Customer Reviews

Night Songs

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm a Cinderella fan and I'll admit that their look turned me off in the beginning, but if you listen to the album you don't get Posion/Warrant rock. These guys were taking their cue from AC/DC, Aerosmith, and heavy Stones.

This album is a LOT more bluesy than you'd think. Not blues. But VERY blues based. As other reviewers have noted as well there is a certain darkness to this album as well. There's something a little haunting about songs such as "Night Songs", "Nothin' For Nothin'" and "Back Home Again". "Shake Me", "In From The Outside", "Hell On Wheels" and "Once Around The Ride" all rock hard. The lyrics may not be all that original (admittedly, but then again rock lyrics generally aren't) but the band is just tight and the execution of the whole package is excellent. "Nobody's Fool" is an excellent power ballad, and as a kiss off has a slightly different slant than the usual sappy ones. And "Somebody Save Me" is a great song that's very poppy when you look at it without the overdriven guitar. "Push Push" is a song about sex but it has such a great riff behind it that it overpowers the somewhat formulaic lyrics.

Overall this album musically is so tight, and not quite the glam you'd think, that it comes off as a great, yet not representative mid to late 80's hard rock album.

I remember seeing the cover of "Night Songs" when it first came out and thinking that these were just another bunch of spandex-wearing pretty boys playing by-the-numbers pop-metal. They seemed like a thousand other bands that were gaining popularity at the dawn of 1986.

However, after much coaxing from my girlfriend, and after seeing the video for "Shake Me" on MTV, I could look her squarely in the eyes and say "I WAS WAAAAAAY OUTA LINE!" The music on "Night Songs" is completely in your face rock 'n roll with blues undertones that is so far above the drivel of Warrant et. al that it isn't even funny.

Cinderella (who I just saw last Saturday night in Tampa with Poison) is NOTHING like the (thankfully short-lived) image that was first cast upon us. In fact, by their second album (the excellent "Long Cold Winter") the glam look was mostly history in favor of black leather, and a somewhat darker image. They wanted to be taken seriously and they sure deserved it. From what I witnessed and heard a few nights ago - they still do.

"Night Songs" is a romping, explosion of sounds and heavy riffs that leaves the listener always craving more. "Shake Me," "Nothin From Nothin," "Somebody Save Me," "Hell On Wheels," "Nobody's Fool," and (my personal favorite) the raunchy and suggestive "Push Push" are all incrediblely infectious and top-notch.

Every song on this is a winner. I know the word "classic" is as cliched as any in the English language (especially when it comes to rating things), BUT... I have to use it none-the-less. "Night Songs" is a classic rock album and one of the truly underated debuts ever.

Cinderella should never, ever, ever be lumped in with all the thousands of "hair bands" that dominated the mid-late 80's music scene. They are a pure blues-based band that has the swagger and groove of Aerosmith as well as the electricity and punch of AC/DC.

"Night Songs" is one album that still stands the test of time and never sounds dated.

At the same time Bon Jovi finally exploded on the scene with Slippery When Wet, they were also responsible for signing up Cinderella on their label, Mercury Records. Given the considerable softening of their sound on Slippery When Wet, it's no surprise that Cinderella's debut, Night Songs, rocked harder than that of their benefactors, with Tom Keifer's banshee-like voice and harmonies from the other members giving Cinderella an extra edge.

The title track, heralded by tolling bells, has a slow and steady that could fit home on a horror film soundtrack, but actually it's about a burned out trucker who needs the title songs to keep him going on a job that barely gets the bills paid and such.

The lead single, the one-night stand grindfest of "Shake Me" shows them getting in gear, with the team putting their signature sound of pounding skins and heavy guitars into tight rhythmic formation.

Equally as hard-driving was their third single, "Somebody Save Me," which paints a bleak picture of the American dream: "Put your money in a big house/Get yourself a pretty wife/She'll collect your life insurance/When she connects you with a knife." Those thinking of getting married-take heed to that. The despair can be further felt in the chorus, where the law of the jungle is melded with the urban jungle: "somebody save me, I lost my job, they kicked me out of my tree."

Their first foray into the charts came with the operatic power ballad "Nobody's Fool," replete with airy synths and blaring guitars, which peaked at #13 in 1987, one below peers Motley Crue with "Girls Girls Girls" and alongside Poison's "I Won't Forget You" that same year so that is a sign that metal was gaining entry into the heretofore unreachable charts.

If you have the urge to get that speedometer to three digits after listening "Hell On Wheels," I wouldn't fault you-just don't make any roadkill. The fast-paced guitars and drums shows the band at their fastest on their album. The been there done that "In From The Outside" has Jon Bon Jovi singing the first verse of the song before Tom Keifer takes over for the rest of the song.

The arena rock of "Back Home Again" is a tribute to finally making it big after years of hard work, and how being on stage when rolling into town makes one feel at home again.
A consistent sound provided Night Songs a kicker of a debut album for Keifer and company. They would make it bigger with their followup, Long Cold Winter.

Yes, I will admit that because, of the Bon Jovi connection to the band. I purchased "Nightsongs" the day it was released in 1986. Fastforward 20 years, I'm still listening to Cinderella have everyone of their releases in my collection and you will not find Bon Jovi in my CD collection.
I have always thought their album cover was deceiving because your expecting Bubble Gum Pop Metal and yet another Monkey see Monkey do band. But that's not what you get, Tom, Eric and Jeff are awesome on this release (Fred didn't play drums on this, so didn't forget him) but got to say Jody Cortez does a decent job, the songwritings good and like that Nightsongs the 1st track. The Intro sets it up. Then they spring the surprise on you that they are just a Bluesy Metal Band and that's what I crave. Have always loved Nightsongs, Shake Me, Nobody's Fool (just turn up the bass), Nothin' For Nothin', Once Around The ride, Somebody Save Me and Push,Push. Twenty years later, like Hell On Wheels, In From The Outside and Back Home Again just as much. Definately, well worth it to track this release down.

Cinderella never got the recognition or exposure that they deserved -- especially this album. That's a shame, because they were (are) one of the most competent and musically worthwhile bands to come out of the 80's hard rock/metal/"hair" explosion.

This is blues-based, whiskey-drenched rock 'n' roll at its finest. Check out Tom Keifer's raspy, almost-screeching howl (reminiscent of AC/DC's Brian Johnson but with a unique twist - more musical and versatile), the steamy metal/blues riffs....and the solo work of one of the more underrated 80's guitarists, Jeff LaBar.

What attracted me most about this band (and still does) is that yes, they were lumped in with the glam hair-bands...but their music (and specifically this album) had a dark, ominous tinge to it...check out "Night Songs", "Save Me", and "Once Around The Ride"...and even in their more "party" songs, minor chords and a dark character surface. It gave their music a serious, threatening edge missing in alot of the output of that time. It's part of that delta blues heritage.

Weaknesses on this album? The production was only adequate - the guitars were missing a bit of bite and the drums were thuddy - but that's ok given it was their debut. The only other point is that they tended to sound a bit similar in style to AC/DC or Def Leppard...listen to "Nobody's Fool" and you can practically hear Def Leppard's "Bringing on the Heartbreak" in the reverb! This is something they grew away from in their subsequent releases though.

Good band...check 'em out, from this album to "Long Cold Winter" to "Still Climbing."

I recently purchased this CD, having discovered 80's metal for myself after years of prompting from friends. White Lion and Def Leppard got me started, and I listen to those groups religiously now. I wanted some more of the same, basically, and I discovered Cinderella. All I can say is "verrrrry good."

Cinderella starts the album with a song I find attractively eerie and/or haunting: "Night Songs." Song three, "Nobody's Fool," is very good as well, and "Somebody Save Me," "Push Push," and "Hell On Wheels" just flat out rock.

Tom Keifer's voice (lead singer) is very similar to the lead singer of Def Leppard (can't remember his name right now), but with just a little more "screech", if you will. It's hard to explain, except that he's definitely got a good voice for pop metal, and if you like Def Leppard's sound of voice and overall music, you'll like this offering of Cinderella.

This CD, best described, is a perfect blend of Def Leppard and White Lion (Mike Tramp, lead singer of White Lion) not only in the sound of the singer's voice, but in their guitar and drum work, and their riffs and rock. I highly recommend the CD!

Cinderella epitomizes how 80's metal's uniqueness from one band to the next. They paved their own way with awesome music. Sure, they wore the typical big hair and make-up, but these guys meant business. Their second album was more bluesy and softer than I expected, and to be honest I was disappointed in the direction they went after this first album. But hey, I was in high school and I didn't quite want them to go other directions just yet. Especially after such a kick arse album as this. It has to be one of my all-time favorite metal albums. It's right up there with Dokken's Under Lock and Key et al. If you love 80's metal, you'll find this refreshingly hard and nasty. I also recommend a little-known metal band called WWIII (self-titled, one album). If you can find them.

Review no.42.Nothing like Cinderella's first two lp's,with this of course being their first.As you can't HELP but to notice in their old videos as well as in their music,Cinderella is most definitely heavily influence by Aerosmith.Just about every track on this debut CD reissue like totally rocks out more so than most fans may ever realize.Tunes like "Shake Me",the ultimate '80's power ballad "Nobody's Fool","Nothin' For Nothin'",the foundation-rattler "Somebody Save Me","Push Push" and the true tear-jerker(?)"Back Home Again".A must-have.

I recently rediscovered this tape in my collection, and to my surprise I found myself getting into it. True, "Nobody's Fool" is almost a note-for-note rendition of Def Leppard's "Bringin' On The Heartbreak," and Tom Keifer's voice can be like fingernails on a chalkboard after a while, but the lyrics are fairly decent and there's some interesting arrangements. And I'd forgotten how good "Somebody Save Me" is. With a different name and image, Cinderella might have gone a lot farther. As it is, "Night Songs" sounds pretty good on my car stereo--may be there for a while . . .

I own all the Cinderella studio cd's and they are all excellent. It's just frustrating that they haven't put out anything new in so long while all these other sub-par bands put out a cd just about every year.