MAGNUM – Goodnight L.A. [Japan HR/HM 1000 Vol.5 series Limited Release] (2022) HQ

Universal Music Japan did it again, a new campaign of their ‘HR/HM 1000‘ series – the Limited Release reissue of long time out of print albums from their Hard Rock / Heavy Metal catalog at the price of 1000 Yen = about 8 USD.
Now it’s time for the second 2022 batch, ”HR-HM 1000 Vol.5”. And as part of these there’s the out of print “Goodnight L.A.“, British AORsters MAGNUM ‘Americanized’ album from 1990.
For “Goodnight L.A.” the band flew to Los Angeles to record the album with Keith Olsen, suggested by the record label because of the success of his work on Whitesnake’s ‘1987’ LP. Additionally, Tony Clarkin, the band’s guitarist and usually MAGNUM’s sole songwriter, then invited co-writers such as Russ Ballard and Jim Vallance to collaborate and obtain a ‘North American’ feeling.
The result was a glossy, polished, awesome AOR album with that late Eighties / early Nineties huge sound.

‘Rockin’ Chair’ is a great opener, electrifying and guitar driven and with a big commercial chorus. ‘Only A Memory’ and ‘Reckless Man’ are outstanding melodic rockers to my ears. The former is a slow-burning ballad that has a perfect composition and builds to a great chorus. The latter is a polished, driving rock behemoth featuring some of Clarkin’s heaviest riffs and finds the band dipping their collective toe into political subject matter; a rare occurrence indeed.

‘Shoot’ is a gripping and accessible midtempo AOR tune with a lavish melodic edge and soaring chorus, then you can hear Jim Vallance’s touch on ‘What Kind of Love Is This’, a catchy rocker. ‘No Way Out’ is another of my favourites, co-written by Russ Ballard, with a cool rhythm and nice keyboards.
‘Cry For You’ is a power ballad, the sort that Magnum do so well, this time with an American sound, again with the help of Vallance. And closer ‘Born To Be King’ also stands out, a song composed several years early (Vigilante mid-80s era I believe) sporting that Olsen’s vibrant production.

If you are new to “Goodnight L.A.” (I doubt if you’re visiting this website) don’t believe some reviews out there saying this is one of MAGNUM’s weakest albums. This is a superb piece of work, well written, performed and awesomely produced.
A terrific melodic rock / AOR album with that late ’80s magic.
Highly Recommended

ＵＮＩＶＥＲＳＡＬ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ 【UICY～79906】
Ｈ Ｒ / Ｈ Ｍ １０００ ＳＥＲＩＥＳ

01 – Rockin’ Chair
02 – Mama
03 – Only a Memory
04 – Reckless Man
05 – Matter of Survival
06 – What Kind of Love Is This
07 – Heartbroke & Busted
08 – Shoot
09 – No Way Out
10 – Cry for You
11 – Born to Be King

Bob Catley — vocals
Tony Clarkin — guitar
Wally Lowe — bass guitar
Mark Stanway — keyboards
Mickey Barker — drums
with:
Tommy Funderburk — backing vocals
Michael Sadler — backing vocals
Paulinho da Costa — percussion

BUY
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-79906