REVIEW: Mr. Big – “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind” / “To Be With You” singles

Part 2 of a 2 part Mr. Big special.  Click here if you missed Lean Into It!

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MR. BIG – “Green Tinted Sixties Mind” (1991 Warner UK 7″ single)

I won’t talk about the song “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind”; I did that already.  (In short:  “classy and cool”.)  I picked up this 7″ promo import from the UK from a record show in London (Ontario).  At $5, it was a no-brainer purchase.  The sleeve is cardboard, not paper, and pretty cool.

I was in the dark as to what the B-side “Shadows” was.  The label indicated the song is from 1990, and produced by Giorgio Moroder.  Although it’s not credited as such, that would make the song from the Navy Seals soundtrack.  They didn’t write it, so it doesn’t sound like Mr. Big.  It’s very “hard rock” circa 1990.  I could swear parts of the verse melody are directly ripped off of Whitesnake.  So, “Shadows” is a curiosity, nothing to get too excited about.

I know there was a second song from the Navy Seals soundtrack called “Strike Like Lightning”, if you’re interested in tracking it down.  Also on the soundtrack was Bon Jovi’s cover of “The Boys Are Back In Town” and “Try” by Blue freakin’ Rodeo!  How the hell did that happen?

MR BIG_0005MR. BIG – “To Be With You” (1992 Warner Europe CD single)

Like with the other single, I want to focus on the B-sides.  I will say that this version of “To Be With You” is an uncredited edit version.  It’s 6 seconds shorter and lacks the count-in.  This German import CD single has three live tracks.  I found this one at Fairview Mall in Kitchener, an incredible score for the time!

Mr. Big sound like they are killer live.  “30 Days In the Hole” is more spontaneous and funky than its album counterpart.  It’s a lot more fun, and man could this band groove.  The Tokyo crowd clearly loves it too.

In crashes the old Talas/David Lee Roth speed demon, “Shy Boy”!  The band can pull it off musically, Sheehan repeating his bass magic, and Gilbert having no problem with a lightning fast solo. The only one who can’t keep up is vocalist Eric Martin.  His normal soulful voice isn’t right for a song that was defined by David Lee Roth.

The final track is a medley.  They first tease the Japanese audience with the first couple minutes of “Woman From Tokyo”, before switching gears to “Baba O’Riley”.  It’s all but seamless, and natural.  Gilbert plays the synth lines, but on his guitar.  Meanwhile Sheehan handles the riff, on his bass.  Martin shines on this one, much more at home with a song like this.  He really gets to stretch out, and I love it.  Sounds like Gilbert singing Townsend’s vocal part.  Really cool.

“Green-Tinted Sixties Mind” – 3/5 stars

“To Be With You” – 4.5/5 stars

23 comments

  1. These are very cool. Man, sometimes I have visions of your collection as being this gigantic, climate-controlled vault. Everything on tasteful shelves, everything alphabetized and orderly. A staf member walking purposely here and there, always asking if you need help with anything…

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        1. The two Kates (Upton and Perry) have not been returning my phone calls or text messages. I hope it`s OK with you, but I may have to call up Heidi Klum next.

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        1. Talas was pretty good, actually. I’m not sure if they ever released a “real” album, but after Billy Sheehan’s stint with David Lee Roth, some record company relesed a CD with what I belive is Talas’ demos.
          Shy Boy sounds exactly the same with Talas as with DLR, so it’s pretty funny that Dave got himself a writing credit on that song. He didn’t write a note / word on it.

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        2. Jon I may be wrong but my understanding is that there were actually 3 Talas albums — a self titled which I don’t have, a second album called Sink Your Teeth Into That, and a live album. The live album had a completely different lineup and I don’t know why, but they had Mitch Perry who later joined MSG and Phil Naro before he hooked up with Peter Criss.

          I know that a record label repacked Sink Your Teeth and the live album as a CD called Billy Sheehan – The Talas Years, which I have and it’s actually pretty good. I also have a reunion live album called If We Only Knew Then What We Know Now. They cover Max Webster and King Crimson on that one as well as selections from the first two Talas albums.

          Anyway that’s what I know or rather what I think I know.

          I do know Billy Sheehan is a Scientologist, go figure.

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        6. Yeah, it reminded me of Joey DeMaio’s “Black Arrows” except Sheehan doesn’t shout “Let each note I now play be a black arrow death sent straight to the heart of all those who play False Metal. BLEEAAARRRGGHHHHHH” at any point during it.

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        7. I think that what you think that you know is probably actually what you know. I think….
          No, you’re probably right. I don’t know much about Talas at all and someone told me that Talas never got to release anything prior to Sheehan joining Roth, but when I read what u just wrote, it sounds accurate.
          Billy Sheehan – The Talas Years, that’s the one I was talking about. I have that one as well. But to me, the sound is pretty average and it sounds like demos.
          A scientologist? Really? What a loon. But he’s stil an ace bass player.

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        8. Yeah, he amazing super powers of bass, and I don’t care how he got them!

          The Talas Years doesn’t sound the best. I think these were probably low budget indi recordings at the time and I don’t think they had anybody special producing. But I do like many of the songs they wrote.

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  3. Actually a friend of mine yrs back bought the live Mr Big from the Budokan called Raw like Sushi..he payed a kings ransom for it ,I think this was before the Lean Into It album…we were all drooling to get it recorded onto cassette for ourselves!
    Mike,the Sean Kelly Metal On Ice is a great read..lots of interviews etc with Vollmer,Dixon etc..over at Pledge Music U can support the Ep ..I did and for $15 canadian u get the the download and a Ep mailed to u….
    Cool stuff …check it out

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