Surviror – Ultimate Survivor
“No, I don’t hate Balboa. I pity the fool.” – Clubber Lang, Rocky III.
Has there ever been a better movie bad ass than Rocky III’s Clubber Lang (played my Mr. T)? While Rocky is busy being wined and dined, Clubber Lang trains like a mo-fo. He tells Rocky he’s dead meat. He makes fun of Rocky at his own press conference. When Adrian opens her pie hole he puts her in her place too. He scares Mickey (Burgess Meredith) so bad that he gives him a heart attack and kills him. When asked about his upcoming fight with Rocky Balboa, he says, “My prediction? Pain.” And in the pair’s first meeting his predicion is correct, as he mercilessly kicks Rocky’s ass up and down the ring, dishing out a beating Ike Turner would be jealous of.
But in the film’s climactic rematch between the two boxers, Rocky makes a complete comeback. Despite Clubber Lang’s scary mohawk, Rocky prevails and overcomes his animalistic opponent by knocking out Clubber Lang. Was it Rocky’s training? Was it the death of his mentor and coach? Was it his dedication to the sport?
No. It was Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”.
BUH. BUH BUH BUH. BUH BUH BUH. BUH BUH BUHHHHHHHHHHH. THE EYE OF THE TIGERRRRRRRRRRRR!
With that song behind him, nothing could stop Rocky. It was like the old Three Stooges short Punch Drunks, where every time Curly hears “Pop Goes the Weasel” he goes crazy and beats everybody up. That’s what Rocky should have had in the first fight — Apollo Creed in his corner with a big boom box blasting out “The Eye of the Tiger”. And in Rocky IV, when the power of “Eye of the Tiger” begins to wane, have no fear — Rocky switches to Survivor’s “Burning Heart” and uses the power of that song to kick a Russian’s ass!
Never underestimate the power of a Survivor song.
On Survivor’s 2004 Ultimate Survivor CD, you get “Eye of the Tiger”, “Burning Heart”, and sixteen other classic Survivor tracks. Use caution when playing this CD, however — you might accidentally kick someone’s ass without even meaning to!
I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a “fan” of Survivor, but I liked them enough back in the 80’s and this CD is a nice throwback to those days. Their greatest hits CD includes some classic power ballads, some out and out ballads (“The Search is Over”), some rockers, and even the obligitory “unreleased” track. “Rockin’ Into The Night”, made famous by 38 Special, was originally a Survivor song. It appears for the first time ever on Ultimate Survivor.
If you’re a Survivor fan, this is a must own disc. All 18 tracks have been digitally remastered and sound awesome. The CD comes with a 16 page booklet that contains interviews with the principal members of Survivor, and tells the complete story of the band from inception to current day. There are also several awesome pictures of the band from their glory days in the 80’s.
Survivor is currently recording an album set to be released later this year. If they harness the power from Eye of the Tiger, it’s sure to be a success.