Towards the end of 1980, Whitesnake released their first live album called ‘Live…in the Heart of the City’. It was released on November 3rd, 1980 and was originally released as a double LP with 2 different shows. The first being from June 1980 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London and the second show as from November 23rd, 1978 at the same place. This review, however, is only on the LP version that I have which is only a single LP version with only the 1980 Hammersmith show and missing one song the original had (“Ready an’ Willing”).
The tour recorded for this one is the ‘Ready ‘n’ Willing’ Tour that features new drummer, former Deep Purple master Ian Paice. And it caught the band at a time when they were starting to finally come into their own. The track list of the single LP is as follows:
- Come on
- Sweet Talker
- Walking in the Shadow of the Blues
- Love Hunter
- AIn’t No Love in the Heart of the City
- Fool For Your Loving
- Take Me With You
It is short at only 7 songs, but one is 11 minutes long and 2 are over 6 minutes each and all a blast.
SIDE ONE:
Side one opens with the screamer “Come On” from the ‘Snakebite’ E.P. and what a fantastic way to open the show. A high energy romp that gets everyone on their feet and in to the groove of what is to come. The band is on fire and David sounds in top form. The band glides effortlessly in to “Sweet Talker” from ‘Ready an’ Willing’ with loads of Micky Moody’s slide guitar and let me tell you the guitars on here are killer. The tempo of the song is ramped up to 10 and the fly through this one at warp speed. And don’t forget the Jon Lord keyboard solo in this one that goes right in to Micky’s guitar solo…hell yeah baby! Keep it coming!
The band goes in to two straight ‘Lovehunter’ songs starting with the blues song “Walking in the Shadow of the Blues”. Bernie Marsden takes over the lead on the guitar work in this one accompanied by the great Lord on keyboards. Ian supplying just the right amount of drum fills and as he Neil Murray on bass lay down that all essential groove. But it is the song “Love Hunter” that is the showcase on this side. At 11 minutes, including a Micky Moody showcase of his slide guitar work, the live version takes the song in to so many different directions and is what I love about live shows. David singing here is great as well as he isn’t trying to over sing it and he has seem to found his comfort zone.
SIDE TWO:
“Aint’ No Love in the Heart of the City” opens up Side Two and gives us the name to the album. It is a bluesy track that keeps a slow groove and let me tell you that the guitar work Moody does is sensational. The crowd takes over with Murray’s bass thumping away in the background along with Paice keeping time.
And then we get David’s favorite concert saying “Here’s a Song for You” as he does it a lot. They go in to the classic “Fool For Your Loving” from ‘Ready an’ Willing’. The song is a little punchier then the album version, it actually reminds me a little more of what was to come with the song in the late 80’s and I am okay with that. It is a rocking good song.
The last song is the only song from the album ‘Trouble’, “Take Me With You”. The band is amped up on something as they speed this one up to an exhausting tempo that would leave a lesser band spent. They feed off the energy and everyone gets a moment to shine with Jon Lord’s blistering keyboard solo, Bernie’s raging guitar solo, a little of Murray’s bass, and Moody blasting through some riffs. David and company brought all home on this one.
And that is the album. It is a great live set that I thoroughly enjoyed. Short and sweet and captures some great moments. The band was really cooking at this time and they boiled over some fine work with this release. The first of many live albums to come with Whitesnake and this one started it off right. I will give it a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars mainly for not giving me the whole show. This one is a must grab if you find it out in the wild. Don’t let it slip past you.
Up next…Whitesnake – ‘Come An’ Get It’.
The David Coverdale Series:
- Deep Purple – Burn
- Deep Purple – Stormbringer
- Deep Purple – Come Taste the Band
- Deep Purple – Made in Europe
- David Coverdale – Whitesnake
- Deep Purple – Last Concert in Japan
- David Coverdale – Northwinds
- David Coverdale’s Whitesnake – Snakebite
- Whitesnake – Trouble
- Whitesnake – Lovehunter
- Whitesnake – Ready an’ Willing
- Whitesnake – Live…in the Heart of the City
- Whitesnake – Come An’ Get it
- Deep Purple – Live in London
- Whitesnake – Saints & Sinners
- Whitesnake – Slide It In
- Whitesnake – “Give Me More Time” 12″ Single (Bonus Review)
- Whitesnake – ‘The Best of Whitesnake (Bonus Review – 1982 release)
- Whitesnake – Whitesnake (1987)
- Whitesnake – “Is This Love” 12″ Promo (Bonus Review)
- Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue
- David Coverdale – “The Last Note of Freedom” – Single Review
- Coverdale/Page – Coverdale/Page
- Coverdale/Page – “Take Me For A Little While 12” Single (Bonus Review)
- David Coverdale & Whitesnake – Restless Heart
- Whitesnake – Starkers in Tokyo
- David Coverdale – Into the Night
- Whitesnake – Live…In the Still of the Night (DVD)
- Whitesnake – Live…In the Shadow of the Blues
- Whitesnake – Good To Be Bad
- Whitesnake – Forevermore
- Whitesnake – Live at Donington 1990: Monsters of Rock
- Whitesnake – The Purple Album
- Whitesnake – The Purple Tour (Live)
- Whitesnake – Flesh & Blood
- Whitesnake – The Rock Album
- Whitesnake – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
- David Coverdale – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
Other David Coverdale Albums reviewed – (Box Sets and Bootlegs):
- Whitesnake – 1987 (30th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
- Whitesnake – Slide It In (35th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
- Whitesnake – Unzipped – Box Set
- Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue (30th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
- Whitesnake (Snake) – Still of the Night Live in Battle Creek, Mich. July 26, 1987 (Bootleg)
2 Loud 2 Old Music 
It’s on the list.
Nice review John.
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Thanks! As it should be!
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This was the very first W.S album I had ever heard at a friend’s house back in the summer of 1981 or 82. Little fuzzy on that discovery. What I heard that day from this album blew my mind as I hadn’t really listened to Deep Purple at that point in time. Such a great album John and what a starting point to discover these guys!
Great writeup Sir! Keep em coming!
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Thanks. They will keep coming, just slowed down a little. It was hard to keep up that pace of one a week when there are other things I want to hear.
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All good Dude! I am around when you post!
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‘Ere’s a live album for ya!
I didn’t actually know it had been issued as a single disc. But that must be what I spotted on cassette in stores back in 1988!
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I hope to find the double LP one day. Everyone I run across is the single which is great, but collection not complete without the double.
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Yep, those 80’s reissues after 87 broke was a 7singer, along with the rest of the back catalog was budget price (5.99?) Scooped em all up and at the time I was really into stuff that sounded “new” so it was only years later that I came to really enjoy them. Amazing body of work.
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Oops 7 songer
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I have this in the MP3 racks… and I think it may have been the first Whitesnake album I heard. A good one… a very good one and on my list to get on vinyl.
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Nice point about not oversinging – it’s nice when you can tell, as you mentioned, they’re in their comfort zone
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I got this album after i was introduced with ‘Slide It In’. You and deKE are rekindling my listening habit.
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Awesome! Glad we can help! That is what we are here to do.
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Keeping me on my toes.
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I have the single LP version of this and it is one of my favorite Snake albums. My clouded memory remembered a double LP but I was never sure and never did the necessary research. This was the heyday of Whitesnake as a working class grass roots band, the bigger the hair and flashier the spandex the less interesting they became for me, they did however become a great pop band though.
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There is a double version and I am trying to find it. I will succeed one day.
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I have just succumbed to buying the double album online now, these are the dangers of collecting
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Nice. Let me know how the whole thing is.
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It’s a really cool live album this. I’ve got a CD with the full tracklisting. But I’ve honestly just never listened to it much for some reason. When I’m in an old Snake mood I always go for the studio albums. Think I’ll need to give it some more spins. Come On is a favourite here and the version of Trouble was a standout for me.
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I usually stick to the studio albums as well, but I dig this one and have a pulled it out a few times.
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Yeah I really need to listen to it more. Feel like I don’t know it as well as I should.
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Try and find the double LP version to have the whole show. I haven’t seen it in the wild, so might have to go online to get it.
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