The Great Radio Controversy

The Great Radio Controversy is the second album by American rock band Tesla, released in 1989. The songs combine 1980s metal with some blues-influenced elements, as well as the occasional love ballad.[2] The record features many two-part counterpoints provided by guitarists Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch, on both electric and acoustic guitars.

The Great Radio Controversy
Studio album by
Tesla
ReleasedFebruary 1, 1989
Recorded1988
StudioBearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York, US
Genre
Length59:18
LabelGeffen
Producer
Tesla chronology
Mechanical Resonance
(1986)		 The Great Radio Controversy
(1989)		 Five Man Acoustical Jam
(1990)
Singles from The Great Radio Controversy
  1. "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)"
    Released: January 1989
  2. "Hang Tough"
    Released: April 1989
  3. "Love Song"
    Released: September 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[3]
Kerrang![4]
Rolling Stone[5]

The hit singles "Love Song", "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)", "Hang Tough" and "The Way It Is" received considerable MTV airplay and rocketed the band to stardom. Many tracks on this album later received acoustic versions on their follow-up album, Five Man Acoustical Jam, a precursor of the Unplugged trend.

The album is titled after the controversy about the identity of the inventor of radio. It is posited that Serbian engineer Nikola Tesla (whom the band is named after) is the true inventor of radio, while the Italian Guglielmo Marconi took the credit and is widely regarded as having the title. The album's inner sleeve recounts this story.

The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA on July 23, 1998.[6]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hang Tough"Jeff Keith, Tommy Skeoch, Frank Hannon, Brian Wheat4:21
2."Lady Luck"Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Wheat3:39
3."Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)"Keith, Skeoch4:41
4."Be a Man"Keith, Hannon, Skeoch4:20
5."Lazy Days, Crazy Nights"Keith, Skeoch4:26
6."Did It for the Money"Keith, Skeoch, Hannon4:25
7."Yesterdaze Gone"Keith, Hannon3:43
8."Makin' Magic"Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Wheat5:03
9."The Way It Is"Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Troy Luccketta5:14
10."Flight to Nowhere"Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Wheat4:43
11."Love Song"Keith, Hannon5:20
12."Paradise"Keith, Hannon, Wheat4:59
13."Party's Over"Keith, Hannon, Skeoch4:24

Personnel
Tesla
Production
  • Steve Thompson – producer, mixing at Media Sound, New York City
  • Michael Barbiero – producer, engineer, mixing
  • George Cowan – additional recording and assistant engineer
  • Vic Deyglio – assistant engineer
  • George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York City
  • Barry Diament – CD mastering at BDA, New York City

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1989 Billboard 200 (US)[7] 18

Singles and Album Tracks

Year Single Chart Position
1989 Hang Tough Mainstream Rock Tracks (US)[8] 34
Love Song Mainstream Rock Tracks (US)[8] 7
Billboard Hot 100 (US)[9] 10
1990 The Way It Is Mainstream Rock Tracks (US)[8] 13
Billboard Hot 100 (US)[9] 55
1991 Paradise (Five Man Acoustical Jam version) Mainstream Rock Tracks (US)[8] 28

References
  1. "50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. October 13, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  2. Huey, Steve. "The Great Radio Controversy - Tesla | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  3. Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 353. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  4. Guy, Lyn (January 28, 1989). "Radioactive". Kerrang!. No. 223. p. 14. ISSN 0262-6624.
  5. Neely, Kim (May 4, 1989). "Tesla: The Great Radio Controversy: Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  6. "RIAA Searchable Database: search for Tesla". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  7. "Tesla Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  8. "Tesla Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  9. "Tesla Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
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