Long Cold Winter

Cinderella | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B000001FO4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,240 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #16 in Music > Classic Rock > Glam
  • #40 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Hard Rock
  • #91 in Music > Classic Rock > Arena Rock

Track Listings

1. Bad Seamstress Blues Fallin' Apart At The Seams

2. Gypsy Road

3. Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)

4. The Last Mile

5. Second Wind

6. Long Cold Winter

7. If You Don't Like It

8. Coming Home

9. Fire And Ice

10. Take Me Back

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

From the very first track ("Bad Seamstress Blues"), it was obvious that Cinderella was moving in a different direction with this album, toward a mix of the pop metal that was their forte with a bluesy inflection reminiscent of Aerosmith. Songs like "Fallin' Apart at the Seams" and "Gypsy Road" showed this influence clearly while making the album more musically interesting than its contemporaries, although the anthemic "The Last Mile" and the hit single "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" were definite highlights. Added to the mix were ballads like the title track, as well as less grandiose tunes such as "Coming Home." Not exactly a classic album, but a likeable listen overall. --Genevieve Williams

Product Description

CD

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten Classic December 13, 2001

By tin2x

Format:Audio CD

Cinderella's debut featured bluesy rock which was reminiscent of AC/DC. On their follow up they up the rootsiness factor while still rocking in late 80's fashion. The result is a winning album that is an overlooked classic of 80's hard rock.

The album starts off with some harmonica and a national steel guitar while Tom Keifer sings a blues as an intro to "Fallin' Apart At The Seams". It works wonderfully. It's worked so that the key riff of the hard rocker is alluded to and then played on intentionally "historic" sounding guitar. "Gypsy Road" follows which is another riff rocker with a riff Keith Richards probably wishes he wrote. Following that is the excellent "Don't Know What You Got Till It's Gone" which is a fantastic power ballad. Probably the best thing about it though, not to detract from the song, is Tom Keifer's excellent solo. Another standout rocker in "The Last Mile" follows. Other standout tracks include "Long Cold Winter" which is in the vein of Led Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You" with some stirring guitar and "Coming Home" which is a great country rock ballad. "If You Don't Like It" is the kiss-off/screw you song that every good rock album needs and works on that level. "Second Wind" and "Fire And Ice" recall the band's debut "Night Songs" with the latter being the superior track. "Take Me Back" rounds out the album with some kickng drums with cowbell and a great slide riff, and a rootsy upbeatness.

The thing about this and Cinderella's next album ("Heartbreak Station") is that they started showing a way out of being pigeon holed in the "hard rock" scene. Cinderella were stretching the boundaries of what the hard rock and mainstream audiences would accept. At the same time though there were rockin' out with a fury. Tom Keifer's Janis Joplin/Brian Johnson voice may not be for everyone, but the guy always played a mean guitar, and here with Jeff LaBar is just a great rock CD. It's been lumped in with dreck for so long. It stands up a lot better than many of the stuff that was on "Headbanger's Ball" at the same time. And maybe oneday "Long Cold Winter" will be acknowledged as the great rock album it is.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Cold Winter, a warm rocking sophomore effort June 21, 2005

By Daniel J. Hamlow HALL OF FAME

Format:Audio CD

Cinderella followed its debut Night Songs with Long Cold Winter, which featured some improved instrumentation, distinct songs instead of the same sound throughout, and a more blues-based song infused with their usual metal. The opening "Falling Apart/Bad Seamstress Blues," has some classic acoustic blues before launching into metal blues in the second part, including some superior electric blues guitar. As in their first album, they put forth a sound that should've put Warrant, Firehouse, and Winger on alert to what metal should've been.

The heavy rocking "Gypsy Road" is this album's "Shake Me." Strangely enough, the video for this song was released before "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)," as that song charted first. As it turns out, this was released as a single after the success of the first three singles. It peaked at #51, and I put this to the order when it was released. Why not release it as the first single as it was in the UK?

Probably because of the success of pop-metal bands doing ballads; Cinderella's first single (and second video) "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" bettered its previous ballad, "Nobody's Fool," by one place, peaking at #12. It starts as a piano ballad before going full force with the guitars and synths to give it a soaring effect, of some hope left to mend what was sundered.

The next single was "The Last Mile," which falls into the metal blues category. This hard-driving song reached #36, which would've signaled them to hold off on singles, but they came out with yet another one, the mid-paced "Coming Home" which made it to #20. Some country inflections on the mellower parts give evidence that they just didn't go for straight ahead metal. A definite asset to this album.

As for the rest, it's mostly hard-driving numbers such as "Second Wind," that push this album on further heights than Night Songs. "If You Don't Like It" shows a defiant stance on lifestyle a la Billy Joel's "My Life" but with some attitude. "If you don't like it, I don't care" becomes an anthem against that elite exploitative 9-5 set. "Fire and Ice" is another song on a predatory woman, with its "shake for me ooo yea" a reminder of their first single, "Shake Me."

The title track sees them going into slow heartfelt electric blues mode, with Tom Keifer's banshee-like vocals strangely not out-of-place, showing that Clapton and ZZ Top didn't have the sole monopoly on blues-based rock.

Long Cold Winter also benefits from extra drumming assistance from Cozy Powell, who took Carl Palmer's place in ELP, and Denny Carmassi of Heart, as well as session percussionist Paulinho da Costa. And given that Keifer and bassist Tom Bittingham were two of three co-producers showed that this time, they were ready to break new ground. A definite improvement over Night Songs, Long Cold Winter will warm those who are 80's metal fans, whether rediscovering or discovering this for the first time.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Know What You Got.....Till' You Own It July 20, 2001

By Delton Grassmid

Format:Audio CD

Yes you can call me crazy but please keep reading. This is the greatest album of the pop music era. This cannot be called an album the damn thing is an oratorio the best collection of art since Handel's immortal "The Messiah". How Keifer got away with this religous message on a major label is beyond me. This album puts accross so much heart and soul it would make Otis Redding smile and cry. I would love to see what Keifer went through to write these songs and what the release looked like when he put them on paper. The album must be listened to from first song to last and you should probably sit down and read the lyrics as the record plays as it will tell you a story of life, love, heartache,strength,hope, and acceptance. Please forget about image when you listen even though theirs was over the top it did not effect the music like it may have with some other bands of this genre. When it comes to hairbands no one could play the blues like these guys.

Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin' Apart At The Seams- Great mood swings starts out with a Robert Johnson influence and winds up hard rock.

Gypsy Road-A rock anthem, should be a classic

Don't Know What You Got(Till It's Gone)-The slow song, the hit, but aside from that it tells an honest soulful story

The Last Mile-cool riff, great lyrics,good vocal arrangements.

Second Wind-Makes a simple but nessacary statement to the albums story

Long Cold Winter-A 12 bar blues in a minor key played with metal distortion.My favorite song on the record. It is my opinion that this is currently the highest evolution of the blues as the current artists rehash the same old thing. Includes the most soulful singing and guitar playing you can hear. A Keifer Masterpiece

If You Don't Like It-Every piece of work will have parts of it you like better or worse, but the songs statement is again useful to the story

Coming Home-great guitar arrangements, great lyrics, maybe the best song on the record

Fire and Ice-I like the music and the words again need to be there

Take Me Back-The title says it all. Fun song,great lyrics and slide guitar.

This album is a must have for ANYONE. People need to hear this band and pay no mind to the bad rap. Tom Keifer is one of the most gifted and underrated songwriters of all time. Any artist throwin' it down from their heart and soul should not be denied.