Why this CD was so overlooked is as great a mystery to me as Lil Kim's dress sense. Lauper's return to the fray in 1989 with what is now one of her classics, the haunting I Drove All Night displayed a more mature offering from the gal who wanted to have fun. Yet this song is far from the best on the album. Written in a dark period of Cyndi's life, ANTR unleashes her vulnerabilities as well as some hidden talents which, 12 years later still astound me. From the funky Primitive to the torturous blues of My First Night Without You & then onto self-emancipation in Heading West, Cyndi's melodies were never so good, nor her voice so wrought. The tender Unconditional Love was so good that Susanna Hoffs tried to give it life later on & the album's closer, the Diane Warren penned I Don't Want To Be Your Friend is as tragic as it sounds. Lauper's voice trails off & the listener hangs on for another note. A tremendoulsy harrowing song which should have won a grammy. Lauper has never sounded so good, nor the world been so foolish as to let this album go

It is apparent to me that the Greatest Album Cyndi has ever churned out has received tepid reviews; by apparent "know-it-alls" who say what to and not-to buy.

I LOVE THIS CD

In a way, I am glad that not that many people KNOW that THIS IS Cyndi's Greatest Work. To me, its like a best kept secret that only I and a handful of other Cyndi lovers can treasure.

If you are not listening, You're missing out!

This is the type of music that will still be relevant years from now. 15 years strong and going, what does that tell you?

If art is truly a method of self-expression, fewer albums I have listened come as close to this one to revealing the emotional state of an artist. Cyndi Lauper delivers up track after track of searing emotion with a voice that can be compared to few. She demonstrates a range and quality that is truly unique. Every song reveals a different state of love as it evolves and ends, ranging from excitement to resignation. "I Drove All Night" deals with anticipation, "My First Night Without You" the first realization that a relationship is over and will never be the same, and finally, "I Don't Want to Be Your Friend" says everything you wish you could say to someone about a one-sided conclusion to a relationship.
The Ultimate Breakup Album, anyone who has ever been dumped, heartbroken, insecure over a relationship or just down right bitter can sing along to all the tracks. This album has transcended the decades and can be enjoyed by listeners today just as well as in 1989 when it was first released.

I own all of Cyndi's albums, including this, my favorite, and it continaully astonishes me with repeated listenings. These songs are like sweet memories of what is, what will be and what could have been. As an artist, Cyndi has always succeeded because we love her trademark quirkiness, her strength, and her passion. She has never been so alive as she is on this recording. Track Two, 'I Drove All Night,' is by far her best song yet, a seductive collection of brilliant beats and awe-inspiring vocals. Of course, its closest competition is the superb 'Like a Cat' or the masterful 'My First Night Without You,' but what is most striking about this record is how underappreciated it is. Only 'I Drove All Night' is featured on Cyn's greatest hits record, TWELVE DEADLY CYNS...AND THEN SOME(1995), even though 'My First Night Without You' was also released as a single. Granted, it didn't chart but neither did any of the songs from HAT FULL OF STARS(1993). Whatever the consensus is for this record, purchase Cyn's best-to-date and make it 'A Night to Remember,' indeed.

As the decade drew to a close, Cyndi Lauper seemed more like a novelty act than anything else. Her previous album, yielded a #1 title track, a Top Five hit, and a Top 20. By the time A Night To Remember came out in 1989, the music, well--hoo boy! The music here defies categorization--it's as if she's found an undescribable sound all her own. A Night To Remember may not have sold as well as its predecessors, but the fact that two artists saw fit to cover songs from here shows the impact this album had.

Which leads me to "I Drove All Night", recently covered with a cheesy oontsa-oontsa technobeat by Celine Dion. The original boasts a strange cello-like synth and snarling punkish guitar, but the love devotion, ("this fever for you is just burning me up inside") is there enough, and any who drives all night to make love to someone dear has got to be special. Given that Tom Kelly and Bill Steinberg gave her a #1 hit, it seems she decided to utilize their services over and over, as they co-write with her or other writers throughout.

"Primitive" is one of those songs. She tries a lilting higher register in the verses and it works. When she sings "It's primitive/you got me/OH!" I'm reminded of the same rhythm in the refrain of "On the Radio" by Donna Summer. Some vibe-like keyboards pepper this song throughout.

A standout cut, the heartbreaking "My First Night Without You" has an opening bass and verse rhythm similar to "Stand By Me" before Cyndi launches into an emotional crescendo with the chorus. This attempt to leave the past behind is hampered by the protagonist's good memory. She even asks "Will I be able to sleep/will I lie in by bed and weep/What if I forget and reach for you?" A similar tone is adopted in the brand new start song "Heading West" also penned by Lauper/S/K: "And I'm heading west/without a sad goodbye/.../I'm like a letter with no address/just like a book I read/I'm heading west." Love the harp-synth-like solo in the bridge.

"Like A Cat" is another Steinberg/Kelly song, but this time, not with Cyndi but Christina Amphlett of the Divinyls! With the spirit of independence here, I can detect Amphlett's attitude: "Hey mister you can never own me/I only let you hold me like a cat." The bass and high-pitched keyboards mimicking the jerky back and forth movements of a violin.

With a guitar like the Edge opening the title track, Cyndi not only into tender voice mode, but shows she can write great lyrics without S/K. There's a coral sitar solo in the middle as well.

"Unconditional Love" is another Lauper/S/K ballad, opening with some string-like synths. This is to Cyndi what "Eternal Flame" was to the Bangles. Susanna Hoffs saw fit to cover this on her debut album, and seeing that the Bangles did some S/K songs, I can understand why she covered it, but Cyndi's emotional depth outdoes Miss Hoffs's.

Desmond Child and Diane Warren co-wrote "Insecurious" with Cyn, a wryly humorous take on interpersonal miscommunication and misperception: "You say I'm insecure/I say just I'm just curious/Oh oh oh oh/I guess I'm insecurious." Well, that's a compromise I suppose. However, "Dance With A Stranger" is a throwaway dance track.

If a girl sang this song to me, I'd be looking for the nearest cliff. The bitter and sad Diane Warren-penned heartbreaker "I Don't Want To Be Your Friend" is my favourite hands down: "I'll forget we ever met/I'll forget I ever let/ever let you into this heart of mine baby" and that chorus: "Don't call me in the middle of the night no more/Don't expect me to be there/Don't think that will ever be the way it was before/I'm not over you yet/And I don't think I care/And I don't want to be your friend." Cyndi's voice never sounded this emotionally burnt than before.

A more tender side of hers is heard in the ditty "Kindred Spirit": "If you feel a quiet longing, lift your heart into the wind/...there you'll meet me as a friend/it's just a kindred feeling and a song to let you in."

Her vocals and emotional range maturing considerably, Cyndi evolved, showing she can still do innovative music that isn't necessarily radio-friendly. An album to remember.