Customer Reviews

Can't Get There From Here

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I graduated high school in 1989. When I heard this album I thought I was back cruising in my 79 Cutlass, jamming with the boys. This album is a true throwback in time. It would have been a number one back then and should now. If it doesn't get the credit it deserves it shows how screwed up the so called critics are. This is absolutely a totally kick-a** album from the hard rocking licks to the beautiful ballads. In all my days of rocking this has to rank with the best albums I have ever heard bar none. It is excellent real rock-n-roll from the heart. 10 stars on a five star scale. If you like good ol kick ass rock and heart felt ballads you won't be disappointed. Trust me, buy it now. It is positively the best album out in the last 10-15years that I've been a serious music fan. Keep up the great work Great White. ROCK ON !

Of all of the great bands that have suffered in the past decade because of being unfairly categorized as "hair" bands due to a handful of lousy ripoffs from the late 80's, perhaps no other band is less deserving of this stigma than Great White. Throughout their career, Great White has consistently created melodic, soulful, blues-based metal. Although many people falsely believe that Great White disappeared after the 1989 smash "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", the reality is that they have continued to write quality music throughout the 90's. "Can't Get There From Here" is undoubtedly the best offering since the 1989 "Twice Shy", and arguably the best recording of their career. Songs such as 'Sister Mary', 'In The Tradition', 'Loveless Age', and my personal favorite 'Hey Mister', contain just about as much feeling as any other music I have ever heard. Vocalist Jack Russell sings with so much true emotion on this album that you almost wonder if an electronic device such as a CD player is capable of withstanding the pressure. You can literally feel every word that he sings. Meanwhile, guitarist Mark Kendall continues to display his knack for constructing guitar solos that are both powerful and delicate at the same time, a perfect compliment to Russell's singing. Kendall may possibly be the most underappreciated guitarist in rock, and that is truly unfortunate, as his playing is without a doubt anything but average. However, if the mellower stuff isn't your bread and butter, there are still tracks on this album that are raw and ready to rock. 'Wooden Jesus', "Rollin' Stoned', 'Saint Lorraine', and 'Gone to The Dogs' should satisfy your urge to turn up the volume, while 'Ain't No Shame', 'Silent Night', and 'Psychedelic Hurricane' offer the medium between ballad and rocker. If you are fed up with the disaster that is now called "rock" (as I certainly am), you should forget about the ridicule from your friends for buying something from an "80's" band, and give this album a listen. Believe it or not, there are still bands out there that write music that touches people on different levels, that can be a combination of happiness, sadness, anger, and excitement all at once. This is something that modern hard rock bands are obviously incapable of doing, but with "Can't Get There From Here", Great White shows that it can definitely still be done. It just takes a little "old school" experience.

I was sad to hear Great White broke up last year. They have been one of the most underated and best, heavy metal bands since they formed back in '78. I love the classic Great White stuff, so I bought this a couple years ago. They have always been called a "hair" band. That is not true in the least. They have always been better then average songsmiths and a talented group. They have always stuck close to their bluesy Zeppelin roots. This album is the best record they ever did in the 23 year history of the band. It is the best hard rock album I have heard in years. This is MUCH better then Aerosmtih's latest album, "Just push Play". Great White should be one of the biggest classic metal bands, but the stress of being pushed aside for the last decade of the bands history, has finally killed off one of the true greats of hard rock. Damn you, grunge rock. This was not a talentless "hair" band, but it's too late for Great White. This is a classic, spirited hard rock album. Give it the respect it deserves.

I was a huge fan of this band's material from their 1986 release "Shot In The Dark" right up through 1992's "Psycho City". Included in this stretch, of course, was the band's biggest albums--all of which I loved. Unfortunately, the band released a true dud in 1994--the very limp "Sail Away". I never got anything new from them again after that--until a tip from a friend convinced me to give this album a try.

While this certainly isn't as rocking as, say, the classic "Once Bitten" album, it still has a lot of great songs. Clearly, the blues/rock style is still there. The leadoff track "Rollin' Stoned" sounds like a vintage Great White rocker. "Ain't No Shame" is a gorgeous melodic anthem, one of my favorite tracks on the album. "Silent Night" is a mellow but quality ballad. From there you hear quite a bit of mellow stuff--but much more memorable and of higher quality than the material of "Sail Away". Also--there are still some rockers here. One notable track is the second to last one, "Psychedelic Hurricane", which is one of the most unique and interesting tracks the band has ever done.

All of the tracks on this album are decent to excellent, and Jack Blades of Night Ranger fame does a fine job in producing the album. If you were a fan of Great White in their prime, I encourage you to give this one a shot. Like me, you just might be surprised with the quality of the material here.

Great White's "Can't Get There From Here" is a solid effort! I've got to admire these guys. They kept on cranking out albums all through the nineties, in spite of all the "alternative" types of rock bands that had sprung up on the scene. This album is Great White at their "hard rock with a bluesy flavor" best. There is nothing experimental about this album. It has the classic Great White sound that the fans love. I think this album proves that this band just keeps getting better with age. If you are already a fan of Great White, you WILL NOT want to miss picking up a copy of this album! You don't need to be a Great White fan to appreciate it however! If you are a fan of melodic hard rock, or "80's metal", as some folks insist on calling it, this album would be a great addition to your collection. In fact, if you are a fan of this style of rock, you may be in for a pleasant surprise! Many of these bands have 1999 and 2000 releases! After you pick up a copy of "Can't Get There From Here" you might want to check out some of your other favorite bands in the genre. You may be pleasantly surprised. Need a memory jog? Click on over to my home page on Amazon. I have most of the bands reviewed or at least mentioned. Are you ready to rock? :o)

Well well well the boys are back with a vengeance. Here is a sure way to listen to this album for the first time. Play "Gone To The Dogs" and "Psychedelic Hurricane" first. They are 2 good songs on the album. It only gets great after that. From Tales from the road "Freedom Song" and "In The Tradition" this album is nothing short of awesome. From the bluesy "Loveless Age" to the traditional Great White rocker "Rollin' Stoned" this album is without out a doubt the best one made by any group in the 90's. And to top it off "Ain't No Shame" delivers a phenomenal chorus which is nothing short of sensational. Any collection should not be without this cd.

I just wanted to say that I bought this album when it was first released And 3 years later i'm still listening to it. It's not getting old! It's definatly top notch, one of their best. Almost every song rocks. And the ballads are great as well.
If you're a rock fan you won't be disapointed with this one.

Remember the 80's? Remember heavy metal? Well, unfortunately, any band that played rock and roll during that era not only got labled a heavy metal band, even worse, they got labled a "hair band". Long hair and loud guitars got lots of groups noticed at the time just because it was popular,but in todays world of cookie cutter music it is the kiss of death, no matter how good the band is. Well, if there is ANY group from that bygone era that deserves to be listened to still, simply because they are better than most anything you will hear being popularized on the radio today, it is Great White. And with the release of "Cant Get There From Here" they show just why. Dismiss Def Leppard if you must, because they stick to formula and release the same album under different names. Dismiss Motley Crue if you must because they cant decide who should be in the band or what they should be doing. DO NOT however dismiss GW,because they are working harder than even James Brown ever thought of and are giving results so good that they not only SHOULD be on every critic and fan list of top 10 releases of 1999 with their new CD, but they absolutely DESERVE to be. From the opening guitar licks of "Rolling Stoned" to the very last note of "Hey Mister" this is one extraordinary effort. What makes it so special is that it is not a release that tries to capatilize on such popular songs as "Rock Me" or the one everybody knows, "Once Bitten Twice Shy". Instead it is a collection of beautifully written, and even better vocalized, songs. You want to have your heart ripped out? Then just listen to Jack Russell sing "Ain't No Shame" and you can feel the pain come through the man's voice. How many of today's singers can make you do that? Want to have some fun? Then listen to the opening track, "Rolling Stoned" where Jack's voice and Mark Kendall's guitar mesh perfectly and cruise down the road with a smile on your face. Almost every song on this CD is a standout and deserves to be heard. The songwriting is just brilliant and the vocals of Mr. Russell have never been better. Some things can not only survive the 80's, they can also improve. Forget labels, forget what people say about "hair bands", do yourself a favor and buy "Cant Get There From Here" because it is kick ass, straight forward rock and roll, and because after so much Matchbox 20, or Smashmouth, or whatever the flavor of the month happens to be on the radio, you deserve to have some music that actually makes you feel something for a change. The 80's doesnt have to be a stigma folks, some good music actually survived, and this is the absolute BEST of it. RUN,dont walk, and purchase this CD, you can thank me later after you do.

I have been a hard rock fan since I listened to GN'R. They were the start, and after that I started to track down other bands, that for good or bad, were included in the LA Hard Rock 80's movement (even GN'R who obviously, didn't fit in the glam scene). I went from Poison to Cinderella (another band of the pack that was not even from LA), Slaughter, Mötley Crüe, Faster Pussycat, Firehouse, Skid Row, Enuff Z'Nuff, Bang Tango, Pretty Boy Floyd... you name it! However, I never listened to Great White until I read a couple of rave reviews of "Can't Get There From Here". A few months later I found this CD at a good price and decided I would give it a try. What a discovery...

This CD just rocks!! It has plenty of rockers and also slower numbers that can satisfy all tastes as long as you like to rock and roll. It has blues, it has hard rock, it has american classic rock, it has metal riffs, it has everything! And on top of everything, it has great songs performed by a solid band. And that, my friends, is what makes this CD timeless. "Rollin' Stoned" is a great opener which you can't stop moving your feet to. Pure rock and roll, period. After that, the songs start to flow with no stop until you reach the end. That's how good this album is. My personal favorites are "In the Tradition" (great, sad ballad with an amazing acoustic guitar sound and Jack Russell's vocals at its best), "Freedom Song" (an instant classic in a better world), "Gone to the Dogs" (metal riff-o-rama that kicks you in the teeth), "Silent Night" or "Sister Mary". Every song on this album has soul. Has something to say.

Since then I have checked earlier Great White stuff and I also like it a lot, but nothing compares to this 1999 album. Some might say that I have a conditioned view of Great White because I started with this album and that I am not getting what Great White really is. I could agree, but I'm fine with that. "Can't Get There From Here" is simply a great rock and roll record that I will bring with me to my grave (along with a handful more!).

THIS IS THE BEST CD BY GREAT WHITE.I HAVE ALL OFF THERE CDS AND ON THIS ONE THEY ARE MORE POLISHED THEN ANY OF THERE OTHER CDS.I HAVE SEEN THESE GUY 2 TIMES IN CONCERT AND I CAN TELL YOU THEY ROCK.IT`S JUST TO BAD THAT THERE GUITAR PLAYER MARK KENDALL LEFT THE BAND AFTER THIS CD.HE WILL BE HARD TO REPLACE.IF YOU ARE NEW TO GREAT WHITE,THIS CD IS A GREAT PLACE TO START.