Great White formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Their songs were influenced by the likes of AC/DC, Mott the Hoople, The Who and most notably Led Zeppelin. Great White singer Jack Russell's vocals were often very reminiscent of Robert Plant's charismatic wail. (Great White even released a collection of cover songs in 1999, titled Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin.) Great White had a string of hits in the late 1980's including their cover of Ian Hunter's (Mott the Hoople) "Once Bitten, Twice Shy". Great White also received major media attention due to their involvement in the The Station nightclub fire, which led to the deaths of 100 fans in West Warwick, Rhode Island in 2003.

Great White (EMI) 1984

1."Out of the Night" (3:00)
2."Stick It" (3:58)
3."Substitute" (4:23)
4."Bad Boys" (4:20)
5."On Your Knees" (3:51)
6."Streetkiller" (3:58)
7."No Better Than Hell" (4:06)
8."Hold On" (4:12)
9."Nightmares" (3:17)
10."Dead End (Garden Grove 1982)" (3:34)

Searched high and low for this, their first full length album, and finally found a copy for $4.50. Wouldn't you know, even though the disc looked like it was in mint condition tracks 6 & 7 skipped! Argh! Well, I took it back to the store, who also happens to be a CD repair shop. As luck would have it, the store went belly up and I never did get my disc back. Grrrr! Oh well, eventually I found another copy.

This is definitely the heaviest and most metallic Great White disc, with a few of the songs like "Stick It" sounding a bit like Ratt's LA heavy metal style, at other times sounding a bit like Dokken. "Substitute" is a heavy cover of The Who's classic song. Overall, Great White's debut is a good Zeppelin influenced heavy metal album and still my favorite Great White disc.

Great White - Shot in the Dark (Capitol) 1986

1. "She Shakes Me" (3:27)
2. "What Do You Do" (4:14)
3. "Face the Day" (5:22)
4. "Gimme Some Lovin'" (3:52)
5. "Shot in the Dark" (4:54)
6. "Is Anybody There" (4:58)
7. "Run Away" (4:18)
8. "Waiting for Love" (4:20)

Great White go in a little less metallic direction on this disc than on their debut. The 'Led-clone' sound, which was not the case with their debut, is a bit more apparent on this disc, although I still don't think Great White are a clone. The influence is certainly there, but they are not just rearranging Zeppelin songs and calling them their own. There are actually some fine commercial metal tracks here. The best and worst tracks on this disc are actually cover songs. One of the best is "Face the Day", originally recorded by Angel City. However, the Spencer Davis Group cover of "Gimme Some Lovin'" is terrible. "She Shakes Me" is a hard rocker that is another standout cut. "What Do You Do" on the other hand is a keyboard drenched boogie song that is one of the weak spots on the album. The title track is a pop metal number that I actually like quite a bit, although once again the keyboards are more dominant than the guitars. Apparently this disc has been taken out of print and has become rather scarce in the last few years although they still sell for under $10 on auction sites.

Great White - Once Bitten (Capitol) 1987

1. "Lady Red Light" (4:54)
2. "Gonna Getcha" (4:13)
3. "Rock Me" (7:19)
4. "All Over Now" (4:21)
5. "Mistreater" (5:49)
6. "Never Change Heart" (4:27)
7. "Fast Road" (3:40)
8. "On the Edge" (6:01)
9. "Save Your Love" (5:46)

I had a reader of this page tell me that my CD collection would never be complete without this "classic" disc. Well, this copy had been sitting on the shelf at a local store for ages, so I decided to snag it for the bargain price of $5.99. Indeed this reader was correct becaue "Once Bitten" is a very good hard rock disc. The music is chock full of good hooks, clean production, outstanding vocals and loads of blues influence licks and riffs. "Rock Me" and "Save Your Love" were big hits for the band. "Mistreater" and "Never Change Heart" are also outstanding tracks.

On a side note, I really hate the way the tracks are laid out on the tray card on this CD and "...Twice Shy." Why the heck are all the titles jumbled together, and not even in the right order?

Great White - ...Twice Shy (Capitol) 1989

1. "Move It" (5:36)
2. "Heart the Hunter" (4:51)
3. "Hiway Nights" (6:00)
4. "Angel Song" (4:51)
5. "Mista Bone" (5:11)
6. "Baby's on Fire" (6:11)
7. "House of Broken Love" (5:59)
8. "She Only" (5:24)
9. "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" (5:23)

At one time I had a big prejudice against bands I considered "poser metal". Great White seemed to fit into that category and I never really gave any of their CDs a chance after their debut. The fact is, while they did move away from the typical 80's Hollywood metal sound, this isn't the wimpy music I thought it was. Actually, "...Twice Shy" is a very good hard rock album with a big 1970's influence. In particular the tracks "House of Broken Love" and "Mistah Bone" are solid rockers with an infectious hook. The Ian Hunter cover ("Once Bitten, Twice Shy") was a huge hit for the band and is another standout cut. Unsurprisingly, "...Twice Shy" sold over two million copies.

Great White - Hooked (Capitol) 1991

1.   "Call It Rock N' Roll" (3:57)
2.   "Original Queen of Sheba" (4:39)
3.   "Cold Hearted Lovin'" (4:20)
4.   "Can't Shake It" (4:45)
5.   "Lovin' Kind" (4:46)
6.   "Heartbreaker" (6:45)
7.   "Congo Square" (6:58)
8.   "South Bay Cities" (5:26)
9.   "Desert Moon" (4:32)
10. "Afterglow" (5:50)

Great White followed their double platinum "...Twice Shy," with this well-crafted, bluesy album. It has the bluesy wail of Led Zeppelin and the riffs of AC/DC and the Scorpions, although without the attitude of either. Still, despite this album being a decent offering of hard rock, it just doesn't hold water to the first album, in my opinion. Of course some 500,000 people disagreed with me.

Great White - Psycho City (Capitol) 1992

1. "Psycho City" (6:07)
2. "Step on You" (5:50)
3. "Old Rose Motel" (7:24)
4. " Maybe Someday" (7:24)
5. " Big Goodbye" (5:57)
6. " Doctor Me"  (6:13)
7. " I Want You" (3:42)
8. " Never Trust a Pretty Face" (5:29)
9. " Love is a Lie" (8:15)
10. "Get On Home"  (5:28)

"Psycho City" is, in my opinion, the best Great White disc since their debut, which has been the album I have compared all the rest to since it came out. This album rocks consistently from beginning to end without all the crappy pop rock getting in the way. I actually bought this after seeing the ridiculous selling price on HeavyHarmonies.com. Thinking it was somewhat of a collectors disc, I picked it up for $4.50 for that reason alone. When I got home and popped it into the cd player, I was very surprised. I guess losing popularity has done good things for this band.

Great White - Sail Away/Anaheim Live (Zoo/BMG) 1994

"Sail Away" is a rather mellow, bluesy, acoustic affair. Produced by Alan Niven and guitarist Michael Lardie, "Sail Away" is most definitely the band's mellowest moment. Songs feature mostly acoustic guitars, although several songs feature instruments such as horns and sitars as well. While it's not something I would put on all the time, if I am in just the right mood, this disc is spectacular. It really has a mood all it's own that is very different from any other Great White disc. The first pressing of this disc also featured a bonus live disc titled "Anaheim Live", which is a nice addition to the package.

Great White - Can't Get There from Here (Portrait) 1999

1. "Rollin' Stoned" (4:09)
2. "Ain't No Shame" (4:19)
3. "Silent Night" (4:50)
4. "Saint Lorraine" (4:05)
5. "In the Tradition" (2:59)
6. "Freedom Song" (4:36)
7. "Gone to the Dogs" (2:42)
8. "Wooden Jesus" (4:24)
9. "Sister Mary" (4:55)
10. "Loveless Age" (5:23)
11. "Psychedelic Hurricane" (4:15)
12. "Hey Mister" (5:08)

I have read that this was a reunion album, but I guess I must have been out of the loop because I didn't even know the band had broken up. Regardless, "Can't Get There" continues in the same bluesy melodic rock mode that the band had been going in for years. This album is given a helping hand by Night Ranger/Damn Yankees veteran Jack Blades, who not only produces but also helps in the songwriting department. Dokken's Don Dokken and Mick Brown also help out a bit. However, this is not a heavy album. The music is actually pretty mellow, although there are a few rockers like opening track "Rollin' Stoned." "Saint Lorraine" is also good party-rock song that sounds a bit closer to the "Once Bitten Twice Shy"-era of the band. Also Jack Russell's Plant-like howl sounds as strong and vibrant as ever. Perhaps it was the mood I was in at the time I first popped this disc in, but I really enjoyed this album a bit more than some of the other Great White CDs on the first listen. I'll have to see how this one hold up over time, but for now I can honestly say that "Can't Get There" is as good as, if not better than, the rest of the band's catalogue.

Great White - Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin (Dead Line) 1999

1. "In the Light" (6:06)
2. "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)" (3:30)
3. "Ramble On" (5:12)
4. "Since I've Been Loving You" (6:44)
5. "No Quarter" (8:04)
6. "Tangerine" (3:06)
7. "Going to California" (4:11)
8. "Thank You" (4:37)
9. "D'Yer Mak'er" (4:45)
10. "All My Love" (6:12)
11. "Immigrant Song" (2:21)
12. "When the Levee Breaks" (6:52)
13. "The Rover" (6:00)
14. "Stairway to Heaven" (8:34)

How much more appropriate could it be for a band that is so influenced by Led Zeppelin to record a tribute to the mighty Zep? Great White do a marvelous job covering some of their favorite Zeppelin tunes. Recorded in concert at the Galaxy in Santa Ana, CA in December, 1996, this CD contains 14 tracks that are mostly made up of fan favorites. With the exception of "Immigrant Song" and "Stairway to Heaven", much of this material was very rarely performed live by Zeppelin themselves. The band sticks pretty close to the original studio versions and doesn't stray much into the extended jams that Zep were known for. Jack Russell does a great job on vocals. His voice has always had that Robert Plant quality, so it works well here, without sounding like a carbon copy. Some of the drum parts seem a bit different from what I remember, but overall, Great White do a great job at paying homage to one of rock and roll's greatest bands.

Great White - The Best of Great White (EMI-Capitol) 2000

1. "Rock Me" (7:16)
2. "House of Broken Love" (5:59)
3. "Stick It" (3:58)
4. "Call It Rock n' Roll" (3:57)
5. "Once Bitten Twice Shy" (5:22)
6. "Face the Day" ( 7:02)
7. "The Angel Song" (4:52)
8. "Save You Love" (4:31)
9. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" [live] ( 7:14)
10. "Big Goodbye" (5:56)

A short, concise career retrospective of Great White's biggest radio hits. It's actually quite amazing how many hits this band had in the mid-80's. I can honestly say that this disc will probably get more play time than many of the band's studio albums from my collection. The packaging is a bit minimal for my liking and I would have liked to have seen a few songs from the band's debut, but otherwise a cool compilation disc. This disc was a birthday gift from a friend, who's birthday also happens to fall on the same day as mine. (Thanks Arttie. Happy Birthday to you too.)

Great White - Recover (DeadLine Records) 2002

1. "Love Removal Machine" (4:30) (originally by The Cult)
2. "Again and Again" (3:39) (originally by Status Quo)
3. "Ready for Love" (4:41) (originally by Bad Company)
4. "Bitches and Other Women" (4:50) (originally by The Rolling Stones)
.... medley: "Bitch/It's Only Rock & Roll/Woman"
5. "Tangled Up and Blue" (5:56) (originally by Bob Dylan)
6. "Burning House of Love" (3:53) (originally by John Doe and Exene Cervenka)
7. "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" (2:35) (originally by Floyd Rose)
8. "Sin City" (4:40) (originally by AC/DC)
9. "No Matter What" (2:46) (originally by Badfinger)
10. "Fire and Water" (3:37) (originally by Free)
11. "Down to the Doctor" (3:38) (originally by Dr. Feelgood)
12. "Lady Love" (3:12) (originally by Robin Trower)

Ahhh, so the guys in Great White do like other bands besides the mighty Zeppelin. Well, this disc of melodic covers is pretty enjoyable despite the fact that most of these songs are moldy oldies. My personal favorite being the AC/DC cover, a fine song indeed, and "Ready For Love" originally by Bad Company.

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