The American rock band Tesla was formed in 1984 in California but somehow managed to become very un-Cali… they hit the scene hard with Mechanical Resonance and caught the music industry’s attention not only for their “are they rock, hard rock, metal, blues metal?” difficult to peg status but an under the radar musical intelligence… as their lyrics generally strayed away from the benign and banal…
The band's original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarists Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch, bassist Brian Wheat, and drummer Troy Luccketta.
Tesla also managed to distinguish themselves further with their tee shirt, jeans, lit Marlboro image which must have had everyone thinking “One of these things is not like the other” when in the early days of their career they were touring with the likes of Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Def Leppard, and Poison . Yes they paid their dues.
It took three years before the band released their second album, The Great Radio Controversy. The album helped solidify the band's growing reputation and fan base possibly because of the grand slam hit "Love Song" which became a blueprint for rock bands to refer to when crafting the home run. Many consider The Great Radio Controversy to be the major early release from Tesla, taking the best from Mechanical Resonance and building on it.
It’s been twenty years since The Great Radio Controversy did just that… caused a storm on radios across the world... would it do the same today? Let’s take a listen…
The Great Radio Controversy 1989 Geffen Records
Starting off with “Hang Tough” The Great Radio Controversy highlights the synchronicity of guitarists Hannon and Skeoch and heralds a premonition of a slight departure from Mechanical Resonance…
Vocalist Jeff Keith is in pure form, as his whiskey sour laden tone is the bluesy, dark alley kind of front Tesla’s songs need. “Heaven’s Trail” is the next attention grabbing track and a sure bet to bob your head in rock defiance.
Tracks 4-10 are appetizing enough, there’s a bit of finger food and ear candy here and there but nothing that causes one to hit skip play… it’s a build up, to what- the listener is not sure until track 11, “Love Song”. Granted, there isn’t any new news here…same advice for the love lorn that many bands before have given but it’s Keith’s vocals and the band’s willingness to give him full throttle that sets it apart. The guitar break is delightfully not overplayed, as Hannon and Skeoch once again know how to give each other breathing room. The result? An exceptionally well crafted ballad that if Tesla never penned another tune, would still stand on its own.
The Great Radio Controversy is a career shaping collection of tunes that demonstrate that stripped down rock melodies, scratchy and rasping vocals and spot on delivery are indeed a departure from the norm. Let’s give thanks to the Gods of rock.
4.5 Stars
