I have done two posts already on the Best & Worst songs from every Judas Priest album and also from Cheap Trick. I really enjoyed doing that so I thought I would continue that process and this time we would go through every Whitesnake album and see what is the best song and the worst one off each album as well. Whitesnake has 13 studio albums to go through so sit back and take it all in. Now, let’s preface this with the fact that these are my choices and not necessarily yours as we can have different opinions. If you watched the show you will see that sometimes my worst song was their favorite so you never know what people like and we all like different things or this would be a very dull world. I hope you enjoy!!

‘TROUBLE’ (1978)

BEST SONG –“Belgian Tom’s Hat Trick”: The coolest song on the album and probably the best is “Belgian Tom’s Hat Trick” which is a full assault of an instrumental with 3 different solos.  One for Moody, One for Lord and One for Marsden.  I don’t see it as out of place as Purple threw in an instrumental on ‘Burn’ and this one is way better.  I really love when Jon Lord lays it down and he does just that.  The guitar’s have a riff that plays through-out that is the main feel for the song and everything is played beautifully off of that riff. No David Coverdale on this one, so sorry, but this is too killer not to include.

WORST SONG – “Day Tripper”: The worst is this horrible cover of the Beatles’ “Day Tripper”.  It is…let’s say…not good.  It is uninspiring and bluh.  The adding in of the Framptonesque Talk Box doesn’t help and I really can’t stand it.  I hope that point is coming across. Skip/Delete whatever you do, just avoid it.

‘LOVEHUNTER’ (1979)

BEST SONG – “Walking in he Shadow of the Blues”: This one is my favorite on the album.  It opens with Jon Lord on keyboards and has great guitar riffs.  It is another blues track and this one a little more bluesy then the rest.  Lord’s playing is a standout, but it is Marsden that delivers a blistering solo that took the song to the next level for me. It was his second in a row as he had the solo on the first song as well.

WORST SONG – “Rock ‘N’ Roll Women”: The Worst for me is “Rock ‘N’ Roll Women” which is another blues, rock track.  It is a good track and I love that Jon Lord gets another solo (which I love when he does), however, the song is rather generic compared to a lot of their other tracks.  There isn’t enough punch or memorable riffs to keep it in my head and the chorus is not catchy enough.  And yes, you could argue that all their songs are generic, but I think you know what I mean.

‘READY AN’ WILLING’ (1980)

BEST SONG –“Sweet Talker”: This is another song of many with Whitesnake with rather suggestive lyrics and would not stop the controversy on their womanizing lyrics they had at the time.  As a teenager, this would have been great.  It is a fun rocking track and it has Jon Lord delivering something he does best…massive keyboard solos.  And I don’t want to leave out the great slide guitar work of Micky Moody, always love his slide guitar.  This to me is a classic sounding Whitesnake song and one of my favorites on the album…one of many as this was a hard choice for best.

WORST SONG– “Carry the Load”: I have to say I am not real thrilled with this one.  Too generic and falls very flat for me.  This song feels more like one of David’s solo songs and could have been on ‘Northwinds’.  It feels out of place here.

‘COME AN’ GET IT’ (1981)

BEST SONG – “Don’t Break My Heart Again”: It reached #17 on the UK Charts and is actually one of my favorite Whitesnake songs.  The song is about David first marriage (and I think “Fool For Your Loving” is too).  It opens with Lord on organ and then Neil’s throbbing bass. David delivers some emotional and heavy lyrics and the song has a great drum beat throughout and then Bernie delivers on the solo.  One of David’s finest performances on this album and many albums  Smoking track.

WORST SONG – “Girl”:  This might be the worst song they have ever done.  The bass is great on it, but I don’t have anything nice to say about this one other than that.  So yeah Neil!! This is all I said about it in my review of the album so dang, it must’ve been bad.

‘SAINTS & SINNERS’ (1982)

BEST SONG – “Saints An’ Sinner”: The album ends with what might be the best song on the album, the title track “Saints An’ Sinners”.  It is all funked up and sounds like Glenn Hughes came back for this one, but he didn’t. I love the funk riff and the pacing of the song.  The band got their balls back with this one and David is in his comfort zone vocally as he gets a little grittier.  A good way to close out the album.

WORST SONG – “Love An’ Affection”: This gives us a bluesy little track. It is a little clunky of a song and nothing about it really takes off to make it stand out.  A little bland with the exception of a short solo by Jon Lord. All filler no killer.

‘SLIDE IT IN’ (1984)

BEST SONG –“Slow An’ Easy”: A bluesier track that just feels so dirty and nasty.  The guitar riff is a classic now and so easily recognizable.  This the only song written with David and Micky Moody and probably the best on the album.  David is at his finest with his vocals and his delivery is so precise and fits his blues vocals perfectly.  However, it is Powell’s drum fills and that kick drum beat that really takes this song to the next level. The song went to #17 in the US and Whitesnake finally had their big hit in the US.  Now the biggest difference between the US mix and the UK mix is there is a little more echo in the US mix.

WORST SONG – “Hungry For Love”: I don’t think there is a bad song on the album, but if I had to pick (which I do), I’ll go with “Hungry for Love” which has a blues rock sound and some great guitar playing.  It is a straight ahead rocker and David’s vocals are meant to sing this type of song.  A simple tune that plays well and fits nicely in to the mix, but out of all of them, it is the most bland.

‘WHITESNAKE’ (1987)

BEST SONG – “Still of the Night”: The opening single for the album and the taste of what was to come.  This was a new Snake, a hungrier Snake, a more badass Snake.  It has some blues elements of the old Whitesnake, but Sykes took it, distorted it and turned it on its ass.  David’s swagger on belting out the opening verse is full of confidence and aggression and exactly what every teenage boy wanted to hear (and girl wanted to see). The guitar solo on this was awesome, almost a cello/violin/string instrument orchestration to the whole thing.  Pretty freaking cool.  And last a fun fact, this song was based off an old demo David and Ritchie Blackmore had worked on back in the Purple days. This was a hard choice as there could’ve been several.

WORST SONG – “Don’t Walk Away”: The band ends the album with “Don’t Walk Away” which is another ballad and a little of a let down after all the rocking.  I would have preferred another rock track to take us out.  It isn’t a bad song, just not as strong as anything else on the album.  A little more filler than killer.  Kind of a letdown after the rest of the album.

‘SLIP OF THE TONGUE’ (1989)

BEST SONG – “Sailing Ships”: The album ends on a slow note, but not a bad note.  It is another ballad; however, this is not the Whitesnake typical ballad, nope, this is totally EPIC!!  “Sailing Ships” sounds a little like Led Zeppelin as the songs seems mystical and isn’t the typical Whitesnake theme.  It is one of the most serious songs they have ever done and the guitar work on it is mesmerizing. The sounds Vai can make with his guitar are nothing short of amazing.  The song stays soft for most of the song then explodes towards the end to go out with a bang.  It is one of my all time favorite Whitesnake songs and that is saying a lot.

WORST SONG – “Slow Poke Music”: Another sleazy track…oooh, I wonder what he means.  This is the only song I really don’t like as it is too cheesy…I mean really, the title alone is enough to make you vomit.  Plus, the song just lacks any of the heart or passion the other two sleazy tracks have.  This was pure filler for me.

‘RESTLESS HEART’ (1997)

BEST SONG – “Restless Heart”: The title track finally brings life to the album.  Great opening guitar riff and the song has some punch.  David’s soulful-filled vocals on the opening lyrics turn into the David we love throughout the rest.  The song is more of what we are used to hearing from the band, and honestly what I love the most.  This song gave me some hope in the album.

WORST SONG – “Your Precious Love”: It slows the album down and by this time, I am tired of the ballads on this album.  This one is generic and boring and very skippable.  So enough said about it.

‘GOOD TO BE BAD’ (2008)

BEST SONG – “Best Years”: The opening track comes at you like a hammer and is such a heavy song that I was digging it from the get go.  I feel like they were trying to capture some Coverdale/Page vibe which they didn’t quite succeed, but doesn’t take away from the song at all. It is still the type of opening track you want and expect from David and company.  It grabs hold and sets the mood and delivers.  David sounds great although he might not be up to the level from 20 years ago, but who would be.  He is still unmistakably David Coverdale.  

WORST SONG – “All For Love”: It was the second single off the album and another rocker although not as heavy.  I know, I chose a single as the worst, what was I thinking. Well, it is more middle of the road.  Not one I would release as a single and a little boring for me overall.  Too generic for my tastes.  This was first song where I really noticed the keyboard and Timothy does a good job.  Outside of that not much else good to talk about for me.

‘FOREVERMORE’ (2011)

BEST SONG – “Forevermore”: The album ends with the ballad and epic song “Forevermore”. David likes to end albums with an epic sounding song in the same style as say “Sailing Ships” from ‘Slip of the Tongue’ and he brings this one home.  It is fantastic and easy to see why they named the album after this beauty.  It is one of the best vocal performances on the album for David. A real highlight.

WORST SONG – “I Need You (Shine A Light)”: This song seems to be a throwback to early Snake, but another that falls flat to me.  The bridge vocals sound awful and forced and the song feels like filler.  I will tell you that this album is too long at 13 tracks. There are 3 you could remove and make this better.  Start with this one.

‘THE PURPLE ALBUM’ (2015)

BEST SONG – “Mistreated”: It comes at you with a heavy bluesiness that is what the doctor ordered.  Michael Devin brings the thumping bass as Reb & Joel add a nice layer of guitars with a great solo.  This is also a classic Coverdale vocal performance and the way he lays down the verses and that blues grit is what I love about him.

WORST SONG – “Holy Man”: It is an interesting choice as Glenn Hughes sang this originally so it is an interesting take with Coverdale on vocals.  I will admit I didn’t like the overall of feel of this song with Glenn and sadly not much better with David.  Not a fan of the song as it is missing a payoff.  

‘FLESH & BLOOD’ (2019)

BEST SONG – “Trouble is Your Middle Name”:  This is a complete scorcher written by Joel and David.  This is what I could listen to all day from them.  You even get two guitar solos with Beach up first and then Hoekstra on the second one.  It is heavy, cock-rocky and bluesy all at the same time.  David feels right at home on this one vocally.  He was built for this.

WORST SONG – “After All”: This song changes the tempo and opens with an acoustic guitar a la Page and Zeppelin as David seems to capture that Coverdale/Page vibe on at least one song.  However, that doesn’t make it that exciting.  It seems to meander along and go no where.  And it doesn’t get any better. 

And there you have it. My opinion on the best and the worst song on every Whitesnake studio album. Let me know some of your favorites and some of you least favorites…or even ones you hate. Thanks for hanging around so long and I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, maybe we will get more of these as this was a lot of fun to do. Have a great day.

If you want to check out the complete David Coverdale Series, start clicking away below…

The David Coverdale Series:

1. Deep Purple – Burn
2. Deep Purple – Stormbringer
3. Deep Purple – Come Taste the Band
4. Deep Purple – Made in Europe
5. David Coverdale – Whitesnake
6. Deep Purple – Last Concert in Japan
7. David Coverdale – Northwinds
8. David Coverdale’s Whitesnake – Snakebite
9. Whitesnake – Trouble
10. Whitesnake – Lovehunter
11. Whitesnake – Ready an’ Willing
12. Whitesnake – “Fool For Your Loving” 7″ Single (Bonus Review)
13. Whitesnake – Live…in the Heart of the City
14. Whitesnake – Come An’ Get it
15. Deep Purple – Live in London
16. Whitesnake – Saints & Sinners
17. Whitesnake – Slide It In
18. Whitesnake – “Give Me More Time” 12″ Single (Bonus Review)
19. Whitesnake – ‘The Best of Whitesnake (Bonus Review – 1982 release)
20. Whitesnake – Whitesnake (1987)
21. Whitesnake – “Is This Love” 12″ Promo (Bonus Review)
22. Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue
23. David Coverdale – “The Last Note of Freedom” – Single Review
24. Coverdale/Page – Coverdale/Page
25. Coverdale/Page – “Take Me For A Little While 12” Single (Bonus Review)
26. David Coverdale & Whitesnake – Restless Heart
27. Whitesnake – Starkers in Tokyo
28. David Coverdale – Into the Night
29. Whitesnake – Live…In the Still of the Night (DVD)
30. Whitesnake – Live…In the Shadow of the Blues
31. Whitesnake – Good To Be Bad
32. Whitesnake – Forevermore
33. Whitesnake – Live at Donington 1990: Monsters of Rock
34. Whitesnake – The Purple Album
35. Whitesnake – The Purple Tour (Live)
36. Whitesnake – Flesh & Blood
37. Whitesnake – The Rock Album
38. Whitesnake – Love Songs
39. Whitesnake – The Blues Album
40. Whitesnake – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
41. David Coverdale – The Albums Ranked Worst to First

Other David Coverdale Albums reviewed – (Box Sets and Bootlegs):

1. Whitesnake – 1987 (30th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
2. Whitesnake – Slide It In (35th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
3. Whitesnake – Unzipped – Box Set
4. Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue (30th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
5. Whitesnake (Snake) – Still of the Night Live in Battle Creek, Mich. July 26, 1987 (Bootleg)