Blue Tears
Blue Tears
MCA
1990
Blue Tears is a unique case when it comes to melodic hard rock music. They were from America and they managed to release only one album in 1990. They are considered to be one of the best “unknown” bands of melodic hard rock music. Many things have been said about this band, how it begun, how it broke up, why it never released another album and stuff like that but only the band’s members know what really happened back then and we will never find out the whole truth.
All I can say is that this album is just magnificent! The band took the best elements of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Winger, Danger Danger and Firehouse and it managed to release an outstanding album full of great songs. Gregg’s vocals are wonderful, the guitars are fantastic and the hooklines of the album are just superb! The production is good enough but, surely, it could have been better. I believe that if their label had supported this album in a more appropriate way then it would have been one of the best hard rock albums ever. They had the potential to go further than some of the aforementioned bands but it takes more than one in order to succeed. Thankfully, they left a legacy by releasing some astounding hard rock hymns like: “Rockin’ With the Radio”, “Crush”, “Take this Heart”, “Innocent Kiss”, “Racing with the Moon”, “Kiss me Goodbye” and “Thunder in the Night” and three amazing sensitive ballads such as “Blue Tears”, “Halfway To Heaven”, and “True Romance”!
This album was destined to be a classic since the day it was released and the members of this band should have become “rock stars” if the music industry were fair. Of course, we cannot turn back time in order to correct that injustice so, all we can do is seek this excellent album and get it wherever we find it.
“Blue Tears” is one of those albums that never got a fair promotion from its label and the press overlooked it back in the day. I know many bands that have released albums far better than all those big shitty promoted works that major labels are advertising like crazy every now & then but they never make it at long last! Blue Tears will never have the chance to gain what they deserve but we, the fans, can give it to them ‘cause in the very end all that matters is the fans’ love for someone to go big. Albums like “Blue Tears” are not released every day... and when they do, they do not always become very popular!
PS: Tragically, Gregg Fulkerson suddenly passed away in 2009. I had the pleasure to interview him back in 2005 and talk about some other things as well, cuz’ we had pretty good relations. I can assure you that he was a great guy that loved music and he was always content to communicate with his fans or other people in general. He will totally be missed. A few basic parts of the interview regarding “Blue Tears” are presented below. A major tribute to Gregg will be released in due time. You can read the whole interview here. R.I.P. Gregg… your music will live forever…
Read what Gregg told Grande Rock regarding the “Blue Tears” album below.
Now let me take you some years back… If you hadn’t disbanded in the early 90’s how do you imagine Blue Tears’ career would be like today?
G: I don’t know… we certainly would have evolved over the years… I guess we are about to find out.
To set it straight, what do you think went wrong and you didn’t made that big breakthrough that everyone was expecting from you in the early 90’s?
G: One word… Nirvana…. Pearl Jam… etc. even if we had stayed together… it couldn’t have gone far. That’s the year that even Bon Jovi and Def Leppard had trouble getting on the radio. (i.n.: Damn those bands that destroyed so great music in the early 90s...)
Do you believe that the comparison with Def Leppard and Bon Jovi was good for the band indeed or it just made you more anxious about people’s reactions in the future about your music?
G: It doesn’t bother me… never did… we don’t do impressions of these other bands. I learned how to sing along with Bruce Springsteen… that’s probably where the Bon Jovi comparison came from… Jon sings so much like Bruce… just in a higher key… I love Jon’s voice… and Bruce’s voice.
Do you consider your debut as a classic hard rock release as many people do, like me? I have also presented it in our site’s Hall of Fame section.
G: I’m flattered by that… but I don’t really think it is… although there are obviously people who consider it to be. (i.n.: Yeap, that will be me!)
What was the big secret that made people never forget and love so much Blue Tears despite their long absence from the music scene?
G: I don’t know… maybe the songs really reached some of the people… songs about growing up and coming of age…?
All I can say is that this album is just magnificent! The band took the best elements of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Winger, Danger Danger and Firehouse and it managed to release an outstanding album full of great songs. Gregg’s vocals are wonderful, the guitars are fantastic and the hooklines of the album are just superb! The production is good enough but, surely, it could have been better. I believe that if their label had supported this album in a more appropriate way then it would have been one of the best hard rock albums ever. They had the potential to go further than some of the aforementioned bands but it takes more than one in order to succeed. Thankfully, they left a legacy by releasing some astounding hard rock hymns like: “Rockin’ With the Radio”, “Crush”, “Take this Heart”, “Innocent Kiss”, “Racing with the Moon”, “Kiss me Goodbye” and “Thunder in the Night” and three amazing sensitive ballads such as “Blue Tears”, “Halfway To Heaven”, and “True Romance”!
This album was destined to be a classic since the day it was released and the members of this band should have become “rock stars” if the music industry were fair. Of course, we cannot turn back time in order to correct that injustice so, all we can do is seek this excellent album and get it wherever we find it.
“Blue Tears” is one of those albums that never got a fair promotion from its label and the press overlooked it back in the day. I know many bands that have released albums far better than all those big shitty promoted works that major labels are advertising like crazy every now & then but they never make it at long last! Blue Tears will never have the chance to gain what they deserve but we, the fans, can give it to them ‘cause in the very end all that matters is the fans’ love for someone to go big. Albums like “Blue Tears” are not released every day... and when they do, they do not always become very popular!
PS: Tragically, Gregg Fulkerson suddenly passed away in 2009. I had the pleasure to interview him back in 2005 and talk about some other things as well, cuz’ we had pretty good relations. I can assure you that he was a great guy that loved music and he was always content to communicate with his fans or other people in general. He will totally be missed. A few basic parts of the interview regarding “Blue Tears” are presented below. A major tribute to Gregg will be released in due time. You can read the whole interview here. R.I.P. Gregg… your music will live forever…
Read what Gregg told Grande Rock regarding the “Blue Tears” album below.
Now let me take you some years back… If you hadn’t disbanded in the early 90’s how do you imagine Blue Tears’ career would be like today?
G: I don’t know… we certainly would have evolved over the years… I guess we are about to find out.
To set it straight, what do you think went wrong and you didn’t made that big breakthrough that everyone was expecting from you in the early 90’s?
G: One word… Nirvana…. Pearl Jam… etc. even if we had stayed together… it couldn’t have gone far. That’s the year that even Bon Jovi and Def Leppard had trouble getting on the radio. (i.n.: Damn those bands that destroyed so great music in the early 90s...)
Do you believe that the comparison with Def Leppard and Bon Jovi was good for the band indeed or it just made you more anxious about people’s reactions in the future about your music?
G: It doesn’t bother me… never did… we don’t do impressions of these other bands. I learned how to sing along with Bruce Springsteen… that’s probably where the Bon Jovi comparison came from… Jon sings so much like Bruce… just in a higher key… I love Jon’s voice… and Bruce’s voice.
Do you consider your debut as a classic hard rock release as many people do, like me? I have also presented it in our site’s Hall of Fame section.
G: I’m flattered by that… but I don’t really think it is… although there are obviously people who consider it to be. (i.n.: Yeap, that will be me!)
What was the big secret that made people never forget and love so much Blue Tears despite their long absence from the music scene?
G: I don’t know… maybe the songs really reached some of the people… songs about growing up and coming of age…?