Night Ranger
Greatest Hits

THE REVIEW

Really, really very interesting this group. The Night Ranger was born in '82 when their bassist and singer Jack Blades, along with drummer Kelly Keagy and guitarist Brad Gillis, founded the group initially called Stereo. Subsequently, the "Stereo" became Ranger until they eventually became Night Ranger.

Their first album was 'Down Patrol' which immediately brought them to the attention of quite a large audience. During their tour, Brad Gillis briefly replaced the late guitarist Randy Rhoads and recorded the live "Speak of The Devil" with Ozzy Osbourne. The true success of Night Ranger, however, would come in 1983 when they released "Midnight Madness". The band at the time would achieve great success with the ballad "Sister Christian", still considered one of the most beautiful songs of the '80s. However, after the great success, a less positive period came for the band with albums like "Big Life" and "Man in Motion". The end of success would almost lead to the breakup of the group, which lost Jack Blades and became a trio. The music they practiced can be defined as a mixture of Hard Rock, Glam Rock, and Pop Rock although their best songs are all ballads very close to pop.

In 1989, Night Ranger, after difficult years, released this Greatest Hits with their most successful songs. The energetic "(You can Still) Rock in America" opens the album with a touch of flair and a nice catchy chorus. It is followed by excellent ballads like "Sing Me Away", "Goodbye", and "When You Close Your Eyes" until reaching the masterpiece "Sister Christian", certainly their absolute best song. It is followed by good songs like the curious "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" and the one taken from the album "Seven Wishes", "Sentimental Street". "The Secret of My Success", "Restless Kind", "Four in The Morning" confirm the band's Pop-Rock style while still being good songs. The collection concludes with "Eddie's Comin' Out Tonight" and "Rumours in The Air". In conclusion, it can certainly be said that this collection contains good pieces from a band that received far less success compared to what it truly deserved. All the songs contained here can be considered very pleasant and interesting. At certain points, when listening to this CD, it almost seems that the voice is Phil Collins, not so much because of Blades' voice (excellent) but more for the musical style itself.

For those who are not yet familiar with Night Ranger, I recommend trying to listen to them, maybe just with this album or perhaps with "Down Patrol" or "Midnight Madness". Greetings to everyone…