"WHITESNAKE"..."IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT"

Ohhhhh Yeah....I am writing this while listening...It just motivated me to the point that I had to do something....Sweet Satisfaction...C'mon baby...Talk to me....YEAH....What'cha want....What'cha need....1---2---3---4 ....Here we go.......Ok...Short and Sweet....But.....Google the band and listen to the music....You won't be dissapointed...If you love Rock and Roll, you will love Whitesnake!!!!! 

Whitesnake:  As you read through the wonderful story that is Whitesnake...Please feel free to listen to some of the incredible music that has inspired this article......

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 After recording two solo albums, former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale formed Whitesnake around 1977. In the mass of hard rock and heavy metal bands of the late '70s, their first few albums got somewhat lost in the shuffle, although they were fairly popular in Europe and Japan. During 1982, Coverdale took some time off, so he could take care of his sick daughter.

 When he re-emerged with a new version of Whitesnake in 1984, the band sounded revitalized and energetic. "Slide It In"  may have relied on Led Zeppelin's and Deep Purple's old tricks, but the band had a knack for writing hooks; the record became their first platinum album. Three years later, Whitesnake released an eponymous album which was even better. Portions of the album were blatantly derivative -- "Still of the Night" was a dead ringer for early Zeppelin -- but the group could write powerful, heavy rockers like "Here I Go Again" that were driven as much by melody as riffs, as well as hit power ballads like "Is This Love." Whitesnake was an enormous international success, selling over six million copies in the U.S. alone.
 
Before they recorded their follow-up, 1989's "Slip of the Tongue", Coverdale again assembled a completely new version of the band, featuring guitar virtuoso Steve Vai...Famous thanks to Frank Zappa and the movie "Crossroads", where he played the devils henchman, in the guitar duel that amazed the world....

 Although the record went platinum, it was a considerable disappointment after the across-the-board success of Whitesnake. Coverdale put Whitesnake on hiatus after that album. In 1993, he released a collaboration with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page that was surprisingly lackluster. The following year, Whitesnake issued a greatest hits album in the U.S. and Canada -- focusing solely on material from their final three albums (as well as containing a few unreleased tracks).

1997 saw Coverdale resurrect Whitesnake (guitarist Adrian Vandenberg was the only remaining member of the group's latter lineup), issuing "Restless Heart" the same year. Surprisingly, the album wasn't even issued in the United States. On the ensuing tour, Coverdale and Vandenberg performed an "unplugged" show in Japan, which was recorded and issued the following year under the title "Starkers" in Tokyo. By the late '90s however, Coverdale once again put Whitesnake on hold, as he concentrated on recording his first solo album in nearly 22 years. Coverdale's "Into the Light" was issued in September of 2000, featuring journeyman guitarist Earl Slick, of David Bowie fame.

The 80's had some of the most proficient and incredible musicians that the public has ever heard. Their dedication to their instruments, their ability to play and the ability to entertain, so far surpassed anything in the history of recorded music, it scared mainstream music.

"Blues for Mylene"..."Snake Dance".....by Doug Aldrich... On the "Live In The Still of the Night" DVD, not to mention the drum solo by Tommy Aldridge is just.........Mind boggling to say the least...  

The motivating factor behind this article is that after once again watching the concert, I felt like I had to share...I hope you all, that is you, that are Hard Rock fans and Heavy Metal lovers, go out and buy the DVD....It's called...WHITESNAKE....LIVE.....IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT.....And I hope you all enjoy what it is like to be rocked by one of the finest bands on the planet.....

Whitesnake was a really good band before MTV got a hold of them and ruined them.

 As stated earlier, formed out of the ashes of Deep Purple, it featured the highly talented vocals of David, who was the only constant member, not to mention the band's creator. This band has had more lineup changes than any other band I can think of!

 Fellow Deep Purple dudes Ian Paice and Jon Lord were on many of the early albums, as was future Black Sabbath bassist Neil Murray. After "Slide It In" things got even MORE complicated, until the band was changing members nearly every week! (The Whitesnake web site I visited listed something like 11 different lineups, NOT counting the ones that only went out on tour.)

"Whitesnake/Northwinds"

"Lady" (3:47)
"Blindman" (6:01)
"Goldies Place" (5:02)
"Whitesnake" (4:20)
"Time on My Side" (4:25)
"Peace Lovin' Man" (4:52)
"Sunny Days" (3:29)
"Hole in the Sky" (3:20)
"Celebration" (4:06)
"Northwinds" (6:09)
"Give Me Kindness" (4:34)
"Time and Again" (4:02)
"Say You Love Me" (4:21)

The first "official" Whitesnake album, although it's really more of an EP -- only the first four tracks are Whitesnake songs, while tracks 5-8 are taken from Coverdale's second solo LP. Some great bluesy material here.

  "Snakebite"
"Come On" (3:31)
"Bloody Mary" (3:18)
"Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" (5:07)
"Steal Away" (4:16)
"Keep on Giving Me Love" (5:13)
"Queen of Hearts" (5:15)
"Only My Soul" (4:33)
"Breakdown" (5:12)
  
Whoa, this one gave me a real scare. Long out of print, this CD normally sold on eBay in the $20-25 range, but lots of copies went through so I figured I'd just pick it up eventually. Then, suddenly, a copy sold for the unreal price of $150!!! Followed by several months of NOTHING (during which time, someone offered to sell me his copy at that price...and I gotta admit, I was tempted...NOT!) Thankfully, another copy finally resurfaced, which I was able to pick up at the reasonably low price of $13.99 incl. shipping. Whew!!

Now, about the music...well, this is a spectacular blues-rock debut, featuring some great songs. My favorite is "Nighthawk (Vampire Blues)", "Day Tripper" is a cover of the Beatles song.

 "Trouble"
"Take Me With You" (4:44)
"Love to Keep You Warm" (3:43)
"Lie Down (A Modern Love Song)" (3:14)
"Day Tripper" (3:47)
"Nighthawk (Vampire Blues)" (3:40)
"The Time is Right for Love" (3:27)
"Trouble" (4:48)
"Belgian Tom's Hat Trick"--instrumental (3:25)
"Free Flight" (4:05)
"Don't Mess with Me" (3:18)

One of my favorites, particularly for the "Fool for Your Loving" song. (And I'm NOT talking about the shameless "Slip of the Tongue" remake, that version's okay but this one is FAR superior!) I found this import for something like $18 (brand new) and bought it without blinking an eye.

 "Ready an' Willing"

"Fool for Your Loving" (4:14)
"Sweet Talker" (3:36)
"Ready an' Willing" (3:42)
"Carry Your Load" (4:04)
"Blindman" (5:05)
"Ain't Gonna Cry No More" (5:48)
"Love Man" (5:01)
"Black and Blue" (4:03)
"She's a Woman" (4:05)

One of the COOLEST album covers made in Whitesnake's career, I do believe. I also like the short closing anthem "We Wish You Well" -- maybe it won't ever become "Auld Land Syne" but it does have that sort of feeling to it.

"Love Hunter"

"Long Way from Home" (4:55)
"Walking in the Shadow of the Blues" (4:23)
"Help Me Thro' the Day" (4:39)
"Medicine Man" (4:00)
"You 'N' Me" (3:28)
"Mean Business" (3:45)
"Love Hunter" (5:36)
"Outlaw" (4:02)
"Rock 'N' Roll Women" (4:45)
"We Wish You Well" (1:36)
 

A compilation of 2 concerts, recorded in 1980 (tracks 1-8) and 1978 (tracks 9-13). This one was sort of a tough call -- you see, a second version of "Come On" (from the 1978 concert) was cut to fit this on one CD, although a 2CD version with both complete concerts WAS issued a long time ago...but what chance do I have of finding THAT one?? On the bright side, the out-of-print domestic version only has the first concert, and while the second concert is available as an expensive Japanese import called "Live at Hammersmith", it's best to consolidate as much as possible...Hopefully you will agree?

In any case...this is a GREAT live CD, a bit expensive but worth every penny. "Mistreated" and "Might Just Take Your Life" are Deep Purple songs, but since Jon Lord & Ian Paice were still with the band, it's essentially Deep Purple anyway, right?

 "Live in the Heart of the City"

1. "Come On" (3:38)
   "Sweet Talker" (4:16)
   "Walking in the Shadow of the Blues" (5:00)
   "Love Hunter" (10:41)
   "Fool for Your Loving" (4:58)
   "Ain't Gonna Cry No More" (6:21)
   "Ready an' Willing" (4:46)
   "Take Me with You" (6:28)
   "Might Just Take Your Life" (5:35)
2.  "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" (6:03)
   "Trouble" (4:51)
3.  "Mistreated" (10:49)

 Compared to Whitesnake's other early works, this one sounds rather tired and worn-out. It does contain some really good music, though, especially the song "Child of Babylon".

"Come an' Get It"

"Come an' Get It" (3:58)
"Hot Stuff" (3:22)
"Don't Break My Heart Again" (4:03)
"Lonely Days, Lonely Nights" (4:16)
"Wine, Women an' Song" (3:44)
"Child of Babylon" (4:48)
"Would I Lie to You" (4:28)
"Girl" (3:55)
"Hit an' Run" (3:23)
"Till the Day I Die" (4:26) 

Admittedly, this is not a good album (David Coverdale referred to it as being recorded "solely to fulfill record contract obligations.") Of interest are early versions of "Crying in the Rain" and "Here I Go Again", which were later rerecorded for their Whitesnake album (and done better, I think.) It turns out this one isn't as rare as I originally thought; in fact, it's part of the "Price Savers" series (meaning you can get it at CDNow for only $6.49.)

 "Saints An' Sinners
"Young Blood" (3:30)
"Rough an' Ready" (2:50)
"Bloody Luxury" (3:24)
"Victim of Love" (3:34)
"Crying in the Rain" (5:58)
"Here I Go Again" (5:08)
"Love an' Affection" (3:08)
"Rock an' Roll Angels" (4:07)
"Dancing Girls" (3:09)
"Saints an' Sinners" (4:22)

Most introductions to this band was with the "Slide It In" album... Great music, from the sultry "Slow an' Easy" to the outlaw-ish "Gambler" ("I stand on the outside, looking at love/I wanna get inside...") Jon Lord still played keyboards here, but drumming duties were taken over by Cozy Powell, whose impressive resume includes Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Emerson, Lake & Powell and Phenomena. John Sykes first appears on this album too (what the hell ever happened to him, anyway?)

"Slide It In"
"Slide it In" (3:20)
"Slow an' Easy" (6:08)
"Love Ain't No Stranger" (4:18)
"All or Nothing" (3:40)
"Gambler" (3:58)
"Guilty of Love" (3:24)
"Hungry for Love" (3:28)
"Give Me More Time" (3:42)
"Spit it Out" (4:26)
"Standing in the Shadow" (3:42)
 

I was going to hold out for the English import which features two extra tracks, but finally caved in and picked up the domestic release. Some excellent songs here, particularly "Crying in the Rain" and "Still of the Night", although radio & MTV overplayed and utterly destroyed the otherwise pleasant "Here I Go Again" (and every time I see the video with that slut hanging out the car window I keep praying for her to fall out and get crushed under the wheels!)

 Whitesnake"
"Crying in the Rain" (5:35)
"Bad Boys" (4:07)
"Still of the Night" (6:38)
"Here I Go Again" (4:36)
"Give Me All Your Love" (3:30)
"Is This Love" (4:42)
"Children of the Night" (4:22)
"Straight for the Heart" (3:37)
"Don't Turn Away" (5:08)

 As for lineup changes, here is where it hits the fever pitch!

 Guitar & bass duties:

They were still performed by John Sykes & Neil Murray, but the drummer was Aynsley Dunbar of Journey fame! Then for the concert tour, Dave fired the whole band and formed something of a "supergroup" which featured (drum roll please) Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell, Quiet Riot/Ozzy bassist Rudy Sarzo (on stage Dave introduced Rudy as "A man who will fuck ANYTHING"), and that big tall Vandenberg guitar dude. Drum duties were handled by Tommy Aldridge, who used to play with Ozzy Osbourne. Then, for the next album "Slip of the Tongue", Dave hooked up with Steve Vai for guitar duties! Of course, by that time, the band's sound had been completely watered down by MTV's overexposure, and they essentially broke up for a long time...although there's a new Whitesnake album out called "Restless Heart", available only as Japanese import. I shudder to think what it sounds like, though.

"Back in Donnington 1990" (2CDR; 8/18/90, Monsters of Rock Festival, UK)
Disc one:
"Intro/Slip of the Tongue" (6:53)
"Slide it In" (5:20)
"Judgement Day" (6:02)
"Slow an' Easy" (8:52)
"Kittens Got Claws" (6:07)
"Adrian Vandenberg Solo" (7:27)
"Is This Love?" (4:44)
"Cheap an' Nasty" (4:30)
 disc two:
"Crying in the Rain/Tommy Aldridge Solo" (13:29)
"Fool for Your Loving" (5:57)
"Steve Vai Solo (incl. For the Love of God)" (9:23)
"Here I Go Again" (5:43)
"Bad Boys/Children of the Night" (7:41)
"Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" (8:33)
"Still of the Night" (8:38)
 
I got this from one of those innumerable Petrucci/Satriani/Vai fans who've been pestering me for Dream Theater bootlegs lately. :) For some reason, this guy offered me a 2:1 trade, but as he had only one DT boot that I didn't have already, I had to peruse his list carefully and finally chose this one. (The rest were Satch, G3, etc...you know, the regular "shred guitar" stuff that I have absolutely no interest in.) It's an A+ soundboard recording from the 1990 Monsters of Rock festival, and yes it features Steve Vai on guitar, but that doesn't matter much to me. At least they did play some "classic" 'Snake songs, sprinkled in with all the crapola from their MTV-era albums. That's all I have to say about it, really.

"Whitesnake's Greatest Hits"

"Still of the Night" (6:38)
"Here I Go Again"--"radio mix" (3:53)
"Is This Love" (4:42)
"Love Ain't No Stranger" (4:17)
"Looking for Love" (6:31)
"Now You're Gone" (4:12)
"Slide it In" (3:20)
"Slow an' Easy" (6:09)
"Judgement Day" (5:16)
"You're Gonna Break My Heart Again" (4:10)
"The Deeper the Love" (4:22)
"Crying in the Rain" (5:36)
"Fool for Your Loving" (4:11)
"Sweet Lady Luck" (4:35)

A compendium of the band's 80's music, from 'Slide it In' to the incredible "Slip of the Tongue", with some unreleased tracks thrown in: "You're Gonna Break My Heart Again", "Looking for Love", "Sweet Lady Luck", and a completely remixed version of "Here I Go Again" The bottom line is this... Whitesnake ROCKS and for those of you that have been there to enjoy it...You are the LUCKY ones!!!