{"id":44863,"date":"2010-10-20T00:00:28","date_gmt":"2010-10-20T04:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=5160"},"modified":"2010-10-20T00:00:28","modified_gmt":"2010-10-20T04:00:28","slug":"gonzos-gems-aldo-novas-fantasy-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=44863","title":{"rendered":"Gonzo\u2019s Gems: \u201cAldo Nova's Fantasy & Dreams\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Sam \u201cGonzo\u201d Gonzales<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was 1982, and I was two years into my military career, when I overheard two fellow sailors talking about some guy named Aldo Nova and the album he had just released. They were praising it pretty heavily, especially the first single from the album, \u201cFantasy\u201d. So, I joined in on the conversation to find out more about this guy Aldo Nova. They quickly filled me in about him and one of them even volunteered to make me a copy so I could hear it with my own ears. When I did, I was impressed by it. It sounded different than anything I\u2019d heard up to that point. It was definitely the red hot album my friends had been raving about!<\/p>\n

Aldo Nova, born Aldo Caporuscio in Montreal, Canada on November 13, 1956, learned to play the guitar at the age of 15. He mastered the guitar and keyboards and began playing local clubs in his hometown. He eventually ended up with a three year stint playing George Harrison in a production of Beatlemania. He also cut his teeth working as a studio engineer prior to being signed with Portrait Records. So, with songs he had previously written, Aldo produced, arranged and performed almost his entire debut album, \u201cAldo Nova\u201d, with the exception of drums, some bass and piano.<\/p>\n

Aldo Nova\u2018s 1982 debut album, \u201cAldo Nova\u201d, had a good mix of rockers and ballads. The musicality and energy of each song is clearly evident. Even the ballads where impressive as hell. The album\u2019s opener and Aldo\u2019s biggest hit, \u201cFantasy\u201d, is an excellent song, loaded with guitar and keyboard hooks. Science fiction sound effects lull you in for a good minute before you\u2019re assaulted by the sound of laser blasts and a big guitar riff. Keyboards then ease in and play a melodic and haunting sci-fi melody. The next two tracks, \u201cHot Love\u201c and \u201cIt\u2019s Too Late\u201d, rock out on their own without the assistance of keyboards. Things then calm down with the albums second single, the very melodic and pop sounding \u201cFoolin\u2019 Yourself\u201d. \u201cFoolin\u2019 Yourself\u201d proved to be a minor hit for Aldo. Closing out the album was the cool and jazzy \u201cSee The Light\u201d. \u201cAldo Nova\u201d was a strong debut album indeed.<\/p>\n

1983 saw the release of \u201cSubject\u201d, a concept album dealing with dreams, reality and imagination. Synthesizers were featured prominently on this album. To start things off, we\u2019re treated to two sound effects laden instrumentals, \u201cSubject\u2018s Theme\u201c and \u201cArmageddon (Race Cars)\u201d, before being lead into \u201cArmageddon\u201d, where Aldo states in a semi-robotic voice: \u201cOn the border of your mind\u2026 lies a place\u2026 where dreams and reality are one\u2026 I will take you there\u2026 for I am the subject\u2026 the subject of your imagination\u2026\u201d Very cool stuff. Up next, \u201cMonkey On Your Back\u201d, a minor hit for Aldo that rocks out with \u201ca story about two kids in the city who both have a problem with life\u2026 and it isn\u2019t very pretty\u201d. \u201cCry Baby Cry\u201d and \u201cAll Night Long\u201d were other highlights with great guitar and keyboard playing and catchy melodies and choruses.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwitch\u201d, released in 1985, had a much more polished and keyboard-heavy sound than Aldo\u2019s first two albums. \u201cTwitch\u201d also used outside writers and musicians, when up to that point, Aldo had handled practically every aspect of writing, arranging and performing the music on his albums. Though the album sounded bogged down, there were some Gems that managed to shine through. The mid-tempo pop-rock songs, \u201cTonite (Lift Me Up)\u201d and \u201cIf Looks Could Kill\u201d sparkle. \u201cHeartless\u201d picks up the pace slightly and ups the ante with an even catchier melody and chorus. \u201cLay Your Love On Me\u201d, my favorite gem from the album, rocks the hardest and proudest of all the songs.<\/p>\n

A comeback of sorts, Aldo Nova returned six years later with \u201cBlood On The Bricks\u201d. Released on Jon Bon Jovi\u2019s Jambco Records, it featured production by Jon Bon Jovi, who also contributed vocals and co-wrote seven of the ten tracks. \u201cBlood On The Bricks\u201d was a much more inspired and hard-rocking effort than his two previous albums and offered up the gems: \u201cBang Bang\u201d, \u201cThis Ain\u2019t Love\u201d and \u201cTouch Of Madness\u201d. \u201cBang Bang\u201d and \u201cThis Ain\u2019t Love\u201d rock out confidently with the usual guitar finesse and catchy sing along choruses, but it\u2018s \u201cTouch Of Madness\u201d, the catchiest of all the songs on the album, that generates a beautiful shimmering pop-metal sheen. Aldo sings: \u201cShe\u2019s so tough\u2026 But she knows that I\u2019m a rebel too\u2026 No Romeo and Juliet\u2026 Got anything on me and you\u2026\u201d. \u201cBlood On The Bricks\u201d was a very promising release that could have gone on to be much bigger had it\u2019s momentum not been cut short by the doom and gloom of grunge.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Aldo released \u201cNova\u2019s Dream\u201d in 1997, an album that showcased his return to his signature hard rock sound, before continuing on in the writer\/producer mold. To date, Aldo has written and produced for artists such as Celine Dion, Garou, Chenoa, Agnes Carlsson and Clay Aiken. As a songwriter, Aldo\u2018s recent hits include Clay Aiken\u2019s \u201cThis Is The Night\u201d and Celine Dion\u2019s \u201cA Song For You\u201d, \u201cCan\u2019t Fight The Feelin\u2019\u201d, \u201cFade Away\u201d and \u201cShadow Of Love\u201d.<\/p>\n

In retrospect, it\u2019s clear to see that Aldo Nova was ahead of his time. A true \u201cpop-metal\u201d pioneer, he created a formula which used catchy melodies and choruses, searing guitar work and big drums. He helped to lay the foundation for the big \u201cpop-metal\u201d sound which many big bands like Def Leppard, Loverboy and Bon Jovi incorporated into their own music over the years resulting in great success. If you really want to hear \u201cpop metal\u201d at it\u2019s best — fantastic songs, combining melodic rockers and heartfelt ballads — listen to \u201cAldo Nova\u201d and \u201cBlood On The Bricks\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/strong><\/a>(CDs) \u201cAldo Nova\u201d and \u201cBlood On The Bricks\u201c
\n(Songs) Fantasy, Hot Love, It\u2019s Too Late, Heart To Heart, Foolin\u2019 Yourself, See The Light, Armageddon, Monkey On Your Back, Cry Baby Cry, All Night Long,
\nTonite (Lift Me Up), If Looks Could Kill, Heartless, Lay Your Love On Me, Bang Bang, This Ain\u2019t Love, and Touch Of Madness<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

[youtube v\/GylirgHFqeQ?fs]<\/p>\n

To Send \u201cGonzo\u201d A Suggestion For An Article On Your Favorite Musician or Group<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Advertise Now On RSR<\/a><\/p>\n

Purchase Boxing Interviews Of A Lifetime<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sam \u201cGonzo\u201d Gonzales It was 1982, and I was two years into my military career, when I overheard two fellow sailors talking about some guy named Aldo Nova and the album he had just released. They were praising it pretty heavily, especially the first single from the album, \u201cFantasy\u201d. So, I joined in on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1969,1970,522],"class_list":["post-44863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-aldo-nova","tag-fantasy","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44863\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}