• Artist: Golden Earring
• Rating:
• Styles: Arena Rock, Hard Rock
• Similar Albums: Fair Warning, Women and Children First, Women and Children First/Fair Warning, The Game, The Principle of Moments, Pictures at Eleven, Keep It Up, Rebel Yell [Expanded Edition], Billy Idol, Heart Greatest Hits: Live, Greatest Hits

Review

Although the band has put out several fine albums over the years, Golden Earring has not always had an easy time staying consistent from album to album. This 1980 effort is one of the rare instances in the Golden Earring catalog in which the group takes a good album, No Promises...No Debts, and actually improves on it. Like the aforementioned album, Prisoner of the Night presents a collection of songs that combine pop hooks and hard rock muscle in a radio-friendly way. However, Golden Earring improves on this style instead of recycling it: The guitar riffs hit harder, the hooks are catchier, and the arrangements are more willing to toss an occasional left turn at the listener while still managing to keep the songs lean and exciting. Good examples include "No for an Answer," which combines a muscular array of guitar riffs and a frenetic hard rock tempo with a killer singalong chorus, and "My Town," an amped-up slice of driving power pop that is worthy of Cheap Trick. However, the finest of the rockers is "Long Blond Animal," which combines a stomping beat, a circular guitar riff, and another infectious chorus to create a blood-pumping rocker that is as catchy as it is invigorating. Some of the other songs don't quite hit the manic highs of these standout tracks, but everything is well-arranged and features unexpected twists that keeps things fresh (i.e., the new wave synthesizer riff that pops up out of nowhere midway through the power ballad "Will and Mercy"). The end result is one of the finest albums of Golden Earring's career. It's a required listen for the group's fans and an album that is likely to win over any pop/rock devotee who gives it a spin. ~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	iTunes	Composers	Performers	Time
Long Blond Animal		Barry Hay, George Kooymans	Golden Earring	(3:36)
No for an Answer		Barry Hay, George Kooymans	Golden Earring	(4:13)
My Town		Barry Hay, George Kooymans	Golden Earring	(3:06)
Prisoner of the Night		Barry Hay, George Kooymans	Golden Earring	(4:50)
I Don't Wanna Be Nobody Else		Barry Hay, George Kooymans	Golden Earring	(4:41)
Cut 'Em Down to Size		Rinus Gerritsen, Barry Hay, George Kooymans, Cesar Zuiderwijk	Golden Earring	(3:23)
Will & Mercy		Barry Hay, George Kooymans	Golden Earring	(3:36)
Come in Outerspace		Barry Hay, George Kooymans	Golden Earring	(4:24)
Going Crazy Again		Barry Hay, George Kooymans	Golden Earring	(4:59)

Credits

Golden Earring (Main Performer), Tony Britnel (Saxophone), Tony Britnel (Sax (Tenor)), Rinus Gerritsen (Bass), Rinus Gerritsen (Keyboards), Barry Hay (Flute), Barry Hay (Vocals), George Kooymans (Guitar), George Kooymans (Vocals), George Kooymans (Producer), George Kooymans (Mixing), John Kriek (Engineer), John Kriek (Mixing), Robert Jan Stips (Synthesizer), Robert Jan Stips (Keyboards), Cesar Zuiderwijk (Drums), Kees Tabak (Photography)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)