Cinderella

"Night Songs"

Label: Mercury

Year of release: 1986

Cinderella was one of the groups considered responsible for the come- back of the Hard Rock music during mid 80’s. The story of Cinderella began on a rainy night in 1985 when Mr. Jon Bon Jovi, in a short break from his obligations of the tour for the promotion of “7800 Fahrenheit”, decides to go for a drink at a local live-music bar in New Jersey.

By that time, Tom Keifer with Eric Brittingham and some other fellow musicians were kicking ass playing their music and some covers. Jon was astonished and after the show when they got to know each other, he promised that he would try his best to get them signed. Soon enough, the band members were finalized and the recordings started:

Tom Keifer - vocals, guitar, piano

Fred Coury - drums

Eric Brittingham - bass

Jeff LaBar - guitar, background vocals

The debut album of the band “Night Songs” was out on June 1986 shaking the foundation of Hard Rock scene, it was certified 3 times platinum (selling 3 million copies) and it had three hit singles at the Top 100 of USA, climbing until number #3 on February of 1987, a fact that validated Cinderella as the opening act for the upcoming tour of Bon Jovi for “Slippery When Wet”. What a combination for the fans!

The firing riffs from Tom’s Les Paul on “Somebody Save Me” and the vocal style of AC/DC push the listener in a restless head banging. The next classic track is “Shake Me” which is a proved truth for the rock & roll funs, and the fantastic power ballad of “Nobody’s Fool” with the catchy couplet and the mellow solo. Cinderella was a band that was based on the blues, and their contribution can be identified on “Night Songs” & “Back Home Again”, combined with accuracy, professionalism & feeling. Tom Keifer never denied his roots and tried to express them through the band’s Hard Rock music. No one could argue that the album was a success, as it could satisfy all kinds of taste. In fact, it is responsible -along with the timely releases of Bon Jovi & Europe- for the establishment of Hard Rock to a large variety of fans. The fans and the critics loved it, Cinderella had made it, and thus they were the new icons of Hard Rock music.