Beast from the East

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Beast from the East
Live album by
ReleasedNovember 7, 1988[1]
RecordedApril 20–30, 1988, Tokyo, Japan
Genre
Length63:24 (CD version)
77:33 (original cassette & LP versions)
LabelElektra
ProducerDokken & Angelo Arcuri
Dokken chronology
Back for the Attack
(1987)
Beast from the East
(1988)
The Best of Dokken
(1994)
Singles from Beast from the East
  1. "Alone Again"
    Released: December 1988[2]
  2. "Walk Away"
    Released: February 1989
Alternative cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal6/10[4]
Rolling Stone[5]

Beast from the East is a live album recorded by the American heavy metal band Dokken in Japan in April 1988, during tour in support of their album Back for the Attack. It was released on November 7, 1988. The album features live versions of the band's most popular songs from previous four studio albums and also includes a new studio track entitled "Walk Away". The song was accompanied with a music video, which featured members of the band performing atop the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking Topanga Canyon and the Pacific Ocean. The album earned the band their only Grammy Award nomination for the Best Metal Performance in 1990, losing to Metallica's "One".[6]

Background[edit]

Up to 1988, Dokken had released four studio albums, of which the last three were certified platinum. The band opened for Judas Priest, Aerosmith and several other bands, which eventually gained the band a spot on the Monsters of Rock Tour 1988 festival, where they played with Metallica, Scorpions, Kingdom Come and the headliner, Van Halen. They also recorded a song "Dream Warriors" for the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Prior to the Monsters of Rock fest, the band went on to tour in Japan, where they recorded several shows of the tour. Those recordings were released as their first live album called Beast from the East, with an additional new song called "Walk Away". While not as successful as the band's previous release, Back for the Attack, Beast from the East entered Billboard Top 40, achieving gold certificate. In 1990, it was nominated to the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, the only Dokken album to receive one. However, the band was involved in controversy when Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, who was in direct competition with Dokken in the "Metal" category stated, "I have no idea why they call Dokken metal and put them in the same category we're in."[7] To date, Beast from the East is the last Dokken album to receive a certification by RIAA.

US CD track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Unchain the Night"Don Dokken, Mick Brown, George Lynch, Jeff Pilson5:38
2."Tooth and Nail"Brown, Lynch, Pilson3:18
3."Dream Warriors"Lynch, Pilson4:09
4."Kiss of Death"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:21
5."When Heaven Comes Down"Brown, Lynch, Pilson3:44
6."Into the Fire"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:02
7."Mr. Scary"Lynch, Pilson8:23
8."Heaven Sent"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:12
9."It's Not Love"Brown, Dokken, Lynch, Pilson6:14
10."Alone Again"Dokken, Pilson5:34
11."Just Got Lucky"Lynch, Pilson5:02
12."Breaking the Chains"Dokken, Lynch3:55
13."In My Dreams"Brown, Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:02
14."Walk Away"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:00

Japan & original U.S. cassette & LP version track listing[edit]

Sides 1-2[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Unchain the Night"Brown, Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:38
2."Tooth and Nail"Brown, Lynch, Pilson3:18
3."Standing in the Shadows"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson4:27
4."Sleepless Night"Lynch, Brown, Pilson4:08
5."Dream Warriors"Lynch, Pilson4:09
6."Kiss of Death"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:21
7."When Heaven Comes Down"Brown, Lynch, Pilson3:44
8."Into the Fire"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:02
9."Mr. Scary"Lynch, Pilson8:13

Sides 3-4[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heaven Sent"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:12
2."It's Not Love"Brown, Dokken, Lynch, Pilson6:14
3."Alone Again"Dokken, Pilson5:34
4."Just Got Lucky"Lynch, Pilson5:02
5."Breaking the Chains"Brown, Dokken, Lynch3:55
6."In My Dreams"Brown, Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:02
7."Turn on the Action"Brown, Lynch, Pilson4:58
8."Walk Away"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:00

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1988) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[8] 25
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 47
US Billboard 200[10]
33

Sales and recognition[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1990 Beast from the East Best Metal Performance Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ "RIAA".
  2. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 230. ISBN 9780862415419.
  3. ^ Weber, Barry. "Dokken - Beast from the East review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  4. ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  5. ^ Guterman, Jimmy (February 9, 1989). "Album Reviews: Dokken - Beast from the East". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  6. ^ MacDonald, Patrick (January 12, 1990). "Soundgarden Nomination: The Growth of Local Rock". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  7. ^ Britt, Bruce (February 17, 1990). "It's time again for the Grammy award gripes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  8. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  9. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Dokken – Beast from the East". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  10. ^ "Dokken - Chart history - Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  11. ^ "American album certifications – Dokken – Beast from the East". Recording Industry Association of America.