The Great Radio Controversy
The Great Radio Controversy is the second album by American hard rock band Tesla, released in 1989. The album's sound has been described as "glam metal to play inside the cab of a tractor-blusey denim and downright wholesome".[6]
The Great Radio Controversy | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 1, 1989[1] | |||
Recorded | 1988 | |||
Studio | Bearsville (Bearsville, New York) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 59:18 | |||
Label | Geffen | |||
Producer | ||||
Tesla chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Great Radio Controversy | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[3] |
Kerrang! | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The hit singles "Love Song", "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)", "Hang Tough" and "The Way It Is" received considerable airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball, and rocketed the band to stardom.
The album is titled after the controversy about the identity of the inventor of radio. It is posited that Serbian engineer Nikola Tesla (whom the band is named after) is the true inventor of radio, while the Italian Guglielmo Marconi took the credit and is widely regarded as having the title. The album's inner sleeve recounts this story.
The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA on July 23, 1998.[1]
Critical reception
Kirk Blows, reviewer of British music newspaper Music Week gave positive response to the album. He thinks that the album musical material will ″satisfy even the most fastidious rock fan″. He writes, ″There's plenty of light and shade here too, all conveyed with an overwhelming air of confidence from a band set to expand on their promising base″.[7]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Hang Tough" | Jeff Keith, Tommy Skeoch, Frank Hannon, Brian Wheat | 4:21 |
2. | "Lady Luck" | Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Wheat | 3:39 |
3. | "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)" | Keith, Skeoch | 4:41 |
4. | "Be a Man" | Keith, Hannon, Skeoch | 4:20 |
5. | "Lazy Days, Crazy Nights" | Keith, Skeoch | 4:26 |
6. | "Did It for the Money" | Keith, Skeoch, Hannon | 4:25 |
7. | "Yesterdaze Gone" | Keith, Hannon | 3:43 |
8. | "Makin' Magic" | Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Wheat | 5:03 |
9. | "The Way It Is" | Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Troy Luccketta | 5:14 |
10. | "Flight to Nowhere" | Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Wheat | 4:43 |
11. | "Love Song" | Keith, Hannon | 5:20 |
12. | "Paradise" | Keith, Hannon, Wheat | 4:59 |
13. | "Party's Over" | Keith, Hannon, Skeoch | 4:24 |
Personnel
- Tesla
- Jeff Keith – vocals
- Tommy Skeoch – guitars, backing vocals
- Frank Hannon – guitars, piano, synthesizer, organ
- Brian Wheat – bass, backing vocals
- Troy Luccketta – drums
- Production
- Steve Thompson – producer, mixing at Mediasound, New York City
- Michael Barbiero – producer, engineer, mixing
- George Cowan – additional recording and assistant engineer
- Vic Deyglio – assistant engineer
- George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York City
- Barry Diament – CD mastering at BDA, New York City
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
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1989 | "Heaven's Trail" | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US)[12] | 13 |
"Hang Tough" | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US)[12] | 34 | |
1990 | "Love Song" | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US)[12] | 7 |
Billboard Hot 100 (US)[13] | 10 | ||
"The Way It Is" | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US)[12] | 13 | |
Billboard Hot 100 (US)[13] | 55 | ||
Certifications
Country | Organization | Year | Sales |
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US | RIAA[1] | 1998 | 2× platinum |
Total available sales: | (+ 2,000,000) |
Accolades
Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank |
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Rolling Stone | US | 50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time[14] | 11 |
L.A. Weekly | US | Chuck Klosterman's Favorite Hair Metal Albums[15] | 18 |
Martin Popoff | US | The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time[16] | 415 |
See also
References
- "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- Huey, Steve. "The Great Radio Controversy - Tesla | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 353. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- Guy, Lyn (January 28, 1989). "Radioactive". Kerrang!. No. 223. p. 14. ISSN 0262-6624.
- Neely, Kim (May 4, 1989). "Tesla: The Great Radio Controversy: Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
- Klosterman, Chuck (2007). Fargo Rock City : a Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota. 3M Company. Scribner. pp. 160–161. ISBN 978-1-4165-8952-5. OCLC 869442403.
- Blows, Kirk (4 February 1989). "Review: Tesla – The Great Radio Controversy" (PDF). Music Week. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 22. ISSN 0265-1548. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021 – via American Radio History.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Tesla – The Great Radio Controversy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Tesla Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Tesla | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Tesla Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- "Tesla Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- "50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. October 13, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- Westhoff, Ben (6 December 2011). "Chuck Klosterman's Favorite Hair Metal Albums". LA Weekly. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- Popoff, Martin (2004). The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time. Chicago: ECW Press. p. 415. ISBN 978-1-55490-600-0. OCLC 705538374.