SONIC WAVES…Cinderella/Night Songs

 

Well Friends of Arena Rock! I’m gonna take a little break from the Rock Blog for a few weeks but i shall return in early September with all new ramblings of Rock! Once again thanks for always taking the time to check this blog out! If your dropping by for the first time,Welcome!

Deke

Well Poofs To Do! So our good pal Jon Bon Jokie supposedly discovered these guys and got them signed and hooked Cinderella up as the opening act on Jovi’s mega everything Slippery When Wet tour of 1986!

That my friends is called the winning ticket! It shot Night Songs up the charts which in turn Cinderella became a headline act after there very good followup to Night Songs  which was Long Cold Winter!

Tom Keifer(lead vocals,guitar,songwriter of everything) Jeff Labar(guitar) Eric Brittingham(bass) and drum guy Al Parker(who was replaced by Fred Coury. Fred  is pictured on the album cover but does not play on the record) round out Cinderella.

When I recently cued this album up on my iPod to me there cover glam image didn’t dictate what was on the inside of Night Songs. Let me explain….

Shake it …Don’t break it……

NIGHT SONGS- bells a chiming and some heavy devy suped up slide guitaring from Tom  and Jeff and it’s a real quick hit to the sonic noggin and Tom Keifer has a real unique Rock voice! Unlike the other so called bands of the times that have tailor made radio friendly voices for the MTV’s of the world! Keifer to me sounds like Brian Johnson at times like he’s gonna puke his lungs out from his screeching! Tom makes vocal screeching seem real cool! Night Songs is a cool lead off track slower kinda plodding not a good time syrupy Talk Dirty To Me track! No siree we are Cinderella…we are here to kick your ass! But before the ass kicking starts has anyone seen Tom’s Scarf?

SHAKE ME-yes the song got these guys out there! The video had Keifer doing all the Steve Tyler moves ten years earlier(1976)Tyler had the scarfs hanging off the mic. Tyler wore the same kind of outfits. Keifer humps his mic stand just like Tyler did and still does to this day. So I guess the bottom line is if your gonna borrow someone’s vibe borrow from one of the best! (Tyler). Cinderella, well Keifer writes a great track with a Aero shmozzy boozey feel and you can hear a ramped up Hammond b3 in the background and Shake Me with its cornholio sounding like lyrics delivers! Jeff and Tom nail down some real good licks and solos and holy hell boys! I’m 19 at the time and I know your ripping off Aerosmith here in the lookey lookey video deptmartment but you guys pull it off with a great well written song. Added bonus points for the use of cowbell in this song! Video is posted for your enjoyment ….so umm Shake It All Night Long!

NOBODYS FOOL- Outta the 80s power play handbook comes the big power ballad by track 3! “I’m not your fool Nobody’s Fool!” Hammers Keifer on lead throat! The song has a mid tempo Metalish slowish groove so … Ok cut to the chase. This song was played a million times on MuchMusic and well,well Boss Jovi and sidekick  Richard Sambora show up at the end of the video and leave with the chicks! Looking back at the time of its release i got a queasy uneasy feeling about this tune but 29 years later I must be mellowing as its not too to bad!

NOTHIN FOR NOTHIN-more straight ahead rock! The drums push the tune and Keifer as he does slams down his guitar and howls some rock vocals! This song is a wham bam thank Ya mam tune! This is not rocket science folks its jsut good time happy happy rock!

ONCE AROUND THE RIDE-ha simple 123 Rock and this is another no frills fun 80s Rock served to the masses. Once Around could have been called easily “we’re not beating around the bush ” in other words straight forward no looking back. Plus for extra kicks it sounds like once agian Tommys gonna toss a lung when he hollers “Onnnce Aroooooound The Riiiiiiide! Yee haw! I miss this stuff….

HELL ON WHEELS- Yep Keifer takes the wheel on the tour bus and its full boar 140 mphs on a one way street with oncoming traffic and Keifer ain’t budging! The band lays it down thick n hard(that’s what she said!) and hey throw down some 4/4 tempo! We got a slick Roxk track!

SOMEBODY SAVE ME-is the Cinderfella guys pulling a ACDCish riff and they roll a glam fatty and well Saaaaaaaave Me! The verses are straight ahead rock 101 with a pretty catchey pre chorus and the Keifer/Labar guitar combo know there limits and lay down some dirty rock riffing….yeah i dig this tune man in a 1986 kinda way!

IN FROM THE OUTSIDE-quick out of the gate and Keifer/Labar and Crew keep the party going! The chorus is pretty good with the drums plowing thru and the guitars doing those quick stop starts and Keifer and his voice going. Good tune.

PUSH PUSH-ha this in the lyrics deptmartment reek of 80s cheese! The music is straight ahead rock! Some  big time power chords some big time solos all wrapped neatly in case you need a little Push Push!

BACK HOME AGAIN-Gem dudes and gals! I love this tune man and still do! You know the song kicks out of the gates quick with snap drumming,bass and guitar. Keifer tells the tale of hitting the road at 17 and boom this song rocks! Keifer hits the grand slam with Back Home Again sure it sounds like a mix of ACDC and later day Aerosmith and I’m ok with it actually real ok with it! Labar smokes the solo on this song as he goes to wang bar heaven on it but keeps it in check! One great tune …..Crank the vid posted and check out these Cinderfella dudes live back in the day.

IN CONCLUSION-Cinderella! Dudes put a string of real solid records after Night Songs which some day I’m gonna tackle! Long Cold Winter,HeartBreak Station and Still Climbing are all solid releases with no two albums sounding alike! Of course the Cinderfella guys did themselves no favours as when the whole Glammy Genre crashed and burned in the early 90s Cinderella like so many others careers torpedoed quicker than Tbone hollering LAST CALL at some watering hole in Minneapolis Minnesota after a night of beverages and Rush!

Seriously though these guys put out decent product but that pic of them on the cover Of Night Songs totally came back to bite em in the ass within a matter of 5 years as I think when people think of Cinderella nowadays there judging by the look!

Like I have always said people …listen with the ears!