In the Heart of the Young by Winger

In the Heart of the Young, Winger's second album (some fans call it Winger II), arrived on Atlantic in 1990 with Beau Hill producing, just as the glam metal boom was starting to sag. Nobody told Winger. Kip Winger on bass and lead vocals, Reb Beach on guitar, Rod Morgenstein on drums and Paul Taylor on guitar and keyboards stuck close to the debut's blueprint, then nudged it toward progressive rock flourishes and big, weepy power ballads. It went platinum, climbed to 15 on the album chart and sent "Miles Away" into the Billboard top 20.

The funny part: "Can't Get Enuff" and "Easy Come Easy Go", two of its hits, were written late in the game because, as Kip Winger tells it, the record was short on rockers. A 13-month world tour followed, sharing stages with Kiss, Scorpions, Extreme, Slaughter and ZZ Top. It was Taylor's last Winger album until Seven in 2023.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.