Lightning to the Nations
Lightning to the Nations is the debut album from Diamond Head, the British heavy metal band, released in 1980. It is also known as The White Album, because it first appeared in a plain white sleeve with no title or track listing. The name came later, taken from the opening track.
Major labels showed no interest, so the band put it out through Happy Face Records, owned by Muff Murfin, producer at The Old Smithy studio in Worcester. They felt they had to get moving, with Iron Maiden and Def Leppard already becoming big names. Metal Blade reissued it on CD in 1992, and Sanctuary restored the original white sleeve in 2001 with seven bonus tracks from singles and EPs of the period. It is a fine place to hear traditional heavy metal in its early, self-made form.
Lightning to the Nations: tracklist, credits and charts
7 tracks · 41:30Tracklist
- 1Lightning to the NationsSean Harris and Brian Tatler4:15
- 2The PrinceSean Harris and Brian Tatler6:26
- 3Sucking My Love9:30
- 4Am I EvilSean Harris and Brian Tatler7:41
- 5Sweet and Innocent3:10
- 6It’s Electric3:34
- 7HelplessSean Harris and Brian Tatler6:54
- Produced by
- Diamond Head, Reg Fellows
- Recorded at
- Old Smithy Recording Studio, Worcester, England
- Recorded
- March 1980
- Label
- Happy Face
- Length
- 41:30
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2020 | 7 |
| UK Independent Albums · 2020 | 26 |
| Scottish Albums · 2020 | 77 |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 3 October
Every year →
More from Diamond Head
Full discography →
The best of 1980
All of 1980 →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date sources disagree on the year (1979, 1980)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 3 October 1980 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 3 October 1980 | |
| Wikidata | 1979 | |
| UK / Europe release | 3 October 1980 | earliest UK or European date |
10 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | GB | Happy Face | other | |
| 3 October 1980 | GB | Happy Face | original | |
| 3 October 1980 | GB | [no label] | original | |
| 9 December 1993 | US | Metal Blade Records | 039841400625 | other |
| 20 June 1997 | DE | High Vaultage Records | 4030554000146 | other |
| 2001 | GB | Castle Music | 5050159123926 | other |
| 2011 | XE | Universal UMC | 602527850269 | deluxe |
| 2016 | XE | Hear No Evil Recordings Ltd | 5013929917927 | other |
| 2022 | CZ | Silver Lining Music | 190296144097 | other |
| 30 September 2022 | XW | Silver Lining Music | remaster |
Cover art sources
fanarttv · upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| fanarttv ✓ | 1000×1000 | upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50) |
| coverartarchive | 1000×1038 | rejected |