|
Return Of The Pride | 
| Artist: White Lion
Label: Airline Records
List Price: $16.98
Buy New: $10.77
You Save: $6.21 (37%)
New (34) Used (4) from $10.77
Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 6074
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 210
UPC: 708535021025
EAN: 0708535021025
ASIN: B00160ANR8
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW Factory Sealed - Ready to be shipped within 24 hrs from California - Average 5 workdays delivery time - Excellent customer service - Buy with confidence!
| |
| Tracks:
| • | Sangre De Cristo | | • | Dream | | • | Live Your Life | | • | Set Me Free | | • | I Will | | • | Battle At Little Big Horn | | • | Never Let You Go | | • | Gonna Do It My Way | | • | Finally See The Light | | • | Let Me Be Me | | • | Wait (live) - bonus track | | • | When The Children Cry (live) - bonus track |
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
All the trademarks of the classic White Lion sound can be found again on Return Of The Pride, the sequel to their biggest album: Pride. White Lion was formed by Mike Tramp in 1982. Pride, released in 1987, was White Lion's breakthrough album, bringing them to world-wide prominence, thanks to the hits Wait (#8 on the Billboard Hot 100) and the gentle ballad When The Children Cry (#3), but the rest of the album is also well constructed pop metal, with little of the over-the-top testosterone-heavy posturing of their peers, as well as a low sleaze factor. In addition to the socially conscious Children, Pride contained the positive anthems Don't Give Up and All Join Our Hands. Pride went on to sell over 2 million albums and became one of the landmark albums of the era. After several more albums and world tours, the band retired. Fast forward to 2007 (the 20th anniversary of Pride). Reflecting on the changes in music and the world in general, Mike felt it was time to return to the lyrical themes and musical territory of their classic album. Return Of The Pride kicks off with Sangre de Cristo, a thunderous epic that ventures into the lyrical and musical territories better heard than described. Battle At Little Big Horn is the album s other soaring epic, a musical reenactment of one of Native America s most significant historical events: Custer's Last Stand. Hook-laden rockers such as Dream, Live Your Life and Finally See The Light maintain a positive musical and lyrical vibe throughout the album, and Gonna Do It My Way and Let Me Be Me reflect the spirit of rebellion and individualism.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 Return Of The Pride! Return Of The TRUE Rock!! April 30, 2008
Joy Elizabeth Teets (Fairfax, VA USA)
12 out of 33 found this review helpful
I have always been a HUGE White Lion fan and at first when I heard Mike Tramp was the only original member, I was hesitant to get this album. But then I heard Set Me Free on YouTube and sampled some of these tracks and was totally blown away so I ordered this album and am hearing it for my 3rd time as I write this review and am totally speechless! This just rocks and sounds so much like their 80's stuff that if I didn't know better, I would say it's 80's but not completely a replica. There is a heaviness on about half of these songs that have a more modern sound but still sound 80's at the same time. I encourage any rock fan to check this out. I guarantee at least 1 song you will completely fall in love with. Especially the song Let Me Be Me which I talk about more below. Of course I'm in love with every song on here.
Oh and Mike Tramp sings so wonderful! Amazing vocalist!
The album opens up with this awesome Indian sounding music which is really awesome. This song called Sangre de Cristo is almost 9 minutes which might sound too long but actually it's heaven sent for anyone who really loves rock and the band like I do. I really love how this sounds like a rock opera and in a way sounds like something Blind Guardian would do but also has the White Lion 80's sounds. Another big plus is this epic song has two guitar solos which rule!! We need more guitar solos. Guitar solos are a big part of rock and I feel like without them, it's not a true rock song. This song talks about just doing what you believe in. Very mature for White Lion.
Dream is a really awesome melodic rocker and it totally sounds 80's. I love the guitar solo and I really feel like I'm back in the 80's. It's about keep dreaming.
Set Me Free is my favorite track on this album and reminds me of When The Children Cry in the beginning. It starts off slow but then builds up to this awesome rocker with awesome keys and melody. This has the best guitar solo on the album and the musicanship is incredible. It's the most 80's song on this album and it rules!!
I Will has a piano in the beginning and then turns into this awesome melodic rocker. Again, I hear all these different things going on. I just LOVE this! And the guitar solo is heaven.
The next song is a really creative song, just like Sangre de Cristo. In the CD booklet, this song is dedicated to the Native Americans and you hear an actual Indian speaking or at least it sounds like an Indian talking in the beginning. This song, Battle Of Little Big Horn talks about Custard's Last Stand and the war. It's another very mature song for White Lion. It is a pure rocker and very melodic. Here's some of the lyrics:
What A Great Day To Die
And Justice Will Be Done
And The Eagle Will Fly
When The Battle Has Begun
And A Hero Will Rise
He Will Be The One They'll All Be Talking About
In A Thousand Years Or More
This is just so epic and amazing. Of course the guitar solo doesn't fail to amaze. I also love the backing vocals singing "oooohhh oooohhh oooohhhh oooooohhhh ooohhh."
Never Let You Go is an incredible power ballad. Very melodic and a piano is used also. Love the epic guitar solo obviously. From the song, one line is "Love can never die."
Gonna Do It My Way is another thunderous rocker that sounds a lot like Hungry from their 1987 Pride album. Another all time favorite. This is so 80's, especially the guitar solo. This is the reason I'm a rock fan. Because of awesome sounds you hear in this.
Finally See The Light is another rocker where the musicianship just blows me away. There are keys and a very creative solo.
Let Me Be Me is a straight up rocker. Another 80's sounding masterpiece. I love the guitar playing and guitar solo. This song especially should be loved by all rock fans.
The booklet has the lyrics to another song called Take Me Home but it's not on the album. Someone messed up. Just to let you know, inside the booklet is so cool and artistic with all these awesome pictures of sculptures of different people doing different things. I love it!
The last two tracks on the album are recent live versions of Wait and When The Children Cry. They are bonus tracks and not exactly like the album version which is really cool because it shows creativity. I especially love the beginning of When The Children Cry.
After hearing this album over 3 times it actually impresses me just a tad more than my favorite band Def Leppard's new album but not by much. This album really sounds like it could have been a second disc to Pride. And please don't listen to anyone who says don't get this album because Mike Tramp is the only original member on this album. I am VERY impressed with this album and proud to be a White Lion fan because of this album. It shows that rock still lives. Anyone who loves rock and/or White Lion MUST get this album. You will be just as impressed and amazed as I am. ROCK ON!!!
 White Lion? No. Mike Tramp? Yes. May 4, 2008
Murat Batmaz (Istanbul, Turkey)
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
For years, Mike Tramp said he had moved on and White Lion was something from the past. He said there'd never be a White Lion reunion no matter what. He also declared that Freak of Nature was the best band of his life, but they wouldn't reform either. And if they did, it would only happen with the same lineup.
Now, here is a new album titled Return of the Pride released under the White Lion moniker. The only original member of the band is Mike Tramp himself. Judging by the title, the music is supposed to be a step back in time, but sadly, this is not the case here. The album has absolutely nothing in common with the real White Lion we all know. Rather, about half of the songs seem like they were leftovers from Tramp's solo material while the rest, while certainly trying to recapture the original White Lion magic, fall short off the mark, due to the absence of Vito Bratta's songwriting.
The music presented here simply does not deliver the classic White Lion sound. It simply is not a natural progression. The production is awfully flat at times, rendering some of these pieces unlistenable. Even the tracks that were written to resurrect the old days seem to suffer from this, as Mike Tramp's production is raw and in your face. In that respect, the CD recalls his 1999 effort Remembering White Lion -- at least then, he said he wasn't trying to recapture the sound. Well, what about this album? It doesn't possess better production either. It's more like White Lion's pre-Fight to Survive demos, particularly in the guitar department.
On a positive note, the album offers two great epic-length pieces which are both among Tramp's finest songs since Freak of Nature. It's great he went back to his darker and heavier approach, even for two cuts. The opening number "Sangre De Cristo" ("Blood of Christ") starts off with creepy keyboards and constantly transitions between smooth acoustic parts to grinding heavy passages. The fast riffing here is akin to Freak of Nature's "Turn the Other Way", while the guitar theme planted underneath Tramp's vocalization during the heavy verses recalls Iced Earth. Also, Troy Patrick Farrell's blistering drumming is awesome as are the background vocals that lift the chorus.
Likewise, "Battle at Little Big Horn" sees Tramp venturing into his Freak of Nature mood. It begins with a stomping bass line that slightly recalls "Fight to Survive" off of Remembering White Lion and lyrically deals with Custler's Last Stand. Complete with some of Tramp's most heart-wrenching delivery and killer gang vocals, the song also boasts a nice guitar solo that is reminiscent of the late Savatage guitarist Criss Oliva (think "Hounds" or "Ghost in the Ruins").
Other than these, there are several mid-tempo rockers which have a lot more common with Tramp's solo material, particularly Capricorn. "Dream" starts off with a wonderful vocal melody, but save for the edgy guitar work in places, it would feel home on his solo CD's. Similarly, "I Will" and "Never Let You Go" are the distant cousins of "Have You Ever" from Capricorn. The former is a lyrically intense song written about his son and the latter is a similar ballad right down to the piano melody. Sorry, but adding in edgy guitar parts and a ten-second solo will not qualify these tracks as new White Lion numbers.
The one piece that could be likened to White Lion may be "Set Me Free", which follows a similar pattern as "Broken Heart". It kicks in slowly with emotional vocals, then picks up pace with the addition of power chords and a melodious guitar solo. Unfortunately, listening to it you will immediately notice how Jamie Law has tried to emulate the classic Vito Bratta sound, and failed terribly. He'd be better off going for his own style in a different band.
Songs like "Live Your Life", "Finally See the Light" and "Let Me Be Me" are so simple and straightforward that one can't help but wonder why Tramp even included them on this disc. Maybe they needed to get the CD out and Tramp just sang some unfinished tunes. With their overtly excessive and somewhat irritating choruses, these tunes have nothing worthwhile to offer. On "Finally See the Light", perhaps in hopes of giving off a Big Game vibe, the band delve into a freestyle jam session, primarily driven by Claus Langeskov's bass solo and Farrell's drumming, but honestly, the song lacks direction.
My European copy has a song called "Take Me Home", a cool ballad that Tramp must have written for a solo album. That said, it is thousand times better than trying to churn out half-finished "new" White Lion tracks. Largely acoustic, it features some of his most honest delivery and even a sweet electric solo.
As mentioned above, not all of this album is a failure. On the contrary, there is some really good material here, but I just wish Mike Tramp had given this band its own name rather than trying to squeeze out a few bucks from old fans who might have been out of the loop. Not everyone will know that Vito Bratta, James Lomenzo and Greg D'Angelo did not play on this disc, and thus, they might end up terribly disappointed. If Tramp doesn't want people to compare his current band to White Lion, then he should drop the moniker first.
Bottom line, this is not a White Lion album because there can never be a White Lion album unless Vito Bratta has written the songs and played the guitars on. This is more of a Tramp solo album with two good pieces, a few average midtempo rockers, and some truly dismal cuts -- all delivered with sub-standard production values. Had Tramp sat and refined his sound, and actually given these guys a chance, then the result might have been a lot more satisfying. It's a real shame cause his vocals, while different from the old days (and rightly so), are truly amazing on some of these songs.
I really wish this CD wasn't such a disappointment. I really do. It's just that this is Mike Tramp, not White Lion. And it should be marketed this way. I'm inclined to believe there is some deceptive advertisement going on here.
The LION is back ROARING louder tha ever! May 2, 2008
Carlos Vernaza (Bogota D.C., Colombia)
4 out of 23 found this review helpful
I just wanted to say i just saw this band live in Bogota, Colombia... and they totally blew me away! I have never had the chance to see them, but they exceeded my expectations... i have no words! They are rocking harder than ever! As Tramp said... "Rock is back and alive like it never has been before"... and White Lion is guilty of that. Thank you!
 One lion does not constitute a pride May 2, 2008
molly1962
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
Sorry folks - this is a beyond terrible album.
Mike has lost his voice, and the songwriting is nowhere, anywhere, near up to the task of re-creating what White Lion once was.
This album should be called "No Pride."
It's godawful, I'm sorry to say - I love White Lion's music.
not disappointed here May 16, 2008
"Giles The Axeman" (North Carolina)
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
well iam not going to argue about whats what, but i'll give my opinion the best i can. white lion has been missing in action for almost 20 years. then all the sudden tramp puts an album out and of course me being an 80's metalhead in my day iam going to give it a try, mike tramp has done a excellent job replacing the original band members. great sound, sounds much more like pride than big game, but holds it on sound. tramps voice has gotting a little weak ,some parts of the album he sounds really good then other parts he sounds a little weak but not enough to disappoint. this album really grows on you about the 3rd time listing. battle of little big horn is a song that doesn't let you down along with dream going to do it my way and finally see the light are great songs. so it's up to you give it a try
|
|
|
We'll be adding even more exciting features to assist you in the coming year.
Thank you for shopping at the Depot.com online shopping depot.
©2008 Depot.com | |
