Ok. Here's the thing. I pulled Night Ranger out for the usual "two year dusting" not long ago and it just wasn't the same. It just seems as the years wear on I'm losing my old friends... the production just seems to get worse with each passing year. Enter this CD.

It's everything I could have hoped for. It's so good, powerful, clean, and emotional... I became emotional. These recordings are RELENTLESSSS. I never EVER could have imagined a "re-do" cd could hit the mark so hard. These guys just don't miss a step, each song still has all the little nuances we all love but there are NEW ones! I just love the different ways each song is sung, not "exactly" like the old songs like a new "live" cd would have turned out. I just cannot STOP listening to this, it's like I'm 17 again. Thanks guys, wherever you are, you are really BACK!!

The only critique I have are the low amount of songs (and the rather peculiar title for this). I would KILL to hear Color of Your Smile with THIS up to date crisp production!! Please guys, PLEASE do a companion CD to this!! **OMG, Sing Me Away just came ON......... YOU HAVE TO HEAR HOW THIS SONG SOUNDS NOW!!** Just so you know, I too am "usually" a firm believer of leaving classics alone, but have you listened to NR lately? The songs are great, the production was always middle of the road (NO BITE) and time is not being kind. This is JUSTICE.

((And incidently, Night Ranger really has been a "poser" whipping boy for some years now, how did this happen?? These guys are FANTASTIC musicians, you'd think Night Ranger was Poison or something with the way the media/print carry on about these guys. Brad Gillis > everyone except Randy Rhoads, and Eddie:))

And who said Kelly and Jack can't hit their notes? I would swear this was recorded 20 years ago, with todays equipment. PLEASE BUY THIS.

I didn't know what to expect when I saw the track listings. I figured it was the typical acoustic live versions....etc. Boy was I surprised when I started listening. What we actually have here is all the hits re-recorded, and done quite well! I wanted to see if there were any key changes to help with the aging voice of Jack Blades. The two live discs that Night Ranger put out didn't leave me feeling to warm about Jack's vocals. I thought Kelly Keagy sounded good live though. It looks as though Jack Blades is a much better studio vocalist that live. His vocals as well as Kelly's sound great on here with one exception to kelly's. I am a vocalist and have done alot of recording and find his (Kelly) vocals to be processed through some effects or something. Listening to "Siter Christian" and his part on "When you close your eyes" it souds almost chipmunkish in parts. Maybe some type of auto-tuning was done to help him with the high parts. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it is there. His recent live versions sound perfect. Besides that, every song is done in the same key and almost note for note with a few interesting changes. played side by side the timing is almost identical. They really went out of thier way to make them as close to the originals as possible. I would have rather had it this way than re-arranged. I am not sure what the rarities are. Maybe the lone live cut at the end and the acoustic "Sister Christian". So other than there is nothing new here, it is a must have for the true fan. Actually I would have rather had this assortment of songs rather than what the last few sub-par releses had to offer.

The Good

Looking back, Night Ranger might have been one of the cheesiest bands from the 80's pop-rock era, but damn were they huge back them. Twenty years later, the band still proves they can belt `em out. Hits is more of a greatest hits re-do. Songs like "Don't Tell Me You Love Me," "(You Can Still) Rock In America," "When You Close Your Eyes," and "Sing Me Away," are just as enjoyable and vibrant as they were back in the day. Granted, Jack Blades and Kelly Keagy can't exactly hit the high notes like they used to, but they haven't lost their melody and tone.

I swear that Brad Gillis and Jeff Watson have vastly improved as guitar players. Not that they were bad or anything, but their guitar solos are on fire on this collection. "Sister Christian" appears twice on this collection. The first version is a new studio version and the other is the acoustic version that appeared on Metal Mania Stripped. If you put them head to head, I'd have to pick the acoustic one as the winner. "Don't Tell Me Love Me" appears twice as well. The second version is a live one.

The Bad

I've never been a big fan of updating you old material. If you want to do that, just release a live album. I'd pick the original greatest hits over this one, because that's how I remember the songs. Oh yeah, there's only one rare and one acoustic song, yet they get top billing the album's title. And could the cover art be any worse.

The Verdict

Hey, I like Night Ranger. That's why I picked this one up. I'm sure a lot of people like Night Ranger, and will pick this up for that same reason. However, this `hits' collection only serves to acquaint you with how the band sounds today. They sound great, but a live album would have been better. They could have also added more acoustic & actual rare material. Give me the original studio album or their greatest hits album and I'll be satisfied.

Ever wonder what Night Ranger's best songs would sound like if they were written today with today's technology.

Well..here's your chance...

Night Ranger's "Hits, Acoustic and Rarities" does contain the hits that we all grew up enjoying in the 80s, except they are not the hits we know.

Huh?

The hits were re-recorded in the studio with today's technology and they sound a bit different. They are not bad but they don't have that sound that made them great in the 80s.

The songs that came over pretty well (in my opinion) were:

- You Can Still (Rock In America)

- Don't Tell Me You Love Me

- Sister Christian

- When You Close Your Eyes

The other 5 that were re-recorded are OK but nothing spectacular. And the remaining 2 are an acoustic version of "Sister Christian" and a live version of "Don't Tell Me You Love Me". It would have been preferable to have these 2 tracks replaced by possibly 2 new releases and thus have the album simply called "Hits".

Ultimately, if you're a Night Ranger fan, the album is worth picking up, simply for the 4 good recordings. If you're not a fan but want to learn what Night Ranger is all about, avoid this and pick up "Night Ranger's Greatest Hits" which includes the original recordings of these songs as well as some of their other hits, like "The Secret Of My Success", among others.

Hoepfully, the band will release a true "hits and rarities" set in the near future that will encompass their entire body of work.

This CD is fantastic. I can't believe how the other reviewers have put this down. Can't please some people with a new hangin' rope. The songs here are redone with more attention payed to the production than the original. They sound a little differant, but in a good way. These songs have never sounded better. You'll swear you're back in the '80's again because they're not the old stale versions you've heard a million times.