White Lion – Big Game: When Glam Metal Got Political

A Third Album Born in Success’s Shadow

White Lion’s third studio album, Big Game, was released on June 5, 1989 in the United States and August 10, 1989 in Europe through Atlantic Records. For the band, this album proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Following the massive success of their 1987 breakthrough Pride, expectations from the label and fans reached stratospheric heights, but the band found themselves physically and mentally exhausted from relentless touring.

Mike Tramp and Vito Bratta had just two weeks to write the entire album in a Palm Springs hotel room. Both would later regret this decision, but at the time, label pressure and their own inexperience left them with little choice. In multiple interviews, Tramp candidly admitted the album felt unfinished. The band desperately needed time to recharge physically and mentally after endless touring, but that luxury never materialized.

Despite these circumstances, Big Game climbed to number 19 on the Billboard 200 and earned RIAA Gold certification for shipping 500,000 units. While commercially successful, it couldn’t escape the shadow of Pride’s double-platinum achievement.

Production Background: Tour Fatigue and Label Pressure

Pride had elevated White Lion to the top of the glam metal hierarchy. The power ballad “Wait” hit number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, while “When the Children Cry” climbed to number 3. The album spent an entire year on the Billboard 200, selling over two million copies in the United States alone. Vito Bratta received Best New Guitarist honors from both Guitar World and Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazines.

From 1987 through early 1989, the band toured non-stop. They shared stages with Frehley’s Comet, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Kiss, and Ozzy Osbourne. Most notably, when they opened for AC/DC’s Blow Up Your Video tour in January 1988, MTV began heavy rotation of the “Wait” music video, causing both the album and single to chart belatedly, nearly seven months after the single’s release.

But success demanded its price. Atlantic Records pressured the band to quickly follow up Pride’s momentum. The band needed six months of rest, but the label wouldn’t wait. Consequently, Big Game became a rushed product.

Musical Characteristics: Eclectic Experiments and Identity Crisis

Big Game aimed for a lighter sound than Pride. Producer Michael Wagener returned to work with the band, recording at Amigo Studios and Music Grinder Studios. The album was mixed at The Enterprise and mastered at Sterling Sound.

Vito Bratta’s guitar work remained the album’s centerpiece. His neoclassical phrasing rooted in classical training and technical solos shined throughout every track. Dual-tracked guitar layering added harmonic depth, while his fingerstyle techniques and whammy bar effects brought expressiveness to riffs and leads. Mike Tramp’s vocals delivered power and melody, while James LoMenzo’s bass and Greg D’Angelo’s drums established a solid rhythm section.

However, the album’s direction showed confusion. The band struggled with identity, attempting various styles. Covering Golden Earring’s 1973 hit “Radar Love” was a calculated commercial move. They hoped to replicate the success Quiet Riot, Great White, and Motley Crue had achieved by revamping ’70s rock classics, but White Lion’s version stalled at number 59 on the Hot 100.

An even stranger attempt was “If My Mind Is Evil.” This brooding heavy metal track aimed to attract Metallica fans. Tramp later admitted this choice was foolish, unable to understand why they targeted a fanbase that didn’t align with their musical identity. This revealed the band’s identity crisis.

Track by Track Analysis: Eleven Tracks Between Billboard Ambition and Political Conviction

Little Fighter: Greenpeace’s Glam Metal Anthem

The album’s first single, “Little Fighter,” reached number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the Mainstream Rock chart. This song was written to commemorate the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, which was sunk by French intelligence services in Auckland Harbor, New Zealand in 1985.

Tramp approached this song as a modern David versus Goliath story about the small standing against great power. The lyrics avoided specific incident references, instead creating a universal anthem of resilience and resistance.

This allowed many listeners to apply the song to their personal struggles. From wheelchair-bound soldiers to parents who lost children, countless people projected their own fighters onto this song. Tramp expressed how moved he was that the song reached so deeply into people’s lives and became their own story.

Vito Bratta’s guitar solo stands as the track’s highlight. His impressive sound created with the instrument added powerful emotion to the song. The album liner notes include the dedication “In Memory of the Rainbow Warrior.”

---

Radar Love: Golden Earring Reimagined

“Radar Love,” released as the album’s second single, stands out for its striking music video, where a beautiful female presence and Vito Bratta’s guitar solo seem to engage in a sensual, wordless dialogue through movement and sound.

Golden Earring’s original reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973, becoming a classic driving rock anthem. White Lion reinterpreted the song in their hard rock style but couldn’t fully capture the original’s groove and energy.

Some fans felt White Lion’s version carried more powerful energy, but chart performance disappointed. It stalled at number 59 on the Hot 100 with limited radio play. This track became a case study showing the band should have succeeded with their own original material.

---

Cry for Freedom: Mandela Solidarity

The third single, “Cry for Freedom,” stands as Big Game’s most political track. It opposed South African apartheid and expressed support for Nelson Mandela, then imprisoned, and those fighting for freedom.

The song’s title drew inspiration from the 1987 film “Cry Freedom.” Danish-born Tramp explained that his small country had always paid attention to world issues, and this international awareness influenced writing this song.

The lyrics pack power. Lines condemning apartheid’s injustice and depicting the brutal consequences of racist policies—children taken away, families destroyed, millions dying from starvation—hit hard.

Released as a single in 1990, it reached number 19 on the Dutch charts. The music video opened with black-and-white shots of prison bars and cemetery scenes, visually emphasizing the song’s heavy subject matter.

---

Other Notable Tracks

“Goin’ Home Tonight” opens the album as an energetic rocker. Bratta’s flashy riff work stands out, a track he mentioned in his 1989 Guitar World interview. “Dirty Woman” delivers traditional glam metal party anthem fare.

“Broken Home” addresses divorce’s impact on children, another example of White Lion tackling social themes. “Living on the Edge” features mid-tempo rock with Bratta’s melodic guitar work taking center stage.

“Baby Be Mine” contains the solo Bratta considers his proudest across his entire career. He revealed the solo sounds like an echo machine but actually resulted from playing along with himself, and he loves how it turned out. This track showcases Bratta’s restrained yet expressive playing prowess.

---

Vito Bratta’s Guitar Work: Technical Peak of the ’80s

Vito Bratta’s guitar performance on Big Game represents the technical zenith of 1980s hard rock guitarists. Gracing the September 1989 Guitar World magazine cover, Bratta was influenced by Eddie Van Halen but remained among the few guitarists who established their own unique style.

“Little Fighter’s” solo showcases Bratta’s tapping technique brilliance. Mike Tramp compared Bratta’s playing to Mozart, praising the solo performance style shown in tracks like Wait and Little Fighter. Tramp also assessed that Bratta operated at an unmatched level as both guitarist and songwriter-musician, with his excellent solos proving this point.

Bratta’s tapping skills earned high praise within the music industry. Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde mentioned Bratta as the only guitarist whose tapped playing he enjoys, naming Wait’s solo among the best he’s heard. Producer Michael Wagener also identified Bratta as his favorite guitarist on the 2007 Eddie Trunk Show.

“Goin’ Home Tonight” highlights Bratta’s flashy riffwork. Rather than simply playing power chords, he developed a fingerpicking style that simultaneously performed bass lines, chord progressions, and melody lines. This represented a unique approach applying classical, blues, country, and bluegrass player techniques to hard rock.

Bratta recorded most solos in single takes. “Little Fighter’s” solo was also completed on the first attempt, demonstrating his exceptional improvisational ability and compositional skill. When composing solos, he first conceived vocal melodies then decorated them with guitar technique. According to his explanation, some notes in a solo carry the melody line while others serve as small ornamentations or technical elements.

Critical Reception: Genre Fatigue and Innovation Shortage

Big Game received harsh critical evaluation upon release. Britain’s rock magazine Kerrang! gave the album one out of five stars, criticizing severely. Reviewers pointed to innovation shortage amid the flood of similar glam metal releases.

Critics assessed the band as adhering to familiar hard rock formulas. While Vito Bratta’s technical prowess and melodic solos earned recognition, that alone proved insufficient to differentiate the album from competitors. Tracks addressing sociopolitical themes like “Little Fighter” and “Cry for Freedom” drew attention for diverging from typical party anthems, but weren’t enough to elevate the album beyond competent territory.

Fan-oriented outlets emphasized the album’s high-energy riffs and anthemic choruses as live performance strengths, contrasting with mainstream critics’ predictability dismissals.

Late 1989 marked a period showing signs of change in the glam metal scene. Audiences increasingly turned toward heavier sounds or alternative rock. Big Game’s glossy production and melodic approach already felt dated.

Commercial Performance and Touring

The album quickly earned Gold certification after release. On August 9, 1989, the RIAA recognized 500,000 units shipped. However, it couldn’t replicate Pride’s double-platinum success. Big Game reached number 28 in Canada and number 47 in the UK.

Singles also failed to match Pride’s hit songs’ chart success. Though “Little Fighter,” “Radar Love,” and “Cry for Freedom” all produced music videos aired on MTV, they couldn’t generate chart momentum.

Following the album’s release, the band continued touring with Ozzy Osbourne in the United States. In fall 1989, they headlined their own European tour. In the UK, they opened for Motley Crue’s arena shows alongside Skid Row. They also performed with Cinderella.

However, UK performances fell short of expectations, and mixed album reviews affected band morale. By late 1989, the band decided to take several months’ rest and focus on writing their next album.

Legacy and Reevaluation

Big Game remains an underrated work in White Lion’s discography. Pride’s shadow and the rushed production process meant this album never fully realized the band’s potential.

However, over time, some fans and critics began reevaluating the album. The socially conscious “Little Fighter” and “Cry for Freedom” proved glam metal wasn’t merely about parties and girls. White Lion challenged genre stereotypes by addressing serious subjects like environmental protection and human rights.

Vito Bratta’s guitar performance throughout the album remains impressive. His technical ability and melodic sensibility ranked among the late 1980s’ finest. Ironically, Bratta completely disappeared from the music industry after White Lion’s 1992 breakup. Secluding himself on Long Island due to wrist injury and caring for his ailing father, he wasn’t discovered until 2007 by radio DJ Eddie Trunk.

In 2015, Rock Candy Records released a remastered Collector’s Edition including bonus tracks and expanded liner notes. In 2020, HNE Recordings issued a 5-CD box set “All You Need Is Rock ‘N’ Roll: The Complete Albums 1985-1991” featuring White Lion’s complete 1985-1991 catalog.

For the 35th anniversary in 2024, Friday Music released a Translucent Gold Vinyl Limited Edition celebrating the album’s legacy. Mastered by Joe Reagoso (White Lion/Winger) from original Atlantic Records tapes, this special edition featured gatefold packaging.

Mike Tramp continued reinterpreting White Lion’s music. In 2023, he re-recorded “Cry for Freedom” and “Little Fighter” for the “Songs of White Lion” album, and in August 2024 released “Songs of White Lion Vol. II.” Vol. II included re-recorded versions of “Lights and Thunder” plus “Lonely Nights,” “Out with the Boys,” “The Road to Valhalla,” and “Till Death Do Us Part.” These projects proved Big Game era tracks still hold meaning for him.

An Imperfect Ambitious Work

Big Game isn’t a perfect album. Rushed production, identity confusion, and the unfortunate timing of emerging genre fatigue all played roles. However, this album demonstrates White Lion’s effort to become more than just a glam metal band.

Raising voices for environmental and human rights causes, attempting to combine guitar virtuosity with melodic composition—these ambitions showed reach. Though not perfectly realized, Big Game serves as a fascinating time capsule revealing rock music’s transitional period in the late 1980s.

What if Mike Tramp and Vito Bratta had taken six months’ rest and sufficient time to craft the album? That question remains forever unanswered. Yet within its imperfections, Big Game captures a portrait of a band striving to maintain artistic authenticity under success’s pressure.

Thirty-five years later, Big Game’s legacy continues. The 2024 35th anniversary Translucent Gold Vinyl release and Mike Tramp’s “Songs of White Lion Vol. II” demonstrate these album tracks still possess vitality. Vito Bratta’s guitar solos still inspire younger guitarists like Zakk Wylde, while “Little Fighter” and “Cry for Freedom’s” social messages resonate even today.

Big Game may not represent White Lion’s finest moment. But it captures a moment when they tried saying something meaningful through music. That alone makes it worthy of reevaluation.

More on White Lion

• [Music Video Collection] White Lion: History & Playlist