White Spirit - Right Or Wrong

[Stefan]

 

This was released last year and pretty good it is.

 

From Andy Rethmeier's Youtube channel:

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ... well not quite that far away, Hartlepool in County Durham to be precise, a band of rare quality was formed. That band was called White Spirit and after their debut single, "Backs To The Grind" was released on the legendary Neat Records in 1980, the major labels came knocking. They were eager to snap up a band that had far more to offer than the majority of NWOBHM bands that they were lazily bracketed with. MCA Records won the race to sign White Spirit and with a line-up of Phil Brady, Graeme Crallan, Janick Gers, Malcolm Pearson and Bruce Ruff, their self-titled debut album was released later in 1980 to great acclaim. A constant schedule of touring saw the band build up a large and loyal following, but changes in personnel saw Janick Gers join Ian Gillan, to be replaced by Mick Tucker. Toby Sadler took over bass duties from Phil Brady and Bruce Ruff made way for an unknown singer, called Brian Howe. The new and improved White Spirit entered the studio to work on their second album with then Gillan keysman Colin Towns at the production helm. Alas, the album was never completed, the band broke up and musicians went their separate ways. Mick Tucker joined Tank, later followed by Graeme Crallan. Sadler slid easily into Airrace. Mal Pearson stepped away from music for a spell before returning to action with legends The Sweet. Singer Brian Howe crossed the Atlantic and became frontman for Ted Nugent, before achieving mega platinum success as the replacement for Paul Rodgers in Bad Company. So White Spirit were seemingly consigned to music history, with former members proceeding to forge impressive careers built on this promising foundation. 

Four decades on and the location of these 2nd album sessions remained a mystery. Presumed to have been consigned to a skip, as was the fate of so many priceless mastertapes carelessly discarded over the years. The day following Brian Howe’s tragic death from a heart attack in May 2020, Tucker and Pearson were on the phone reflecting on those heady White Spirit days. The missing tapes were once more discussed, but still neither had any idea where to find them. Fate stepped in, and whilst preparing to relocate to France, Mal Pearson was rifling through his furniture in storage when he found a dusty old bedside cabinet. Inside were four sets of tapes. One labelled Chiswick Studios – White Spirit. This was it. The one they’d all thought was lost for ever. The tape was handed over to Conquest Music boss and Tank guitarist Cliff Evans. He arranged for the delicate and risky process of baking the tapes to preserve and retrieve the old recordings and transfer them to digital. Successful as the process was, the sound quality of some elements of the tracks were just not good enough for today’s ears, so Tucker & Pearson decided to replace all of the musical accompaniment with a stellar line-up of players. Neil Murray (Whitesnake) and Russell Gilbrook (Uriah Heep) made up the rhythm section, with the guitars and keyboards replaced by Mick and Mal.

 

Tracklisting:

1. Right Or Wrong (lead vocals – Jeff Scott Soto)

2 .Runaway (lead vocals – Brian Howe)

3. The Dice Rolls On (lead vocals – Lee Small)

4. Lady Of The Night (lead vocals – Brian Howe)

5. Gotta Get Out (lead vocals – Brian Howe)

6. Better Watch Out (lead vocals – Jeff Scott Soto)

7. Don't Say No (lead vocals – Lee Small)

8. Wait A Little Longer (lead vocals – Brian Howe)

9. Holy Water (lead vocals – Steve Overland)

10. Rock And Roll (Is Good For You) (lead vocals – Brian Howe)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by Stefan

[Jez]

This made my recommended list for last year. Far removed sound/style wise from the awesome debut album and only one of the original lineup is featured,  but very very good all the same.