Big Game (album)

Last updated
Big Game
Lionbigame.jpg
Studio album by
White Lion
ReleasedJune 5, 1989 (1989-06-05) [1]
Recorded1989
Genre Glam metal [2]
Length53:05
Label Atlantic
Producer Michael Wagener
White Lion chronology
Pride
(1987)		Big Game
(1989)		 Mane Attraction
(1991)
Singles from Big Game
  1. "Little Fighter"
    Released: June 1989 [3]
  2. "Radar Love"
    Released: September 1989 [3]
  3. "Cry for Freedom"
    Released: February 1990 [3]
  4. "Goin' Home Tonight"
    Released: 1990 (Germany) [3]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]

Big Game is the third studio album by the American glam metal band White Lion. It was released on June 5, 1989, by Atlantic Records, reaching #19 on The Billboard 200 album chart, #28 in Canada and #47 In the UK. The album contains the MTV hits, "Little Fighter", "Radar Love" and "Cry for Freedom". This album has a lighter sound than previous albums. [4]

Contents

Overview

In the first half of 1989, still riding high on the multi platinum success of Pride , White Lion re-entered the studio following the completion of their Pride tour to record the next album, a decision the group later came to regret due to the effects of fatigue from the heavy touring. A musically eclectic follow-up to Pride, the album featured the single "Little Fighter", in Memory of The Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace boat which was intentionally sabotaged and sunk by the French Secret Service while docked in an Auckland harbour, New Zealand in 1985 and served as the inspiration for the Steven Seagal film On Deadly Ground . In 1989, a fundraising double album was released entitled "Greenpeace Rainbow Warriors". [5] [6] [7] A cover of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" was released as the second single, followed by "Cry for Freedom" a political song about apartheid in South Africa and was one of many songs from the band that addressed social or political issues such as uprising to oppression. [8] "Goin' Home Tonight" was also released as a single.

All of the singles featured music videos and the album quickly went gold, [1] peaking at #19 on the US album charts and charting very well around the world. Following the album's release the band continued touring with Ozzy Osbourne in US, and later in the fall of 1989 they have their own headline tour in Europe.

Mike Tramp has later told in interviews that he thinks the album is "half-finished". He and guitarist Vito wrote the album over two weeks in a Palm Springs hotel room and soon recorded the album quickly. It was a decision they have regretted, but they were inexperienced and felt pressure from the record company at that point.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bratta/Tramp except "Radar Love" by George Kooymans/Barry Hay

No.TitleLength
1."Goin' Home Tonight"4:57
2."Dirty Woman"3:27
3."Little Fighter"4:23
4."Broken Home"4:59
5."Baby Be Mine"4:10
6."Living on the Edge"5:02
7."Let's Get Crazy"4:52
8."Don't Say It's Over"4:04
9."If My Mind Is Evil"4:56
10."Radar Love" (Golden Earring cover)5:59
11."Cry for Freedom"6:09
Total length:53:05

Rock Candy reissue Bonus Tracks

No.TitleLength
12."Wait" (Live on Westwood One)3:48
13."All Join Our Hands" (Live on Westwood One)4:00
14."When the Children Cry" (Live in rehearsal)4:42
Total length:65:35

HNE Recordings 2020 box set bonus tracks

No.TitleLength
12."Cry for Freedom" (Edit)4:17
Total length:57:22

Personnel

Charts

Album

Chart (1989)Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [9] 28
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [10] 88
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [11] 21
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [12] 38
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [13] 14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [14] 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [15] 16
UK Albums (OCC) [16] 47
US Billboard 200 [17] 19

Year-end charts

Chart (1989)Position
US Billboard 200 [18] 74

Singles

YearSongChartPosition
1989"Little Fighter" Billboard Hot 100 [19] #52
Mainstream Rock Tracks [20] #12
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [21] #65
"Radar Love" Billboard Hot 100 [22] #59
1990"Cry for Freedom"Dutch Singles [23] #19

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [1] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "American album certifications – White Lion – Big Game". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Top 50 Glam Metal Albums". Metal Rules . Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "White Lion singles" . Retrieved August 11, 2021. Click on individual song pages for dates.
  4. 1 2 Big Game - White Lion | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic , retrieved 2021-08-11
  5. ↑ "story of White Lion's 'Little Fighter'". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  6. ↑ "White Lion's "Big Game" turns 30 – Denmark's Eurovision 1978 singer becomes glam metal royalty". Younited. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  7. ↑ "White Lion Little Fighter". Hair Metal. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  8. ↑ "White Lion – Big Game + killer Vito Bratta moments" . Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6442". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – White Lion – Big Game" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  11. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  12. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – White Lion – Big Game" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – White Lion – Big Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – White Lion – Big Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – White Lion – Big Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  16. ↑ "White Lion | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  17. ↑ "White Lion, TLP" . Billboard . Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Little Fighter by White Lion | Billboard The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  20. ↑ "Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  21. ↑ "RPM 100 Singles". RPM . Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  22. ↑ "Radar Love by White Lion | Billboard The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  23. ↑ Dutch singles chart
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