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Great White - Great White
1984 EMI
Track
Listing:
1. Out Of The Night
2. Stick It
3. Substitute
4. Bad Boys
5. On Your Knees
6. Streetkiller
7. No Better Than Hell
8. Hold On
9. Nightmares
10. Dead End
Line-Up:
Vocals:
Jack Russell
Guitars: Mark Kendall
Bass: Lorne Black
Drums: Gary
Holland
Website: www.mistabone.com Horatio's Rating:
A
Overall Rating: A |
Horatio's
Review:
I bet the average reader here wouldn't suspect
Great White to have once been a group of hard charging bastards with heavy metal in their veins.
Up until 1998 I would have agreed until I heard their 1984 debut. This is one band who I loathe with a passion, much like
Dokken or Cinderella, mainly because their form of 80's hard rock was bloated, unmelodic and basically shite.
I forget how many times I've been watching 'Metal Mania' and become physically ill when
'Once Bitten, Twice Shy' is played. To VH-1's credit they once showed the video for
'Stick It', far more convincing when it comes to stripped down metal.
These guys could have become metal greats, instead of fluffy hard rockers best remembered now for causing death in a barn with a pyrotechnic show suited for an arena, not a ten foot club with a foam ceiling.
Let's remember a brief, glimmering time when Great White were outlaws.
Jack Russell had all the attributes to be another Bon Scott or Marc Storace, playing up the bad boy image through tracks like
'Bad Boys'. Listen to the way he spits the words out, 'I'm no loser, I ain't got nothing to
lose!' By the way he's on the loose, he's paid his dues! The cover of
The Who's 'Substitute' is innovative and heavy, giving it a new
identity rather than play it straight and stale, witness
Iron Maiden's 'My Generation'. This reminds me of W.A.S.P.''s debut, particularly
'On Your Knees', which comes close to a song called 'On Your
Knees' from that bands debut the same year. This is my kind of metal.
RAW! Right from the gutter man, music for some dirty freak headbanger.
'Streetkiller' sounds as if it were produced in a bedroom with a microphone by some dude learning to play guitar, while the
Judas Priest influenced 'No Better Than Hell' gives Jack a chance to rip off leather Rob.
Wisely there's time for a melodic break, 'Hold On' a shiny piece of AOR, proving
Great White knew all the tricks to a successful debut. There's a laugh to be had with
'Dead End' which is the consummate Scorpions rip off and a track
Kiss might have copped off for 'Under The Gun' in '84, too.
Maybe Great White nicked it off them. I'll go with that.
Following this album Great White died. Some other band of the same name showed up and promptly set about transforming
themselves into blues based wimps.
Maybe they always were. For a fleeting moment they could have been legends.
Great White. Legends. Oxymoron anyone?
Horatio's Rating: A
Discography (last updated 12.27.05):
Out Of The Night - 1982
Great White - 1984
Shot In The Dark - 1986
On Your Knees - 1987
Once Bitten - 1987
Recovery: Live & On Your Knees - 1987
...Twice Shy - 1989
...Twice Shy/Live At The Marquee - 1989
Live In London - 1990
Hooked - 1991
The Blue EP - 1991
Psycho City - 1992
The Best Of Great White 1986-1992 - 1993
Sail Away/Anthem Live - 1994
Let It Rock - 1996
Stage - 1996
Rock Me: Best Of Great White - 1997
The Gold Collection - 1997
BURRN! Presents Best Of Great White - 1998
Can't Get There From Here - 1999
Gallery - 1999
Great Zeppelin - 1999
Psycho City +4 - 1999
Stick It - 1999
Latest & Greatest - 2000
Rock Champion Series: Great White - 2000
The Best Of Great White - 2000
Greatest Hits - 2001
Final Cuts - 2002
Recover - 2002
Thank You...Goodnight - 2002
Best Of... - 2003
A Double Dose - 2004
Burning House Of Love - 2004
Extended Versions - 2004
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