Man in Motion (Night Ranger album)
Man in Motion is the fifth studio album by Night Ranger, released in 1988. This album was the first studio album recorded by Night Ranger after the departure of keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald, who was replaced by Jesse Bradman.[3]
| Man in Motion | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 26, 1988 | |||
| Studio | Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California, Goodnight LA Studio, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:05 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Keith Olsen, Brian Foraker | |||
| Night Ranger chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Man in Motion | ||||
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Background
edit"Man in Motion" saw a change in the musical direction of the band, focusing on a more guitar driven sound. Unfortunately the change in direction did not result in much radio play and the album became the first Night Ranger album to fail to achieve gold or platinum status[4]
Bassist and singer Jack Blades would leave the band in 1989 to form rock super group Damn Yankess with Tommy Shaw of Styx and Ted Nugent. Jeff Watson also left to join the band Mother's Army. Jack Blades discussed why he left Night Ranger, stating that the members of the band were going in different directions, with everyone writing separate songs and their egos clashing.[5]
The band would not release another album until 1995's album Feeding Off the Mojo, which featured Gary Moon of Three Dog Night on bass and vocals.[4] Jack Blades, Jeff Watson, and Alan Fitzgerald all returned to the band for 1997's album Neverland.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Classic Rock | Superior[7] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[8] |
"Man in Motion" received mixed reviews and its singles were unable to gain much recognition.[7] The first single off the album was "I Did It for Love", which topped out on the Billboard Top 100 at 75. The second single "Reason to Be" reached position 48 in 1989 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.[9] The third single, "Don't Start Thinking (I'm Alone Tonight)", failed to chart at all.[10]
Track listing
editAll credits adapted from the original release.[11]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Man in Motion" | Brad Gillis, Jack Blades | 4:26 |
| 2. | "Reason to Be" | Blades, Kelly Keagy | 4:10 |
| 3. | "Don't Start Thinking (I'm Alone Tonight)" | Alan Fitzgerald, Blades, Keagy | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Love Shot Me Down" | Blades | 4:06 |
| 5. | "Restless Kind" | Blades, Keagy | 4:40 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Halfway to the Sun" | Blades | 5:18 |
| 7. | "Here She Comes Again" | Bob Halligan Jr., Blades, Martin Briley, Michael Bolton | 4:18 |
| 8. | "Right on You" | Blades, Keagy | 4:12 |
| 9. | "Kiss Me Where It Hurts" | Gillis, Blades | 4:33 |
| 10. | "I Did It for Love" | Russ Ballard | 4:46 |
| 11. | "Woman in Love" | Blades | 4:42 |
Personnel
edit- Night Ranger
- Jack Blades – bass, lead vocals
- Brad Gillis – guitars, vocals
- Jeff Watson – guitars
- Kelly Keagy – drums, lead vocals
- Additional musicians
- Jesse Bradman – keyboards, vocals
- Alan Pasqua, Claude Gaudette, Eric Persing – additional keyboards
- Joyce Imbesi – keyboards on track 5
- John Purdell – additional keyboards, additional vocals
- Kevin Chalfant – additional vocals
- Mark Newman – computer programming
- Production
- Keith Olsen – producer, engineer and mixing on tracks 1 to 4, 6 to 9, 11
- Brian Foraker – producer, engineer and mixing on tracks 5 and 10
- Jimmy Reitizel – additional arrangements on track 5
- John Hanlon, Mark Segal – engineers
- Ron Da Silva, Squeak Stone – assistant engineers on tracks 5 and 10
- Greg Fulginiti – mastering at Artisan Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California
- David Cole – executive producer on track 5 and 10
- Hugh Syme – art direction, design
Charts
edit| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12] | 10 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 81 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Album » Night Ranger - Man In Motion". Metal.it (in Italian). Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "Night Ranger discography".
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Night Ranger Biography". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation.
- ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock (First ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 320/1. ISBN 0-7535-0257-7.
- ^ Blades, Jack (June 1, 2014). "A Conversation With Jack Blades" (Interview). Interviewed by Cavacini, Michael. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ "Night Ranger - Man in Motion review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ a b Elliott, Paul (February 20, 2015). "Buyer's Guide: Night Ranger". Classic Rock. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 243. ISBN 978-1894959315.
- ^ "Night Ranger Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Night Ranger Chart History". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ Man in Motion (LP Sleeve). Night Ranger. Santa Monica, California: MCA Records. 1988. MCA 6238.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Night Ranger Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2021.