White Lion

US 1987 Remastered, Repress. Records plays EX. Sleeve has some light discolouration. The story of White Lion is a fascinating tale of triumph over adversity. Sure, you might apply that characterisation to legions of rock bands, but the birth of their debut album was a roller coaster ride of emotional highs and extreme lows, played out with a backdrop of uncertainty always in ominous view. That they eventually triumphed with this album and also the platinum selling success of future releases on Atlantic Records only goes to show that talent will eventually win the day. Formed in New York by Danish born singer Mike Tramp and talented guitarist Vito Brata, the band made waves on the local club scene, attracting local management who had connections to German producer Peter Hauke who offered to record the band at his studio in Frankfurt. With an album in the can the band were quickly signed to a sizeable deal with Elektra Records who subsequently and inexplicably decided to drop the band at the eleventh hour. Fortunately JVC in Japan licensed the album and set in motion a series of events that led to them signing with Atlantic Records. Fight To Survive was eventually issued in the US on an independent label and provoked huge accolades amongst the rock cognoscenti who quite rightly hailed tracks such as Broken Heart , Cherokee and the title track as stunning hard rock nuggets showcasing one of the most accomplished bands of the era.