Back for the Attack
Back for the Attack is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Dokken, released on November 2, 1987, through Elektra Records.[2] A remastered edition featuring a bonus track was reissued in 2009 through Warner Music Japan. It is the band's best-selling album, reaching No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard 200[3] and remaining on that chart for 33 weeks.[4] Three singles also charted on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart: "Dream Warriors" reached No. 22, "Prisoner" at No. 37, and "Burning Like a Flame" at No. 20 as well as No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] Back for the Attack was certified Gold and Platinum on January 14, 1988.[2] The album sold about 1,5 Million records worldwide.
Back for the Attack | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 2, 1987 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | Glam metal | |||
Length | 63:02 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer | Neil Kernon | |||
Dokken chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Back for the Attack | ||||
|
The single "Dream Warriors" was originally released in February 1987 as the theme song for the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. The album title for Back for the Attack was taken from an earlier Dokken song of the same name, recorded during the sessions for Under Lock and Key (1985) and released as the B-side to "Dream Warriors". It was later included in the 2009 remastered edition of the album as a bonus track.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[7] |
Rock Hard | 8.5/10[8] |
Barry Weber at AllMusic wrote that Back for the Attack "certainly isn't Dokken's greatest album, yet it remains a worthwhile listen". He praised the band for sounding "tighter than they ever have before", with frontman Don Dokken and guitarist George Lynch being "at the top of their game."[6] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff praised the album, which "offers length, variation and a sense of ambition as never before", and called it "one of those lost records brimming with bravado" but not so unique to be "one's life soundtrack". He added that the "excruciating" circumstances of its recording took their toll as the band tried to assemble "a more competent, mature, substantial record".[7]
The album was ranked number 12 on Metal Rules list of the Top 50 Glam Metal Albums.[9]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Kiss of Death" | George Lynch, Don Dokken, Jeff Pilson | 5:51 |
2. | "Prisoner" | Lynch, Pilson, Mick Brown | 4:20 |
3. | "Night by Night" | Pilson, Lynch, Brown, Dokken | 5:23 |
4. | "Standing in the Shadows" | Dokken, Lynch, Pilson | 5:07 |
5. | "Heaven Sent" | Dokken, Lynch, Pilson | 4:52 |
6. | "Mr. Scary" (instrumental) | Lynch, Pilson | 4:31 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
7. | "So Many Tears" | Dokken, Lynch, Pilson | 4:56 |
8. | "Burning Like a Flame" | Lynch, Pilson, Dokken, Brown | 4:46 |
9. | "Lost Behind the Wall" | Lynch, Brown, Dokken, Pilson | 4:19 |
10. | "Stop Fighting Love" | Pilson, Lynch, Dokken, Brown | 4:52 |
11. | "Cry of the Gypsy" | Dokken, Pilson, Lynch | 4:51 |
12. | "Sleepless Night" | Lynch, Brown, Pilson | 4:32 |
13. | "Dream Warriors" | Lynch, Pilson | 4:42 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
14. | "Back for the Attack" | Dokken | 3:51 |
Personnel
Dokken
- Don Dokken – lead vocals
- George Lynch – guitar
- Jeff Pilson – bass, background vocals
- Wild Mick – drums, background vocals
Production
- Neil Kernon – producer, engineer
- Toby Wright, Matt Freeman, Eddie Ashworth, Andy Udoff, Steve Klein, Stan Katayama – assistant engineers
- Steve Thompson, Michael Barbiero – mixing at Bearsville Studios, Bearsville, New York
- Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk, New York
Charts
Chart (1987-1988) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10] | 25 |
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[11] | 18 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12] | 21 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] | 19 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] | 25 |
UK Albums (OCC)[15] | 96 |
US Billboard 200[16] | 13 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 230. ISBN 9780862415419.
- "RIAA Searchable Database: search for Dokken". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- "Back for the Attack Billboard Almums". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- "Dokken - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
- "Back for the Attack Billboard Singles". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- Weber, Barry. "Dokken - Back for the Attack review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- 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.
- "DOKKEN - Back For The Attack". ROCK HARD Heavy-Metal-Magazin. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- "METAL RULES". November 26, 2017. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0940". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Dokken – Back for the Attack". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- "Swisscharts.com – Dokken – Back for the Attack". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- "{{{artist}}} | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- "Dokken - Chart history - Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- "American album certifications – Dokken – Back for the Attack". Recording Industry Association of America.