TESLA — The Great Radio Controversy (review)

TESLA — The Great Radio Controversy album cover

Album · 1989 · Hard Rock

4.5/5 · 2019-03-27
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Sacramento, CA based TESLA caught the attention of the hard rock and metal world in 1986 when they successfully upgraded the 70s heavy rock sound with elements of 80s metal and found great success with the debut “Mechanical Resonance.” In the midst of the glam metal saturation that constituted the latter half of the 80s and early 90s, TESLA stuck to their guns and continued to develop their sound into more creative territory as well as sticking to their no nonsense image more akin to 70s rockers rather than the hairspray overkill of their contemporaries. Nevertheless, despite it all, TESLA still got lumped into the overall glam metal scene since musically speaking, the band delivered strong catchy compositions based on blues based melodies laced with an upgraded 80s energetic delivery complete with guitar solo wankery. This naturally found them on tour with artists such as David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard and Poison which found even greater exposure.

By the time the band released their sophomore album THE GREAT RADIO CONTROVERSY, the band whose name and album title paid homage to one of history’s greatest scientific minds also improved much of what was started on the debut. With a much larger fanbase by the time this album was released in 1989, the band found even greater success as it not only raced to Billboard’s top 20 but also surprisingly spawned a top ten hit with “Love Song” which ironically hit the the top ten simultaneously with The Cure’s top ten hit of the same title. Despite the band not exactly fitting into the status quo imagery or lyrical content, they found their greatest moments at this time when all their stars aligned and they delivered the most consistent album of their career. THE GREAT RADIO CONTROVERSY delivered the goods and was what classic rock dreams were made of, namely strong tightly woven songs that delivered instantly catchy hooks, heavy rock grit and excellent performances from the band’s competent musicians.

“Hang Tough” instantly displays how TESLA improved their unique style as it begins with Brian Wheat’s beefy bass line before the twin guitar attack from Tommy Sketch and Frank Hannon ushers in Jeff Keith’s unique vocal style. Once this intro track hooks you, the tracks just keep getting better with clever sound effects that usher in many of the tracks but never deviating from the hooky heft of the guitar riffs and the vocal counterpoints. Tracks like “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)” with its innovative use of slide guitar within a metal song context as well as a more developed lyrical concept of a more existentialist nature allowed TESLA to display how they were on a higher musical plane than the silly shallowness of many of the glam acts that were popular during the day. Likewise, Hannon delivers some of the most exciting guitar solos on this track but is quite innovative on the album’s entire run. “Be A Man” also relies heavily on guitar slides as it pontificates the essence of true masculinity.

While tracks like “Lazy Days, Crazy Nights” and “Did It For The Money” may sound more like B-side KISS titles, the tracks in fact exude some of TESLA’s creative mojo with innovative riffing styles, instrumental interplay and a strong sense of melodic and harmonic deliveries. While the two singles “Love Song” and “The Way It Is” are sing along ballads, they are exquisitely designed with more complexities than say a Bon Jovi or Poison ballad of the era and are an exception rather than the rule for a predominately heavy rock album that delivers the hard rock goods. “The Way It Is” co-written by drummer Troy Lucckketta eschews the cheesiness of 80s metal ballads and exudes a genuineness unmatched in the era. While all the tracks have instant hook values, perhaps the strongest of the lot are not only the aforementioned “Heaven’s Trail” but “Makin’ Magic,” “Paradise,” “Lady Luck” and “Flight To Nowhere.” While the heavy rockers are all stellar examples of 80s heaviness, the ballads are equally compelling.

TESLA were the real deal. The music was from the heart and not slick and gimmicky like many trying to cash in on the trends. This still gives it a relevancy three decades after this album’s release in 1989. While a song or two about the great Nikola Tesla would have been appreciated, the band nevertheless were enslaved by the record companies of the day and skirted a fine line between complete innovation and commercial delivery but it’s this perfectly walked tightrope act that allows this one to work so incredibly well. THE GREAT RADIO CONTROVERSY may be less heavy than its predecessor or the following studio album “Psychotic Supper” but exhibits some of the 80s most innovative tracks in all of the heavy metal / hard rock world. While this album would prove to be the pinnacle of TESLA’s career before the grunge takeover a few years later, the album has aged surprisingly well. This is one of my favorite examples of melodic hard rock / heavy metal of the entire 80s with 13 really strong tracks that flow together perfectly. This album finds that band at their creative peak as well as in top form in the performances. In other words, this album is outstanding!