Dokken : Tooth and Nail
Tooth and Nail
is the second
studio album
by American
Heavy Metal band
released on
September 14, 1984
through Elektra Records.
After the unsuccessful
US release
of the band's
1983 debut album,
Breaking the Chains,
the record label
was reluctant to
give credit to
Dokken
for a follow-up.
Dokken's management
struggled to convince
the label's executives
to give the band
another chance
and this fight for
recognition is reflected
in the album's title.
This album was the group's
first with bassist
Jeff Pilson
following
Juan Croucier's
departure to join
Ratt.
Tom Werman
produced the album,
but the recordings
were hampered by
the clash of egos
between vocalist
Don Dokken
and guitarist
George Lynch,
who could not
work together
in a studio
at the same time,
and by the excesses
of musicians
and technicians.
For these reasons,
Werman was unable
to carry on his work
and quit the job
after a few weeks,
replaced by
Roy Thomas Baker
and Michael Wagener,
who completed the recordings
and mixed the album.
The music of the album
ranges from
fast and
aggressive tracks
to pop and
melodic ballads.
Tooth and Nail
received positive reviews
but was a slow seller,
reaching the peak
of No. 49
on the US Billboard
200 album chart
and Gold status
more than ten months
after its release,
on the wake of the success
of the single
"Alone Again"
and of its accompanying
music video.
The album was
certified Platinum
by the RIAA
in 1989,
after both
Under Lock and Key
(1985)
and
Back for the Attack
(1987)
had achieved
such status.
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