Night Ranger Album: “Live in Japan”

I am a fan of live albums and this is one of the best. This recording packages an energetic sound when the band was at its peak. The way the music flows and the way the boys work the crowd make you feel you're in the audience (especially if you are listening on headphones). The only drawback is that some key Night Ranger songs are missing (sing me away especially) and that only the first half of Let Him Run is performed. There are several songs on the album that I can't place from any NR album but these are pleasant surprises, Dont Stop Thinking, especially rocks.

This is, quite simply, a live album from a great group who were at the pinnacle of their career. Other than the later release of Neverland, their best material is found in their first five albums (Dawn Patrol, Midnight Madness, 7 Wishes, Big Life, Man In Motion). There are some great songs that aren't on here, such as Sing Me Away, Eddie's Comin' Out Tonight, and Sentimental Street, but this is still a great live album full of great songs, so I recommend it. If you like any of their songs from the 80's, you should get Live In Japan.

I have pretty much the same thing to say about this one as the Rock in Japan Greatest Hits download though I would say you get more new songs on the Greatest Hits than this one (mainly because this one is older and the new songs didn't exist dah!). I still like the download! This is what I said about the other one minus the gushing about the newer cuts: "I have never lived live recordings when studio choices were available. The Uprising Damn Yankees CD made me think that maybe they weren't all badly mixed noise irritants so I downloaded this and the Live in Japan MP3 album (because I couldn't decide after listening to the promos). I really like them. They are much better than the YouTube alternative (though it would be nice to have a DVD of them playing the concerts still available and affordable). The sound is great and the vocals are great. While studio cuts are still more polished, these guys are really wonderful live and you can tell they still have fun playing. When I look over my other reviews, I am rather appalled that so many of their CDs are out of print." The fact that not all the CDs have MP3 downloads is a shame (I'd say tragedy but no one will die from it). I think you'll like this download as much as I do.