The Morning

So far it’s started badly. 

• Late to work
• Keys misplaced
• Drive back home to try to find keys
• Kids possilby late-ish for school now
• Equipment break downs at work
• Drive all over trying to find someone to do the repairs

How to deal with it all?  Sit at your desk, drink coffe and listen to Metallica’s Death Magnetic.

The Rythmic Pitch: Cinderella – Night Songs

My wife and I have two children; thus, many of our friends are people with kids, too.  About two weeks ago, I was talking to one of these friends.  He has a two year old daughter.  He said to me, “So, you and my daughter have something in common.”  Really?  What’s that?  “You both like Cinderella.” 

I didn’t know what to do at first.  I don’t watch that movie.  Oh, sure, we’ve got the deluxe version of it and all but that’s because my wife and my daughter like it.  What’s that got to do with me?  Then it dawned on me.  There’s Cinderella of the glass slippers and there’s Cinderella of the big hair.

Once I understood the joke, I had to agree.    rocks. 

So let’s talk about their first record, Night Songs.  It was released in 1986.  The first single I remember from it was “Nobody’s Fool.”  That song ruled in ‘86!  Fine, it didn’t rule, there were way too many other awesome songs.  Like anything from Metallica’s Master of Puppets.  Slippery When Wet had been released, too, providing some tough competition.  Still, “Nobody’s Fool” brought notice to Fred Coury, Eric Brittingham, Tom Keifer and Jeff Labar. 

1. “Night Songs“  - A boring and forgettable tune and not a very wise choice for the opener.  They would have been much better off starting the record out with the second track.
2. “Shake Me“ - It’s a solid song with one of those choruses you just want to shout out. 
3. “Nobody’s Fool” – Shall we say the quintessential Cinderella song?  It’s a lumbering giant of a song, with nonsensical lyrics here and there but it’s arranged well and the video was cool.
4. “Nothin’ For Nothin’” – Good sound, easy lyrics.  An overlooked track, I think.  It rocks.
5. “Once Around the Ride” – Okay but forgettable
6. “Hell on Wheels” – Unfortunately, this one’s not forgettable.  In fact, it’s embarassing and should have been stricken from the record.
7. “Somebody Save Me” – While the second track is classic, this song may very well be the best on the record.  Great hard rock feel, angry lyrics.
8. “In From the Outside” – This one showed the band’s leaning toward bluesy rock.  It’s definitely got rythym.
9. “Push, Push” – A fun, average rocker.
10. “Back Home Again” – The crunchy guitars showcased here approach really good metal.  I kinda wish they’d continued with this sound.  Cool song.

I think Long Cold Winter was a better record but Night Songs is still worth a listen now and again.  If you buy tickets for Rocklahoma this summer you’ll get a chance to see Cinderella rock again. 

The Rythmic Pitch: Van Halen’s 5150

Van Halen’s seventh album, 5150, was released in 1986.  It marked the Great Change; Sammy Hagar succeeded David Lee Roth as the lead singer.  This spawned the Great Debate over which singer was the best and which era of Van Halen orchestrated the best music.  It’s a tough discussion, but I think all fans can agree on this:  whether you liked David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar, either was better than Gary Cherone. 

I don’t know which I prefer.  But, whenever I think about listening to Van Halen I always think first of 1984.  Is that a subconscious clue?  It seems I forget about 5150, even though it was good. 

The songs from 5150 seem laid back compared to earlier Van Halen and I do like that.  “Get Up” is probably the only one with the verve and agility of the early Diamond Dave days.

But other tracks are beyond the ability of the Roth.  For example, my favorite track is “Love Walks In.”  I think it’s a sentimental yet sweeping ballad with some intelligent lyrics.  Hagar sings it with appropriate feeling; Roth would have made it lecherous.  “Dreams” is another excellent song, infused with hope and determination. 

Of course, the real reason we all listen to Van Halen is to hear the legendary guitar virtuosity of Eddie.  While there is some good guitar scattered throughout 5150, the melodies I remember the most are from the synth.  Eddie seemed to really get into the keyboards starting with 1984.   It was cool, if not as rough as earlier Van Halen albums. 

Later records with Sammy improved on the sound showcased in 5150.  The lyrics continued to progress and Eddie came back to the guitar.  Sometimes I wonder if timing affected this Van Halen album.  I mean, in ‘86 they had some high caliber competition in the rock and metal world. 

For example, a little band from Jersey released an album called Slippery When Wet and it nearly dominated the music scene that year.  Plus, Metallica released the greatest heavy metal album of ALL time that year, the legendary Master of Puppets.  Slayer’s Reign In Blood was out.  Oh and Whitney Houston, too.  Okay, that was a sick joke.  Sick.  I am disgusted with myself that I wrote it.

Well, anyway, 5150 is a solid entry in the hard rock world even if it is forgotten about.