Cinderella - Rocked, Wired and Bluesed - The Greatest Video Hits (2005)



Cinderella was formed in Philadelphia in 1982 by singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and guitarist Tom Keifer and bassist Eric Brittingham. The initial lineup also included guitarist Michael Smerick and drummer Tony Destra. In 1985, Smerick and Destra left to form Britny Fox, another Philadelphia-based glam metal band. Cinderella got their big break when Jon Bon Jovi saw them perform at the Empire Rock Club in Philadelphia and recommended that his A&R rep Derek Shulman who knew of the band, to see them as well. In 1985, with a recording contract with Mercury/Polygram Records in the works, guitarist Jeff LaBar and drummer Jim Drnec joined the band.

During the recording of the band's debut album, Night Songs, studio session drummer Jody Cortez was brought in when producer Andy Johns found Drnec difficult to work with. While finishing the recording, Drnec was replaced by former London drummer Fred Coury, who joined in time to make the album's cover and play on upcoming tours. Night Songs was released on August 2, 1986 and eventually achieved triple platinum status, selling 50,000 copies per week at one point. The album reached #3 on the Billboard charts in February 1987.

Cinderella's second album, Long Cold Winter, was released in 1988. It signified a shift towards blues-rock, though it could still be described as glam metal. A 254-show tour to support the album lasted over 14 months and included dates on the Moscow Music Peace Festival alongside other metal acts, such as Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, and Skid Row. The tour's stage show included Keifer being lowered to the stage while playing a white piano during their radio hit "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)".

Cinderella's third album, Heartbreak Station, was released in 1990. It featured even more songs than Long Cold Winter that were influenced by Keifer's love of the blues, completely ditching the band's trademark glam metal sound. Following the accompanying tour, Fred Coury left the band and joined former Ratt vocalist Stephen Pearcy in the band Arcade.

In 1991, Keifer completely lost his voice due to a paresis of his vocal cords. He underwent several surgeries to repair a vocal cyst and hemorrhage. This added to delays in the recording of the band's fourth album, Still Climbing. It was finally released in 1994 with Kenny Aronoff on drums, but with little support from their label, none from MTV, and the current music scene being dominated by grunge, the album quickly disappeared from the charts. The band went on hiatus in 1995.

Cinderella resumed activity in 1997, the same year Mercury Records released a greatest hits compilation titled Once Upon a.... The group toured the United States in 1998, with one stop captured on the live album Live at the Key Club, which was released in 1999 through Cleopatra Records.

In 2000, Cinderella went on a successful summer tour with Poison, Dokken and Slaughter. The band was supposed to have released their new studio album on Portrait in 2001, but the label went bankrupt. Suddenly, Cinderella found themselves embroiled in a legal battle with Sony over the rights to their unreleased album material. Though Sony had no intention of releasing Cinderella's new album, they refused to give the band back the rights to the new songs.

Sadly, even to this day, Cinderella is still fighting with Sony to get their songs back and release their new album. Because of the legal battle, the band hs not been able to release any new material on any label. Fortunately, for the fans, Cinderella continues to tour every summer with other 80s bands. In 2005, the band headlined the Rock Never Stops tour with bands like Firehouse and Quiet Riot.

Currently, the band members are involved in other projects when they are not touring together. Singer Tom Keifer is working on his first solo album. Bassist Eric Brittingham works with his wife in a band called Naked Beggars, along with Cinderella guitarist Jeff LaBar. Drummer Fred Coury works with other bands in his spare time, and also produces up and coming bands in his private studio. Coury also enjoys working as a photographer, most notably of weather phenomenon. The band is hoping to put the Sony lawsuit behind them as soon as possible, and release their new studio album in the near future.

Rocked, Wired & Bluesed: The Greatest Hits is a compilation album released by American rock band Cinderella in 2005, featuring tracks from their entire catalog.


THE BAND

Tom Keifer: vocals, guitar
Fred Coury: drums
Jeff Labar: guitar
Eric Brittingham: bass

Track Listing:

1. Shake Me
2. Nobody's Fool
3. Somebody Save Me
4. Gypsy Road
5. Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)
6. The Last Mile
7. Coming Home
8. The More Things Change
9. Shelter Me
10. Heartbreak Station

Special Features:

Tales from the Gypsy Road Excerpts
The Shooting of Heartbreak Station

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