"The Last Mile" by Cinderella

Song#:  3770

Date:  01/21/1989

Debut:  96

Peak:  36

Weeks:  10

Genre:  Hard Rock, Glam Rock

Pop Bits:  Cinderella got their biggest hit on the Pop chart with the #12 power ballad "Don't Know What You've Got (Till It's Gone)." The song served as the second single to their second album Long Cold Winter. The tune was also successful on the Rock chart where it became their first Top 10 (#10). For a follow up, this next track was selected for release. It didn't do as well, but was able to crack the Pop Top 40 and get to #18 at Rock. By this point in time the album had already gone double-platinum.

ReduxReview:  Although the band had another power ballad in their pocket as a potential single, they couldn't really follow up one with another. They needed a good rocker out next and this track filled the bill pretty well. It may not have been as immediately hooky as some other glam rockers on the chart, but it definitely had Top 40 potential and indeed it hit that mark. With that moderate success out of the way, the band could then issue out another power ballad that would give some legs to the album.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Drummer Fred Coury, didn't play on the band's first album, 1986's Night Songs. He had joined the band just after the album was recorded. Following the tour for the album, the band was set to go into the studio to record their second LP Long Cold Winter. Although Coury had been performing well on the tour, when it came to the recording studio, producer Andy Johns didn't think he was quite ready to knock things out in the sessions so a couple of other more experienced drummers were hired for the job. The person who would perform on the majority of the tracks was drummer Cozy Powell. He would play on nine of the LP's ten tracks. Powell had vast experience since he had been in such bands as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Whitesnake, and Emerson, Lake & Powell. He was also a solo artist and had his own band, Cozy Powell's Hammer. Along with all that, Powell was also a drummer for hire and he went in to lend a hand to Cinderella. By the time Cinderella was ready to record their third LP, Coury and gained enough experience to handle the recording sessions.

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