The Great Radio Controversy

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The Great Radio Controversy is the second album by American rock band Tesla, released in 1989. The songs combine 1980s metal with some blues-influenced elements, as well as the occasional love ballad. The record 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)", "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.

RIAA certified the album 2x platinum on July 23, 1998.

Track listing

1. "Hang Tough" (Jeff Keith, Tommy Skeoch, Frank Hannon, Brian Wheat) – 4:21
2. "Lady Luck" (Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Wheat) – 3:39
3. "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)" (Keith, Skeoch) – 4:41
4. "Be a Man" (Keith, Hannon, Skeoch) – 4:20
5. "Lazy Days, Crazy Nights" (Keith, Skeoch) – 4:26
6. "Did It for the Money" (Keith, Skeoch, Hannon) – 4:25
7. "Yesterdaze Gone" (Keith, Hannon) – 3:43
8. "Makin' Magic" (Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Wheat) – 5:03
9. "The Way It Is" (Keith, Troy Luccketta, Skeoch, Hannon) – 5:14
10. "Flight to Nowhere" (Keith, Skeoch, Hannon, Wheat) – 4:43
11. "Love Song" (Keith, Hannon) – 5:20
12. "Paradise" (Keith, Wheat, Hannon) – 4:59
13. "Party's Over" (Keith, Hannon, Skeoch) – 4:24

Personnel

Tesla

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

Production

• Recorded at Bearsville Studios, New York, USA
• Produced and mixed by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero
• Engineered by Michael Barbiero
• Additional recording and assistant engineered by George Cowan
• Mixed at Media Sound, New York City, USA
• Assistant engineered by Vic Deyglio
• Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York City, USA
• CD mastered by Barry Diament at BDA, New York City, USA

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1989	The Billboard 200	18

Singles and Album Tracks

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	Hang Tough	Mainstream Rock Tracks	34
1989	Love Song	Mainstream Rock Tracks	7
1989	Love Song	Billboard Hot 100	10
1990	The Way It Is	Mainstream Rock Tracks	13
1990	The Way It Is	Billboard Hot 100	55
1991	Paradise (Five Man Acoustical Jam version)	Mainstream Rock Tracks	28