I am not going to repeat myself, so here is a little introduction to The Outfield's 1992 album, Rockeye. It is a solid set of 11 tracks, with no real clunkers or bad songs. Now, when we were in high school during the mid- and late-80s, The Outfield were one of our favorite rock bands. Guitarist John Spinks produced Rockeye, and gave it an 80s-style sound. Thus, this album was a very comfortable listen for us.
But the standout track is the leadoff track, "Winning It All." It is anthemic enough for the hard core heavy metal fans, yet friendly enough, that it brings in the girls and shier guys. During that summer of 1992, my friends would call their friends, and we typically were able to get 10-15 of us college kids out to play sports. Especially in basketball and softball, "Winning It All" inspired us, fired us up, put us over the top. We were crisper on defense, stronger on offense, more enthusiastic and coordinated as a team. We more easily and effortlessly shook off and overcame mistakes, then followed with winning plays.
We had just won a softball game against a horde of adults at San Francisco's Rossi Playground. We were sitting on the bleachers, washing up, and eating lunch (mostly sandwiches), when Skull's boombox was playing "Winning It All." I'll never forget the smiles on our faces, as Patricia and 2 girls climbed over each other, and spread to the rest of our group. Who cares if we spilled some food? We were away from respective colleges, had just beaten bigger and stronger adults, and were whipped into a joyous frenzy, with "Winning It All." And since when was the latter ignited by the girls?
Just as "Winning It All" put me and my friends over the top in sports, it puts audiophiles over the top, in musical delight. When you play it for audiophiles, they exhale, "FINALLY, something good!," enjoy themselves, and profusely thank you.
Rock On,
-Lummy The Loch Monster
