Long Cold Winter (1988)

Long Cold Winter is the second studio album by Cinderella. released in 1st of July 1988 on Japan and 5th of July1988 for US Market.

It is hard to believe that Bangkok has cold winter. It is hard to believe that I will experience a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius. I feel the coldness that penetrates my clothes and makes them touch my body. It is so pleasant that it is hard to find any other atmosphere that can compare. 

There’s something about those endless highways, stretching like veins across the countryside, when it’s just me cutting through the darkness. I remember those nights, how many times did I make that three-hour pilgrimage? The dashboard clock mocking me, but Cinderella’s “Long Cold Winter” was always there, my faithful companion in the stereo.

I like the cold winter where the scenery is covered with snow. It looks cold, heartless, full of elegance, mysterious and terrifying. All of this has impressed me since I saw the movie Dead Poet Society . There is a scene where a young boy dies in the white snow.

The brutal cold of winter has such charm!

This kind of atmosphere reminds me of the album Long Cold Winter

Long Cold Winter: When Glam Met the Blues

You see, this wasn’t just another glam metal album churned out by the Mercury machine in 1988.

No, this was different. This was blues torn from the gut, dressed up in leather pants and hairspray.

In the golden age of glam metal, few albums managed to successfully bridge the gap between hard rock swagger and authentic blues credibility quite like Cinderella’s Long Cold Winter. Released in 1988, this sophomore effort marked a pivotal moment for the Philadelphia quartet, proving they were far more than just another band riding the Glam Metal wave.

I’ve loved this album since it came out and it’s still a Cinderella masterpiece that no other band can imitate.

Their 1986 debut; Night Songs  drew criticism for heavily borrowing the style of AC/DC. Some says the band has nothing of it own, it must be admitted that Tom Keifer, the beautiful lead singer with the drooping, kissable lips, has been heavily influenced by his senior hard rockers. Plus, when he first started making music, he probably had a goal in mind with the musical influences he received, which led to him falling into the trap of the musical cycle.

Tom Keifer knew the band needed to carve out their own identity. The solution? Diving deep into their blues influences while maintaining just enough of that glam metal sheen to keep their core audience engaged.

And the songs

Right from the opening notes of “Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin’ Apart at the Seams,” it’s clear this isn’t your typical late-80s hair metal record. The blues-soaked intro sets the stage for what becomes a masterclass in genre-blending. Tom ‘s distinctive raspy vocals helped create more excitement for the song.

Lookin ‘ on back when I was young

I tried to sing it, but my song had been sung

And now I ain’t got no worries

Ain’t got no one to call my own

– Bad Seamstress Blues –

My heart’s like a wheel

And my head’s just a stone

I got my memories

Ain’t got no home

– Fallin ‘ Apart At The Seams –

Every time “Bad Seamstress Blues” kicked in, form first mournful guitar licks, I felt something stir in my bones, The thing about loneliness is that it hits differently when you’re racing down empty roads at midnight. That’s when Tom Keifer’s voice really gets you,

While not technically a concept album, Long Cold Winter takes me on a cohesive journey through themes of loneliness, wanderlust, and redemption.

The sequencing is masterful – from the first song to the last is all lonely trip on the road to somewhere, for a wanderer… who keeps on traveling, sometimes the word “home” can create sadness as well.

My gypsy road can’t take me home

I drive all night just to see the light

My gypsy road can’t take me home

I keep on pushin ‘ cause it feels alright

– Gypsy Road –

And “Gypsy Road”? That’s the sound of liberation, of telling the whole world to go to hell while you chase something bigger than yourself. “Gypsy Road” – A perfect blend of blues-rock riffs and commercial appeal, featuring some of Tom Keifer’s most memorable vocal work. 

Travel Alone

Traveling through life will bring you many things, both good and bad. It is a life experience that cannot be short-cut. We may read other people’s stories and think we understand, but we will never truly understand the feeling until we experience it ourselves.

The cold winters came and went, but this album remained constant.

In my darkest moments, when the road seemed endless and the night pressed in like a heavy blanket, Tom Keifer and company were there, reminding me that sometimes you’ve got to get lost to find your way home. And isn’t that what great rock ‘n’ roll is all about?

I got a long way to go before I reach the light of day

Monkies on my back I gotta find a better way

Same old story never get just what you want

The more you got the more you want

Sometimes you do and then you don’t

I guess I’ve always been a travelin ‘ man

Cause when I’m movin ‘ I can make a stand

– The Last Mile –

Cinderella takes the listener through a lonely, cold path, but stubbornly insists that it’s okay, there’s still something good . In life, always collect things. Go out and experience many things. And even if you make some mistakes, there is always a way to fix it and make it better, like in “Second Wind”.

My second wind gets me strong

I’m right back where I belong

My second wind I can’t go wrong

I take what’s mine then I move along

– Second Wind –

But in the end, what we really need is a place where we can rest assured.

Take me back

Cause I need to be reminded

What I left behind me So far away

Take me back

Cause I need to feel the fire

Yesterday’s desire Ain’t far away

– Take Me Back –

And return home 

Home does not mean a building, but a place where love is filled.

I’m coming home

Where your love tonight can shine on me

I’m coming home

Where your lovin ‘ arms can set me free

– Coming Home –

from the road-weary tales of “The Last Mile” to the soul-searching balladry of “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone),” each track builds upon the last to create a complete narrative arc. 

Don’t know what you got till it’s gone

Don’t know what it is I did so wrong

Now I know what I got

It’s just this song

And it ain’t easy to get back

Takes so long

– Don’t Know What You Got ( Till It Gone )-

On “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone).” The way he wails, it’s not just another power ballad – it’s a goddamn confessional. Tom Keifer’s vocal control here is exceptional, proving he could do more than just scream. The power ballad showcases the band’s ability to write radio-friendly hits without sacrificing their musical integrity.

The Production

The production work of Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones) helps give the album that authentic blues-rock warmth while maintaining the punch needed for tracks like “Gypsy Road.” exemplifies the album’s darker, blues-influenced direction while maintaining the band’s hard rock edge.

The musical performances throughout the album are top-notch. Jeff LaBar’s guitar work complements Tom Keifer’s leads perfectly, while the rhythm section of Eric Brittingham (bass) and legendary drummer Cozy provides a solid foundation. The addition of session musicians like steel guitarist Jay Levin

Fred Coury (drums- not play on this records) 

Andy Johns’ production deserves special mention. The album sounds massive yet intimate, with every instrument given room to breathe. The mix by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero (who worked with Metallica on “…And Justice for All”) strikes the perfect balance between polish and grit.

Hard Rock with the Blues

Although the music ‘s accent is clearly blues rock , it still has the same hard rock / glam metal / pop metal style that was previously done in Night Songs​.

Tom Keefer ‘s vocal delivery is much more controlled than on his first album, not just screaming and shouting, but also knowing that his vocal delivery adds a special touch to the song, As in the hit ballad “Don’t Know What You Got ( Til You’re Gone)”  is a good example of the country music mix in “Coming Home.” And the alternation of low-pitched and high-pitched vocals creates a beautiful, distinctive, and stylish feel to the song .

Looking back from 1999, “Long Cold Winter” stands as perhaps Cinderella’s finest moment. While many of their contemporaries were content to chase trends, Cinderella took a risk by incorporating authentic blues elements into their sound. This gamble paid off, creating an album that has aged remarkably well and influenced countless bands in the decades since.

I’ve worn out two copies of this album. First on cassette, its magnetic entrails sacrificed to countless late-night journeys, then on CD, scratched and beautiful like an old battle scar. Each track is a timestamp of my life, moments frozen in amber when the world seemed both impossibly vast and suffocatingly small.

The album remains a testament to what was possible when bands of the era dared to push beyond the confines of their genre. In the pantheon of late-80s rock albums, “Long Cold Winter” deserves its place among the classics.

My Personal Favourite

What makes this album special to me? It’s how they captured that peculiar man loneliness – the kind that sits in your gut while you’re driving nowhere and everywhere at once.

For those times when you need a soundtrack to your solitude, when you want to feel both the frost and the fire, put on “Long Cold Winter.” Let it wash over you like a biblical flood. Because in those 43 minutes and 51 seconds, Cinderella created something eternal – a blues-soaked confession wrapped in glam metal glory that still echoes through the night, calling to all the lonely travelers on their own gypsy roads.