White Lion - Albums Collection 1985-1992 (6CD)

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White Lion - Albums Collection 1985-1992 (6CD)

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Of all the glam/pop-metal bands that crawled out of hair salons coast to coast during the mid- to late '80s, one of the more talented acts was New York's White Lion, led by singer Mike Tramp (originally from Denmark) and guitarist Vito Bratta. The group originally formed in 1983 and despite several bassists and drummers coming and going (including future Black Sabbath and Great White bass player Dave Spitz), the group managed to issue a debut, Fight to Survive, on the independent metal label Grand Slamm in 1984. With Tramp's pinup good looks and Bratta's Eddie Van Halen-esque six-string work, the group seemed destined for success (especially with such similarly styled outfits as Mötley Crüe and Ratt storming the charts), but it would be several years before their next album would appear. Finally finding the right rhythm section (bassist James LoMenzo and former Anthrax drummer Greg d'Angelo), White Lion inked a major-label recording contract with Atlantic, issuing Pride in 1987.

The album took a while to catch on, but when MTV latched onto the quartet's melodic rocker "Wait," the floodgates opened for the band and Pride raced up the charts. Landing prime tour opening slots with the likes of AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Ozzy Osbourne didn't hurt matters either and the group toured for the better part of 1988, resulting in Pride holding steady on the charts. But it was more than a year after the album's release that White Lion enjoyed their biggest success, with the gentle acoustic ballad "When the Children Cry," which would eventually push sales of Pride over the two million mark (in addition, Bratta was being recognized for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with several guitar-based magazines). But like numerous other young bands that enjoy big-time success early on in their career, White Lion felt the pressure to deliver once more on their follow-up recording, which they decided to write and record directly after coming off tour rather than taking time off to re-focus.

The decision would ultimately prove to be a detrimental one for White Lion, as proven by the lackluster chart performance of 1989's Big Game. Although the album spawned a pair of videos that racked up substantial MTV airplay (the Greenpeace tribute "Little Fighter" and a cover version of Golden Earring's classic rock standard "Radar Love"), Big Game stalled on the charts and quickly faded away after being certified gold shortly after release. Down but not out, White Lion regrouped for 1991's Mane Attraction, which saw the group slightly toughen up their sound on such tracks as the politically charged "Warsong." But with hair metal's audience quickly drying up (and such Seattle bands as Nirvana and Soundgarden waiting in the wings), the album fared even worse than its predecessor. To add insult to injury, both LoMenzo and d'Angelo left the band shortly thereafter, replaced with newcomers Tommy "T-Bone" Caradonna on bass and future Megadeth member Jimmy DeGrasso on drums. But before the new lineup could record, Tramp and Bratta came to the realization that their best days were behind them and quietly laid White Lion to rest.

After White Lion's split, both LoMenzo and d'Angelo reappeared in Pride & Glory, a Southern rock outfit headed by Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist, Zakk Wylde (although d'Angelo would exit the group before their self-titled 1994 release was recorded). Despite all the accolades he received for his playing, Bratta failed to resurface after the group's breakup. Meanwhile, Tramp released several hard rock albums with Freak of Nature and later issued a solo effort, Capricorn, before reforming White Lion in 1999. The band's lineup was markedly different, however, with Tramp serving as the only original member. A live album was issued in 2005, and White Lion presented its first batch of original material in seventeen years, Return of Pride, in 2008.

Greg Prato, Allmusic.com

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White Lion - Albums Collection 1985-1992 (6CD)

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White Lion - Albums Collection 1985-1992 (6CD)

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Formed in November 1982 by ex-Dreamer guitarist Vito Bratta and Mabel and Studs vocalist Mike Tramp, White Lion released their debut album Fight To Survive in 1984 in Germany. The band went through several line-up changes until they were fully established. First, bassist Felix Robinson was replaced by Dave Spitz (Americade) and drummer Nicky Capozzi by former Anthrax drummer Greg D'Angelo. It is bassist Dave Spitz that appeared in the band's first video "Broken Heart" before he went to join Heavy Metal legends Black Sabbath. Enter James Lomenzo (ex-Rondinelli) to fill in his shoes and the final line-up of White Lion was completed. The album got released in Japan through Victor Records and was highly successful. Shortly after the band landed a part in the Tom Hanks movie "The Money Pit" but this didn't really bring them in the spotlight like they had hoped. In addition to this their American label Elektra dropped them out of the blue and all of a sudden here was a band that had no contract and support Stateside. Unfortunately it would take over 3 years till they could break in the USA with their multi-platinum record Pride in 1987.

Fight To Survive was produced by German producer Peter Hauke who was originally also supposed to produce Pride and Big Game but somehow producer Michael Wagener handled the duties on the band's later releases. Because of the difference of producers and the mix, FTS sounds rather raw and heavy. Very heavy and in your face kind of 80's metal with crushing riffs from Vito Bratta and thoughtful lyrics from Mike Tramp. With the exception of perhaps only two songs ("Where Do We Run" and "Kid of 1,000 Faces") this is a typical heavy metal album . To this day I still run into people that loved White Lion on their debut effort and gradually lost interest after their follow-up Pride. I think I can see where they are coming from. Fight To Survive is melodic, heavy, dark… simply an album of protest. The duo's first ever song "Broken Heart" opens the album and it progresses with the heavy rockers "All The Fallen Men", "El Salvador", "In The City" and closes with the killer ballad "The Road To Valhalla". Vito's naive yet emotional guitar playing shines on this one. Both Vito and Mike were only 22 when they recorded their debut in White Lion.

It is a shame that even after White Lion got gold, their fans had great difficulty locating this album for years. It wasn't until 1992 when Music For Nations finally made it available and released it worldwide. If you like melodic heavy metal from the 80's, it should be in your best interest to check Fight To Survive out. It is definitely much better than the majority of the other debut albums of any band out there.

Murat Batmaz, Amazon.com

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White Lion - Albums Collection 1985-1992 (6CD)

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Pride was White Lion's breakthrough album, thanks to the Top Ten hits "Wait" and the gentle ballad "When the Children Cry," but the rest of the album is also well-constructed pop-metal, with little of the over-the-top, testosterone-heavy posturing of their peers, as well as a low sleaze factor. In addition to the socially conscious "Children," there are positive-vibes anthems like "Don't Give Up" and "All Join Our Hands," and you wouldn't catch Bret Michaels or Axl Rose bowing on their knees before the "Lady of the Valley." Of course, nice-guy attitudes won't be as major a selling point for many hard rock listeners as Vito Bratta's showy Eddie Van Halen imitations. Although these border on obsessive at times, Bratta's interesting acoustic guitar work keeps the sound varied, and he displays a welcome penchant for melodicism. All in all, one of the more overlooked '80s pop-metal bands.

Steve Huey, Allmusic.com

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White Lion - Albums Collection 1985-1992 (6CD)

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White Lion - Albums Collection 1985-1992 (6CD)

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Even though none of the singles matched the chart performances of "Wait" or "When the Children Cry," and even though it runs a bit long, Big Game is still a worthy follow-up to Pride. There are two major MTV hits present, a Van Halen-ized version of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" and "Little Fighter," an ode to Greenpeace.

Steve Huey, Allmusic.com

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White Lion - Albums Collection 1985-1992 (6CD)

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Mane Attraction was a commercial disappointment; none of the singles/videos garnered much radio or MTV airplay, and the album's sales dropped off rather quickly. Although there are some decent songs here, the overall level of songcraft is not quite up to the band's two previous releases. The cream of the album is gathered on The Best of White Lion, making Mane Attraction necessary only for more completist collectors.

Steve Huey, Allmusic.com

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White Lion - Albums Collection 1985-1992 (6CD)

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The Best of White Lion is a strong collection gathering pretty much all of the band's best singles and album tracks, including the Top Ten hits "Wait" and "When the Children Cry," plus lesser hits like "Little Fighter" and "Radar Love." Fairly underrated during their heyday, White Lion doesn't spend nearly as much time on macho, streetwise posturing as many of their contemporaries, and Vito Bratta is quite a convincing Eddie Van Halen imitator, making The Best of White Lion necessary for any fan of '80s hair metal.

Steve Huey, Allmusic.com