Once Bitten (Great White album)

Once Bitten
Studio album by Great White
Released	June 17, 1987[1][2]
Recorded	1987
Studio	Total Access Recording, Redondo Beach, California
Genre	Glam metal[3] blues rock[4] hard rock[4]
Length	46:32
Label	Capitol
Producer	Alan Niven, Mark Kendall, Michael Lardie
Great White chronology
Shot in the Dark (1986) Once Bitten (1987) ...Twice Shy (1989)
Singles from Once Bitten
"Rock Me" / "Fast Road" Released: 1987 "Save Your Love" / "Mistreater" Released: 1987

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	2/10[5]
Rock Hard	7.5/10[6]

Once Bitten is the third studio album by American glam metal band Great White. It was released on June 17, 1987, by Capitol Records. The album became a commercial success, selling more than one million copies and being certified Platinum in April 1988.^[1] The anthem "Rock Me" became a hit single, charting in September 1987,^[7] and is one of Great White's best known songs. AllMusic explains in their review that it brought Great White a broader audience.^[8] "Save Your Love" also charted, becoming their most famous power ballad at the time, in February 1988.^[7] "Lady Red Light" and "All Over Now" would become fan favorites and be included among 15 tracks on their later retrospective, "Absolute Hits".^[9] It was the band's last album to feature bassist Lorne Black.

In the UK, the track listing was significantly altered, losing four new tracks and replacing them with songs from 1986 album Shot in the Dark and with a live version of "What Do You Do". Russell would state that this was because of complications surrounding Shot in the Dark's release.^[10] The album's opening track, "Lady Red Light", was featured on the NBC show Parks and Recreation in the episode "Tom's Divorce". The model photographed on the cover is Traci Martinson who appeared in four of their videos. ^[11]

Legacy

In 2017, Jack Russell's Great White celebrated Once Bitten's anniversary by announcing a tour and an acoustic re-recording of the album.^[12] The acoustic version, "Once Bitten Acoustic Bytes", was released in 2020.^[13]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Lady Red Light"	Mark Kendall, Jack Russell, Alan Niven, Michael Lardie	4:55
2.	"Gonna Getcha"	Kendall, Niven, Lardie	4:13
3.	"Rock Me"	Kendall, Russell, Niven, Lardie	7:19
4.	"All Over Now"	Kendall, Niven, Lardie	4:22

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Mistreater"	Kendall, Russell, Niven, Lorne Black	5:50
6.	"Never Change Heart"	Kendall, Russell, Niven	4:28
7.	"Fast Road"	Kendall, Russell, Niven, Black, Audie Desbrow, Lardie	3:41
8.	"On The Edge"	Kendall, Russell, Niven	6:02
9.	"Save Your Love"	Russell, Jerry Lynn Williams	5:46

UK edition track listing

Side one

1. "Lady Red Light"
2. "Gonna Getcha"
3. "Rock Me"
4. "All Over Now"

Side two

5. "Fast Road"
6. "What Do You Do" (live)
7. "Face the Day" (US Radio Blues Version)
8. "Gimme Some Lovin'"

International alternate track listing

Side one

1. "Lady Red Light"
2. "Gonna Getcha"
3. "Fast Road"
4. "Mistreater"
5. "All Over Now"

Side two

1. "Never Change Heart"
2. "Rock Me"
3. "On the Edge"
4. "Save Your Love"

Personnel

Great White

• Jack Russell – lead and backing vocals
• Mark Kendall – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Michael Lardie – rhythm guitar, keyboards, harmonica, backing vocals
• Lorne Black – bass, backing vocals
• Audie Desbrow – drums

Production

• Arranged and produced by Alan Niven, Michael Lardie and Mark Kendall
• Engineered by Michael Lardie and Eddie Ashworth
• Mastered by George Marino

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14]	91
US Billboard 200[15]	23

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[16]	Gold	50,000^^
United States (RIAA)[17]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Great White – Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
2. Popoff, Martin (2014). The big book of hair metal : the illustrated oral history of heavy metal's debauched decade. Minneapolis, MN. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-7603-4546-7. OCLC 858901054.
3. "Top 50 Glam Metal Albums". Metal Rules. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Great White Once Bitten review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
5. Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
6. "Great White – Once Bitten..." Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved June 21, 2021.
7. "Great White – Chart history – Billboard". Billboard.com. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
8. "Once Bitten... - Great White – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
9. "Absolute Hits – Great White – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
10. Reynolds, Dave (1987). "Great White – Putting The Colour Back Into White". Metal Forces. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
11. Mosqueda, Ruben (February 14, 2017). "Jack Russell Interview - Sleaze Roxx". Retrieved October 16, 2024.
12. "Jack Russell's Great White To Celebrate 30th Anniversary Of 'Once Bitten' With U.S. Tour, Acoustic Album". blabbermouth.net. June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
13. "Jack Russell Says COVID-19 Pandemic Has Created Challenges In Making Of Second JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE Studio Album". Blabbermouth.net. May 11, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
14. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0889". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
15. "Great White Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
16. "Canadian album certifications – Great White – Once Bitten". Music Canada.
17. "American album certifications – Great White – Once Bitten". Recording Industry Association of America.