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Rating:
I dedicate my first review to one of my favorite bands of the '80s and, in my humble opinion, the best of the whole American hard-rock/glam wave of those years.
The White Lion are one of the first rock bands I listened to, and unlike most others, after endless listens, they still haven't tired me because of how much they continue to move me. This is their fourth and last album dated 1991 in which, in my opinion, they reach (at least in some tracks) their compositional and technical peak. Moreover, its recording quality surpasses that of the previous ones. However, the three albums "Fight To Survive" (1984), "Pride" (1987), and "Big Game" (1989) are also very beautiful. The band is composed of 3/4 Italian-Americans (Bratta, Lomenzo, D'Angelo) and the Danish Mike Trampenau.
The album opens with one of their best songs, which is also quite atypical and unique for its length and complexity. I'm talking about "Lights And Thunders", which starts with a rather dark intro reminiscent to me of another masterpiece from the previous year, "Pornograffiti" by the legendary Extreme. Right away, it showcases the excellent singer Mike Tramp (who last year resurrected the band without Vito Bratta for a new tour that, however, due to the absence of the sublime guitarist, wasn't very successful) and the already mentioned great guitar player Vito Bratta, who, in my humble opinion, is among the best of the time. Unfortunately, we can only listen to him on the 4 albums of the "white lion" because he seems to have retired from everything concerning the music world (it was said to be due to an unconfirmed hand problem). His taste and technique are extraordinary, and he certainly is not part of that wave of guitar heroes with all technique and no feeling that emerged after Van Halen's success… listen to what he can do with his Steinberger!! The solos alone are worth the purchase of the record for how beautiful, heartfelt, and personal they are! In some ways, he reminds me of my other favorite guitarist from the '80s (and another Italian-American), Criss Oliva (R.I.P.).
The second track is a new, better version of the timeless hit "Brokenheart" already present on their first work "Fight To Survive", a song that accompanied me throughout my adolescence. I won't talk about every single track because it would be tedious. The album consists of high-energy pieces like "Leave Me Alone" and "Warsong", mid-tempo like "It's Over", and great ballads like the beautiful "You Are All I Need". However, not all the tracks are on par with the ones I mentioned, and the weak piece of the album, in my opinion, is mainly the ballad "Till Death Do Us Part", which reminds me of the worst commercial Lenny Kravitz of recent years. The album closes with the track "Farewell To You", in which our band says goodbye in several languages, including Italian.
To conclude, an album to have for all hard rock lovers and for all guitarists who can thus reevaluate one of the most underrated and unknown guitar players in musical history.
"Sayonara and ciao my friend
You'll always have a place within my heart
And rock will come and rock will go
The scene will change and time will show
But still I hope that you'll be there for me and I'll be there for you!"
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
05 You're All I Need (04:29)
I know that she's waitin'
for me to say forever
I know that I sometimes
just don't know how to tell her
I want to hold and kiss her
give her my love, make her believe
she doesn't know
she doesn't know
you're all I need beside me girl
you're all I need to turn my world
you're all I want inside my heart
you're all I need when we're apart
you're all that I need - yeah
I know that she's always
there when I need her loving
I know that I never
told her how much I love her
I see her face before me
I look in her eyes
just wondering why
she doesn't know
she doesn't know
she doesn't know
you're all I need beside me girl
you're all I need to turn my world
you're all I want inside my heart
you're all I need when we're apart
say, say that you'll be there
whenever I reach out to feel your hand in mine
stay, stay within my heart
whenever I'm alone, I know that you are there
oooooh
(2 times)
you're all I need beside me girl
you're all I need to turn my world
you're all I want inside my heart
you're all I need when we're apart
all that I need is for you to believe
all that I need is YOU
07 Warsong (06:59)
I got the call one summer night
He said you¹re on tomorrow¹s flight
My mother cried my sister too
My father said I¹m proud of you
I can¹t believe it¹s true
We¹re going after ³who²
And still I wish that I just knew
What are we fighting for
When the price we pay is endless war
What are we fighting for
When all we need is peace
Though I¹m blind to what I see
They tell me there¹s an enemy
I know I gotta get outta here
Insanity is drawing near
Can¹t take it anymore
I¹ve knocked on heaven¹s door
No I¹m not dying for this war
What are we fighting for
When the price we pay is endless war
What are we fighting for
When all we need is peace
What are we fighting for
Can¹t we learn from what we¹ve done before
What are we fighting for
When no one ever wins, in war
A young man returns from war
Where he didn¹t know
What he was fighting for
The streets remained the same
But people¹d changed
The medals on his chest
Didn¹t mean a thing
A tear dropped from the corner of his eye
Did he come come
My grandpa died in Normandy
My brother is still in Vietnam
I know there¹s nothing good in war
I know Rcause I¹ve been there before
So what am I gonna do
I know this war ain¹t through
And still I wish that I just knew
What are we fighting for
When the price we pay is endless war
What are we fighting for
When all we need is peace
What are we fighting for
Can¹t we learn form what we¹ve done before
What are we fighting for
When no one ever wins, in war
12 Farewell to You (04:22)
WHITE LION
FAREWELL TO YOU
Well it's time to say goodbye my friend
I'm glad you stayed until the end
I hope that you've enjoyed the time we spent
Though I know that I will be back again
I don't know just how soon my friend
Until we meet again just think of me
I'll think of you
It was easier to say hello
Than to say goodbye
Now the bus is leaving once again
I bid farewell to you
Oh oh yeah
I remember all the fun we had
And all the tears when times were bad
But you were there when we were down Rn� out
And I know that I will not forget
What was written and what was said
And who was there when we were not on top
Of the world
It was easier, etc.
Yes it's time to say auf Wiedersehn
Sayonata Rn� ciao my friend
You'll always have a place within my heart
And rock will come and rock will go
The scene will change and time will show
But still I hope that I'll be there for you
Be there for me
It was easier, etc.
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