by Derric Miller
— Managing Editor —
Now this is purely rubbing salt in the wounds of all longtime Great White fans. The re-released and re-mastered two-CD set, Stage, is Great White together with singer Jack Russell and guitarist Mark Kendall. For a short period of time, Great White was the most talented band in the world, and to wear that crown, you need to pull it off live. Stage is proof that for a moment in time … no band could touch Great White.
The first disc features acoustic and full versions of classics like “Sail Away,” “House of Broken Love” and “Afterglow.” Great White had two dynamic talents every other band they got lumped in with should have been jealous of–a world class singer in Russell, and a guitarist in Kendall who instead of frantically tapping out meaningless leads, let his soul bleed onto those guitar strings, and his blood was blue … it was all the Blues.
The aforementioned “House of Broken Love” is sexy as hell. It’s Russell’s soulful, passionate plea for love and Kendall weaving it all together with lustful notes of wanton need. Russell’s vocal run at the end of the track, smooth, unrestrained, is damn near impossible to reproduce. Unfortunately for the current version of Great White, they keep finding that out.
It’s almost insane this was recorded, produced and remastered with zero overdubs or paltry “fixes.” Pure talent doesn’t need parlor tricks.
Disc two features another one of those “is this real life?” moments when you hear “Old Rose Motel.” This song allows Kendall some room to breath and show he can groove some Hard Rock licks, but Michael Lardie’s haunting keys soften the blow. The immense energy, and dammit, synergy of Great White at their peak is almost unearthly.
If you are into Led Zeppelin covers, Russell for some reason had to sing “Babe (I’m Gonna Leave You)” before other bands and singers started giving him public props. All the fans knew it, but with an industry hell-bent on always being “the best!”, it was refreshing to just hear some of his peers admit Russell is one of a kind.
For the casual fans, “Rock Me” and “Once Bitten Twice Shy” are on this disc as well. “Rock Me” should have been bigger, since it encapsulated all of Great White’s otherworldly talents, and the cover is here simply because it was popular to the novices.
Stage is painful to listen to. Great White was the best band in the world, albeit that torch gets passed along quickly–they still held it for a while. Then, the entire Hard Rock industry went through dire times, tragedy struck the band in Rhode Island, Russell became an addict and nearly lost more than his place in the band, and nothing has been the same since.
Today, there are two Great Whites, the other being Jack Russell’s Great White. It’s not the same, it’ll never be the same, and to catch lightning in a bottle even once is a miracle. Both bands are touring and recording, and both whisper at shadows of what used to be–but they never do more than that.
In the end, it’s a win for everyone that both Russell and Kendall continue to make new music, and the fans are better off for it. Russell won’t find his Kendall, and Kendall won’t find his Russell, but at least the rest of the world can find Stage, healed wounds or not.
Genre: Hard Rock
Band:
Jack Russell – lead and backing vocals
Mark Kendall – guitar, backing vocals
Michael Lardie – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Teddy Cook – bass, backing vocals
Audie Desbrow – drums
Tracklisting:
Disc 1 (House of Blues, Los Angeles, 1994)
“Train to Nowhere” – 4:43
“Sail Away” – 5:09
“House of Broken Love” – 6:31
“Maybe Someday” – 7:48
“Congo Square” – 7:24
“Afterglow” – 6:06
Disc 2 (The Celebrity Theater, Anaheim, 1993)
“Face the Day” – 5:43
“Old Rose Motel” – 6:26
“Babe (I’m Gonna Leave You)” – 7:15
“Rock Me” – 7:29
“Can’t Shake It” – 5:24
“Once Bitten, Twice Shy” – 5:40
Label: Deadline Music/Cleopatra Records
Online:
https://orcd.co/greatwhitestage
Hardrock Haven rating: 
(9.3 / 10)
