GREAT WHITE - Shot in the Dark
FORMAT: CD REALEASE DATE: 01.01.1986 RECORD COMPANY: Capitol Records 7.5
METALFAN RATING: 8.6
USERS RATING: 2 votes
Top 1986: #19 |
Great White LINE UP: Jack Russell - voce Mark Kendall - chitara Lorne Black - bas Audie Desbrow - tobe invitati: Michael Lardie, Jim Lang — clape |
TRACKLIST: 1. She Shakes Me2. What Do You Do3. Face the Day4. Gimme Some Lovin'5. Shot in the Dark6. Is Anybody There?7. Run Away8. Waiting For Love |
It wasn’t easy to release an album in 1986, and this was not because of the senior CPU “three-eight-six” that gave Pacman a totally different flavor. Quite simply, that year, in addition to Chernobyl, the dam broke on good, very good and amazing albums. Ozzy, Van Halen, Europe, Metallica, Queen, Cinderella, Candlemass, Maiden, Malmsteen, Saxon* and even Priest (you can impress your girl if you hum softly in her ear “I’m your Turbo Lover!”), but who didn’t release a good album then?! I, for one, am still waiting for a year to be this good again, but I fear I may not live long enough.
In these circumstances, the album from the Americans of Great White should have been a “capo di tutti frutti”, and the bee’s knees. But it wasn’t. However, Shot in the Dark remains a pretty good record, the same melodic hard rock that the sharks had done before, but with a bit less bluesy gravy than other of their releases. Pretty good or ugly, it certainly was one of the more discrete offerings of the year and of the band in general.
We have a modest, to put it mildly, song (in my opinion, of course), What Do You Do, but they rebound immediately with Face the Day (which fits them like a glove, despite being a cover version after some Australians, The Angels). The song that gives the title of the album is pure Great White essence, with the discreet riff and Jack Russell’s voice and the songwriting structure, Mark Kendall’s guitar showing how the fin slowly comes out of the water and the jaws come to grab you. Is Anybody There – a ballad-like, sensitive-ish song, but while the guys are killers when it comes to ballads, they were a little more lenient this time. We also have a power ballad as the last tracks, but until then we have Run Away, doubtlessly the hit of the album – pretty much on the same page as Runaway from the wealthier Bon Jovi (since I was thinking – mistakenly – that might be another cover version), but I think with a better idea.
Conclusion? If you like melodic eighties hair metal, you’ll appreciate the bouquet, taste and color of this album. If not, off with you!
*Feet note: Saxon includes on their album released the same year a song with a fascinating title: Party til You Puke. Much better than the Communist Party!!!
Cristake Nota: 7.5
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Face the Day face cit un album intreg. Pacat ca nu-i a lor.