Out on my constant vinyl digging adventures, I found a couple Whitesnake bootlegs at the same store. They weren’t old bootlegs, rather they were released recently in 2023 out of Europe. The shows, however, are not recent. First one up is one called Washington State Wipeout and is a 2 LP set that comes in a nice gatefold with a picture of the band included. The vinyl that comes with the set are a beautiful clear color and they look stunning as you will see in one of the pictures below. It was a brand new set, unopened…well at least until I got my hands on it obviously. Now, it is open and has been played!

The 2 LPs carry a different a show for each. On LP 1, we get the Spokane Washington show that was on July 24, 1984. This would’ve been after the release of their 1984 album, ‘Slide it In’, which came out on January 30, 1984. The show was at the Spokane Coliseum and had the line-up of David Coverdale, John Sykes, Richard Bailey (no Jon Lord), Neil Murray and Cozy Powell. A stellar line-up, just wish Lord was still playing. They opened for Dio so not a long setlist and it is all captured here on LP 1. The recording was an FM Radio Broadcast.

On LP 2, we get a show that was recorded on March 1, 1984 and was another FM Radio Broadcast. It was recorded at the Apollo Theater in Glasgow, Scotland where they were the headliner with Great White opening. The full show is 16 tracks so we don’t get the whole show, but we do get 5 tracks at least. If you want the full show, pick up the Slide It In Super Deluxe Edition as Whitesnake issued it officially in that box set. I believe this show would include Jon Lord as he left the band in April. Correct me if I’m wrong.

LP 1:

The Spokane show kicks off with “The Gambler” from their new album at the time, ‘Slide It In’. And what is cool about this short set, is 4 of the 7 songs are from the new album. Honestly, back in those days, that is really all the U.S. audience would really know anyway. The sound of this FM broadcast is fantastic. David is loud and clear and his vocals are in pristine shape as he has no problems hitting any of the notes. Musically, the instruments aren’t as loud in the mix but you can still make them out. There is a quick keyboard solo (and sorry, but you miss Jon Lord when you hear it) and a nice quick, speedy solo. The drums are pounding and the bass is laying down the groove. All around great way to open the show.

“Here’s a song for Ya!” is something Dave is notorious for saying at every show…multiple times a show. They race in to “Guilty of Love” and it is a straight up, high energy rocker. Less bluesy then their earlier material, but it is catchy as hell and you can’t help but love the cheesiness of the song. Sykes lays down a blisteringly fast solo is a highlight. Such a fun tune and great live one at that.

Then the sleaze buckets from London play one of my favorite songs on ‘Slide It In’, the sultry and sexy “Love Ain’t No Stranger”. The opening keyboards set the mood, Coverdale’s vocals match the intensity and mood perfectly. The chorus is as explosive as you’d expect and the band rocks it out. Sykes does what only Sykes can do and that is nail a perfect solo. A brilliant track.

The band takes it all the way back to ‘Lovehunter’ with the song “Walking In The Shadow of the Blues”. And I have to say, with Sykes and the new band, it isn’t as bluesy as I remember. It rocks out pretty hard and heavy and it does still sounds great. It is sped up, a little feedback, and doesn’t sound as good as they used to play it. They seem in a hurry and it does take away from the greatness of this song.

Side B opens with “Crying in the Rain” but since the ‘1987’ album is not out for another 3 years, this one is from ‘Sain’t & Sinners’. Sykes opens it with some really cool, atmospheric guitar work that really makes it interesting. The keyboards are used for backing to set the vibe and done perfectly. When the song kicks in though, it starts to sound more like the ‘1987’ version since it now has the Sykes influence. They also mix in parts of the Deep Purple song “Soldier of Fortune” in with the song and it really makes this a highlight track of the whole set.

Now it is time for my favorite song from ‘Slide It In’ and that is “Slow And Easy”. This is one of the most badass songs they do. The grooviness and swagger of the guitar sound, David’s vocal delivery, it all just bleeds cool and confident. The drums come in with a purpose and a machine gun barrage and the song kicks in to gear and the band lays waste to all around them. The song is cool, it is the breeze!! The final track is “Ready And Willing” and I wonder what album it is from!! They end the show in style with a classic Snake song. Great keyboards (still lacking though with no Lord – I know I’ve said that, but it is important), great guitars and Coverdale still in strong voice. The song though isn’t an explosive song enough for me to end with, maybe if they switched the last two it would’ve been more perfect.

LP 2:

Time to flip to the second LP and now we are are to the Glasgow show (this one with Jon Lord). It opens with “Love Ain’t No Stranger”. Since this show is only 5 songs of the total setlist, I’m surprised they picked repeats for the songs as we get tracks that were in the Spokane show. The rest are songs that would become more famous later when they redid them for other albums. The sound is immediately different since different show. The keyboards have more life (thank you Lord…Jon Lord that it is). Everything sounds a little more raw and has more grit. I like that. The music is a little higher in the mix too.

From ‘Saints & Sinners’, we get another song that would be redone for the ‘1987’ album and that is “Here I Go Again”. Still has that opening keyboard sound and the crowd is singing right along in full voice as the Glasgow crowd knows the older Snake songs unlike the U.S. audiences at the time. And you know this is the older version because it says “Hobo” instead of “Drifter” as is done in the ‘1987’ album. It is a little more reserved then the later version, but still pretty much there and a great version of the song. Then we get the radio announcer interrupting to announce this was Whitesnake. David introduces Sykes to the crowd and they chant his name over and over and over and over.

Then we get “Crying in the Rain” again and that same intro we got on the other show. Really cool, atmospheric, even ethereal guitar tones. Keyboards are a little more in the mix with the backing making it even sound cooler. A killer song, we get a guitar clinic from Mr. Sykes which is totally awesome. Then they do a small bit of “Soldier of Fortune” at the end. I think I like this version of the song better then the Spokane show. The guitars really came across so much better.

Flipping over to the final song we get “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” which is from all the way back to the debut ‘Snakebite E.P.’ in 1978. A slow bluesy song and the crowd can be heard singing along and why not, who doesn’t love this song. Early Snake is so awesome. Sykes isn’t a blues player like previous Whitesnake guitarists, but he manages through nicely enough. They get crowd participation in the middle of the song and damn they are loud singing it back. A real treat to have this one. Glad they picked this as one of the five from this show. At the end of the song, the crowd starts screaming “Whitesnake” over and over and over and over!

They end the show with “Fool For Your Loving” but this is not the ‘Slip of the Tongue’ version, nope. This is from the ‘Ready ‘N Willing’. The sound got real muddied here, not sure why. But before it does, David screams out “Here’s a Song For You!!”…surprise, surprise. They have sped this one up too from the original version and it starts to sound more like the ‘Slip’ version after all even though it doesn’t come out for like 5 more years.

A really cool set of a Bootleg. You get a full show on the first disc out of Spokane in 1984 and bits of the Glasgow show in 1984. A couple repeats which is a shame, but the songs were still really great. Sound is fantastic as both shows were for a Radio Broadcast. It is strange that “Fool For Your Lovin'” felt a little muddied when the rest of that Glasgow show sounded so good. Outside of that, there was nothing wrong with the shows. David sounds great, John Sykes is fresh in the band the Glasgow has Jon Lord…it is all good. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. I also love the clear translucent vinyl and the packaging was well done. A nice, modern day boot of classic Whitesnake shows.

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 at Hammersmith
14. Whitesnake – Live…in the Heart of the City
15. Whitesnake – Come An’ Get it
16. Deep Purple – Live in London
17. Whitesnake – Saints & Sinners
18. Whitesnake – Slide It In
19. Whitesnake – “Give Me More Time” 12″ Single (Bonus Review)
20. Whitesnake – ‘The Best of Whitesnake (Bonus Review – 1982 release)
21. Whitesnake – Whitesnake (1987)
22. Whitesnake – “Is This Love” 12″ Promo (Bonus Review)
23. Whitesnake – ‘Best’ (Greece Version)
24. Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue
25. David Coverdale – “The Last Note of Freedom” – Single Review
26. Coverdale/Page – Coverdale/Page
27. Coverdale/Page – “Take Me For A Little While 12” Single (Bonus Review)
28. David Coverdale & Whitesnake – Restless Heart
29. Whitesnake – Starkers in Tokyo
30. David Coverdale – Into the Night
31. Whitesnake – Live…In the Still of the Night (DVD)
32. Whitesnake – Live…In the Shadow of the Blues
33. Whitesnake – Good To Be Bad
34. Whitesnake – Forevermore
35. Whitesnake – Live at Donington 1990: Monsters of Rock
36. Whitesnake – The Purple Album
37. Whitesnake – The Purple Tour (Live)
38. Whitesnake – Flesh & Blood
39. Whitesnake – The Rock Album
40. Whitesnake – Love Songs
41. Whitesnake – The Blues Album
42. Whitesnake – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
43. 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)
6. Whitesnake – Restless Heart (25th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) – Box Set
7. Whitesnake – Still…Good to Be Bad (15th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) – Box Set
8. Whitesnake – Little Box ‘O’ Snakes (The Sunburst Years 1978-1982) – Box Set (2013)
9. Whitesnake – Washington State Wipeout (Spokane & Glasgow Broadcasts 1984) – (Bootleg)