Temptations & Ambitions

When MLTR was formed, I guess I was still chewing my pacifier with a smelly bolster in my arm. It took more than 10 years before I became one of their fan, amidst a rather outdated one, captivated by the serenity of their ballads. Songs like "That's Why You Go Away" and "25 minutes" were hits in the past. And then songs like "You Took My Heart Away" and "Blue Night" were the ones bringing them to stardom, at least, in the Asian countries. Somehow MLTR captured the hearts of the Asians who preferred melancholic melodies than those hard hitting punk rock.

Contrary to unpopular beliefs, Michael Learns to Rock is not really a rock band by today's standards. The word "Rock" might have instill fear in certain parties, but rest assured that they are popular for their love ballads and their "rock" songs are even much more benign than our very own local rock band by comparison. Perhaps this must have been the most misunderstood band in the world's music history.

And their lead singer wasn't Michael either. Or whatsoever close to that. Their lead singer would be Jascha Richter, along with Kare Wanscher and Mikkel Lentz. Well, the word Mikkel might ring a bell, but let's just say the band's name does not centered around them. It was from the fame of Michael Jackson, and they were desperate for a name after their band won the Aarhus' local annual talent show in May 1988.

Before one start throwing on anything vulgar on them again, let's have a look at MLTR's track record in Malaysia. This is the 3rd MLTR's debut in Malaysia. The previous 2 were successful and there weren't any commotion of a hot concert you would expect. truth to be told, I must admit that they attract a fanbase of more mature audience, with more civilisation level instead of any Mat Rempits who would sleep their way through the concert. MLTR is a bunch of family men over their 40's performing ballads, which means there would not be any Linkin Park wails, any sassy dance moves or any revealing clothes to show their unappetising sex appeal. Any such act might land them in the hospital, as you can see, they are not young anymore.

So, before anyone condemn their acts as immoral or an instigator for any indecent acts, I suggest getting an album of theirs and listen to their songs. It might be old fashioned, but heck, who doesn't like such ballads unless you're a chaser for the latest band to act cool. :P

But on the bright side, I guess MLTR has lots to gain from this. Publicity. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Now it is up to MLTR to prove their capability to woo back the old fans as well as the soon-to-be fans. Can they still compete after 20 years of music career despite being labelled a dinosaur of music bands?