Customer Reviews

The Definitive Rock Collection (2CD)

5 star:		(4)
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After many years of not listening to White Lion, this cd, bought on a whim, is what turned me into a fan all over again. I sat and listened to it, and I can only describe it as watching a string of old Mike Tyson fights (before he turned ear-biting psychotic) and watching him demolish one guy after another after another and getting better and stronger and fiercer with each punch. This cd is nothing but fifteen absolute rock-n-roll hits from the studio and another fifteen live, high-octane hard-rock epics. Each one will having you thinking it just can't get better. And then it will. And it's amazing how many hits these guys had. I'd forgotten half of them and started singing along in my head with every single one once I heard just the first few notes. They're up-beat but rock solid songs that deserve a lot more attention than they get. Granted these were all MTV Top 40, high-ranking hits, but few people remember White Lion today. They were much, much more than a flash in the pan. Mike Tramp had a genius stroke for writing hits, and Vito Bratta's guitar musicianship is unparalleled, and he's one of the few guys who sounds just as good if not better live. In the era of Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Warrant, and Bon Jovi, White Lion carved out a niche all their own, part die-hard heavy metal, part pop, and 100% rock-n-roll greatness. This cd comes with an eleven-song New York concert in which Bratta blisters himself through every song on the set. They say he has nothing to do with music anymore, and this live set will show you how sad and how much of a loss that is. Another highlight here is how much the crow gets involved. I'm telling you: at one point in time, these guys were all over the top of the ladder. Bratta does by-the-way fill riffs that most guys never get to in a career of playing. Mike Tramp's voice was one-of-a-kind memorable, more for being unique than amazing. But, in a good way, no one else has ever had a voice like his. It's tough and gritty and ultra sexy (so the girls I know say) all at the same time. It was nice to see a forgotten, hardrock great, "The Lady of the Valley" on the live set. Rhino had to make some decisions here, and they went for the biggest hits. And no band ever had so many hits in so short a span of time. Do yourself a favor and rediscover them. You get an unbelievable 30 songs, and each one will have you jumping off your chair. The cd also includes very thorough liner notes chronicling White Lion's entire career. This is a necessary addition to any rock or metal collection.

Like a greatest hits on the 1st cd but the second is pretty much all live from the 1988 show at the ritz in nyc

A remastered best of with a full live show (Mtv Ritz concert) from the 'Pride' tour...what more could you ask for? Buy this!

I totally agree with the other 3 reviewers regarding White Lion: The Definitve Rock Collection. It's been at leats 12, 15 years since I've heard
'When The Children Cry' and it sounded as though I heard for the first time. It's a beautiful piece and, yes, it turned me into a fan of the band again. I'm anxious to hear everything again. I am curious why 'War Song' from 'Mane Attraction' was ommitted. Other than that, I cannot at all complaion about the selection of tunes and even the live versions as well.

It's hard to argue the impact the 80's had on the musical landscape. White Lion were part of that.....and remain a part, too.