The Days of Lore

Seeing stars

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 | musiX | 1 Comment

I recently watched “We Are the World” redux, which premiered during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. The new version was led by co-writer Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones, and features a who’s-who of today’s hottest stars (at least that’s what they tell us).

Now, far be it from me to pooh-pooh a good cause, but the whole thing feels contrived … I came away feeling more icky than inspired. Of course, using the old clip of Michael Jackson was a predictable move, taken to new heights by the even more predictable (and disturbing) addition of sister Janet. I will say this: The new version serves as a shining example of the state of pop music … and Auto-Tune. They should have at least invited Willie Nelson back.

Personally I think someone should do a remake of “Stars,” the all-star heavy metal answer to “We Are the World” by Hear ‘n Aid. I guarantee nothing will make you want to empty your pockets more than an extended guitar solo by Craig Goldy, Eddie Ojeda, Vivian Campbell, Brad Gillis, Neal Schon, George Lynch, Yngwie Malmsteen, Carlos Cavazo, Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, Adrian Smith and Dave Murray.

Tags: "Stars", "We Are the World", Hear N’ Aid