Still Climbing
Encyclopedia
Still Climbing is the fourth and last studio album by Cinderella
, released in 1994 by Mercury Records
. Musically, it consists of more gritty blues-rock
, following in the footsteps of their previous effort, Heartbreak Station
.
Unfortunately the album was the victim of new MTV
policy that ignored it, and a record company that barely promoted it, all in order to test different markets, a pattern that would continue all throughout the rest of the 1990s and 2000s.
While Cinderella's first three albums all went platinum, the domination of grunge
and alternative rock
in the mid-1990s was so strong that it forced Still Climbing to chart at a lowly #178 and drop out after a mere few weeks. Despite featuring the minor hits "Bad Attitude Shuffle" (which was released as a single), "Hard to Find the Words", and "Hot and Bothered" from the Wayne's World
soundtrack, the album went nowhere, and the band's last studio album stands as a prime example of the loss of popularity among 1980s glam metal
bands after the 1990s.
Cinderella (band)
Cinderella is an American heavy metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum albums and hit singles whose music videos received heavy MTV rotation. They were famous for being a glam metal band, but then shifted over towards a more hard...
, released in 1994 by Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. Musically, it consists of more gritty blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
, following in the footsteps of their previous effort, Heartbreak Station
Heartbreak Station
Heartbreak Station is Cinderella's third studio album, released in 1990 through Mercury Records. It hit #19 in the US and went platinum for shipping a million albums there the same year...
.
Unfortunately the album was the victim of new MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
policy that ignored it, and a record company that barely promoted it, all in order to test different markets, a pattern that would continue all throughout the rest of the 1990s and 2000s.
While Cinderella's first three albums all went platinum, the domination of grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
in the mid-1990s was so strong that it forced Still Climbing to chart at a lowly #178 and drop out after a mere few weeks. Despite featuring the minor hits "Bad Attitude Shuffle" (which was released as a single), "Hard to Find the Words", and "Hot and Bothered" from the Wayne's World
Wayne's World
Wayne's World was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series Saturday Night Live. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" on the CBC Television series It's Only Rock & Roll, as the main character first appeared in that show...
soundtrack, the album went nowhere, and the band's last studio album stands as a prime example of the loss of popularity among 1980s glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
bands after the 1990s.
Track listing
All songs are written by Tom Keifer, except "The Road's Still Long" by Tom Keifer/Andy Johns, and "Hot and Bothered" by Tom Keifer/Eric Brittingham.- "Bad Attitude Shuffle" - 5:31
- "All Comes Down" - 5:04
- "Talk Is Cheap" - 4:00
- "Hard to Find the Words" - 5:45
- "Blood from a Stone" - 4:52
- "Still Climbing" - 5:22
- "Freewheelin" - 3:06
- "Through the Rain" - 5:07
- "Easy Come Easy Go" - 4:33
- "The Road's Still Long" - 6:05
- "Hot & Bothered" - 3:57
Album credits
- Tom KeiferTom KeiferCarl Thomas Keifer is an American vocalist for the band Cinderella.-Early life:Keifer grew up in a musical family and began playing guitar at a young age. Keifer soon fell in love with the blues and was heavily influenced by this kind of music.Keifer joined his first rock band while in junior high...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Eric BrittinghamEric BrittinghamEric Brittingham is a bass guitarist most famous for playing in the band Cinderella. He also was in a side-band with Cinderella bandmate Jeff LaBar simultaneously, called Naked Beggars, of which his wife, Inga Brittingham, is the lead vocalist.Brittingham suffered a 'mild heart attack' in...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Jeff LaBarJeff LaBarJeffrey Philip LaBar is an American guitarist most famous for playing in the band Cinderella, in which he replaced original guitarist Michael Smerick, also known as Michael Kelly Smith. LaBar also has a side band with Cinderella bandmate Eric Brittingham called Naked Beggars...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Kenny AronoffKenny AronoffKenny Aronoff is an American drummer. He has played drums for many musicians, including John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, John Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, The BoDeans, Gregg Alexander, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Vasco Rossi, Cinderella and...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Fred CouryFred CouryFred Coury is best known as the drummer for the glam metal band Cinderella. Coury lists Neil Peart, Peter Criss, Bobby Blotzer, Eric Carr, Tommy Lee and Tommy Aldridge as his drumming inspirations....
- drums on "Hot and Bothered"