With more than 17 Million albums sold worldwide, over 3500 live performances, Night Ranger has never received the notoriety it deserves. Hopefully in time , the band will become the AOR staple they deserve to be.
Night Rangers brand of rock n' roll struck a perfect balance between established AOR giants that were then ruling radio the airwaves (like Journey and Foreigner) and a new breed of tougher rock bands (like Motley Crue, Def Leppard ) that were gaining footholds on MTV.
Even though their second album is mostly known for the Top 5 mainstream radio hit Sister Christian. Midnight Madness showcases the band's uncanny ability to create kick-ass riff-heavy, hooked-filled, radio-friendly rock songs. Songs like When You Close Your Eyes, Rumours in the Air, and (You Can Still) Rock In America can stand up to anything that their contemporaries were releasing at the time.
Unfortunately, Night Ranger never got the opportunity to solidify their status as an AOR staple due to their record labels clamoring for the band to repeat the formula of Sister Christian.
For the most part Night Ranger has been categorized as a one hit wonder or a ballad heavy group. Which couldn't be farther from the truth. Their first three studio records are easily some best that the AOR format has to offer.
So, if you can get past the monster power ballade Sister Christian, then Night Ranger's second studio record deserves to be in everyone's music collection.