Dawn Patrol is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Night Ranger, released in November 1982 by Neil Bogart's The Boardwalk Entertainment Co. The cover art of the album features dishes of the Very Large Array in central New Mexico.

Dawn Patrol
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1982 (1982-11)
StudioAllen Zentz Recording (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length40:30
LabelBoardwalk
ProducerPat Glasser
Night Ranger chronology
Dawn Patrol
(1982)
Midnight Madness
(1983)
Singles from Dawn Patrol
  1. "Don't Tell Me You Love Me"
    Released: December 1982
  2. "Sing Me Away"
    Released: April 1983[6]
  3. "Young Girl in Love"
    Released: July 1983[7]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Classic RockEssential[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal5/10[4]
Daily VaultB+[8]

Background

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During the recording of the album, the band was known as just Ranger. The first issues of the album were printed and ready to be shipped when a country band from California was found to have the same name. The band decided to name themselves Night Ranger after the song that Blades had written for the album, and Boardwalk proceeded to destroy every copy that had "Ranger" on it.

Release

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"Don't Tell Me You Love Me", the first single, which had a music video that entered heavy rotation on MTV, reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[9]

The second single, "Sing Me Away", reached number 54 on the Hot 100 and number 39 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in late spring of 1983.[9]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Don't Tell Me You Love Me"Jack BladesBlades4:19
2."Sing Me Away"Kelly Keagy, BladesKeagy4:09
3."At Night She Sleeps"Keagy, BladesKeagy4:08
4."Call My Name"BladesBlades3:42
5."Eddie's Comin' Out Tonight"BladesBlades4:26
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Can't Find Me a Thrill"BladesBlades and Keagy3:19
7."Young Girl In Love"Keagy, BladesKeagy3:32
8."Play Rough"BladesBlades4:14
9."Penny"BladesKeagy3:47
10."Night Ranger"BladesBlades4:22

Personnel

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Night Ranger
Production
  • Pat Glasser – producer
  • John Van Nest – engineer
  • Tucker Williamson – studio assistant
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Mike Beard – graphic effects

Charts

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Chart (1983) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10] 86
US Billboard 200[11] 38

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[12] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (October 28, 2013). "30 Years Ago: Night Ranger Release 'Midnight Madness'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Elliott, Paul (February 20, 2015). "Buyer's Guide: Night Ranger". Classic Rock. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Night Ranger - Dawn Patrol review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 242. ISBN 978-1894959315.
  5. ^ Elliott, Paul (December 16, 2023). ""When the Boogie Nights scene came on, I said, 'Man, I think I've been in that guy's house in the early 80s!'": the rise, fall and porn-assisted resurrection of AOR heroes Night Ranger". Classic Rock. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "Night Ranger singles".
  7. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (May 16, 1995). Night Ranger discography. Canongate Press. ISBN 978-0-86241-541-9.
  8. ^ Thelen, Christopher (January 3, 2000). "Dawn Patrol: Night Ranger". Daily Vault. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Night Ranger Chart History". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. September 12, 2008. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6204b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Night Ranger Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Night Ranger - Group of Gold Record Sales Awards (Camel/MCA, 1982-87)". May 31, 2024.

Further reading

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