Old Enough to Forget

Night Ranger released Dawn Patrol in the waning months on 1982. The band would pull three singles off the album with the last one dropping in the summer of 1983. The album was slick as snot, with a twin guitar assault that was more than capable of melting faces. Jeff Watson on one side with his mind bending dexterity and Brad Gillis, fresh off a stint with Ozzy was on the other. Brad was also on Mr. Osbourne's Speak of the Devil -  also released in November of '82. I suspect Brad's departure was amicable as Ozzy & Sharon got a shout out on the back cover.  Night Ranger found their voice early on with bread and butter slick rock and roll. This was '82 and hard rock was coming into the mainstream. The band also managed to pull off the two lead singer trick and make it look easy. Bassist Jack Blades and drummer Kelly Keagy took turns singing their own songs while occasionally writing together. Their voices were similar but different enough to give the album a nice back...

Before people took cheap shots and shit on Winger and discovered Nickelback there was Night Ranger. The band who started out as a killer rock band, unleashing "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" backed by the twelve string sonic assault of Jeff Watson, and Brad Gillis, who was fresh off of his stint as Ozzy's six string slinger. It was awesome. Then came "Sister Christian" and all of a sudden it didn't matter that the same album had songs like "(You Can Still) Rock in America" and the power ballad "When You Close Your Eyes" the guys had jumped the shark, shat the bed, screwed the pooch, sold their souls to the corporate machine. They had sold out. They were a joke now, and any rock credibility was swirling the drain. They had as much cachet as Culture Club. Which was too bad as I was a card carrying member of the shit on Night Ranger club. It didn't matter that I like their songs, and even secretly liked "Sister Christian" they ...