Tooth and Nail (Dokken album)

Tooth and Nail
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 14, 1984 (1984-09-14)
StudioCherokee (Hollywood)
Genre
Length38:11
LabelElektra
Producer
Dokken chronology
Breaking the Chains
(1983)
Tooth and Nail
(1984)
Under Lock and Key
(1985)
Singles from Tooth and Nail
  1. "Into the Fire"
    Released: September 11, 1984[1]
  2. "Just Got Lucky"
    Released: November 19, 1984[2]
  3. "Alone Again"
    Released: March 1985[3]

Tooth and Nail is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Dokken, 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.

The production of the album was entrusted to renowned producer Tom Werman, 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.

  1. ^ "Key, tempo of Into the Fire By Dokken | Musicstax". musicstax.com. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  2. ^ "New Releases" (PDF). FMQB. November 16, 1984. p. 25. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. ^ "Dokken — Alone Again".