Night Ranger – 7 Wishes

This is Night Ranger’s third album, and while ‘7 Wishes’ contains impressive material I can’t help but feel it falls a little short of their previous work.

Written by: Dangerzone

ARTIST: Night Ranger
ALBUM: 7 Wishes
LABEL: Camel/MCA
SERIAL: MCA-5593
YEAR: 1985
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

LINEUP: Jack Blades – lead vocals, bass * Kelly Keagy – lead vocals, drums * Brad Gillis – guitars * Jeff Watson – guitars * Alan Fitzgerald – keyboards

TRACK LISTING: 01 Seven Wishes * 02 Faces * 03 Four In The Morning * 04 I Need A Woman * 05 Sentimental Street * 06 This Boy Needs To Rock * 07 I Will Follow You * 08 Interstate Love Affair * 09 Night Machine * 10 Goodbye

WEBLINKS: Site Link

Background

Night Ranger were in a tough spot with their third album, as their first two ‘Dawn Patrol’ and ‘Midnight Madness’ had set high standards, in both chart placings and AOR/Hard Rock quality. They stuck with the formula that bought the success, retaining producer Pat Glasser once again. To many ‘7 Wishes’ was an improvement on 83’s ‘Midnight Madness’, which some saw as an inferior follow up to the monumental debut.

And while ‘7 Wishes’ contains impressive material I can’t help but feel it falls a little short of their previous work. The audience was still there as the album hit no 10, while singles ‘Sentimental Street’ and ‘Four In The Morning’ were top ten and twenty place getters respectively. Amazingly it’s still possible to hear ‘Four In The Morning’ on rock radio State side, amazing taking into consideration the amount of superior tracks recorded by the band.

The Songs

The title track rouses ears instantly, displaying the heavier side of the band, which was always vastly more appealing. The bands sound from the first two albums is thankfully intact, with a perfect blend of synthesizer and dual riffing. ‘Faces’ takes things further, heavier still and with the kind of melody people had come to expect from them. One of their best tracks to this day, straddling the ever so delicate line between AOR and hard rock aggression, with stunning guitar harmonies.

‘Four In The Morning’ takes a lighter route, but isn’t a ballad by any means, this time the patented vocal harmonies making all the difference. A deserved hit. Sadly ‘I Need A Woman’ comes off as flat and melodically uninspired. ‘Sentimental Street’ takes the nostalgic direction of ‘When You Close Your Eyes’, an enduring hook the lasting impression. Nothing can top the precision of ‘This Boy Needs To Rock’ and its metal overtones, the closest the band comes to evoking the spirit of the debut. Melody wise it’s on fire, a foot stomping classic.

‘I Will Follow You’ falls down at the chorus, despite some excellent interplay while ‘Interstate Love Affair’ almost feels like ZZ Top with those pumping synths. Raucous US party rock is the order of the day in ‘Night Machine’, especially when the band gets to chanting ‘welcome, welcome!’, even if that wasn’t the intended result! ‘Goodbye’ is a soft ballad closer, perhaps the last of the real Night Ranger.

In Summary

When Night Ranger returned in 1987 with ‘Big Life’ the success that they obtained with ‘7 Wishes’ was noticeably absent, suggesting their day had come and gone. In a way it had, their sound was slightly altered and not quite as dynamic as their 1982-85 heyday. While ‘7 Wishes’ contains several weak cuts, it’s miles ahead of most bands in the period, the class in both musicianship and songwriting all too obvious to dismiss. It makes later albums like ‘Neverland’ and ‘Seven’ all the more painful to listen to, a band who seemed to forget what they represented.

Video

Sentimental Street