL on last year. Not impressed. Song is cool, but his voice just is not good.

Wow. Couldn't possibly disagree with you more.

In fact, I played the covers CD for a few friends who hadn't listened to Rick since the eighties, and they all loved it, and two of them said virtually the same thing, which was "He still sounds great".

Chris · **Joined:** 11 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 21258

Yvonne wrote:

I saw Rick in concert two years ago. He was spectacular!!!!!

I saw him 5 years ago at the Beacon Theater in New York.

Amazing show. Totally high energy.

Linda · **Posted:** Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:45 am

I've added the cover art and tracklisting to the first post, and guess what? "Who Killed Rock 'N' Roll" isn't going to be on the album after all. Go figure?

fabtrick · **Joined:** 12 May 2007 **Posts:** 8

If this is only half as good as SDAA, I'll be happy. SDAA is Rick's masterpiece, IMHO.

Chris · **Joined:** 11 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 21258

SDAA is an amazing piece of work.

I'm a big fan of Karma though. I can't believe "It's Always Something" wasn't a huge hit.

And I have a big soft spot for "Rock of Life", which I certainly view as Rick's masterpiece up until that point.

Rick is an amazing songwriter and an incredible talent. I own everything the guy has ever released, and look forward to anything and everything he releases in the future.

Eagerly awaiting this new album.

Chris · **Joined:** 11 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 21258

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kobD1Xz3t08&feature=related[/youtube]

Chris · **Joined:** 11 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 21258

This is an AMAZING album.

Track for track it's Rick doing what Rick does best.

Chris · **Joined:** 11 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 21258

Oh, and "Who Killed Rock n Roll" is available as a web only download when you purchase the CD.

Chris · **Joined:** 11 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 21258

The first track, "What's Victoria's Secret?" is the kind of song that should be a top 40 hit.

It won't be of course as radio has ignored Rick since the 90's.

But it should be.

Chris · **Joined:** 11 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 21258

Eighties heartthrob Rick Springfield is back on the music scene with his highest charting album debut in more than 20 years.

Springfield's 17th CD, Venus in Overdrive, came in at No. 28 on the Billboard charts this week. The Australian native, who found fame on General Hospital in 1980 and then followed withhis song hit "Jessie's Girl" in 1981, has sold more than 19 million albums over his career.

"I haven't been this excited about a new record since the '80s," Springfield tells PEOPLE. "I'm a loner in my private life, so the party animal only comes out on stage. That's really my connection to people."

Last year, the actor returned to General Hospital as Dr. Noah Drake, as well as Drake's alter-ego, a rocker named Eli Love. Springfield performed his new single, "What's Victoria's Secret?" in character on the popular daytime daytime drama last week (See video below).

Springfield, 58, still tours on the weekends and says he hasn't grown weary of his '80s hits. "I liken them to favorite children. You never get tired of trotting out your kids. When they do well at something, you're really proud of it," says the rocker, who lives in Malibu with his wife Barbara. (His son Liam, 23, is a budding musician and actor, and son Josh, 19, attends the University of Southern California).

With his original fan base growing older, Springfield's thrilled that he's developing a new audience. "There are a lot of people who were fans when they were little kids. They've grown up and are bringing their kids, and women are bringing their husbands," he says.

But the women still make their presence known. Thanks to the new single (whose title was inspired by the Victoria's Secret lingerie chain), "I'm seeing more underwear on stage," says Springfield.

[2008-07-29] Rick Springfield "Venus In Overdrive"

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