Listen to some music here: podcasts.progrock.com/2023/11/14/sea-of-tranquilitys-ranking-the-albums-night-ranger/?fbclid=IwAR0uLKg4_VjIwAKl6VVMjxmWrk-i2Ss6G3StI7E8oqLvD7lZwOhf6kR0Uxo
Awesome show Pete . Great to see Grant on it , he's amongst my favs from The Contrarians show ...he brings in a lot of knowledge, energy and interest into the shows, hope to see many of these collabs goings forward. 🤘
Wow what a great show. Grant and Pete are two of the best to do this! I agree that the Joel Hoeksta albums were some of the best Night Ranger records. [Joel grew up in my town of Orland Park Illinois, our little claim to fame] Saw him with TSO also.
I only owned 5️⃣ out of the 1️⃣3️⃣ studio albums in CD 💿 form. This is a very, very difficult ( for me anyway) ranking. Some tremendous selections are pretty similar IMO. The ranking which I will do by ten AM Sunday will be secondary ( no right answer) - more for fun & see what Pete & Grant come up with. I’m just so glad these ranking shows come up, because it made me “ DIG in “ to the 8️⃣ albums I did not previously know. Thanks for these Pete 👍💯
This can & will 💯 change by probably end of this show. LOL. Like, I said , it’s more for fun- & I’m glad I learned the entire discography/. 1-8️⃣3️⃣. 2-8️⃣2️⃣. 3-8️⃣8️⃣. 4-8️⃣5️⃣. 5- 9️⃣5️⃣. 6-9️⃣8️⃣. 7-1️⃣7️⃣ 8-8️⃣7️⃣. 9-1️⃣1️⃣ 10-9️⃣7️⃣. 11-1️⃣4️⃣. 12- 2️⃣1️⃣. 13- 0️⃣7️⃣. 👍💯
I’ve been a Night Ranger fan since I first heard “Sing Me Away” and “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” on NYC FM rock radio in 1982. I enjoy all their MCA albums and probably know the next three or four after that. I definitely need to brush up on their last four or five records. Two deep cut ballads from the MCA years that I’ve always loved are “Hearts Away” and “Reason to Be.” Two excellent MCA hard rock album tracks are “Night Machine” and “Interstate Love Affair.” Looking forward to this show. Cheers from Noo Yawk! ~ Davey Cretin
I had the opportunity to open for Night Ranger in the early 2000s in Puerto Rico and they treated us fantastically well. Jack, Kelly, and Brad invited us to their dressing room, and we had really nice conversations. It was clear that they liked each other, and they were having fun. I'll cherish that experience forever. Great guys, great band.
Also agree about Kelly Keagy's vocals - Jack Blades is just an ultimate frontman, storyteller vocalist, lyrics that draw you in. But KK's rugged, soulful style - one of my fave singers. That Man Don't Live Here Anymore - chills!
As a long-time, die-hard Night Ranger fan, I absolutely consider "Feeding Off The Mojo" to be a Night Ranger album. I saw that version of the band in 1993 at a small club in Golden, CO. I bought tickets based on the band name and didn't know what the lineup was. I ran into a roadie walking through town and he said it was just Brad and Kelly and some other guys. They were good. Damn Yankees was playing Denver the next night, so Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw were there and jumped on stage to play a song. I saw this lineup again at the same venue a couple years later when they were touring for Mojo. They played about half the album. That was a hungry band. I've seen Night Ranger 14 times, and that one may be my favorite.
I was a metalhead and Night Ranger was great with me. Brad Gillis stepped in with Ozzy right after Randy Rhodes died. Earned much creed with the Metal crowd. Ozzys speak of the Devil doing his Sabbath songs Brad is great there.
Awesome! Night Ranger is in my top 20 bands. For me Dawn Patrol and Midnight Madness are very close I think Dawn Patrol is just a little better of the two a bit more heavy songs which I prefer like Eddie Coming out tonight and it has my favorite Night Ranger song Don't tell me you love me. I was never the biggest Sister Christian fan. 7 Wishes is my 3rd favorite album.
'Don't Tell Me You Love Me' has stood the test of time as one of the best rock-pop tracks ever written. And let's not forget, Night Ranger will never be forgotten thanks to one of the most memorable movie scenes in the history of cinema. You know, the 'Boogie Nights' scene...the best.
Grant I’m glad you mentioned those albums by Blades and Shaw. I went ahead and purchased them. They sound so cool even the cover album. I enjoy your enthusiasm on this video it’s awesome.
13. hole in the sun 12. feeding off the mojo 11. atbpo 10. don't let up 9. seven 8. high road 7. man in motion 6. somewhere in california 5. neverland 4. 7 wishes 3. dawn patrol 2. big life 1. midnight madness chad
Thanks to Pete for FINALLY doing an album ranking of one of my favourite (and frankly underrated) bands. I've been an uber-fan since day 1 and never gave up on them (okay, maybe for Mojo...I need to give that one another chance). Two of my favourite albums were Neverland and Seven, so many great songs, and yes, ATBPO is definitely near the bottom of my list, not memorable at all, sadly. The first album can't be topped and the title track is probably my favourite NR song. I was SO pumped when they did it last time I saw them in 2019.
I never understood how "Hearts Away" was not a big hit for them. I bought Big Life when it came out and when I heard Hearts Away I thought this song is going to be a huge for them when they release it as a single. It was the second single on the album they released and it did hardly anything. I saw the video on MTV about 4 or 5 times and never saw it again in the rotation at the time. This was during the time in the 80's when big power ballads were massive too.
I really only have nostalgia for the first 3 albums. Dawn Patrol and Midnight Madness are about tied. Great songs on each. 7 Wishes was a little more mellow and radio friendly, but still good. I kind of lost track of them after that as I didn't hear the edge I liked in the first 2 albums. I'm into the heavier metal and punk normally, but I appreciate a good rock album when I hear it. Pete is right about it being the solid guitar playing. I need to revisit them again as I think I wrote them off too soon. Also hearing Pete's review of 7 Wishes makes me appreciate it more. Time to throw my OG vinyl back on.
Pete...fantastic show. Like yourself been there from the beginning. Have seen them 20+ times and they keep getting better and better. Agree almost 100% with your rankings Pete. Great story..originally from Jersey now living in Florida. Was out to lunch and the Joel Hoekstra era and who shows up Nightranger. Hung out with them and had lunch with them. They are great great guys. Talking music with them for 2 hours...huge thrill.
Wow, I was just checking out the Shaw Blades albums and they are awesome. Even the covers album is terrific. Those will soon be added to my music library.
Am a massive Night Ranger fan. They always deliver the rock live good as any band I have ever seen. Picked up Mojo album about 5 yrs ago - def not a classic NR sounding album - but really a gem regardless. Also agree about the "twang" in ATBPO. The 1st 3 albums are great. High Road and Somewhere in Cali are the standout late career ones for me. Midnight Madness is absolute magic, as is Dawn Patrol. And the new orchestral one, although could use a few deep tracks vs the big hits - still is terrific - particularly Call My Name. Great show guys!!! Keep it up.
Great band. I like all of the albums. My ranking is almost the same as Pete's. It's close enough that I'll just say it's the same. "Sing Me Away" is one of my favorite songs by anybody in the genre. Grant is the perfect person to do this ranking, too. Thanks, guys!!
saw Night Ranger live the other night for the first time opening up for Bret Michaels in St. Augustine and holy cow... they were amazing!!! played 2 of my favorite Jack Blades -Damn Yankees songs plus Crazy Train (Brad once played with Ozzy) & School's Out (Keri played with Alice Cooper).
Only ever owned the first three. Dawn Patrol is my favorite, by far. Checked out around the time "Big Life" was released. Heard "Somewhere in California", and it was pretty good. Will have to check out the rest. Great show.
I also love Big Life! I love Color of your Smile! I love Restless Kind off of Man In Motion! I love Penny on Dawn Patrol. But I think their best song is When You Close Your Eyes. I get chills listening to that song.
Man in Motion is a great album to. Don’t understand the dislike for those albums. Metal heads always critical on hard rock albums with a pop influence.
ill have to go back and check them out. back at the time all i knew was what radio played. i never gave them the time of day. but now i,m older and,well older...
7 Wishes and it’s not even close imho. That record is a 1980s hard rock pop candy machine from the first track to the last track. Peak of their song writing.
Sorry Grant i do not like your ranking but i will not be burning down your house. The first 5 are the best hands down, Big Life is a classic and my number one, the guitars are huge on that album, regardless of the extra keyboards that album is way heavier than Seven Wishes and there are hooks everywhere my friend. My favourite of the later day era is Somewhere In California and i agree with Pete, ATBO isn’t bad but it is nothing special, i may even rank it last
The song "I Need A Woman" (from 1985 "7 Wishes") reminds me of Pat Benatar 1979 song "In The Heat Of The Night" when Benatar's drummer did the part at the end of the song!! (heard the Benatar concert during a radio broadcast in 1980)
First time I saw NR live was the Big Life tour w/ 38 Special & Heart! One of the best rock shows I've seen! Liked them since I heard Dawn Patrol in my local record shop.... checked out after Man In Motion, but in the last 6-8 yrs. returned to some of their lastest releases(hit or miss); but the band always delivers live! It would be hard to overlook Midnight Madness & Dawn Patrol as hard rock classics.+ any band that features a drummer on a lot of vocals;scores points with me.
Massive fan of this band since I was a youngster and I really dig man in motion it's my top favorite night Ranger album it totally rocks dawn patrol, 7 wishes, and midnight madness round out my top 4
1) Dawn Patrol 2) Midnight Madness 3) 7 Wishes 4) Somewhere in California 5) High Road 6) Don’t Let Up 7) ATBPO 8) Big Life 9) Man in Motion 10) Feeding Off the Mojo 11) Seven 12) Neverland 13) Hole in the Sun
The early albums are classics for sure but Somewhere In California was a drop perfect comeback album. Sounds, to me, as good as anything they ever put out. Underrated band IMO. Not a big fish this side of the pond, unfortunately.
To be clear, Kelly Keagy did sing lead vocals on at least three songs on Neverland. Pete always says that we all hear music,differently. From the first part of this video I can tell I hear a lot of this stuff differently than Grant does.
Exactly. I enjoyed hearing what you guys think of these albums. I love Hole In The Sun but I know a lot of Night Ranger fans don’t. On a side note, Reb Beach from Winger played some shows with them on the tour for that record.
I played "Sister Christian" during Band class in high school when I was a Junior while I was playing the tympani part during the Spring of 1984 when Kelly Keagy did the "dum dum...dum dum" part. The Band female teacher said "Get out" & I was gone for just 1 day!!
1. Dawn Patrol (Don't Tell Me You Love Me is still their best and one of the best rock songs ever) so nothing can possibly be close, 2 . Midnight Madness. 3. 7 Wishes. 4. tie for the rest
THanks for this one,guys...very cool! You blew past Time Of Our Lives from SIC...fabulous song and Killer ballad!! But...no rock radio for new music since the early 90's,so...how successful can ANY new melrock albums be? Sad state of affairs--these classic rock stations play the same damn songs over & over. You'd think that at least Sirius would have a station for melrock of the last 20 years and anything new. But...nope! Thanks again for your channel,Pete...you rule! T
I’m a young professional drummer myself at 33 years old, and I must admit I love the 80s drum sound. Man In Motion is probably my favourite NR album because I love the drums, they sound big and ballsy! And not too tinny/small sounding, not to mention I also like the songs on Man in Motion.. there probably is a couple of songs I skip here & there, but I think it’s great overall. But yeah I love it when 80s drums sound big & solid but still sound organic sounding.. and where the producers/engineers got it right 👌🏽 whereas some other 80s rock albums from other bands do sound maybe a little too artificial. By the way also love the debut album and Midnight Madness! Because of the songwriting.
@@GrantsRockWarehaus Yeah fair enough, but as I briefly mentioned in the last comment, I think it definitely depends.. on which album and which band. For example, the drum sound on Dokken albums (particularly Back For the Attack) still sounds great! I think Dokken’s drum sounds haven’t aged at all, and the Whitesnake 1987 album still sounds incredible with that drum sound 👌🏽 Both those albums sound better than ANY modern rock/metal album in my honest opinion. I’m not a fan of modern drum sounds, everything sounds too compressed, small and wimpy nowadays.. they take all the life out of the drums and use a lot of bad sounding triggers etc. Oh one more album I forgot to mention, The Power Station from 1985. Still one of the best drum sounds I’ve ever heard 🙌🏽 Tony Thompson had a killer sound!
Those Night Ranger albums from when Joel Hoekstra was in the band (Somewhere in California, High Road) are rock-solid. I saw NR live during that period, and they sounded as great as when I saw the original lineup back in the day. That most recent album, though (ATBPO), is a stinker. I don't need a quasi-country Night Ranger in my life.
Keagy sings lead on three songs on the. Neverland album. The Japanese version (which was released several months prior) had a better track running order with “New York Time” as the opening track.
I saw Night Ranger for the first time back in June with Bret Michaels’ solo band and Jefferson Starship and they were all great but Night Ranger stole the show I also caught a drum stick in the middle a set and I was close to the stage.
Grant nailed the head on Big Life. I was so disappointed in it, that I never bought another. Those first 3 are Killer! Saw them open for Kiss. They were incredible.
Good show guys. The Secret of My Success kinda killed my enthusiasm. Seven Wishes was the last record I ever bought by them. I would argue that Sister Christian birthed the ubiquitous 80s power ballad that we all got sick of, Well them and Journey. Beginning with Open Arms which wasn’t a drug song
Totally agree on the overplayed aspect of "Sister Christian" - a song I honestly didn't like much when it came out (and still don't). Some other 1984 radio faves (that also annoyed me): "All Night Long", "Infatuation", Hello", "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"
1) Midnight Madness (4.5/5) 2) 7 Wishes (4/5) 3) Dawn Patrol (4/5) 4) Feeding Off the Mojo (4/5) 5) Big Life (4/5) 6) ATBPO (4/5) 7) Somewhere in California (4/5) 8) Man in Motion (3.5/5) 9) High Road (3.5/5) 10) Don't Let Up (3.5/5) 11) Neverland (3/5) 12) Seven (2/5) 13) Hole in the Sun (1/5)
@@GrantsRockWarehaus Actually, no. At least, not for me. That is, Love Gun and beyond. Not a massive fan of the early stuff, but, to each his own :) ... For me, listening back to Night Ranger, they are one of those bands that make me think, "god, what was I thinking?" I remember seeing them in Los Angeles, on the 7 Wishes tour. Cheap Trick opened. As massive of a fan as I was at that moment in time, I recall being 16 and thinking, "hmm... something is amiss here." There's an awful lot of smoke, but not a whole lot of fire. Most of the lyrical content was too adolescent (and I was 16 lol) and just silly. Jack was over compensating with ridiculous-looking non-stop antics. It just came across as an over-commialized, shallow rock band. Looking silly, trying way, way too hard and singing silly lyrics. Didn't work, and I began my move away from NR. As an adult, I went back. Thinking, "okay, let's rediscover NR and have some fun!" Only to have the exact same response I had at 16. I mean, again, to each his own. If you love the band, god bless! :) As to Kiss, their music has held up to a FAR greater degree than NR. At least, to my ear. I'm certain most will disagree. All good!
@@GrantsRockWarehaus When it comes to Kiss, judging from prior SoT commentary I'd say the power of nostalgia is strong with this (one) band. With apologies to Lord Vader...
@@GrantsRockWarehaus lol... for me, probably ;) I will hand it to Blades. Those Damn Yankees live shows are ridiculously good. It's just the lyrical content of Blades' material over the years. Most of it is really hard to listen to. For me, at least. To each his own... but, ya, Cheap Trick forever! :D
As a lifelong fan (they're in my top 5 all time favourite bands), I've tried for decades to find out what happened, listening and reading dozens of interviews, and everyone is very hush-hush but the gist I got was bad blood with Jack after Watson got stiffed on money. Too bad because as much as I liked Hoekstra and Kelli, Gillis/Watson was THE guitar duo, complimenting each other so well.
@argento2665 I only recall an interview with Watson where he basically said they wanted a three way partnership to own the name and they basically squeezed him out but never heard anything from Jack Blades
I know this is somewhat the "expected/cliche" response, but after Midnight Madness they got super generic and Radio-friendly (due to pressure, reportedly from MCA Records...) so I really haven't listened to much of their material after 7 Wishes. With that said, I'm sure the more recent albums with Joel Hoekstra are quite good. On a related note, it's such a shame Jeff Watson disappeared off the Radar after he left Night Ranger. I think he made one solo record for Shrapnel Label in the late 80s and now, who knows.
The reason Jeff left the band was because Jack, Brad and Kelly( who started the band) signed on with some management/publishing company and kept Jeff out of the picture. Plus I heard Jeff and Jack had polarized political views and didnt get along well.
I like the first 4 or 5, but Midnight Madness is by far my favorite. There are so many great songs on there, and Sister Christian may be my least favorite of them....
Never owned the first two or listened to them in their entirety (but know the hits well enough) so can’t rank them. 7 wishes, Big Life and Man in Motion are perfect albums so they are joint first. Hated the generic licks and riffs in ATBPO, so of the later albums Somewhere in California is the best. Brad Gillis is a beast but even he can’t stop himself from playing some of the most cliched guitar parts.
Wasn't a big fan but have recently dipped back in, so I'll play...First off always seemed strange to me that a guitar slinger like Jeff Watson would play in a band like this. He's traded licks with the likes of Tony MacAlpine & Steve Morse, that seems like more "appropriate" company (and they do appear on his solo albums - even Allan Holdsworth!). I can't shake the feeling that he can play this stuff in his sleep. Three great albums with Mother's Army (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!), plus a couple of good gun slinger/solo albums including the barn-burner Lone Ranger (get it?), a really sensational album with no bad tracks - the other solo album is more a mix of Kansas/Night Ranger (still as good as any of that band's albums). Brad Gillis isn't bad either (with Rubicon/Ozzy/ Queensrÿche/Derek Sherinian). Two good solo albums, one in the 'gun slinger' vein & the other more AOR-type stuff, very good! Lotsa good guests too (Gilrock Ranch is a real keeper) & he proves he's a pretty good lead singer... "Sister Christian" always bugged me when it came on radio - way overplayed (I can handle it more now that I haven't heard it every day for a year). All in all, some pretty good 'hooky' 80's-type AOR from this band but not a lot of end-to-end great albums, it's mostly about cherry-picking individual tracks from across their albums (still, they do add up)...I seem to recall these guys in the 80's being one of the faces of "Corporate Rock". Found a web site where you can book 'em for a private gig (like maybe a Coporate event...?), at first I thought it was a goof but I don't think so: "How to hire Night Ranger for an event: Learn how to hire Night Ranger or research availability and pricing for booking Night Ranger to perform at a corporate event, fundraiser, private party, social media campaign, fair or festival, tradeshow or conference, endorsement project, or hire Night Ranger as a guest speaker, please submit the form to our agency. Min Fee Range - U.S. Dates $75,000 - $149,999"...🤷♂ So here's be my Night Ranger album ranking: 1. Feeding Off The Mojo ("Do You Feel Like I Do" cover - just a reminder of how good a player Frampton is!) 2. Somewhere in California, High Road 3. 7 Wishes, Don't Let Up & Man In Motion 4. Hole In The Sun, Neverland & ATBPO 5. Dawn Patrol & Midnight Madness 6. Big Life & Seven To wrap up, I prefer the solo Watson/Gillis albums to albums Night Ranger put out, and the Mother's Army releases as well. SO much more interesting music
Who cares? Well, anyone who likes good melodic hard rock cares, because as great as "Sister Christian" is, it's still a power ballad. It is *not* melodic hard rock, and that's what Night Ranger does best. This band really rocks when they want to, and that's what I like most from them.
I think Def Leppard combined hard rock and pop better than Night Ranger. Super hooky, but still with an edge. And they're still playing arenas and Night Ranger is playing casinos. Not a slight on Night Ranger. Great band. Def Lep did it better and more consistently. IMHO....
@@GrantsRockWarehaus I think I'd still give that to Def Lep. Especially the ballads: Bringing on the Heartbreak, Love Bites, Hysteria, etc. are timeless. As are the Mutt Lange produced albums. And their latest: Diamond Star Halo is really good. I also think I also lean towards British rock as well. Just my opinion. 😊 You're always insightful and knowledgeable when I see you as a guest and on your own channel. Cheers!
I saw them twice in the 80's, both headlining, and there were well over 8,000 each show. Even now they draw a couple of thousand (I've seen them 3 times in the last decade).
Listen to some music here: podcasts.progrock.com/2023/11/14/sea-of-tranquilitys-ranking-the-albums-night-ranger/?fbclid=IwAR0uLKg4_VjIwAKl6VVMjxmWrk-i2Ss6G3StI7E8oqLvD7lZwOhf6kR0Uxo
I had no idea these playlists were being created. And I watch all these episodes. How long after they go up ?
Awesome show Pete . Great to see Grant on it , he's amongst my favs from The Contrarians show ...he brings in a lot of knowledge, energy and interest into the shows, hope to see many of these collabs goings forward. 🤘
you are bringing a tear to my eye... Thanks for the kind words!
Wow what a great show. Grant and Pete are two of the best to do this! I agree that the Joel Hoeksta albums were some of the best Night Ranger records. [Joel grew up in my town of Orland Park Illinois, our little claim to fame] Saw him with TSO also.
Robert, thanks for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed it!
I was really blown away by Somewhere in California and High Road. Really great newer albums!
I told ya! Great stuff!
I only owned 5️⃣ out of the 1️⃣3️⃣ studio albums in CD 💿 form. This is a very, very difficult ( for me anyway) ranking. Some tremendous selections are pretty similar IMO. The ranking which I will do by ten AM Sunday will be secondary ( no right answer) - more for fun & see what Pete & Grant come up with. I’m just so glad these ranking shows come up, because it made me “ DIG in “ to the 8️⃣ albums I did not previously know. Thanks for these Pete 👍💯
This can & will 💯 change by probably end of this show. LOL. Like, I said , it’s more for fun- & I’m glad I learned the entire discography/. 1-8️⃣3️⃣. 2-8️⃣2️⃣. 3-8️⃣8️⃣. 4-8️⃣5️⃣. 5- 9️⃣5️⃣. 6-9️⃣8️⃣. 7-1️⃣7️⃣ 8-8️⃣7️⃣. 9-1️⃣1️⃣ 10-9️⃣7️⃣. 11-1️⃣4️⃣. 12- 2️⃣1️⃣. 13- 0️⃣7️⃣. 👍💯
I’ve been a Night Ranger fan since I first heard “Sing Me Away” and “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” on NYC FM rock radio in 1982. I enjoy all their MCA albums and probably know the next three or four after that. I definitely need to brush up on their last four or five records. Two deep cut ballads from the MCA years that I’ve always loved are “Hearts Away” and “Reason to Be.” Two excellent MCA hard rock album tracks are “Night Machine” and “Interstate Love Affair.” Looking forward to this show.
Cheers from Noo Yawk!
~ Davey Cretin
I had the opportunity to open for Night Ranger in the early 2000s in Puerto Rico and they treated us fantastically well. Jack, Kelly, and Brad invited us to their dressing room, and we had really nice conversations. It was clear that they liked each other, and they were having fun. I'll cherish that experience forever. Great guys, great band.
Very fun and informative episode. I am a Night Ranger novice, so this gives me a good jumping off point. Grant is a great guest!
Thanks for the kind words!
Also agree about Kelly Keagy's vocals - Jack Blades is just an ultimate frontman, storyteller vocalist, lyrics that draw you in. But KK's rugged, soulful style - one of my fave singers. That Man Don't Live Here Anymore - chills!
Another great show. Really enjoyed it. I consider myself a Night Ranger but I haven’t heard those 2000 albums. I need to check them out.
Oh man I would have LOVED to sit in on this, love me some Night Ranger!
Well, there goes another band I need to check out! Also, Grant is filled with so much energy and I love it!
As a long-time, die-hard Night Ranger fan, I absolutely consider "Feeding Off The Mojo" to be a Night Ranger album. I saw that version of the band in 1993 at a small club in Golden, CO. I bought tickets based on the band name and didn't know what the lineup was. I ran into a roadie walking through town and he said it was just Brad and Kelly and some other guys. They were good. Damn Yankees was playing Denver the next night, so Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw were there and jumped on stage to play a song.
I saw this lineup again at the same venue a couple years later when they were touring for Mojo. They played about half the album. That was a hungry band. I've seen Night Ranger 14 times, and that one may be my favorite.
I was a metalhead and Night Ranger was great with me. Brad Gillis stepped in with Ozzy right after Randy Rhodes died. Earned much creed with the Metal crowd. Ozzys speak of the Devil doing his Sabbath songs Brad is great there.
Brad Gillis is a great guitarist for sure.
@@b.g.5869 Definitely better outside of the band I'd say - and that goes double for Watson
Have seen them twice in the last few years and they are as good as ever.
Awesome! Night Ranger is in my top 20 bands. For me Dawn Patrol and Midnight Madness are very close I think Dawn Patrol is just a little better of the two a bit more heavy songs which I prefer like Eddie Coming out tonight and it has my favorite Night Ranger song Don't tell me you love me. I was never the biggest Sister Christian fan. 7 Wishes is my 3rd favorite album.
'Don't Tell Me You Love Me' has stood the test of time as one of the best rock-pop tracks ever written. And let's not forget, Night Ranger will never be forgotten thanks to one of the most memorable movie scenes in the history of cinema. You know, the 'Boogie Nights' scene...the best.
Really great show, guys! Dawn Patrol is my favorite with Night Ranger being my favorite song.
Glad Pete is here, Big Life is Great ! Top 5 for sure !
Grant I’m glad you mentioned those albums by Blades and Shaw. I went ahead and purchased them. They sound so cool even the cover album. I enjoy your enthusiasm on this video it’s awesome.
Thanks for the kind words MrMusic 🙂
Grant is back on SoT for Gods sakes. More Grant the better
Saw them a couple of years ago, and they were great live. Incredible energy. Highly recommend seeing them if they come to your town.
Easy as pie: "Midnight Madness" above al other albums 🙂
13. hole in the sun
12. feeding off the mojo
11. atbpo
10. don't let up
9. seven
8. high road
7. man in motion
6. somewhere in california
5. neverland
4. 7 wishes
3. dawn patrol
2. big life
1. midnight madness
chad
Thanks to Pete for FINALLY doing an album ranking of one of my favourite (and frankly underrated) bands. I've been an uber-fan since day 1 and never gave up on them (okay, maybe for Mojo...I need to give that one another chance). Two of my favourite albums were Neverland and Seven, so many great songs, and yes, ATBPO is definitely near the bottom of my list, not memorable at all, sadly. The first album can't be topped and the title track is probably my favourite NR song. I was SO pumped when they did it last time I saw them in 2019.
I never understood how "Hearts Away" was not a big hit for them. I bought Big Life when it came out and when I heard Hearts Away I thought this song is going to be a huge for them when they release it as a single. It was the second single on the album they released and it did hardly anything. I saw the video on MTV about 4 or 5 times and never saw it again in the rotation at the time. This was during the time in the 80's when big power ballads were massive too.
I really only have nostalgia for the first 3 albums. Dawn Patrol and Midnight Madness are about tied. Great songs on each. 7 Wishes was a little more mellow and radio friendly, but still good. I kind of lost track of them after that as I didn't hear the edge I liked in the first 2 albums. I'm into the heavier metal and punk normally, but I appreciate a good rock album when I hear it. Pete is right about it being the solid guitar playing. I need to revisit them again as I think I wrote them off too soon. Also hearing Pete's review of 7 Wishes makes me appreciate it more. Time to throw my OG vinyl back on.
After this video I went and listened to Feeding off the mojo on youtube. I loved it so much I bought the physical CD
Pete...fantastic show. Like yourself been there from the beginning. Have seen them 20+ times and they keep getting better and better. Agree almost 100% with your rankings Pete. Great story..originally from Jersey now living in Florida. Was out to lunch and the Joel Hoekstra era and who shows up Nightranger. Hung out with them and had lunch with them. They are great great guys. Talking music with them for 2 hours...huge thrill.
Night Ranger is still such a great band. Loved this episode guys.
Wow, I was just checking out the Shaw Blades albums and they are awesome. Even the covers album is terrific. Those will soon be added to my music library.
“Sing me away”
Will always be a favorite ,
Great episode🙌
Am a massive Night Ranger fan. They always deliver the rock live good as any band I have ever seen. Picked up Mojo album about 5 yrs ago - def not a classic NR sounding album - but really a gem regardless. Also agree about the "twang" in ATBPO. The 1st 3 albums are great. High Road and Somewhere in Cali are the standout late career ones for me. Midnight Madness is absolute magic, as is Dawn Patrol. And the new orchestral one, although could use a few deep tracks vs the big hits - still is terrific - particularly Call My Name. Great show guys!!! Keep it up.
Great band. I like all of the albums. My ranking is almost the same as Pete's. It's close enough that I'll just say it's the same. "Sing Me Away" is one of my favorite songs by anybody in the genre. Grant is the perfect person to do this ranking, too. Thanks, guys!!
Saw them this summer, still put on a great show
I remember the drug dealer on Boogie Nights blasting Sister Christian
Cool.
Kelly Keagy drummer vocalist another underrated one
I saw them live for the first time the other night and Jack Blades said Kelly is a top 5 all time singing drummer... he ain't lying
saw Night Ranger live the other night for the first time opening up for Bret Michaels in St. Augustine and holy cow... they were amazing!!! played 2 of my favorite Jack Blades -Damn Yankees songs plus Crazy Train (Brad once played with Ozzy) & School's Out (Keri played with Alice Cooper).
Dawn Patrol- A guitar masterpiece
Well done show Grant and Pete. Agreed it is a tough catalog to rate but you can find enjoyment on all records.
Only ever owned the first three. Dawn Patrol is my favorite, by far. Checked out around the time "Big Life" was released. Heard "Somewhere in California", and it was pretty good. Will have to check out the rest. Great show.
Gosh....i love both Big Life and Man in motion. How can you forget about Halfway to the sun? My #3 and#4 bhind Dawn patrol and MIdnight madness
Totally agree...I think both of those records are underrated.
I bought Feeding Off The Mojo last year. Was shocked how good it is. Don’t Let Up is my favorite of the latter era
The ones I have and love; Dawn Patrol, Midnight Madness, Big Life and Seven Wishes ranked in that order.
I also love Big Life! I love Color of your Smile! I love Restless Kind off of Man In Motion! I love Penny on Dawn Patrol. But I think their best song is When You Close Your Eyes. I get chills listening to that song.
Man in Motion is a great album to. Don’t understand the dislike for those albums. Metal heads always critical on hard rock albums with a pop influence.
Color of Your Smile is my favorite Night Ranger song. It's the one that got me hooked.
ill have to go back and check them out. back at the time all i knew was what radio played. i never gave them the time of day. but now i,m older and,well older...
Nice....can't wait!
PS if you want a last minute Canadian perspective NR album ranking- I will be ready😉
7 Wishes and it’s not even close imho.
That record is a 1980s hard rock pop candy machine from the first track to the last track. Peak of their song writing.
I love Nightranger awesome band
Sorry Grant i do not like your ranking but i will not be burning down your house. The first 5 are the best hands down, Big Life is a classic and my number one, the guitars are huge on that album, regardless of the extra keyboards that album is way heavier than Seven Wishes and there are hooks everywhere my friend. My favourite of the later day era is Somewhere In California and i agree with Pete, ATBO isn’t bad but it is nothing special, i may even rank it last
We all hear things differently. I appreaciate you not buring a cross in my yard... haha
The song "I Need A Woman" (from 1985 "7 Wishes") reminds me of Pat Benatar 1979 song "In The Heat Of The Night" when Benatar's drummer did the part at the end of the song!! (heard the Benatar concert during a radio broadcast in 1980)
First time I saw NR live was the Big Life tour w/ 38 Special & Heart! One of the best rock shows I've seen! Liked them since I heard Dawn Patrol in my local record shop.... checked out after Man In Motion, but in the last 6-8 yrs. returned to some of their lastest releases(hit or miss); but the band always delivers live! It would be hard to overlook Midnight Madness & Dawn Patrol as hard rock classics.+ any band that features a drummer on a lot of vocals;scores points with me.
In my opinion, Honeymoon Suite was a lot like Night Ranger....great pop hooks but could also be heavy.
Secret of my success is a top 3 tune for me👍
Massive fan of this band since I was a youngster and I really dig man in motion it's my top favorite night Ranger album it totally rocks dawn patrol, 7 wishes, and midnight madness round out my top 4
1) Dawn Patrol
2) Midnight Madness
3) 7 Wishes
4) Somewhere in California
5) High Road
6) Don’t Let Up
7) ATBPO
8) Big Life
9) Man in Motion
10) Feeding Off the Mojo
11) Seven
12) Neverland
13) Hole in the Sun
What a band. That 1st album just rocked. Blades and Keagy were good vocalists and everyone was a good player with Gillis and Watson a great gtrs team.
It's such a shame this band never caught on in the UK ,don't know what people were listening to back in the day.
Great look at the catalogue of Night Ranger, I can't believe how much Grant looks like Mike Score from a Flock of Seagulls 😂
This video inspired me to go on a NR binge. "Big Life" and "Man In Motion" were better than I remembered. New stuff is good, too.
you're welcome 😉
The early albums are classics for sure but Somewhere In California was a drop perfect comeback album. Sounds, to me, as good as anything they ever put out. Underrated band IMO. Not a big fish this side of the pond, unfortunately.
To be clear, Kelly Keagy did sing lead vocals on at least three songs on Neverland. Pete always says that we all hear music,differently. From the first part of this video I can tell I hear a lot of this stuff differently than Grant does.
That's what makes it so fun!
Exactly. I enjoyed hearing what you guys think of these albums. I love Hole In The Sun but I know a lot of Night Ranger fans don’t. On a side note, Reb Beach from Winger played some shows with them on the tour for that record.
I played "Sister Christian" during Band class in high school when I was a Junior while I was playing the tympani part during the Spring of 1984 when Kelly Keagy did the "dum dum...dum dum" part. The Band female teacher said "Get out" & I was gone for just 1 day!!
1. Dawn Patrol (Don't Tell Me You Love Me is still their best and one of the best rock songs ever) so nothing can possibly be close, 2 . Midnight Madness. 3. 7 Wishes. 4. tie for the rest
THanks for this one,guys...very cool! You blew past Time Of Our Lives from SIC...fabulous song and Killer ballad!! But...no rock radio for new music since the early 90's,so...how successful can ANY new melrock albums be? Sad state of affairs--these classic rock stations play the same damn songs over & over. You'd think that at least Sirius would have a station for melrock of the last 20 years and anything new. But...nope! Thanks again for your channel,Pete...you rule! T
Oh....and I rank Somewhere In California just under Dawn Patrol. It's a banger album,hands down! T
A pal had their debut on tape back in the day. I got the first two on CD over time and enjoyed them but never went further.
Picked up #3-5 since this review
Great video! I think Watson and Gillis are one the best duos in rock ever!
The first 3 are untouchable and I really like Mojo.
I’m a young professional drummer myself at 33 years old, and I must admit I love the 80s drum sound. Man In Motion is probably my favourite NR album because I love the drums, they sound big and ballsy! And not too tinny/small sounding, not to mention I also like the songs on Man in Motion.. there probably is a couple of songs I skip here & there, but I think it’s great overall. But yeah I love it when 80s drums sound big & solid but still sound organic sounding.. and where the producers/engineers got it right 👌🏽 whereas some other 80s rock albums from other bands do sound maybe a little too artificial. By the way also love the debut album and Midnight Madness! Because of the songwriting.
You have different ears being younger and you can interpret things differently. I hear these drums and it ages it horribly. A product of it time
@@GrantsRockWarehaus Yeah fair enough, but as I briefly mentioned in the last comment, I think it definitely depends.. on which album and which band. For example, the drum sound on Dokken albums (particularly Back For the Attack) still sounds great! I think Dokken’s drum sounds haven’t aged at all, and the Whitesnake 1987 album still sounds incredible with that drum sound 👌🏽 Both those albums sound better than ANY modern rock/metal album in my honest opinion. I’m not a fan of modern drum sounds, everything sounds too compressed, small and wimpy nowadays.. they take all the life out of the drums and use a lot of bad sounding triggers etc. Oh one more album I forgot to mention, The Power Station from 1985. Still one of the best drum sounds I’ve ever heard 🙌🏽 Tony Thompson had a killer sound!
Those Night Ranger albums from when Joel Hoekstra was in the band (Somewhere in California, High Road) are rock-solid. I saw NR live during that period, and they sounded as great as when I saw the original lineup back in the day. That most recent album, though (ATBPO), is a stinker. I don't need a quasi-country Night Ranger in my life.
Keagy sings lead on three songs on the. Neverland album. The Japanese version (which was released several months prior) had a better track running order with “New York Time” as the opening track.
I saw Night Ranger for the first time back in June with Bret Michaels’ solo band and Jefferson Starship and they were all great but Night Ranger stole the show I also caught a drum stick in the middle a set and I was close to the stage.
Grant nailed the head on Big Life. I was so disappointed in it, that I never bought another. Those first 3 are Killer! Saw them open for Kiss. They were incredible.
Thank you 🙂
They are coming to Coleman, Michigan Veterians Memorial Memorial Day weekend on Sunday in 2024.
Good show guys. The Secret of My Success kinda killed my enthusiasm. Seven Wishes was the last record I ever bought by them. I would argue that Sister Christian birthed the ubiquitous 80s power ballad that we all got sick of, Well them and Journey. Beginning with Open Arms which wasn’t a drug song
Totally agree on the overplayed aspect of "Sister Christian" - a song I honestly didn't like much when it came out (and still don't). Some other 1984 radio faves (that also annoyed me): "All Night Long", "Infatuation", Hello", "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"
1. Dawn Patrol
UK need to remember that without Dave Reynolds and Geoff Barton we wouldn't have ever heard of Nightranger Angel etc etc
I wish they'd release a worldwide box set featuring the first 5 studio albums, I know there was a Japanese box but that sells for silly money.
With bonus tracks!!! Where is that Night Ranger reissue campaign? I guess Night Ranger doesn't bring them in like they use to...
1) Midnight Madness (4.5/5)
2) 7 Wishes (4/5)
3) Dawn Patrol (4/5)
4) Feeding Off the Mojo (4/5)
5) Big Life (4/5)
6) ATBPO (4/5)
7) Somewhere in California (4/5)
8) Man in Motion (3.5/5)
9) High Road (3.5/5)
10) Don't Let Up (3.5/5)
11) Neverland (3/5)
12) Seven (2/5)
13) Hole in the Sun (1/5)
Awesome show Good afternoon Grant
Thank you!
Hi Grant just subscribed to your channel. Seen you many times on The Contrarions
Such a great band. And I do like the mojo.
I absolutely adored NR, when I was 15..... then I grew up.
I'm assuming Kiss was doomed too after you were 15....
@@GrantsRockWarehaus Actually, no. At least, not for me. That is, Love Gun and beyond. Not a massive fan of the early stuff, but, to each his own :) ... For me, listening back to Night Ranger, they are one of those bands that make me think, "god, what was I thinking?" I remember seeing them in Los Angeles, on the 7 Wishes tour. Cheap Trick opened. As massive of a fan as I was at that moment in time, I recall being 16 and thinking, "hmm... something is amiss here." There's an awful lot of smoke, but not a whole lot of fire. Most of the lyrical content was too adolescent (and I was 16 lol) and just silly. Jack was over compensating with ridiculous-looking non-stop antics. It just came across as an over-commialized, shallow rock band. Looking silly, trying way, way too hard and singing silly lyrics. Didn't work, and I began my move away from NR. As an adult, I went back. Thinking, "okay, let's rediscover NR and have some fun!" Only to have the exact same response I had at 16. I mean, again, to each his own. If you love the band, god bless! :) As to Kiss, their music has held up to a FAR greater degree than NR. At least, to my ear. I'm certain most will disagree. All good!
@@GrantsRockWarehaus When it comes to Kiss, judging from prior SoT commentary I'd say the power of nostalgia is strong with this (one) band. With apologies to Lord Vader...
@@cheaptrickfanatic3496 It all comes back to Cheap Trick!!
@@GrantsRockWarehaus lol... for me, probably ;) I will hand it to Blades. Those Damn Yankees live shows are ridiculously good. It's just the lyrical content of Blades' material over the years. Most of it is really hard to listen to. For me, at least. To each his own... but, ya, Cheap Trick forever! :D
I'm not a Night Ranger fan per se, though I like some of their songs.
I did see them over the summer however and thought they were great live.
Does anyone know what the deal was with Jeff Watson leaving/fired?
As a lifelong fan (they're in my top 5 all time favourite bands), I've tried for decades to find out what happened, listening and reading dozens of interviews, and everyone is very hush-hush but the gist I got was bad blood with Jack after Watson got stiffed on money. Too bad because as much as I liked Hoekstra and Kelli, Gillis/Watson was THE guitar duo, complimenting each other so well.
@argento2665 I only recall an interview with Watson where he basically said they wanted a three way partnership to own the name and they basically squeezed him out but never heard anything from Jack Blades
I know this is somewhat the "expected/cliche" response, but after Midnight Madness they got super generic and Radio-friendly (due to pressure, reportedly from MCA Records...) so I really haven't listened to much of their material after 7 Wishes. With that said, I'm sure the more recent albums with Joel Hoekstra are quite good. On a related note, it's such a shame Jeff Watson disappeared off the Radar after he left Night Ranger. I think he made one solo record for Shrapnel Label in the late 80s and now, who knows.
Nice video.😄👍
The reason Jeff left the band was because Jack, Brad and Kelly( who started the band) signed on with some management/publishing company and kept Jeff out of the picture. Plus I heard Jeff and Jack had polarized political views and didnt get along well.
There’s no “twang” on ATBPO, just good rock music.
Plenty of people hear the twang on some of the songs.
Pat Glasser
Great Show< gentleman. I'll have to check out the Hoekstra albums.
First 5 albums are all solid. Stop hating on the pop influence.
I love the pop influence. It's the balance between pop and heavy that I have an issue with. Dawn Patrol was the perfect blend
I like the first 4 or 5, but Midnight Madness is by far my favorite. There are so many great songs on there, and Sister Christian may be my least favorite of them....
Please don't burn down Grant's house !! 😄
haha...so far so good!
Never owned the first two or listened to them in their entirety (but know the hits well enough) so can’t rank them. 7 wishes, Big Life and Man in Motion are perfect albums so they are joint first. Hated the generic licks and riffs in ATBPO, so of the later albums Somewhere in California is the best. Brad Gillis is a beast but even he can’t stop himself from playing some of the most cliched guitar parts.
Wasn't a big fan but have recently dipped back in, so I'll play...First off always seemed strange to me that a guitar slinger like Jeff Watson would play in a band like this. He's traded licks with the likes of Tony MacAlpine & Steve Morse, that seems like more "appropriate" company (and they do appear on his solo albums - even Allan Holdsworth!). I can't shake the feeling that he can play this stuff in his sleep. Three great albums with Mother's Army (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!), plus a couple of good gun slinger/solo albums including the barn-burner Lone Ranger (get it?), a really sensational album with no bad tracks - the other solo album is more a mix of Kansas/Night Ranger (still as good as any of that band's albums). Brad Gillis isn't bad either (with Rubicon/Ozzy/ Queensrÿche/Derek Sherinian). Two good solo albums, one in the 'gun slinger' vein & the other more AOR-type stuff, very good! Lotsa good guests too (Gilrock Ranch is a real keeper) & he proves he's a pretty good lead singer...
"Sister Christian" always bugged me when it came on radio - way overplayed (I can handle it more now that I haven't heard it every day for a year). All in all, some pretty good 'hooky' 80's-type AOR from this band but not a lot of end-to-end great albums, it's mostly about cherry-picking individual tracks from across their albums (still, they do add up)...I seem to recall these guys in the 80's being one of the faces of "Corporate Rock". Found a web site where you can book 'em for a private gig (like maybe a Coporate event...?), at first I thought it was a goof but I don't think so: "How to hire Night Ranger for an event: Learn how to hire Night Ranger or research availability and pricing for booking Night Ranger to perform at a corporate event, fundraiser, private party, social media campaign, fair or festival, tradeshow or conference, endorsement project, or hire Night Ranger as a guest speaker, please submit the form to our agency. Min Fee Range - U.S. Dates $75,000 - $149,999"...🤷♂
So here's be my Night Ranger album ranking:
1. Feeding Off The Mojo ("Do You Feel Like I Do" cover - just a reminder of how good a player Frampton is!)
2. Somewhere in California, High Road
3. 7 Wishes, Don't Let Up & Man In Motion
4. Hole In The Sun, Neverland & ATBPO
5. Dawn Patrol & Midnight Madness
6. Big Life & Seven
To wrap up, I prefer the solo Watson/Gillis albums to albums Night Ranger put out, and the Mother's Army releases as well. SO much more interesting music
Number 1 - Whatever album has Sister Christian
Everything else - who cares? 😂
Who cares? Well, anyone who likes good melodic hard rock cares, because as great as "Sister Christian" is, it's still a power ballad. It is *not* melodic hard rock, and that's what Night Ranger does best. This band really rocks when they want to, and that's what I like most from them.
why are you commenting on a band you know nothing about ?
cuz i'm motoring 😛@@jake6887
They had 13 albums? Lol. I thought they had 5 max.
The first three albums in order of release, then i lost interest...
I think Def Leppard combined hard rock and pop better than Night Ranger. Super hooky, but still with an edge. And they're still playing arenas and Night Ranger is playing casinos. Not a slight on Night Ranger. Great band. Def Lep did it better and more consistently. IMHO....
So if you compare Night Ranger and Def Leppard... which catalog has aged better?
@@GrantsRockWarehaus I think I'd still give that to Def Lep. Especially the ballads: Bringing on the Heartbreak, Love Bites, Hysteria, etc. are timeless. As are the Mutt Lange produced albums. And their latest: Diamond Star Halo is really good. I also think I also lean towards British rock as well. Just my opinion. 😊 You're always insightful and knowledgeable when I see you as a guest and on your own channel. Cheers!
Def Leppard is a more popular band. Why compare anyways? Both so damn talented.
@@johnnelson3665 tru dat, but it's all about the conversation 🙂
I appreciate the kind words! Keep on rockin'@@rooftopmike
Night Ranger was never a stadium act.
I saw them twice in the 80's, both headlining, and there were well over 8,000 each show. Even now they draw a couple of thousand (I've seen them 3 times in the last decade).
@@argento2665 Wonder how many they're averaging for their private corporate gigs?🤷♂