GREAT WHITE recovery: live ! EMS1302

Recovering in London: Great White’s UK ‘Recovery: Live!’ (EMS 1302)

Today’s entry looks at a specific UK pressing from the American blues-hard rockers Great White. This is the 1988 album “Recovery: Live!”, released on Capitol Records with the catalog number EMS 1302.

This release is particularly interesting for collectors because it differs significantly from its American counterpart. While the original US version of “Recovery: Live!” featured early material from 1982, the band and label felt that for this European release, it would be more appropriate to include a recent recording from London. Consequently, Side B of this LP features the band recorded live at the legendary Marquee Club on December 18, 1987. This side showcases the band in their prime, delivering tracks like “Shot In The Dark” and “Gonna Getcha.”

Side A presents a different kind of live performance. Recorded in 1986, these tracks were captured directly to a 2-track recorder with no overdubs. The liner notes candidly explain that this session was necessitated by a “contractual obligation,” and was the band’s way of making the best of a “sticky situation.” Despite the unpolished nature of the recording, it highlights the band’s raw talent and deep blues-rock roots through energetic covers of Led Zeppelin (“Immigrant Song,” “Rock N Roll”), Jimi Hendrix (“Red House”), and Humble Pie (“I Don’t Need No Doctor”).

EMS 1302 stands as a unique document in Great White’s discography, offering a distinct tracklist tailored for the UK market that separates it from the standard US release. It captures the band stripping it down to their influences and delivering their signature bluesy swagger live on the London stage.