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A pathetic attempt at milking White Lion's legacy!

Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 01/05/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Do you remember the year White Lion 'had to' call it quits because of their problems with their label, tour promoters, managers, law suits with other WL members? It was Sep 2, 1991, when White Lion played their last show at one of the clubs in Boston. They didn't break up just because Mike and Vito didn't get along well anymore, it wasn't just the musical differences either. It was all about the money. About the label pushing them to go more and more commercial. Forcing them to release hit singles and radio singles. It was Vito's and Mike's bold and independent moves writing 8-minute songs like "Lights & Thunder" or "Warsong". It was about them showing they didn't want to be just the band who wrote ballads like "Wait" and "When the Children Cry". It wasn't purely Mike and Vito's decision to kill White Lion. The record industry of all factors killed White Lion. The pathetic people who were just thinking about finding other ways to make more money killed them. It was the same people who pushed them aside when the grunge scene began to emerge from Seattle. And in 2003 -after 12 years- they are releasing a Hits CD featuring the very same songs from the band's studio albums that were all released 15 years ago. Why should a fan buy this? For the "hits"? Blah. This is just a pathetic attempt at milking whatever is left from White Lion's legacy. Beware at all costs. Go buy the real studio albums Fight to Survive, Pride, Big Game or Mane Attraction. Or go buy Mike Tramp's own version of WL songs re-recorded in 1999. What's the point in buying the same songs again anyway? The Best of White Lion CD features two extra live tracks showcasing Vito's killer guitar playing and Mike's heart-wrenching vocal delivery. These are all good choices for WL albums, this Hits CD is not. I rate the music 5+, but the packaging gets merely 1, if not less."