The Great Radio Controversy by Tesla, album cover
Album

The Great Radio Controversy

LabelGeffen
Popularity58.4

The Great Radio Controversy is the second studio album by American hard rock band Tesla, released on 1 February 1989 through Geffen. It followed their debut, Mechanical Resonance (1986), and came before Psychotic Supper (1991). The title nods to the old dispute over who really invented radio. The band, named after the Serbian engineer Nikola Tesla, side with him over Guglielmo Marconi, and the story is told on the inner sleeve.

Musically it sits somewhere between hard rock and glam metal, though with a down-to-earth, denim-clad feel rather than anything flashy. "Love Song", "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)", "Hang Tough" and "The Way It Is" all got plenty of airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball, and the run of singles turned the band into stars. The RIAA certified the album double platinum in 1998.

The Great Radio Controversy: tracklist, credits and charts

13 tracks · 59:51

Tracklist

  1. 1Hang ToughHannon, Keith, Luccketta, Skeoch, Wheat4:22
  2. 2Lady LuckHannon, Keith, Skeoch, Wheat3:46
  3. 3Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)Jeff Keith and Tommy Skeoch4:44
  4. 4Be a ManHannon, Keith, Skeoch4:30
  5. 5Lazy Days, Crazy NightsJeff Keith and Tommy Skeoch4:27
  6. 6Did It for the MoneyHannon, Keith, Skeoch4:28
  7. 7Yesterdaze GoneFrank Hannon and Jeff Keith3:46
  8. 8Makin' MagicHannon, Keith, Skeoch, Wheat5:07
  9. 9The Way It IsHannon, Keith, Luccketta, Skeoch5:09
  10. 10Flight to NowhereHannon, Keith, Skeoch, Wheat4:47
  11. 11Love SongFrank Hannon and Jeff Keith5:25
  12. 12ParadiseHannon, Keith, Wheat5:00
  13. 13Party's OverHannon, Keith, Skeoch4:21
Produced by
Michael Barbiero, Steve Thompson
Recorded at
Bearsville Studios, Bearsville (Woodstock, New York)
Recorded
1988
Mixed by
Michael Barbiero, Steve Thompson
Mixed at
Mediasound Studios
Engineered by
Michael Barbiero, George Cowan
Label
Geffen
Length
59:51

Line-up

  • Frank Hannon · electric guitar, gong, slide guitar, background vocals, piano, 12 string guitar, acoustic guitar, organ
  • Troy Luccketta · percussion, drums (drum set)
  • Brian Wheat · bass guitar
  • Jeff Keith · lead vocals
  • Tommy Skeoch · electric guitar, acoustic guitar

Singles

  • “Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)” · January 1989
  • “Hang Tough” · April 1989
  • “Love Song” · 11 August 1989
  • “The Way It Is” · March 1990

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
US Billboard 200 · 198918
UK Albums Chart · 198934
Canadian Albums (RPM) · 198972
Dutch Albums · 198991
Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 198994
Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1989121

Certifications

RegionCertification
Canada · 1990Gold
United States · 19982× Platinum

From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.

58.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.7k
ListenBrainz listeners
31k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
3.3k
Deezer fans (all editions)

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Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz1 February 1989
Wikipedia infobox1 February 1989
Wikidata1989
US release1 February 1989earliest US date
11 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
—USGeffenother
—USGeffenother
1989USGeffen075992422420other
1989CAGeffen075992422420other
1989JPGeffenother
1 February 1989USGeffen720642422427original
1 February 1989USGeffen075992422444original
1 February 1989USGeffen075992422413original
1 February 1989USGeffen075992422420original
23 February 1989JPGeffen4988014724906other
2 February 1993DEGeffen720642422427other
Cover art sources

coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1426x1411, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06)

SourceSizeVerdict
coverartarchive ✓1426×1411upscaled: minor: best source 1426x1411, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06)
deezer1200×1200upscaled
fanarttv1000×1000upscaled