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![[Magnum Band Picture]](/bandpics/magnum.jpg)
Title: Goodnight L.A.
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Category: AOR
Year: 1990
Label: Polydor
Catalog Number: 843 568-2
Personnel
Bob Catley vocals
Mark Stanway keyboards
Tony Clarkin guitars, backging vocals
Mickey Barker drums
Wally Lowe bass, backing vocals
Tracks
| 1. | Rockin' Chair | |
| 2. | Mama | |
| 3. | Only a Memory | |
| 4. | Reckless Man | |
| 5. | Matter of Survival | |
| 6. | What Kind of Love Is This | |
| 7. | Heartbroke and Busted | |
| 8. | Shoot | |
| 9. | No Way Out | |
| 10. | Cry for You | |
| 11. | Born to Be King | |
If you see any errors or omissions in the CD information shown above,
either in the musician credits or song listings (cover song credits,
live tracks, etc.), please post them in the corrections section of the
Heavy Harmonies forum/message board.
The music discographies on this site are works in progress. If you
notice that a particular Magnum CD release or compilation is missing
from the list above, please submit that CD using the CD submission page.
The ultimate goal is to make the discographies here at Heavy Harmonies
as complete as possible. Even if it is an obscure greatest-hits or live
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CD releases; no bootlegs or cassette-only or LP-only releases.
EPs and CD-singles from Magnum are also welcome to be added, as
long as they are at least 4 songs in length.
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Existing comments about this CD
| From: Fredrik Nilsson |
Date: May 11, 2002 at 5:53 |
| There are some outside songwriters present on this one, and it shows especially on the first track which is typical 80's arena rock. But this is still Magnum's "back to the roots" album, with the return of the warm sound that's been missing since the classic album On A Storytellers Night. Highlights on this one include Mama, Only A Memory & Heartbroke And Busted. 9/10
|
| From: koogles |
Date: July 20, 2002 at 13:49 |
| Magnum tried (once again) to break the U.S. market. A Hugh Syme jacket and some well-paid Dianne Warren songwriting types later, the band was no further ahead than before. Listenable but hardly a classic in the tradition of "Storyteller", "Vigilante" and "Wings of Heaven".
|
| From: Baris |
Date: September 8, 2002 at 7:04 |
| For me, Magnum is not a band of hits. In this album it feels like they're trying to become pop-stars. They may be right to say "I don't need no Rockin Chair". That's a catchy track. "What Kind Of Love Is This" also worths to note here. "Matter of Survival" is highly recommended for classic pop singers to include in their albums. As a result not so much rock on this stuff. Except "Rockin Chair" you may listen in a low tune. Not so much necessary to have it. May be for collectors only.
|
| From: ROBERT |
Date: October 22, 2002 at 10:28 |
| que 3 temazos tiene este disco:la 3 la 4 y l 5, sobre todo RECLESS MAN. Vaya pedazo d voz, y esa guitarra... inconmensurables!!!
|
| From: Alister Hill |
Date: January 28, 2004 at 4:42 |
| Polydor forced Magnum into 'let's break the American market' mode and then abandoned them after the album was recorded. It was never even released in the US! Personally, I don't really care because this is nothing like the Magnum I know and love. Some catchy tunes and the usual accomplished performance but give me OASTN or WOH any day. Probably Magnum's second poorest release (but still light years ahead of Rock Art).
|
| From: AORster |
Date: April 2, 2004 at 13:14 |
| To my ears this is NOT Magnum! The "standard melodic HR" production spoils it all and the band sounds lost. Tony, with some help from others, has written "Magnum songs" and Keith Olsen tries to make it sound like "1987" by Whitesnake and it all becomes very confusing. IMO the least essential Magnum album ever, Rock Art isn't even close.
|
| From: Alister Hill |
Date: April 30, 2004 at 0:39 |
| ***UPDATE*** OK I just got this CD again after many years. My previous review was based on..., ummm, only a memory. Basically, WOH was my intro to Magnum and this, their next album, was not what I was expecting. Like many other Magnumaniacs, I was disappointed. Listening to it again, I can truly say that I was mistaken. No, this is not as good as WOH or OASTN, however it is a fine piece of melodic rock that is slipping back into my life like a favourite dream. Roll on Brand New Morning! Aug. 30!
|
| From: illimey |
Date: August 24, 2004 at 6:30 |
| Hi Wotty! I see your point about this album being responsible for bringing Magnum's career to a shuddering halt. As I said [under my real name] even I was disappointed when it 1st came out. Where is the WOH pop-rock sparkle and the Vigilante swagger? It [IMO] is actually, I now think, still here - just disguised by the presence of Keith Olsen and the American 'Rawk Machine'. Under the surface I still hear the healthy beat of a heart full of pompous British pride! Rock Art is where it fell apart.
|
| From: Geoff |
Date: August 24, 2004 at 20:46 |
| This is a good AOR album. 'Cry for you' was obvious and standard, but my fave regardless. I never really got into Magnum, but this is still in my collection so I guess I must still think it's pretty good. Yeah, nice AOR.
|
| From: MJ |
Date: October 23, 2004 at 9:10 |
| I think this a very good album by Magnum. Very catchy songs.
|
| From: Geoff |
Date: January 4, 2005 at 6:12 |
| Futher to my comment 2 posts above, I should also mention that I am a big fan of 'Heartbroke and busted'. Once again, another good slab of AOR... although not amazing, IMO.
|
| From: Lovedrive |
Date: January 30, 2006 at 7:36 |
| Otro discazo de Magnum, y ya van unos cuantos! En este meten un poco más de caña que los anteriores, aunque sigue una onda muy parecida a Windows of Heaven. "Mama", "Heartbroke and busted", "What kind of love is this", "Cry for you"...
|
| Heavy Harmonies Volunteer |
| From: Jez |
Date: April 16, 2009 at 22:37 |
| Hmmm - A good album in general, but Magnum trying to be way to slick in my book. Don't get me wrong, I love the slick US AOR/Melodic sound like the next man, British bands like FM, Virginia Wolf for example did it magnificently well, but something just doesn't sound right with Magnum trying to do it. This is the first album for me, that had quite alot of filler on show aswell. After the brilliant 'Wings Of Heaven' and subsequent tour, this album did sweet bugger all and to be honest, when you put the two up side by side, you can see why.
|
| From: pibe |
Date: January 16, 2011 at 5:47 |
| impresionante disco de la banda britanica ya con un sonido entre el aor y el hard rock
|
| From: AORvault |
Date: June 7, 2011 at 4:47 |
| In 2004 I wrote this: "To my ears this is NOT Magnum! The "standard melodic HR" production spoils it all and the band sounds lost. Tony, with some help from others, has written "Magnum songs" and Keith Olsen tries to make it sound like "1987" by Whitesnake and it all becomes very confusing. IMO the least essential Magnum album ever, Rock Art isn't even close." I still stand by it! Haven't listened to this in over 15 years. The only song I ever use is "Heartbroke" for my work as a radio-DJ.
|
| From: blackkblade5 |
Date: November 11, 2012 at 11:23 |
| i'm a big magnum fan,and i just love this album,it's a fine piece of hard/melodic rock,big hooks and great songs.Only a memory is a huge and amazing song with a progressive side reminding wings of heaven"dont wake the lion"heartbroked busted,mamma,and rocking chair are strong hard rocking tracks and matter of survival and what kind of love is this just puts a big smile in my face,two fine melodic sets with soulfull singing,the rest of the song in my opinion are way better than some fillers on wings of heaven and vigilante albums..
|
| From: Wardy |
Date: November 30, 2012 at 22:54 |
Having regard now to what came before this album, when GoodnightLA was cast upon my fresh ears in 1990 I was absolutely flawed and still find this a healthy slab of pop metal with splashes of AOR and whatnot (read above comments for further). While Goodnight was an attempt by Magnum (read label AND BAND!) to hit US radio it suffered none for it. RecklessMan, RockingChair (naf lyric aside) BornToBeKing all hard hitters, the pomprock of Heartbroke&Busted WhatKindaLove and Shoot are just sublime. Executed to perfection and weird coverart to boot, this was an effort and a half back when and remains quality today. Maybe missing the likes of WildSwan for example and hindsight suggests its timing wasn't so great, but in Goodnight LA the band proved they could cross genres without sacrificing Magnum, look no further than OnlyAMemory for proof, its Queen-like harmonies a high point... The inner ears could do much worse than this old slab of quality Magnum  Rating then 9 rating now 8.5
|
| From: $$ixx |
Date: December 30, 2021 at 15:26 |
| After just wonderful Storyteller's, Vigilante and Wings, Goodnight L.A. is a slight change of sound, but still classic Magnum IMO. I think this is the fourth nearly perfect album in a row by late bloomers Magnum. Keith Olsen, or the person behind the mix, did a killer job and this might be Keith's best-sounding production - drums sound way better than on 1987-Whitesnake to my ears. The two possibly "Americanized" tracks Rockin' Chair and Heartbroke and Busted are great single tracks, but Reckless Man and Born to Be King rock harder and faster, and you have plenty of feeling in Only a Memory, Matter of Survival (lovely vocal!) and Cry for You. Yes, it's no Storyteller's, Vigilante or Wings repeat, but still a great great album and I like every song on it. Somewhat underrated in a way. Magnum really deserved to be huge, 1985-90 they released so many great songs it's hard to understand really, now many years later.
|
| From: MelodicRocker |
Date: January 9, 2022 at 15:34 |
| Tony Clarkin said: “Keith has done an absolutely wonderful job for us. He thinks along the same lines we do. He's so in tune with us at times, it's unbelievable“. Keith Olsen gave the compliments back: “This album (Goodnight L.A.) is the BEST album I've worked on in the last five years.“ Tony wanted a bit of a harder edge to the album than on “Wings Of Heaven“, so this time the guitars and drums dominated, which were to give it more of a “live“-feeling. Keith also pushed Bob to a fantastic performance on vocals. Olsen's "Goodnight L.A." recording studio gave name to the album, that should have, could have, been a platinum smash if only the US label, as was originally planned, had put effort and money into a US tour and solid US album release/promotion.
|
| From: MelodicRocker |
Date: January 9, 2022 at 15:39 |
| To explain what really happened: Label politics killed Magnum's big chance at the US market, like for so many other great European artists before and after: A N.Y. record company representative commented on the lack of promotion for Magnum at the time: “Let me explain. MAGNUM are signed to a UK label. Therefore the American company makes very little money from any success they have, even here. So why should we break sweat for them? However, we don’t want them to go elsewhere and become successful, because that makes us look bad. So, we have the current situation. The British company aren’t too bothered, because they concentrate on their own market. We are left to back our priorities. Sure, the band lose out. But that’s life.” So the album was not even released in the USA!, and there was no US tour. Hence no US sales of course. What a waste since the album was actually very good.
|
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