Dawn Patrol (SHM-CD)

Fully Remastered Audio / Debut platinum album from revered late 70s AOR five piece from Los Angeles 70's featuring guitarist Brad Gillis and vocalist/bassist Jack Blades / 16-page full colour booklet - 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork, rarely seen photos and new interviews. ONE THE GREATEST rock bands to emerge during the early Eighties was San Francisco based Night Ranger. Somewhat surprisingly, however, their origins originated from a very different musical background, most notably as members of a large-scale soul-funk cabal called Rubicon (a unit that had links to Sly Stone) who recorded two now largely forgotten, albums. Members of this unit coalesced under the handle of Ranger, and later, Night Ranger. Night Ranger's arsenal of formidable talent contained the twin lead guitar work of Brad Gillis and Jeff Watson and - unusually - two identifiable lead vocalists in bassist Jack Blades and drummer Kelly Keagy. It was this combination that afforded the band a unique sound, giving them an edge that distanced them from other similar sounding outfits. At one point, however, the band's very existence was thrown into jeopardy when Brad Gillis was tapped to replace the late Randy Rhoads in Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard Of Oz. Fortunately this only turned out to be a temporary arrangement. Despite being turned down by every record company in the US, not once but twice, the band's debut album 'Dawn Patrol', originally issued in 1982, on the newly-formed Boardwalk label, was an immediate critical and commercial success, and boasted a cache of supremely catchy tracks, led by the triple knockout blows of 'Don't Tell Me You Love Me', 'Sing Me Away' and 'At Night She Sleeps'. A finer debut album you will not find.