Pride

Pride is the breakthrough album, on which White Lion tied the force of hard rock to delicate, song-minded melody at a high level. Released on Atlantic in 1987, produced by Michael Wagener and recorded at Amigo Studios in Los Angeles, it reached number 11 on the Billboard 200, stayed on the chart a full year, and went double platinum. It is the band’s biggest success, made by the four of Mike Tramp, Vito Bratta, James LoMenzo and Greg D’Angelo. Vito Bratta’s guitar does not just flaunt speed but works as phrasing that widens a song’s emotion. “Wait” reached number 8, and the quiet ballad “When the Children Cry” — written after Live Aid — hit number 3, lifting the band fast with MTV exposure. “Tell Me” and “All You Need Is Rock 'n' Roll” were also singles, and Bratta won successive Best New Guitarist awards. The band then toured relentlessly, opening for AC/DC, Aerosmith, Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne. It stamped playing’s expression and singing’s sincerity into flashy 1980s hard rock.