Come join us tonight as I join Superdekes on his live stream ‘Scotch on the Rocks’. This is what Deke has to say about it…
Mr. John T Snow returns tonight and we will spend the hour chatting about those good old boys known as Whitesnake specifically those years from ’84-90 when Coverdale was firing, hiring, selling records, and concert tickets and making those videos!
Oh yeah those three albums as well. “Slide It In”- “87 Album” and “Slip of the Tongue”!
Tonight at 7pm live on YouTube at the Official Scotch On The Rocks page. Or click below…
I was out and about with my daughter and we actually made an unexpected trip to one of our local record stores called Repo Records. I wasn’t expecting to find anything and I came across a great early Whitesnake single for the song “Fool For Your Loving” but not from the album you are thinking. Nope, this is the 1980 version that you might not known existed. Whitesnake fans that came on board in the late 80’s know this song from the album ‘Slip of the Tongue’. However, this is the original and first release of the song which went to #13 in the UK and #53 in the US. It was actually the band’s first single and first hit outside the UK.
“Fool For Your Loving” was written by Bernie Marsden (who had the riffs and the verses), Micky Moody (who wrote the bridge) and David Coverdale (who did the lyrics). The funny thing about the song is that it was originally written for BB King, however, they soon realized the song was too good to pass up…and they were right. This version of the song is more bluesy and has a nice groove and not as rocking as the hair metal version, but that is okay. You have Bernie belting out a great solo that is so different than Vai’s version.
In the last few years, David Coverdale has been quite busy rehashing old material, but in a good way. He has brought us deluxe box sets for albums such as ‘Slide It In’, ‘1987’, ‘Slip of the Tongue’ and even ‘Unzipped’ the all acoustic box set. And thid year in 2021, we are supposed to get ‘Restless Heart’. But for now, he is rehashing old material yet again.
This time it is a series called ‘Red, White & Blue’ Trilogy. The Rock Album (White) was up first and then we got the Love Songs (Red) and now it is time for the The Blues Album (Blue, duh) which is our 40th Review in the David Coverdale Series. Crazy! Each album is really a glorified greatest hits album with its own theme and the titles give you those themes quite nicely. The big difference on these albums is more than just a remastering. The songs have been tinkered with and given a little touch-up with some re-mixing and even a little touch-up on arrangements and other little surprises. The songs aren’t completely re-imagined, thankfully it is no Bon Jovi “This Left Feels Right”. The songs are still very much recognizable, just enhanced ever so slightly.
This time around we get 14 Tracks and because of that, we aren’t going in to full detail song by song. We will highlight them as we go. The thing about these albums is they only cover a certain period of the band from 1984’s ‘Slide it In’ up to 2011’s ‘Forevermore’. Nothing off their latest album, 2019’s ‘Flesh & Blood” and strangely, this time there is nothing off 1989’s ‘Slip of the Tongue’ which is quite baffling. We do get a song from the bonus tracks on ‘Live in the Shadow of the Blues’ which is a nice treat. The biggest difference from this release and the other two are that there are NO new tracks on this one like the others. I’m a little disappointed by that aspect. There are also two tracks that appear on the other two which is another disappoint. Granted they are still a different mix than those other albums, but still.
The theme of the album is Blues so all the songs are sonically blues in nature…some more so than others. We do get some songs that are more rock and then blues, but there are hints of it in the guitar. One of the more rocking tracks is the opening song “Steal Your Heart Away” which is a beast and completely rocks out with the exception of the guitar has hints of Jimmy Page that blues sound he had. The mix on this brings those guitar to the forefront and cleans them up nicely. “Good to Be Bad” is more metal than blues, but Dave’s vocals seem to be enhanced to give them a more blues tone. “Give Me All Your Love” seems to only have been tweaked to give John Sykes guitars a little more punch.
The one track that was tweaked the most was “Take Me Back Again” which had Whitesnake current guitarists, Joel Hoekstra, adding a solo and keyboardist Derek Sherinian adding his own flair to the song as well. This is the most blues track so far and is plain killer. Side Two kicks off with the dirtiest, most awesome song, “Slow & Easy” seems to have an improved drum sound as damn, Cozy Powell is killing it and then “Too Many Tears” which was on the Love album prior, but here now sounds like more of a country & blues track with the guitar sound. The final track on the first LP is “Lay Down Your Love” and that opening sounds cleaner and doesn’t have the annoying echo opening as the original, a vast improvement and then that guitar comes in dang near blows the roof off this joint.
The second LP kicks up the blues with the opening track “The River Song” and is really what this album is about. The blues guitar playing is exceptional throughout especially that opening picking. And then to go in to “Whipping Boy Blues” is magical especially with the brand new opening with the frog and nature sounds. Takes you down to the swamp and really makes you feel the blues. Then we get the bonus track from “In the Shadow of the Blues” called “If You Want Me” and another brutally rocking track. The vocals have been improved with added textures and flavors. And lastly on this side we get “A Fool In Love” which is David doing the Blues the best. This side of the album has been what this album is all about. Perfection filled Blues Rock!!
The final side kicks off with the foot-stomping “Woman Trouble Blues” which has added come guitar to boost the song, but I have always loved the harmonica playing in the song which really adds that extra blues flair. It is all stellar. They slow things down with 1987’s “Looking for Love” which seems to have Sykes guitar cleaned up and clearer which no one would complain about. The final track is the classic “Crying in the Rain” which seems to have a slightly new beginning, some added guitar parts and a new ending that fades out with an echo added.
And there you have it. I think I like every track on here and the changes to the mix are all subtle and yet effective. Nothing strays far from the original and it is only enhancing the flavors of the song to give us the desired taste we are salivating over. He tweaked a pinch here and a dash there and gave us the best of the three albums in the trilogy. I will give it a 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars only because no new tracks and two repeated songs from the other albums (although a different mix). I know for sure that this one and the Rock one will get played again and again depending on my mood as to which one. The Love album is good, but too much on the ballad side. I still think you need to pick up all three…why not!!!
The Red, White & Blue Trilogy is now complete. The Love Album, The Rock Album and now the Blues Album. What a thing of beauty…
Now we are waiting on the announcement of The Restless Heart Super Deluxe Box Set and now rumors are running rampant that David Coverdale and Jimmy Page are working on a Deluxe Edition of Coverdale/Page…ooooh!!! That would be awesome. And in the liner notes of the Blues Album he even talks about a Box Set for Good to Be Bad!!! Some interesting stuff coming the David Coverdale world. Until next time…
In the last few years, David Coverdale has been quite busy rehashing old material, but in a good way. He has brought us deluxe box sets for albums such as ‘Slide It In’, ‘1987’, ‘Slip of the Tongue’ and even ‘Unzipped’ the all acoustic box set. And next year in 2021, we will get ‘Restless Heart’. But for now, he is rehashing old material yet again.
This time it is a series called ‘Red, White & Blue’ Trilogy. The Rock Album (White) was up first and now we are on Love Songs (Red) and I believe The Blues Album (Blue, duh) will come in early 2021 (February was last I heard but that has not been confirmed yet). Each album is really a glorified greatest hits albums each with its own theme and the titles give you those themes quite nicely.
The big difference on these albums is more than just a remastering. The songs have been tinkered with and given a little touch-up with some re-mixing and even a little touch-up on arrangements and other little surprises. The songs aren’t completely re-imagined, thankfully it is no Bon Jovi “This Left Feels Right”. The songs are still very much recognizable, just enhanced ever so slightly.
For My Sunday Song #210, we come to the last song in the 10 song set of Whitesnake songs with “Still Of the Night”. The song was the first single off their groundbreaking, career breaking album known as ‘Whitesnake’ or ‘1987’ to some. This took the band to new heights and MTV played the hell out of it. The song was written by David Coverdale and John Sykes.
Lyrically, it comes as no surprise this song has a lot to do with Sex. The “cock rock” Kings are at it again. The song has an almost vampire element and stalker element. He is obsessed with this woman and wants to be with her all night. The daylight seems to hurt him as to keep his head down and hide his face from the sun. I know it isn’t about vampires, but I like the analogy so give me that.
Musically, this was a new Snake, a hungrier Snake, a more badass Snake. It has some blues elements of the old Whitesnake, but John 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). There is a musical interlude in the middle that gives an awesome guitar solo a whole different style with an almost cello/violin/string instrument orchestration to the whole thing. Pretty freaking cool.
For My Sunday Song #209, we are going back to the first album that really broke in the states for Whitesnake and one of the songs that helped start it all, “Slow An’ Easy”. The song was the fourth single off the album and was written by David Coverdale and Micky Moody who were the last two remaining original members of the band at the time, Micky wouldn’t last much longer as he was replaced by John Sykes before the album’s release and is guitar parts were replaced by Sykes, but that is whole other discussion.
Whitesnake was notorious at the time with critics for their “cock rock” lyrics and “Slow an’ Easy” is pretty much that to a T. The song is about Sex! No sugar coating it here, it is Sex! I wish I could give you a deeper meaning to the song, but I can’t and I wouldn’t want to as the song is what it is and it is awesome! In the 25th Anniversary edition of the album (and thanks to wikipedia), David had this to say…
“Slow & Easy was recorded at 4 in the morning in Munich after a serious night’s partying…Most of the vocals is just a live ‘jam’ lyric I made up to inspire the band as we recorded…I played around with the lyric later to try and make some sense of it…”
If you follow this site, then you know I am a huge David Coverdale fan. I must be as a spent a year reviewing everything that he has done. I had about 38 posts in the series and we are doing one more to show-off the collection. I have amassed quite the Coverdale collection of Vinyl and CDs and even a DVD.
What do I have…well…lets us go through it. Now before we do, note that I don’t have everything, I am still working on it and some stuff I have on CD, I will be getting the vinyl eventually. For now, this is what I have…
Where it all began…DEEP PURPLE! Have “Burn”, “Stormbringer”, “Come Taste the Band” and “Made in Europe”.
Then David did some solo work then Whitesnake and then more solo work. Here is the Solo work…the vinyl here is both “Whitesnake” and “Northwinds”. You get “Into the Light” as well as the “Coverdale/Page”.
For My Sunday Song #208, we are going to discuss the Whitesnake epic classic called “Sailing Ships” off their 1989 album ‘Slip of the Tongue’. This is a deep deep cut, so deep in fact it is the last song on the album and a very popular song amongst fans even though never a single. At over 6 minutes it is epic in length and in sound. The song was written by David Coverdale and his writing partner at the time, Adrian Vandenberg.
The song seems to be about self discovery. About setting a dream, no matter the size, face down your demons and go after that dream. Don’t be afraid, throw away those fears and remember, you control your destiny. Nothing will happen to you unless you go out and make it happen. But no matter the storms you face, the trouble you find, push ahead and keep moving. It is rather inspiring.
This is not the typical Whitesnake ballad. It sounds a little like Led Zeppelin as the song seems mystical and a has a whole Page vibe to it. The song stays soft for most of the time then explodes towards the end to go out with a bang. The tone of the music and lyrics come across as one of the most serious songs I feel they have ever done and maybe the most experimental at the same time. The sounds Steve Vai can make with his guitar are nothing short of amazing. His solo is just as huge as the song. David’s vocals match the intensity of the lyrics and the music. He gives his all and it comes across as intended. This is a group that is hitting on all cylinders and at the top of their game.
It is one of my all time favorite Whitesnake songs and that is saying a lot. Give the song a listen and let me know what you think. Is it as good as I think it is…yeah it is!! Thanks for stopping by and have a Happy Sunday!!
“Sailing Ships”
Do you remember
Standing on the shore,
Head in the clouds,
Your pockets filled with dreams
Bound for glory
On the seven seas of life,
But, the ocean is deeper than it seemsThe wind was with you
When you left on the morning tide,
You set your sail for an island in the sun,
On the horizon, dark clouds up ahead,
For the storm has just begun
Take me with you,
Take me far away,
Lead me to the distant shore
Sail your ship across the water,
Spread your wings across the sky
Take the time to see
You’re the one who holds the key,
Or sailing ships will pass you by
You cry for mercy,
When you think you’ve lost your way,
You drift alone, if all your hope is gone
So find the strength and you will see
You control, your destiny,
After all is said and done
So take me with you,
Take me far away,
An’ lead me to the distant shore
Sail your ship across the water,
Spread your wings across the sky
Take the time to see
You’re the one who holds the key,
Or sailing ships will pass,
Sailing ships will pass you,
Sailing ships will pass you by…
Take me with you,
Take me far away,
We’ll ride the wind across the sky
Spread your wings and you will see
You control, your destiny,
So sailing ships don’t pass you by
So take me with you,
Take me far away,
We’ll ride the wind across the sky
Spread your wings and you will see
You control, your destiny,
So sailing ships don’t pass,
So sailing ships don’t pass you,
So sailing ships don’t pass you by…
Baby, baby, baby, baby,
You’ll find that you’re the only one
Can sail your ship across the sky
For My Sunday Song #207, we are tackling an early career defining song for Whitesnake called “Walking in the Shadow of the Blues”. The song was written by David Coverdale and Bernie Marsden and is off the 1979 album, ‘Lovehunter’ and although the album did better than the debut, it still didn’t light the world on fire. But looking back on the band’s early albums, this was the one where they started finding themselves and they grew from there.
Over on Loudersound.com, an article on Whitesnake by Geoff Barton, quotes David Coverdale on the song and he stated the following:
“That song really summed up my musical approach of the time,” Coverdale says. “It was very much my feeling, my perspective and probably my life’s philosophy back then. The lyric more or less wrote itself. It was very free-flowing, very autobiographical. It was just waiting to be written. Bernie and I put the music together very quickly. It was obviously meant to be as a song. I’m very proud of that one.”
“Walking in the Shadow of the Blues” tells the story of a man who never fit in and was the black sheep of his family. He wanted to live his own life and do what he wanted even if his parents didn’t want him to do it. He packs his bags and his guitar and heads out on his own to pursue that dream which I would say he succeeded.
Starting back on August 1st, 2019, we started the David Coverdale Series of reviews. It was a long process and after 36 reviews, we are capping off the series with not one, but two album rankings. The first one covered only the Whitesnake albums. The second one, this one, will cover ALL albums that David Coverdale has done. The list are only studio albums. No E.P.’s, no live albums and no greatest hits.
David started his career back in 1974 with Deep Purple’s Mark III lineup on the album Burn. Through 20 studio albums that cover Deep Purple, David Coverdale solo albums, Coverdale/Page and of course, Whitesnake, there is so much music to cover in his 46 years of music. It was so much fun tackling this David Coverdale series that part of me hates to see it end, but all good things come to end.
Why don’t we get started and let’s see how David Coverdale albums rank from the Worst to the First.
THE WORST – WHITESNAKE: ‘THE PURPLE ALBUM” (2015):
2 Loud 2 Old Music 