Tuesday Two-Fer, V: White Lion

From our friend HIM.

Readers of this site know that several of us treat the fate of White Lion like a Dan Brown mystery: what the hell stopped them, besides themselves, from being as great as we predicted? Why aren’t they in the pantheon alongside other favorites of the 80s and 90s? What evil forces lurked behind the pillars, manipulating the masses to neglect such a talented band? I am going to blame it on Tom Hanks.
 
First Pick: “All You Need Is Rock 'n' Roll,” Pride (1987)

Pride

Picking one song off of a near-flawless album is difficult. And surely others would point to songs like “Wait.” But this ditty captures how adept the band was at constructing good time, sing-a-long, songs. Is it about politics? No. Is it a moody reflection on a life gone wrong? Nope. It is an ode—a joyous, rollicking love letter—to the awesomeness of rock. And what could be wrong with that? At this point, Tramp, Bratta, LoMenzo, and D’Angelo could do no wrong.
 
Second Pick: “Broken Heart,” Mane Attraction (1991)

A bright spark (one of several) during the last days of White Lion. Internal squabbles, changing musical tastes, and a lack of studio backing all contributed to the band’s implosion the very same year this song was released. But this song, like others from earlier albums, showed just how close White Lion was to being the heir’s to Def Leppard’s legacy of crafting perfectly memorable pop-metal songs that lingered long after you ejected the tape or the CD.
 
Honorable Mention: “Broken Heart,” Fight To Survive (1985). Interesting to hear a good song before it became a great one.

Comments

[steverox]

I have posted a few times how White Lion is one of my absolute favorite bands from the 80's, and they're one of the few bands where I don't skip any songs when listening to their music.

Vito Bratta was an amazing guitarist with a unique style. Yes, it mimics EVH, but he puts his own spin on it, and he wrote absolutely killer riffs. His solo's are second to none, all perfectly laid out, super melodic, and technically precise. If I ever need to put on a smile, I can listen to Vito's solo's and be happy.

I know it won't happen, but they're my number one band I'd like to see reunite for some shows. But given Vito is MIA, and Mike has basically said he doesn't want to do it, it's a non starter. It was cool to see the bass player (Lomenzo) on The Amazing Race a few seasons ago.

[Gary]

Steve, incredibly well put. You nailed Vito’s abilities and gifts, spot on. I’m right next to you on that bandwagon. In my opinion, Guy was probably the most melodically gifted of all the incredible guitar player/songwriters to come out of the era. That band was the shits when it came to catchy songs. To this day I stil grin at the way he weaved riffs together as I jam along with songs like Little Fighter or their smoldering rendition of Radar Love.

[Gogmagog]

Lots of candidates, but my favorite White Lion song is Broken Heart, and not just because it was one of the handful of glam songs I could listen to in the months after a certain someone walked out the door. It was my favorite before then. It has everything, starting with the killer hook.

No. 2 is Lady Of The Valley. It's perfectly balanced between the acoustic parts and the distorted sections. The soft bits make the rest even louder and more powerful, and the guitar solo is the best Bratta recorded, IMHO.

Honorable mention:
Tell Me
Love Don't Come Easy

[JCD]

I saw them in South Florida on the Big Game tour opening for Cinderella very soon after the release of the record. I already owned the Pride record but hadn't purchased the new one just yet, likely because every band that we love here on this site was releasing new music, oh how I miss the 80's !! After seeing them live I scraped enough money together from a very tight budget to buy Big Game. Awesome album !! Everything you guys have said about Vito here is absolutely spot on, one of the most melodic and tasteful guitarists ever. The rhythm section was badass as well but Tramp wasn't the greatest vocalist, although he did shine much brighter on Mane Attraction. Tramp and Vito had a gift of putting together tight, melodic, memorable songs that I still really enjoy almost 30 years later. It's a shame they weren't a hair metal household name. I used to love Radar Love until Sirius XM decided that would be the only WL track that they could play and got burned out on it. I'm no longer a Sirius XM subscriber. Allyson, let's have a topic on the abortion that is XM radio sometime.

[JCD]

I forgot to mention that the White Lion / Cinderella show I saw was superb. Two 80's metal heavyweights at the top of their game touring to support two great records, Big Game and Long Cold Winter. Doc Brown, get me to the DeLorean and let's go back about 30-35 years.

[Shawn]

@JCD can you squeeze me in the DeLorean :) I have stated here before Vito is in my top 10 guitarist of all time.

Just turned down $4 a month for XM.. I like it but they do get repetitive. and Long cold Winter my favorite Cinderella dare I say Album. I wish I would have seen them with White Lion but it was with Winger I think at the old Cow Palace.

[JCD]

Yes Shawn, there's room in the DeLorean for everybody as long as you're wearing a band shirt, jeans with holes in the knees and at least one bandana somewhere on your body. I also saw Cinderella on the same tour opening for Judas Priest.

[Gary]

@JCD And don't forget a feathered roach clip hanging from the rear view of the DeLorean ... 😎

[oper8n]

I had a meeting two hours away and was thinking I need to listen to White Lion. Then this popped up yesterday and confirmed it for me. I'd only go back if I knew everything I know now.
😜🤘

[JCD]

I have to admit, I never rocked the roach clip but it was a cool look.

[JCD]

Yes oper8n, if I could go back to the 80's with the knowledge I have now I would be legendary.

[oper8n]

I would totally be the inventor of troogle.

[Kixchix]

I agree with JCD that Sirius Hair Nations playlist is generic and geared towards the casual ‘80’s fan. A great experiment would be for all of the regulars on this site to agree on one song to request. Contact Sirius with that request and see what happens. I’m think we would succeed.

[Bkallday]

Mike Tramp made Kip Winger look like a tough guy, with all the posing he did back in the day! Did they even have one good rockin song? And no... Wait doesn't count.

[JCD]

Yeah, they had a few rockin' songs but were more of a catchy/pop metal act. Lady of the Valley, Dirty Woman, If My Mind is Evil, Lights and Thunder and Warsong all come to mind as pretty rockin' tunes.

[Metalboy!]

As I’ve mentioned numerous times here, I was fortunate enough to see WHITE LION in ‘89, at their pinnacle, at The Cat Club POINT BLANK, so close to the stage, I could have reached out and stroked Vito’s guitar, something I would have never dreampt of doing, of course. I knew immediately I was witnessing genius, and ever since, also worship at The Altar of Bratta!

FYI, I got to witness an unforgettable night of them flawlessly performing “Hungry”, “Wait”, “All You Need Is Rock ‘n’ Roll”, “Tell Me”, “Little Fighter”, “Radar Love”, and many others including several barnstormers. But it was “When The Children Cry”, with the band seated on stools at the edge of the stage, that brought the house down.

Imagine a packed club in total silence, as you could hear a pin drop (if someone did) while Bratta riveted the audience with his acoustic playing which sounded like three classical guitarists playing at once, and then, as he deftly switched to an electric, reaching for his signature Strat at his side for that indelible solo.

p.s. KIXCHIX!!! Great idea for each of us to lobby Sirius with a concerted effort of individual special requests to generate a sets worth of deep cuts.

[Him]

Kixchix and Metalboy!, I think that is an excellent idea. In fact, we should do it. The question is: how?

They say " To make a song request, find your channel on the channel lineup page, then click on the channel name to go to that channel's specific web page." But when I go there I have a hard time figuring out how you request a song besides emailing hairnation@siriusxm.com or using Messenger on their Facebook page. Even their own listeners flame them on their Facebook page.

So how do you make this a concerted effort? And what song? Personally, I think Kick Axe's "Heavy Metal Shuffle" would be a great test case. I also think starting a Change.org page would be awesome too. But that's just me.

[Metalboy!]

My vote would be “Midnite Mover” by Accept. A song I’m also going to request from UDO on MORC next year. That is, if he even takes requests, haha!! What a KILLER!!!

Let’s look into it further. I’ll post an update soon, as well, so we can determine next steps.

[Him]

Sounds great, Metalboy! Keep us posted.