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CINDERELLA
1986 - Night Songs.
1988 - Long Cold Winter.
1990 - Heartbreak Station.
more CINDERELLA.
way more Helter Skelter.

June 9, 1986 - 2026: 40 years of: Night Songs.

Late night overdrive.

It's 1986 and another rock-machine makes it's grandiose entrance. Bound to dominate MTV and every rock-magazine: no not POISON's androgynous looks, not David Lee Roth's lusty solo-venture ...but the midnight magic of CINDERELLA.

The moody opener, the misty "Night Songs" with it's BLACK SABBATH doom riffing is sure to please most headbangers. The immediate iconic hard-hitter "Shake Me" did shake the rock-foundation with it's instant hook and fist-pumping action.

More meat and potatoes hardrock is found on the pounding "Once Around The Ride" and "Somebody Save Me". The obligatory powerballad "Nobody's Fool" displays another soulful voice, courtesy of to-be icon Tom Keifer. And some southern-vibes are present on "In From The Outside", a signature that will fully mature on their following presentations.

"I need a shot of gasoline !" Don't let their glamorous looks fool you, as this is effective hard-rocknroll drenched in blues fret-work. The RIAA-certified 3x Platinum monster is an intrinsic part of hardrock's mid 80s explosion.

These East-Coast rebels would carve a niche branch, deep in blues-rock roots, starting with 1988's Long Cold Winter LP.

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Shake Me = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptPekKOigkQ
Noboby's fool = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCOrtJMQmVs
Somebody Save Me = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUkqBRC1zUA
Night Songs = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmfrYyEdeUU&list=OLAK5uy_kdq6C6By1evXOEDlGmVX9RBfsU07KSkP0
Interview at MuchMusic in 1986
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8w4_JNCxWk
Live in Montreal in 1986
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgoOhBXbCK0

July 5, 1988 - 2023: 35 years of: Long Cold Winter.

The fairytales continues.

Following 1986's Night Songs LP, the sweet serenades would take an after-dark turn deep into bar-blues territory. At the height of the L.A. hardrock movement, the melodies and mayhem of CINDERELLA was spoon-fed by the MTV-machine.

The vibe is set to Delta, as "Bad Seamstress Blues + Fallin' Apart At The Seams" slides into motion. Building on raw-rock, the party gets hotter on "Fire And Ice" and the mega 80s cross-road: "Gypsy Road". Metal-guitars rocks the house on both "Second Wind" and "If You Don't Like It" ...and one for the highway to hell, as "The Last Mile" reeks AC/DC tricks.

Signing off is the 5:55sec totemistic powerballad "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" staple. Truly the Mother of epic piano-ventures, in this post "Bohemian Rhapsody" hysteric era. The matching video takes us on mountain tops, forgotten rivers and sunseted lakes, filmed with marvelous helicopter shots. One of the most heartfelt, one of the best.

Southerner and serious, Long Cold Winter is not a glam LP ...but an enjoyable mature power-rock album.

RIAA-certified 3x Platinum, the band was so hot, that they flew around the globe, along Ozzy, SKID ROW, MOTLEY, SCORPIONS and BON JOVI, in order to perform at the Moscow Music Peace Festival. 1989's hair-fluffin' hardrock ala-Woodstock mecca.

Back home, the band would later push push more grassroots-rock: 1990's Heartbreak Station CD.

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Gypsy Road = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j7E7pvLxmI
Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone) = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i28UEoLXVFQ
Coming Home = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-qG6o5N7oQ
The Last Mile = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbz5WUqWZfg
Long Cold Winter = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x582onabzLc&list=OLAK5uy_nyXz9IFp2tO3Ekp8v-qIvA9bKX0uhxgK0
Interview in 1988
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La2B2lwviik
Live in Florida in 1988
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EXQfOIpOCM
Live at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49ibI3cczWw

November 20, 1990 - 2025: 35 years of: Heartbreak Station.

Next Stop: rocknroll.

Tappin' and rollin' since 1988's Long Cold Winter LP, the rhythm of CINDERELLA would now officially break away from hardrock's terminal: Sunset Strip.

Slide-guitars builds-up and explodes into "The More Things Change". Hot rockin' to both "Sick For The Cure" and "Love's Got me Doin' Time", this is a serious experience. Rhythm 'n blues shines on the powerballad title-track of "Heartbreak Station", while the MTV devil-friendly boogie "Shelter Me", is a cool track about the hypocrisy of censorship.

CINDERELLA always provide bad attitude rocknroll shuffle.

Back from Moscow, the height of American hardrock was at an all time high, yet living on borrowed time. Still RIAA-certified Platinum, 1991 would be the last breath for the genre, as fans and the industry was waiting for the next big thing.

Don't know what you got, 'till it's gone. The band would later issue 1994's Still Climbing CD ...the final CINDERELLA story.

RIP Jeff LaBar (1963-2021)

*
Shelter Me = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgi5xdftOIA
Heartbreak Station = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuegke22rdA
The More Things Change = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksGE4cqRzPM
Heartbreak Station = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J_qAEKLKyA&list=OLAK5uy_nK2WUv2Fw5wCK-nS2umpGLwJhD6uDxPF4
Interview in 1990
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd_KRf_ovTw
In Concert 1991 = full DVD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydTUHvuMxfA

more CINDERELLA:

#Moscow Music Peace Festival