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.
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
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):
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, this one, is going to cover only the Whitesnake albums. The second one, next week, 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.
Whitesnake started back in 1978 and was a result of David going solo after his stint in Deep Purple and he realized he enjoyed the band aspect and Whitesnake was born after 2 solo albums. The name was taken from the title of David’s first solo album and now David is the only original member. Hell, it was really his band anyway. One of the few bands it doesn’t matter who is in it as long as David is singing. If you want to read the reviews of each album, check out the list at the bottom of the post and click away and go explore each album in more depth. Thanks
The really cool thing I discovered when I went back to compile my list is that no album saw a score of less than a 3.0 out of 5.0 Stars. How many bands can say that. Probably not a lot. Enough chit chat, now let’s get started…
After coming off the tour of the band’s biggest selling album, ‘Whitesnake’, it was time to record a new album. But before that could happen, another guitarist left the fold. Vivian Campbell left the band and it was reported as “Creative Differences”…whatever that means. But it what it did mean, was more line-up issues for the band.
But that didn’t stop David from starting to write new songs. He and his now creative partner, Adrian Vandenberg, set forth with writing the new album. They actually wrote some of the album while on tour, but the bulk was crafter in David’s home in Lake Tahoe. I would think that wouldn’t be a bad place to hold up to write. The songs were all written by David and Adrian (except for one), but sadly, Adrian wouldn’t play on any of them.
Adrian hurt his wrist and could not record. He would need surgery for the issue and that put him out of commission for some time. So, David needed to find a replacement to help with the album. Now the replacement was to record, but it was also to replace Vivian. He needed someone really strong and thankfully for us, he found one of the greatest guitar players ever to hold a 6 string. It was the former Frank Zappa and former David Lee Roth guitarist Steve Vai. Steve brought a whole new style and sound to Whitesnake. Don’t expect Vai to play the blues, he had a texture and sound that was not what Whitesnake fans were used to, but we could accept it. Continue reading “Whitesnake – ‘Slip of the Tongue’ – Album Review (The David Coverdale Series)”→
David Coverdale has really outdone himself with these Super Deluxe Editions Box Sets. First was the ‘1987’ album, then an UnZipped Box Set, then ‘Slide It In’ and now we get the royal treatment on the 1989 album ‘Slip of the Tongue’.
This special edition consists of 6 CDs, 1 DVD, 1 Book, 1 Tour Program replica and 1 Album Cover Poster. And it has over 100 tracks amongst all the discs. Here is everything you get.
Now of course that 100+ tracks is misleading and this set is truly for the ultimate fan. Why? Because the set repeats the songs a lot. Because the set repeats the songs a lot. Yes, I wrote that twice on purpose and yes, I did the same joke on ‘Slide It In’…because its true.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 