CINDERELLA – Back in May of 1988, Philadelphia’s very own Cinderella released their sophomore album: Long Cold Winter. While the Hair/Glam Metal invasion was sprouting from The Golden State’s Sunset Strip, Cinderella was carving out their own niche within the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal communities; with Pennsylvania as their springboard to Heavy Rock stardom.
Even after I first listened to Cinderella’s 1986 debut album Night Songs, I knew this band’s only link to Hair Metal was their look and not their sound. Cinderella was far too bluesy from the get-go to be a bona-fide Hair Metal band, at least that’s what I thought back then and still do now. Anyone who wants to call Cinderella a Hair/Glam Metal band might as well label AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses that as well. Besides, Cinderella’s third studio album, 1990’s Heartbreak Station, only further solidified them as a blues-driven Heavy Rock band.
I first bought Long Cold Winter on vinyl from Strawberries Records & Tapes. As years, (gulp), decades have passed, that slab of cool vinyl is gone and since replaced by a CD, within my collection. From what I’ve researched, the RIAA has Long Cold Winter documented as selling 3 million + units. That’s Triple Platinum! (I know that sounded rather giddy of me).
Tom Keifer’s vocals were never stuff of fluff; that’s probably why I have always been a sucker for this album’s chart-topping ballad: Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone). The grainy vocals that Tom Keifer has been trademarked with is another reason why Cinderella stood out amongst the sea of Hair. Gypsy Road is a song that sticks inside my brain for days after I listen to it. Now that’s a song I can easily accuse of being Heavy Rock Blues.
I was attending a Community College back in 1988 and having the time of my life. Simply put, I was hell-raising for a Metal hobby. Party Central was my commuting terminal back then. Good times. I began hanging out with Scott Coverdale back around 1988 too and that only added to the “hell-bent for leather” attitude that I succumbed to. Good times. I’d swear Scott and I made our Guardian Angels work overtime for us, back then.
It was on August 4th, 1989; Scott Coverdale, my future wife and (late) sister went to see Cinderella together (for the first time) at the Springfield Civic Center. Winger and BulletBoys shared the stage with Cinderella that night too. Check out my ticket stub from that Metal memorable night, below:
I’ve been very fortunate to catch Cinderella live a couple more times since that Springfield show, with the 2010 M3 Rock Festival being the last time I’ve seen them perform. Yes, Scott Coverdale was by my side at that M3 Rock Festival… otherwise I had no damn ride home. We had a grand Metal time of times at that M3 Rock Festival too. Whoa, we did. No… thank you Klaus!
In a Metal walnut-shell, no red-blooded Rock, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Arena Rock, Glam/Hair Metal or 80’s Heavy Metal fan can go wrong by revisiting or being introduced to Long Cold Winter. A 1988 Multi-Platinum Gem from Cinderella. Metal be thy name.
CINDERELLA:
Tom Keifer – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, National Steel and harmonica
Eric Brittingham – bass, twelve string bass and background vocals
Jeff LaBar – guitar
Fred Coury – drums
Additional Players:
Cozy Powell – drums
Denny Carmassi – drums
Kurt Shore – keyboards
Jay Levin – pedal steel guitar
Paulinho da Costa – percussion
John Webster – keyboards
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LONG COLD WINTER – Track Listing:
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
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* For more info on CINDERELLA, click on the link below!
http://cinderella.net
LONG LIVE CINDERELLA.
Stone.
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