The Great Radio Controversy

The Great Radio Controversy is the second album released in 1989. The album which reached #18 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, features many two-part counterpoints provided by guitarists Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch, on both electric and acoustic guitars.

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 posed 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.

“Hang Tough” – #34 on Mainstream Rock Tracks 34 (1989)
“Love Song” – #7 on Mainstream Rock Tracks and #10 on Billboard Hot 100 (1990)
“The Way It Is”- #13 on Mainstream Rock Tracks and #55 on Billboard Hot 100 (1990)
“Paradise” (Five Man Acoustical Jam version) – #28 on Mainstream Rock Tracks (1991)

Band Members:

• Jeff Keith – vocals
• Tommy Skeoch – guitars, backing vocals
• Frank Hannon – guitars, piano, organ
• Brian Wheat – bass, backing vocals
• Troy Luccketta – drums

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
• Recorded at Bearsville Studio (New York) (1988)