NIGHT – Night [Rock Candy Remastered] + extras (2019)

Rock Candy Records specialists have remastered and officially put on CD both NIGHT – Chris Thompson & Stevie Vann Lange band – albums for the first time outside Japan. We have already featured here the Japanese remasters, however these RC fresh releases are far superior.
The self-titled “Night” is the debut album by this combo featuring talented vocalists Chris Thompson and Stevie Vann (Lange), at the time, wife of uber-producer Mutt Lange.

The story behind Night is arguably one of the most intriguing and, by implication, frustrating in the history of rock. As a mini super-group, with a super-slick FM radio style, they had the potential to fit neatly into the heavy-hitting platinum rock niche.
However, despite signing to an American record label and giving birth to two hit singles, their valiant efforts to compete fell short of expectations.

It’s therefore surprising to know that the band were actually formed in the UK, by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band lead vocalist Chris Thompson (he sang on the #1 single ‘Blinded By The Light’), together with celebrated backing vocalist Stevie Lange.
Indeed, the band were well-known faces on the UK pub and club circuit before being unexpectedly signed up by Planet Records, a US-based label helmed by celebrated producer Richard Perry (Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, Pointer Sisters).

The band moved to Los Angeles, and Perry recorded the album over an exhaustive twelve months, enlisting the help of special guest players, including Bob LaKind, Steve Porcaro and Michael McDonald.
The results are pretty spectacular. Musically the sound was very much in vogue with FM radio, featuring strident yet powerful rock tracks and emotive power ballads.

Their self-titled LP “Night” was an album that yielded two American hit singles with ‘If You Remember Me’ and the anthemic ‘Hot Summer Nights’.

Among the highlights there’s the bluesy rocking ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ and ‘You Ain’t Pretty Enough’, the ballad ‘Shocked’, and the grandiose midtempo ‘Cold Wind Across My Heart’. If you like early Heart / Ann Wilson, you need to hear these.
However, despite this chart success, the album failed to perform as well as might have been expected and it was back to the drawing board for the follow up.

Both Night albums become very hard to find for years, with bootleg CD releases not making justice to it. The Japanese remastered release is a good one (taste it HERE) but unfortunately out of print now. Now, this Rock Candy reissue makes the album available again, and the sonic treatment is better, lively.

As extras we added some rarities, 3 tracks recorded when, as said above, the band started playing the UK pub / club circuit under a different name; ‘Filthy McNasty’.
These are a professionally recorded demo, and two live tracks taped at The Bridge House pub. These recordings were pressed in limited quantities for promotion only. True rarities, and with a very good sound quality.
Only at 0dayrox

01 – Hot Summer Nights
02 – Cold Wind Across My Heart
03 – If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody
04 – Ain’t That Peculiar
05 – If You Remember Me
06 – Come Around (If You Want Me)
07 – You Ain’t Pretty Enough
08 – Shocked
09 – Love Message
10 – Party Shuffle

Extras:
11 – Night (as Filthy McNasty) – Can’t Get Next To You (Demo)
12 – Night (as Filthy McNasty) – Move Over (Live)
13 – Night (as Filthy McNasty) – Fire Down Below (Live)

Stevie Vann (Lange): lead vocals
Chris Thompson: lead vocals, guitars
Robbie McIntosh: guitars, vocals
Billy Kristian: bass, vocals
Nicky Hopkins: keyboards
Rick Marotta, Rick Shlosser: drums
Steve Porcaro, Bill Payne: synths
Michael McDonald: piano
Louis Johnson: add. bass
Bob LaKind: percussion
Vince Melamed: organ
extra tracks;
Chris Thompson (vocals, guitar)
Stevie Lange (vocals, percussion)
Billy Kristian (bass, vocals)
Mike Walker (keyboards)
Geoff Whitehorn (guitar)
Clive Edwards (drums)

BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Night/dp/B07NBCL23M
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