Whitesnake 'Gold' album

David Coverdale first jumped into the deep end of the British hard-rock pool in 1973, when he joined Deep Purple. But it’s his subsequent work, as frontman and undisputed leader of Whitesnake, that’s the core of the fiery-voiced singer’s body of work. Born in Saltburn-on-sea, Yorkshire, David Coverdale sang with various local combos through the late ’60s and early ’70s, and was still largely unknown when Deep Purple tapped him to replace departed vocalist Ian Gillan. Coverdale contributed his vocal and songwriting talents to the studio LPs Burn, Stormbringer and Come Taste The Band and the live Made In Europe, and left after performing his final concert with the group in Liverpool on March 15, 1976.

Coverdale then released a pair of blues-steeped solo albums, Whitesnake (not to be confused with 87’s self-titled album) and Northwinds. The original Whitesnake lineup—guitarists Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody, keyboardist Peter Solley, bassist Neil Murray and drummer David Dowle—was assembled to tour behind Northwinds, and the musical chemistry was strong enough to make the arrangement a permanent one. The sextet made its studio debut in 1978 with the four-song EP Snakebite, whose high point was a muscular reading of Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City,” which became a hit in Europe and staple of Whitesnake’s live set.

Whitesnake’s first long player Trouble added ex-Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord to the group. Such standouts as “Trouble” and “The Time Is Right For Love” made the most of the potent combination of Moody’s stinging slide work, Marsden’s melodic playing, Lord’s majestic Hammond organ and Coverdale’s searing vocals.

1979’s Love Hunter featured the aggressive title track and the dramatic “Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues,” as well as the uncharacteristically sentimental piano-based “We Wish You Well” that Coverdale wrote as a message to the audience. The frequent risqué sensibility of Coverdale’s lyrics was manifested visually in the album’s front cover painting, which featured a naked woman and a giant snake. By the time Love Hunter hit the racks, David Dowle had been replaced by former Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice.

Paice’'s propulsive pounding brought a heightened sense of rhythmic drive to 1980’s Ready An’ Willing. In the U.K., it became Whitesnake’s first Top 10 entry, while the catchy “Fool For Your Loving” became the group’s first Top 20 single. Demonstrating a sensitive side that would become more prominent in Whitesnake’s future work, Coverdale tackled the ballads “Ain’t Gonna Cry No More” and “Blindman” with conviction. In America, Ready An’ Willing also marked Whitesnake’s first appearance in the Billboard Top 100.

Live... In The Heart Of The City, also released in 1980, was a solid in-concert set that delivered a representative sampling of Whitesnake’s onstage skills. Along with the crunchy new approach to “Might Just Take Your Life,” the set boasted a fierce 11-minute workout on another old Deep Purple chestnut “Mistreated.”

Whitesnake further refined its sound and expanded its audience with 1981’s Come An’ Get It, which peaked at Number Two on the U.K. charts and spawned another Top 20 single in the bluesy rocker “Don’t Break My Heart Again.” Other highlights included the moody acoustic ballad “Till The Day I Die.”

The band’s next album, 1982’s Saints An’ Sinners, introduced the fan favorite “Victim Of Love,”
and was similarly well-received in Britain. But internal tensions, combined with Coverdale’s young daughter’s illness, caused the singer to put the group on hold for several months. When Whitesnake reappeared, it was with a revamped lineup that included Coverdale, Moody and Lord plus former Trapeze guitarist Mel Galley, jazz/blues bassist Colin Hodgkinson and renowned veteran drummer Cozy Powell.

By this point, Whitesnake was a major act in the U.K., Europe and Japan, but it had yet to achieve a commercial breakthrough in the U.S. That would change after Coverdale was signed to Geffen Records by A&R legend John Kalodner. The 1984 Whitesnake album Slide It In was, at Kalodner’s urging, substantially remixed and rerecorded for its U.S. release. The strategy worked, and the radio-friendly state-of-the-art sound of “Standing In The Shadow,” “Gambler” “Love Ain’t No Stranger,” “Slow An’ Easy” and the double entendre-laden title number connected positively with American programmers and listeners.

Slide It In’s U.S. success was aided by substantial MTV exposure. Whitesnake’s new status as video stars coincided with the recruitment of a telegenic new band lineup that included former Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes and returning bassist Neil Murray. Although Sykes didn’t play on the British album, he was featured on some of the American versions alongside Murray, who came back in time to recut the bass tracks for the Geffen release. Jon Lord played on the sessions, but exited afterward to join Deep Purple.

Whitesnake’s newfound momentum took a serious hit when Coverdale developed a deviated septum, which at one point caused doctors to predict that he would never perform again. After surgery and several months’ worth of convalescence, he was back in vocal form, and conquering new commercial territory with 1987’s multi-platinum Whitesnake (the second self-titled album). By the time the project was finished, Sykes, Murray and veteran drummer Aynsley Dunbar had been let go; Coverdale would take an entirely new Whitesnake lineup on the road to tour in support of the album.

Whitesnake proved to be one of Coverdale’s most focused and accessible efforts, spawning such popular songs as “Here I Go Again,” “Give Me All Your Love,” “Still Of The Night,” “Crying In The Rain” and the smash power ballad “Is This Love.” A trio of videos for “Still Of The Night,” “Here I Go Again” and “Is This Love”—all featuring Coverdale’s then-girlfriend, actress/model Tawny Kitaen—helped to make Whitesnake an unavoidable presence on rock radio and MTV during the late ’80s. Whitesnake spent several months on the Billboard charts, peaking in the Number Two slot.

When it came time to tour behind Whitesnake, Coverdale put together another impressive edition of the band, including a pair of ace axemen, Dutch fretboard phenom Adrian Vandenberg and ex-Dio member Vivian Campbell, plus Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo and ex-Black Oak Arkansas/Ozzy Osbourne drummer Tommy Aldridge. Steve Vai replaced Campbell in time for 1989’s Slip Of The Tongue, which featured such memorable material as “Now You’re Gone” “The Deeper The Love,” “Judgment Day,” “Sailing Ships” and a sleek remake of the old favorite “Fool For Your Loving” from Ready An’ Willing.

Although Slip Of The Tongue went platinum, its sales figures were disappointing in comparison to Whitesnake’s massive numbers, and Coverdale once again temporarily put the band to rest. In 1990, he contributed a solo number, “The Last Note Of Freedom,” to the soundtrack of the Tom Cruise racing drama Days Of Thunder. He reemerged in 1993 as half of Coverdale/Page, a one-off collaboration with legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. The duo’s eponymous album included the popular airplay hit “Pride And Joy.”

Coverdale reactivated Whitesnake, with Adrian Vandenberg returning on guitar, for the 1997 studio album Restless Heart and the live acoustic set Starkers In Tokyo. In 2000, Coverdale went solo for Into The Light, his first release under his own name since the late ’70s.

This collection brings the Coverdale/Whitesnake story up to date by closing with a new track, “As Long As I Have You.” The song, co-written by Coverdale and ex-David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick, finds the singer retaining the same vocal swagger that made him famous, suggesting that the world hasn’t heard the last of Whitesnake just yet.

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Whitesnake - Gold