General > General Music Discussion
"Classic" album appreciation thread - the '80s
bosk1:
I think we were going to do something like this awhile back, but it never took off. Maybe this thread won't either. Anyhow, here's what I'm thinking: I'm listening to a "classic" album from the '80s that got me thinking, so I'll post about it, and we'll discuss for a few days until the discussion seems about done, and then I'll post another one. If someone else wants to take a different era, have at it. I'm only doing the '80s. At least, for now.
Albums discussed in the thread so far:
-Cinderella - Long Cold Winter
-Metallica - Master of Puppets
-Michael Jackson - Thriller
-Dio - Holy Diver
-Y&T - Black Tiger
-Corey Hart - Boy in the Box
-Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
-Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
-Journey - Escape
-U2 - The Joshua Tree
-ZZ Top - Eliminator
-Scorpions - Blackout
-Guns n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
-Def Leppard - Pyromania
-Duran Duran - Rio
-AC/DC - Back in Black
-Prince - Purple Rain
-Megadeth - Rust in Peace
-Stryper - To Hell with the Devil
-Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
-Depeche Mode - Music for the Masses
-Whitesnake - s/t (1987)
-Motley Crue - Shout At the Devil
-Exposé - Exposure
-Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
-Metallica - ...And Justice for All
-Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
-The Cars - Heartbeat City
-Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
-Warrant - Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinkin' Rich
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First album up for discussion:
Cinderella - Long Cold Winter
Release date: May 21, 1988
Songs:
"Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin' Apart at the Seams"
"Gypsy Road"
"Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)"
"The Last Mile"
"Second Wind"
"Long Cold Winter"
"If You Don't Like It"
"Coming Home"
"Fire and Ice"
"Take Me Back"
When Night Songs came out, a friend of mine was all in on Cinderella. It took me a bit longer, but I came around as well. Long Cold Winter came out right at the time I was graduating high school, and it quickly developed a very special place in my heart.
I bought the album right away, and I remember the video for Gypsy Road dropping right away. My parents sent me on a cheap trip to Hawaii for my graduation, and I remember my friend Dave and I seeing the video while we were over there. It was odd but fun seeing Tom Keifer and the guys posing out in the snow in this "new" video while Dave and I were beach bumming.
I left for boot camp about two weeks after that, so no music for me for the next 12 weeks. But I had already memorized quite a few of the songs. They were just that catchy. And for that 12-week period, those songs rattled around in my mind.
After boot camp, I got a week at home with my friends and family before reporting to North Carolina for my school and permanent duty station. During that time, this album and Appetite for Destruction were blazing up the charts, and the songs were in constant rotation on MTV and on jukeboxes at the local hangouts. It seemed like Don't Know What You've Got, The Last Mile, and Coming Home were always playing. And as great as those songs are, I didn't mind at all. And the coming winter fit the album well and made it seem all the more appropriate.
During the brief time I was home during this time, I played the album a lot as I was spending my limited precious time with my friends, family, and my girl back home. That really cemented these songs in my mind emotionally. And when the girlfriend eventually called it quits on the long-distance relationship in favor of someone closer to home, it made Don't Know What You've Got sting even more and seem like an old familiar friend who is there to help get you through it.
Overall, this was a great time in my life. It was one that was filled with change and new experiences. And this album was a huge part of it. From the first listen, I fell in love with the combo of Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin' Apart at the Seams. SUCH a strong way to start off the album. And with my love of that '80s guitar rock sound, this was right up my alley. The singles from the album were all outstanding. But so were the deep tracks. Second Wind is a solid rocker, and great way to end "side 1" (yeah, cassettes were where it was at). Long Cold Winter was a bit of an odd one for me, but I LOVED Keifer's guitar work once the solo section started toward the end. If You Don't Like It never really hit me like the other tunes, but it isn't bad. Fire and Ice was pretty cool and kind of served to pump you up for the album closing. Take Me Back was a nice, nostalgic-feeling tune to close the album, and this is one instance where a fadeout REALLY seems appropriate.
All-in-all, this is one of my favorite albums from the '80s. It showed a remarkable amount of growth in the band's songwriting, while also being incredibly mainstream and accessible. And the band had a unique sound that made them stand out. I loved this album back then. And when I dust it off and spin it now, I find that it holds up remarkably well.
Stadler:
I LOVE this album. I'm a huge Cinderella fan and actually listen to them often to this day.
I got into them seeing them on their first tour, opening for David Lee Roth on his "Eat 'Em And Smile" tour, and they really stuck out ("Nobody's Fool" is perfect for an arena) and I had a chance to see them at the Electric Factory in Philly headlining. They only played about an hour and a half, likely due to Tom's voice, but it was a solid 09 minutes, and they played six songs from this album.
For me, it's probably the best representation of Cinderella; the first album is more metal, the third album (by FAR my least favorite) is more Stones/Small Faces ("Shelter Me" is almost unlistenable to me) but this is the perfect blend of a little metal, a little blues, a little glam...
bosk1:
--- Quote from: Stadler on July 02, 2019, 12:16:16 PM ---...but this is the perfect blend of a little metal, a little blues, a little glam...
--- End quote ---
I agree. To me, Night Songs is them trying to make it as a new band and being influenced by the industry at the time. LCW is them incorporating their bluesier roots and stretching toward the sound and identity they wanted to have. Heartbreak Station is them casting off the shackles and just sounding like they want to sound, no matter what anybody else said (with Still Climbing being similar, but maybe dialing it back just a bit toward '80s commercial). LCW is where they really succeeded in writing solid songs that captured that perfect blend you mentioned.
Samsara:
Love LCW. I was only able to see Cinderella once. Opening for the Scorpions on Aug. 1, 2010, at the Sleep Train Pavilion, in Concord, CA. I had been a fan since first hearing LCW. I remember getting that album, and then my mother getting the cassette for Night Songs for me. Never really dug Heartbreak Station except for a couple of tunes. Same goes for Still Climbing.
But I could listen to LCW all day long, and a bunch of Night Songs. But agreed that LCW really is their pinnacle. Great stuff.
TAC:
I bought Night Songs first, in 1986, when I found out they were opening for Bon Jovi that Spring. I liked a bunch of tunes on the album, even if I didn't think it was a great album, on the whole.
I picked up Long Cold Winter when it came out, but honestly, I thought it was worse than Night Songs. In 1988, I was onto to more metal things like Helloween, Metallica, Megadeth, and Cinderella's style of music didn't really appeal to me. Plus, I thought Don't Know What You've Got was puke worthy.
It has been ages...decades actually since I've spun this. I may have to check it and report back to the thread.
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