Aiming High (Best Shots - Pat Benatar)

Member Name: delawney

Product:	Best Shots - Pat Benatar
Date:	03/05/03 (518 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great music

Disadvantages: Lacking in cred!

THE QUICK REVIEW (For those in a hurry)

Pat Benatar has never enjoyed the same success here in the UK as she has in the States, though she has made a moderate impression with singles such as "Love Is A Battlefield" and "Shadows Of The Night". "Best Shots" is a collection of twelve of her most successful singles, and serves as a good introduction to this mostly up-tempo belting vocalist.

Pat Benatar cannot exactly be described as an artist that breaks new ground. Since her first success with the pounding beat of "Heartbreaker" in 1979, Benatar has been belting out good old fashioned soft rock music ever since, and is still going strong. It may not be original, but she always gives a polished performance. She will appeal to you if you like a well-crafted soft rock tune. She will not appeal to you if you have an aversion to AOR.

Standout tracks include "Heartbreaker", "Invincible", and "Fire and Ice". But really they're all pretty darn good tracks. You can't go wrong!


THE FULL OP

Am I going to lose some cred here? (Don't be silly delawney, you never had any in the first place!). OK, so I thought I'd review something a bit different from my usual. Well, not that different, she's still a girlie singer after all! But Pat's not exactly trendy is she? Well, I don't care. I like what I like and that's that, so ner.

I'd always kind of liked Pat Benatar since I first heard my Dad playing "Love Is A Battlefield" back when I was about eleven or twelve. Then, a few years later my Mum bought a new stereo, and it turned out that the store had left a Pat Benatar CD in it. That CD was "Best Shots". I duly taped it off my mother (who decided she liked it too - darn) and played it over and over for a while. Since then, Pat has become a comfortable listen to return to time and time again w
hen I'm in the mood for a good singalong. Great decorating music too!

Pat Benatar is actually a trained opera singer, although I gather a love for booze and fags convinced her that rock music might be a more acceptable career choice, as she could carry on with the smoking and the drinking. And make no mistake about it - although generally categorised into the AOR pigeon-hole, this woman can rock.

She's generally a lot more popular in the States (where I understand AOR goes down a bit better) where she has seen huge success, but she has had a few moderately successful singles this side of the water, including "Love Is A Battlefield", "We Belong" and "All Fired Up". Nevertheless, "Best Shots" sold surprisingly well when it was originally released in the UK in the latter part of the 1980s.

Most of the songs are co-written by guitarist Neil Giraldo with a number of different co-writers. Pat does occasionally contribute to the songwriting (for example on "Fire and Ice") but generally she concentrates on giving us a solid vocal performance.

It's worth pointing out at this point that the UK version of "Best Shots" is completely different to the US release in 1989, with a whole different cover and track list. (being the sad muppet I am I do also have a vinyl copy (remember vinyl?) of the US version, which includes some excellent tracks missed from the UK release). I'm also not convinced that the UK version was released in 1989, I think it was a bit earlier, but maybe my memory fails me!


*** The Track Run-Down ***

*** HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT ***
From "Crimes of Passion" (1980)

"Before I put another notch in my lipstick case
You better make sure you put me in my place"

This is a real catchy little ditty, right from it's thumping guitar riff intro. Formulaic, yes, verse, chorus, verse,
chorus, guitar solo, verse, chorus, chorus. But it's darn good nonetheless, and always gets my foot tapping. Short and sweet. Top stuff.


*** LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD ***

"We are young, heartache to heartache we stand
No promises, no demands
Love Is A Battlefield"

If you know any Pat Benatar song, you probably know this one. Although this was one of Pat's biggest hits here in the UK, it's not actually one of my favourites. It's not a bad song, I think it's just a tad overplayed. It opens with Pat speaking the chorus, which I actually really rather like. It is a polished song, though some may argue it borders on the over-produced. The fact that it's written by veteran songwriters Mike Chapman and Holly Knight might be a clue to it's success!


*** WE BELONG ***
From "Tropico" (1984)

"Don't want to leave you really
I've invested too much time
To give you up that easy
To the doubts that complicate your mind"

Another moderate hit for Pat here in the UK, and once more a less favourite tracks. Still, it's a catchy sing-along pop-rock number. Again, perhaps a little over-produced for my liking - I like to hear her a bit more gritty!


*** WE LIVE FOR LOVE ***
From "In The Heat Of The Night" (1979)

"Your love's contagious, one kiss is dangerous
But I have more to risk, than you to lose"

A cracking drum/guitar intro. It almost has a bit of an eighties edge to it, so you could argue Pat was ahead of her time!

The song is built around a simple refrain of "We live for love", at quite a high pitch, bordering on the annoying, but somehow not quite becoming so. (Other than the fact that it's far too high for delawney to sing along too!). The bridge (you know, that bit before the final verse-chorus formula) is delightfully sparse and
very atmospheric.

When I first started listening to this album, I wasn't over gone on this song, finding it a bit boring. But its subtlety has grown on me as I've gotten older!


*** SEX AS A WEAPON ***
From "Seven The Hard Way" (1985)

"You know you're already my obsession
Stop using Sex As A Weapon
Love is more than a one way reflection
Stop using Sex As A Weapon"

A fairly straightforward rock number here. Another cracking one to sing along to, but doesn't pull any surprises.


*** INVINCIBLE ***
From "Seven The Hard Way" (1985)

"What are we running for?
We've got the right to be angry
What are we running for?
When there's no where we can run to anymore"

Oooh, I love this one! I'm singing along to it now as I type! It's an out and out rocking number that should leave you with absolutely no excuse not to be tapping your feet. Pat really belts it out, showing of the strength and slightly rough texture of her voice. Marvellous.


*** SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT ***
From "Get Nervous" (1982)

"You can cry tough baby, it's all right
You can let me down easy, but not tonight"

Another one that you may have stumbled across, as it was another semi-success here in the UK. Again, it probably suffers from a little overplay from the delawney perspective, but it's still a darned good mid-tempo soft rock love song, and lets face it, that's what Pat specialises in.

It also has a few really nice lyrical touches, such as "Ransom my heart, but baby don't look back, Cause we got nobody else" (don't know why but I really like that!).


*** HEARTBREAKER ***
From "In The Heat Of The Night" (1979)

"Your love is like a tidal wave, spinning over my head
Drownin' me in your pro
mises, better left unsaid"

Her first hit single, and it's a cracker. It starts with a pounding drum beat and complimentary guitar riff. Like a lot of Pat's earlier tracks, it is slightly less over-produced. This gives it a rougher, more gritty edge, which actually I have to admit I prefer.

This is quite simply a belting rock song, and it's fantastic. Full marks here!


*** FIRE AND ICE ***
From "Precious Time" (1981)

"Fire and Ice
You come on like a flame
Then you turn a cold shoulder"

Oooh, another one of my faves! Fairly slow and controlled during the verses, and then a belting, emotional chorus. Again, some really nice lyrics here. Another safe love/anti-love song - well I guess it's something most people can relate to!


*** TREAT ME RIGHT ***
From "Crimes of Passion" (1980)

"One of these days you're gonna reach out and find
The one that you count on has left you behind
Don't want to be no martyr, you know I'm no saint
Oh my, my baby, before it's too late"

Another stonking out and out rock number, again benefiting from a little less production giving it a more gritty edge. Another one of delawney's faves!


*** IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW TO LOVE ME ***
From "In The Heat Of The Night" (1979)

Personally I think this is probably the weakest track on this collection. It's not a bad track, it's just that personally I don't ever really feel it goes anywhere.


*** YOU BETTER RUN ***
From "Crimes of Passion" (1980)

"You Better Run! You Better Hide!
You better leave from my sight! Yeah"

Making up for the song that comes before it is a cracking little number to round the album off. Admittedly, you do feel a bit like you're singing along to something a bit "Heads, Sho
ulders, Knees and Toes"-esque with it's formulaic lyrical structure, with each verse following a similar pattern to the first...

"Whatcha' tryin' a do to my heart?
Whatcha' tryin' a do to my heart?
You go around tellin' lies
And now you want to compromise
Whatcha' tryin' a do to my heart?"

... as she also ponders what's being done to her soul and her head.

Still, she really lets rip on this one and it's a corker!



*** The Verdict? ***

Personally, while I love this album and feel it is a great introduction to Pat Benatar, I do feel it is missing some of her other excellent tracks. This is partly because it was released (in the UK at least) prior to singles like "All Fired Up" and "Everybody Lay Down", as well as her excellent Blues album "True Love". However, there is no excuse for missing off classic tracks like "Promises In The Dark" and "Hell Is For Children", both of which were included on the US version. Because of this it gets four stars rather than the full five.

On the whole I prefer "The Very Best of Pat Benatar" released in 1994, which has a greater selection of tracks. However, it lacks some of the better tracks from "Best Shots" such as "Treat Me Right", and does include the abysmal "Ooh Ooh Song" (lest said on that one the better).

All in all though this is a good selection guaranteed to get you singing along, if you're a sad muppet like me that is!


*** The Useful Information ***

"Best Shots" is currently selling on Amazon for the grand price of £7.99.

For more information check out the website at www.benatar.com

"Best Shots" (supposedly 1989 though I'm not convinced!)
Chrysalis CCD1538

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