Lightning to the Nations (The White Album)

Lightning to the Nations (The White Album)

Track Listings

1. Lightning to the Nations

2. Prince

3. Sucking My Love

4. Am I Evil

5. Sweet and Innocent

6. It's Electric

7. Helpless

8. Shoot Out the Lights [*]

9. Streets of Gold [*]

10. Waited Too Long [*]

11. Play It Loud [*]

12. Diamond Lights [*]

13. We Won't Be Back [*]

14. I Don't Got [*]

Tracks:

Lightning to the Nations
Prince
Sucking My Love
Am I Evil
Sweet and Innocent
It's Electric
Helpless
Shoot Out the Lights [*]
Streets of Gold [*]
Waited Too Long [*]
Play It Loud [*]
Diamond Lights [*]
We Won't Be Back [*]
I Don't Got [*]

Customer Reviews:

Classic.......2007-06-10

When Hetfield and company were still in High School (and I wasn't even born yet), Diamond Head were already putting out classic metal albums, and "Lightning to the Nations" is by far their best effort. There's a reason that Metallica, Megadeth, and lots of other bands continuing covering Diamond Head and collaborating with them two decades after this album came out: they were true pioneers in bridging the gap between hard rock and metal, and they did so almost as well as anyone else.

The vocals keep the music grounded in rock (I even remember reading somewhere that Sean Harris tried to emulate people like Plant of Led Zeppelin). But the instruments are definitely grounded in the metal side (though that side was still evolving at that point). Even the album's slower moments would be copied later by metal bands (e.g., the little riff before the 2nd solo in the song "The Prince"). I'd recommend this album to just about anyone into either rock or metal (unless you're the type of person who wants everything 200 BPM or faster).

NWOBHM Masterpiece.......2006-08-03

It seems that several people on here chose to use the review of a Diamond Head album to rip on Metallica, and although they were very influenced by this spectacular band they are a different band of a different movement from a different continent that began release 4 years after was released. On to Diamond Head.
Track One, Lightning to the Nations, is a NWOBHM classic, as is the rest of this album, but this first track was the all important first step to making the original vinyl copy of the LP so sought after in heavy metal circles. The song sets forward a "mission statement" of sorts and all the subsequent songs build off of that song as a base. Classic Song on a classic album
Track Two, The Prince, had the luck of being covered by the metal juggernaut that was once Metallica, so the song is better known than some of the others. A solid song, the riff that comes in after a great intro is one that all heavy metal fans should be aware of.
Track Three, Sucking My Love, is a fantastic song, musically the song just melds together into yet another spectacular song. Thus far on the album the boys are three for three for wonderful songs.
Track 4, the ever present Am I Evil?, this song is beyond words to describe, it's the center piece of the album in my mind. Metallica obviously embraced it as well as it is one of their most famous B-Sides (check with your parents kiddies) that the Bay Area folks ever recorded. The song is impossibly good and the album can revel in that fact. Most people will buy this album because of that song, whether or not they realize it.
Track 5, Sweet and Innocent, although not one of my favorites off of this album it is a solid tune none the less. The intro riff is still echoed in music today and the fast pace keeps this song afloat.
Track 6, It's Electric, is a classic. Its about rock and roll and making it in the biz. Metallica covered this fellow for its 1998 release Garage Inc. and it is track two on Disc One of that album. The only real thing that can people can honestly complain about with this album is poor production, and this song is a casualty of that. Irregardless the song is a classic.
Track 7, Helpless, is yet another song covered by Metallica and is once again an undeniable classic. It's a spectacular song and everyone that buy this album should be enjoying this song as an album closer. This concludes my review of the original LP. Whether or not this review helps you is not too important, the buyer should just be positive that if they buy this that they will not be let down. Millions of metal fans worldwide love this relativly "underground", at least "underground" here in the USA, NWOBHM band as they are still talked about in a sort of an awed sort amazement. They should have been the next Led Zep but were stifled by the record companies on the later releases, as were many of the other NWOBHM bands that weren't Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, or Saxon (they stifled themselves until bursting back with Unleash the Beast. Take a listen to that too). Know that this is a marvelous album and invest in this band.

their best album.......2006-02-18

most of their hit Song is in this album.
this is their debut album and best of best album.
I like the song "sucking my love".

Metallica without Hetfield.......2005-07-08

i found out about them like most people i know through, Lars Ulrich. i was blown a way at this LP because the guitar work was like a black sabbath meets metallica kind of thing. there were so many catchy riffs and the lead work is amazing. the one problem is a big one and its the reason i gave it a three. the vocals . what is up with that. i know not all bands have great metal vocalists but this sounds like The Cure or some emo band. well, just look past it and you be blown away too.

THE BAND LARS ULRICH HAS AN OBSESSION W/.......2004-09-20

this is the band that should of got the fame that metallica stole from them, its a shame that a band of posers caused this great band to fade into obscurity. back in the day, lars ulrich would go to all of the diamond head gigs and follow them around, stealing there formula for his own soon to be band, metallicrap. boycott all metallica records and buy this one

Lightning to the Nations (The White Album)

Average customer rating:

The beginning of something great
Probably the best NWOBHM album ever...
Better Writers Than Performers

Lightning to the Nations (The White Album)
Diamond Head
Manufacturer: Hiv
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

British Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Shock Tactics
Angel Witch
In for the Kill!
Head On
White Spirit

ASIN: B00005LPVF
Release Date: 1997-06-20

Tracks:

Lightning to the Nations
Prince
Sucking My Love
Am I Evil?
Sweet and Innocent
It's Electric
Helpless

Album Details

Re-release. These Are the Original LP Mixes with No Remixes and features the 'diamond Lights' EP.

Customer Reviews:

The beginning of something great.......2005-07-24

Lightning To The Nations: The White Album (1980.) Diamond Head's first album.

In the late seventies and early eighties, the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) took Great Britain by storm overnight. Literally hundreds of bands emerged, each rocking harder and better than the last. Unfortunately, very few of these bands ever achieved success in their homeland, and an even fewer number achieved success abroad. Diamond Head, though fairly popular in the United Kingdom, NEVER made it big in America. Fortunately, the band has gotten somewhat of a revival/awakening since Metallica confesses to being influenced by them. This is the band's first album. Read on for my review of it.

Diamond Head has a classic metal sound all their own. It's a lighter, more melodic sound than, say, Motorhead or Judas Priest, but that doesn't make them anything less in the quality department. The foursome serves up one hell of an independently-produced debut album. Kicking things off here is the title track. It's straight-up NWOBHM-based hard rock with some excellent vocals by vocalist Sean Harris. A title track should always be one of the album's best tracks - and this one sure is! We then move onto track two, The Prince. A guitar solo that is unbelievably good opens this track. Through the six-minute-plus masterpiece, guitar playing remains the star attraction, though the other band members also do very well. I don't dislike Sucking My Love, the third song on the album, but I'd have to say it's probably the weakest track on here. It clocks in at over nine minutes, and in all that time, there just isn't much of a style variance. That's not to say this is a bad song - I actually think you'll quite like it. Am I Evil is Diamond Head's biggest hit, and one of their finest tunes. The opening instrument sequence is excellent, and Sean serves up some of his most memorable vocals here. To call this song excellent is an understatement. My personal favorite song on the album, though, would have to be Sweet And Innocent. This is the least popular song in the album, which is a shame since it really is my favorite one. It's a fun, fast-paced jam that is short but sweet. You're likely to enjoy it. If you don't you don't like good music. It's Electric features the band serving up some straight-up hard rock that almost certainly won't fail to please. This isn't the best song on here, but it's still an excellent one. The album is closed with a heavy yet melodic rocker entitled Helpless that is nothing short of excellent. This is one of the album's best tracks in my opinion - and I think you'll agree.

If you plan on ordering this album, make damn sure that you order one of the reissued versions with bonus tracks. This is an excellent album, but the reissues have better sound quality, and the elusive bonus tracks only sweeten the overall deal. You won't regret buying one of those editions of the album.

Overall Diamond Head's debut is a great album. Other reviewers have complained about the sound quality on various versions of the album being less-than-stellar since the tracks were mastered from twenty-plus-year-old damaged tapes. The sound quality isn't terrible, but this flaw can certainly be noticed. Still, I remain confident that this is an excellent release from Diamond Head - just be sure you get one of the reissues with bonus tracks!

Probably the best NWOBHM album ever..........2004-03-26

Oh yeah this is the NWOBHM'S finest moment! I think this debut of Diamond Head, that is Lightning To The Nations(1980), is the best NWOBHM album. Because this is much more better than any other NWOBHM classics that were released in 1980. It is absolutely better and more speedy than Iron Maiden's debut. It is much more deadly and satanic than Def Leppard's "On Through The Night". Even if it is less satanic than Angel Witch's debut, I think it is more heavier and powerful NWOBHM classic than Angel Witch's. Diamond Head's music in "Lightning to the nations", has also more progressive and doom sound than Saxon's classic NWOBHM album, "Wheels Of Steel". Also I think Diamond Head was unique among other NWOBHM bands. Because as I have heard, a writer in a music magazine called SOUNDS, talked about Diamond Head's unique sound in "Lightning to the Nations", and he said that Diamond Head is the only heavy metal band that puts more guitar riffs in a song than Black Sabbath did. If you listen this album carefully you'll see that this is true. Because there are too much riffs in songs that you cannot count,such as songs like "Helpless" and "Sucking My Love". In original version of this album there are 7 songs. But I want to recommend you the extended version. Because in this version you will find other singles of Diamond Head which were released in their 1981 EP. called "Diamond Lights". Please be careful when listening to this CD because you will find magnificent melodies in "The Prince", some AC/DC influences on "It's Electric", and really heavy and dark sound on "Lighning ToThe Nations" and "Am I Evil?". Also in extended version there are such good songs like "Play it loud" and "We won't be back". If you won't have this CD, you will miss some great music!! WHIPLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Better Writers Than Performers.......2002-06-28

I recently got this CD in the mail from Amazon, so be aware I am reviewing this CD on first impressions. This is a good Metal record from one of the original NWOBHM bands(New Wave of British Heavy Metal)of the eighties.I really like this CD and I have been listeining to it over and over all day at work.(I do data entry) I have to say that I heard about this group from of course, Metallica. Metallica's versions of three of the songs are vastly improved and superior to the originals on here.(The Prince, Am I Evil & Helpless)I think the problem lies with the production and sound. Am I Evil by Metallic sounds about a million times better this this version. This sounds okay but kind of demoish. I understand it was originally put out on an independent label.This CD also includes 8 Bonus tracks including the "Diamond Lights" EP.If you like Iron Maiden's first two CDS you will like this. That is what it reminds me of. A good innovative band that should write some more songs for Metallica, because although this CD is quite good I would not call it great. This band seems to have a bit of an identity crisis.Some of the bonus tracks sound early Def Leppardish. I heard they later disbanded and formed a glam pop Metal type group. They have a few songs like that on here. Overall I like this CD and will consider buying some of their CDS in the future. Just be warned if you are expecting early Metallica style music it is not quite that good.(But close!) Just a good precursor and influence. Is it worth the import price? I would say yes because there is no really good hard rock music being made nowadays so you have to buy good music where you can find it. Ugly CD cover. Singer is not the greatest in the world. Who knows with a big time record contract and producer this band could have been great. They are certainly as good if not better than Megadeth, a band alongside Metallica who are quoted in the CD booklet of being strongly influenced by this band. Also has lyrics to all songs and brief history. Anyway Metal Rules!! ...