WHITE LION – Anthology ’83 – ’89 [Compiled by Mike Tramp] (2021)
Deadline / CleoRecs in conjunction to WHITE LION frontman Mike Tramp has released Anthology ’83 – ’89, a selection of very early recordings by the band compiled by Tramp himself and remastered to get the best quality audio possible – and the overall results are very good.
Among the highlights there’s original versions of “Wait,” “When The Children Cry” and “Lady Of The Valley” which were later re-recorded for the band’s monster major label debut ‘Pride’. We find as well rare, high quality studio demos of tracks from ‘Mane Attraction’ and ‘Big Game’, including songs that didn’t make the final cut of those albums.
What we have here is a comprehensive set of demos, alternate versions and unreleased tracks put together by Mike Tramp. That might put a few people off, but trust me, this is an essential purchase for the White Lion fan.
First, the sound quality of these songs is very good, and second hearing these early versions and comparing them to the definitive is more than just interesting. The songs differ enough to stand on their own and in many cases are much heavier than the ones that ended up being released…