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"Dirty and desperate and wild and angry and sweet and bluesy, and it flattens everyone and everything in its path. And when the lights come up and the band crawls backstage ... every single hot wet face in the place is smiling an enormous smile. That was the best of Great White."
Sylvie Simmons, "Best Of Great White" Introduction, 1993
I've loved the music of Great White ever since I grabbed a copy of the "Great White" album (in fact an Arab pirate copy titled "Stick It") when I was 16 or 17, 1984 or 1985. I was blown away by the album, and became even more impressed by the band when I saw them supporting David Lee Roth at the London Hammersmith Odeon in 1987 or 1988: safe to say that Great White were the top band on the stage that night!
Throughout the shocking marketing of the band by Columbia Records in the UK, I bought all the formats. For example, "...Twice Shy", "...Twice Shy" with two bonus tracks, "...Twice Shy" with an extra live disc (all but three tracks of which we'd already bought on "Recovery: Live"). Still, the band were worth the excessive amounts!
After being dropped by Columbia, the band released a few albums on Zoo and Imago, and now have a major deal once again with Sony. They have just released an excellent (if a little too acoustic!) album called "Can't Get There From Here".
On 6th May 1999 I saw Great White live for the first time since 1987/88. This was at the Woughton Centre in Milton Keynes, England, and was the best gig I've been to in...oh, 11 or 12 years... :) The above quotation, "...when the lights come up...every single hot wet face in the place is smiling..." was still absolutely accurate. I was right up the front with my brother for the whole gig, having a whale (!) of a time. At one point, when I had to visit the toilet, I noticed that the people right at the back were having just as much fun!
After the gig, we hung around outside and wound up meeting the guys in the band. Jack came out first and made us all laugh (one funny bloke!), and when he dragged the rest of the band out they signed my ticket:
While all the guys seemed very friendly, we spoke to Audie for a long time, and he was very much the genial host. Thanks Audie, you're a gent!
It cost me hundreds of pounds to go and see them in May, and it was the best (and best-value!) night out I've had in years! I've seen them twice since, both times in London, and both times have given an excellent night out. Well worth it. Unfortunately, most of the band from that night are no longer with Great White, with all but Jack Russell and Michael Lardie being replaced by hired hands, which is a great shame...
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From Kerrang! No
161, dated 7th November 1987. An entertaining interview with the guys by (and ©) Sylvie Simmons, pictures by (and ©) Ross Halfin. Fascinating stuff, some of which was reproduced in the sleeve notes to "Best Of". |
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Go on, spread your
fins a little and fill your gills with the oxygenated water of official and non-official
sites. None of them as good as this one, natch... |
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A few Endangered
Shark Species, CDs which may have eluded many people. Some are official releases
which have become soooo rare, others are less official. All are well worth owning! |
