On disc: Whitesnake

 
 The Definitive Collection
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Good To Be Bad
 
- Victor Castillo -
 
 


 
 Forevermore
 
- Umberto Mino -
 
 


 
 Live At Donington 1990
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Made In Japan
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Made In Britain / The World Records
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

Made In Britain / The World Record

(Frontiers Records - 2013)



 
 

 

Not too long ago Frontiers Records presented Whitesnake's Made In Japan, now a double CD is out. CD 1 is called Made In Britain and was recorded during their 2011 UK tour while CD 2 is The World Record and was recorded during the world tour in 2011. With Fare Thee Well can be found on both CDs.



They kick off Made In Britain with Best Years, a good choice, but for my opinion the vocals should be more prominent... At least at the opener and some other tunes. With Give Me All Your Love they keep rocking. With Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach David Coverdale has an excellent guitar duo - and even the changing band members are always well picked. So technically nothing to complain, but the songs sound a bit too polished for me and the audience should be louder, at least at the passages where the crowd is singing. They focus on the rock songs of Forevermore and classics without forgetting to add some ballads. At Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City I miss the bluesy sound, but it's been a long time since Moody / Marsden played this one. The first CD ends with some classics and CD 2 kicks off with Bad Boys, another classic. That disc ends with some Purple stuff -  Soldier Of Fortune, Burn / Stormbringer. And it's a lot of fun to listen to Burn / Stormbringer!



Die-hard fans will get their copy immediately, others might consider, if they need another live album. Actually I think it depends on which Whitesnake era you are into. Anyway, a good one.



Track listing:



CD1 – MADE IN BRITAIN

1. Best Years

2. Give Me All Your Love

3. Love Ain't No Stranger

4. Is This Love

5. Steal Your Heart Away

6. Forevermore

7. Love Will Set You Free

8. My Evil Ways

9. Fare Thee Well

10. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City

11. Fool For Your Loving

12. Here I Go Again

13. Still Of The Night



CD2 – THE WORLD RECORD

1. Bad Boys

2. Slide It In

3. Lay Down Your Love

4. Pistols At Dawn

5. Snake Dance

6. Can You Hear The Wind Blow

7. Fare Thee Well

8. One Of These Days

9. The Badger

10. Deeper The Love

11. Soldier Of Fortune

12. Burn/Stormbringer

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Made In Japan

(Frontiers Records - 2013)



 
 

 

Whitesnake present a live recording of their 2011 Loud Park festival appearance on DVD/DCD set and so make a documentation of their Forevermore tour available. While other bands release live albums quite frequently Whitesnake doesn't.



They kick off with Best Years, but soon present classics like Love Ain't No Stranger. David Coverdale's voice sounds good, but to me a bit different... Obviously the Forevermore touring band did try to add their own sound to it - without changing too much. While Love Ain't No Stranger is heavier they stripped down Is This Love, it's less bombastic now. As they had a limited stage time at Loud park festival they focused on the classics, but presented the balladesque title track Forevermore.



The guitar duel of Reb Beach and Doug Aldrich is called Six String Showdown and surely interesting for guitarists, but even if I like to see it live, personally I don't like solos at CDs.



Unfortunately I only didn't got the chance to see the DVD and the bonus material, so I can't tell you anything about it. And with more than 6 minutes it's too long for me. Brian Tichy is an amazing drummer, but the drum solo is even longer than the guitar duel!



Disc 2 is offering some acoustic versions and some sound check recordings. So you can hear David Coverdale talking with his mates on stage during the sound check and get an idea about the way they work together.










Track listing:



CD 1

Best Years

Give Me All Your Love Tonight

Love Ain't No Stranger

Is This Love

Steal Your Heart Away

Forevermore

Six String Showdown

Love Will Set You Free

Drum Solo

Fool For Your Loving

Here I Go Again

Still Of The Night



CD 2

Love Will Set You Free (sound check)

Steal Your Heart Away (sound check)

Fare Thee Well (acoustic version)

One Of These Days (acoustic version)

Lay Down Your Love (sound check)

Evil Ways (sound check)

Good To Be Bad (acoustic version)

Tell Me How (acoustic version)

 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Live At Donington 1990

(Frontiers Records - 2011)



 
 

 

With 1987 Whitesnake became a household name and when they played Donington Cstle in 1990 they probably had the most famous line-up... David Coverdale was joined by Tommy Aldridge, Rudy Sarzo and guitar legends Adrian Vandenberg and Steve Vai. But at that time they had already lost some of their fans, the ones who loved their bluesy sound, fans of the Moody / Marsden era. As they were still promoting Slip Of The Tongue they chose that one as the opener. Next in line Slide It In, a track which kinda represents the change from bluesy hard rock to a more commercial sound. For me the biggest difference is the guitar play and I tend to prefer the style of Moody / Marsden - at least when it comes to Whitesnake.



Playing Monsters Of Rock in Donington in 1990 meant to play in front of 70,000 enthusiastic fans - and the band delivered quite a show. Older tunes like Slow An Easy and Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City are more powerful and guitar-driven, less bluesy. At Adagio For Strato and Flying Dutchman Boogie the guitarist got space to show off their skills. The crowds reaction for Cryin' In The Rain - including a drum solo - shows, that's the stuff many fans wanted to hear - even back then.



This live recording represents very well Whitesnake at the time of the recordings, but personally I prefer Live... In The Heart Of The City. Personal taste, that's all. Live At Donington 1990 is perfect for all who fell in love with Whitesnake with 1987 / Slip Of The Tongue releases. Every fan of the Moody / Marsden era will enjoy this album, but it can't keep up with Live... In The Heart Of The City, well not for lovers of early Whitesnake.



The concert is also available on DVD, in a CD/DVD box and as digital release. I can't give any information about the DVD as we only got access to the sound files.





Track list:



CD1 :

Slip Of The Tongue

Slide It In

Judgement Day

Slow An Easy

Kitten's Got Claws

Adagio For Strato

Flying Dutchman Boogie

Is This Love

Cheap An' Nasty

Crying In The Rain



CD2:

Fool For Your Loving

For The Love Of God

The Audience Is Listening

Here I Go Again

Bad Boys

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City

Still Of The Night

 
 










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Forevermore

(Frontiers Records - 2011)



 
 

 

I can imagine the titles on every magazine / webzine: "The snake's return", The Snake is biting again" etc etc etc..... People, this time you must believe all these obvious titles because this is a comeback where not only words talk, but music talks and it talks very loud!!! After three years the Coverdale's guys just hit the bulls eye with record where the quality is really at an elevate standard, where blues and hairy melodies are mixed perfectly, where new and old wear together, where Ready'n'Willing has married the 1987 album....in a few words a MUST HAVE album!!! Don't you believe that???



Well,there is also a DVD included and for the first limited edition in England you'll find a 'Snake pack'. This time Whitesnake and their label, the Italian Frontiers, has made great promotional job for this great product, but anyway let's analyze this new Forevermore,the eleventh studio album of this great band......



Steal Your Heart Away and All Out Of Luck are perfect to describe the new millennium Whitesnake: sleazy, vicious and simply amazing!!! Who said "Legends never die"??? He was right.... Love Will Set You Free is the first video of this record, a song that describe what Whitesnake is, were and will be!!!! Easier Said Than Done is the first ballad of Forevermore, but the follower Tell Me How keep us back on track the his hard sound full of blues, sleaze and catchy chorus!!! I Need You is another amazing example of the good mixture of 70's and 80's Whitesnake. One Of These Days could be a song that came out from the Coverdale's solo album with his appeal, Love And Treat Me Right is perfect from the title, the classic sexy song that Coverdale use to write and perform!!! Dogs In The Street could be written by Sykes, a song that take us back directly back at 24 years ago...... Fare Thee Well is another acoustic ballad where Doug Aldrich, Reb Beach and his majesty Coverdale show us one more time their romantic side!! Whipping Boy Blues is a modern version of what Coverdale is made of, another song that could be on 1987 or better on the Coverdale/Page album. My Evil Ways is another dirty blues and final song, the title track Forevermore closes this album with his acoustic and melancholy guitar, his sad feeling that make us so sad, sad because this album is over and we want more!!!



I am so happy that this is a 'back in action' album for this legendary band, that it's not based only on concerts (a kind of 'live best of'), but also on high quality albums, excellent performances and the search of perfection in every thing they have done, a clear sign of professionality and great respect of fans!!!



Whitesnake 2011 are: David Coverdale (voc), Doug Aldrich (g), Reb Beach (g), Michael Devin (b) and Brian Tichy (dr)

 
 










Umberto Mino


  
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Good To Be Bad

(Steamhammer - 2008)



 
 

 

Well, well, what we have here? For the real Whitesnake fans - not the ones hat think that Whitesnake have recorded only two albums - its time to get a champagne bottle and to start celebrating! Cos good old David Coverdale have returned with a piece of solid gold for us! From the beginning to the end of this album you will hear a powerful bluesy heavy rock that will make you turn euphoric!



Once again Mr. Coverdale is surrounded by monster talents such as Doug Aldrich, Reb Beach, Uriah Duffy, Timothy Drury and Chris Frazier and return with this masterpiece full of powerful songs as Best Years, Can You Hear The Wind Blow, Call On Me, Good To Be Bad, All For Love and Got What You Need or the heavy bluesy ones Lay Down Your Love or A Fool In Love! Want ballads? Summer Rain is a very good one, but if you want to melt your lady just play All I Want All I Need - and success is guaranteed! The album closes with a slowly blues ballad called Til' The End Of Time as if Coverdale warned that he will be rockin’ for a long time - and lets hope that it happens - just remember the last time he disappear from the rock scene, when the boring styles with no guitar solos invaded the world, taking away the true spirit of rock'n' roll.



Thank God that spirit has returned to us and with it, Whitesnake as well! So if you love real rock'n'roll, this one is for you!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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The Definitive Collection

(Geffen - 2006)



 
 

 

Every hard rock fan knows David Coverdale and his Whitesnake - so no need to talk about the music, I think. Especially songs like Here I Go Again and Is This Love every rocker will know as they been their smash hits and played on MTV pretty often at that time. A few years ago a Best Of album was released, but this collection is presenting all their single hits and songs from almost every album, even a track from his co-operation with Jimmy Page in 1993 called Pride And Joy. But if you take a look at the track list you will find a lot of songs from the early days of Whitesnake - the Moody/Marsden era - like Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues. The band was formed in 1977 and re-formated the band for the bands 25th anniversary to tour. That tour was a career round-up with all the hits and essentials - and this is the CD which presents the career of Whitesnake best in my opinion. Often people identify Whitesnake with their 1987 album, but they had a lot excellent songs released before and if you only know that stuff, you'll get a trip back in time to discover their bluesy side.



When David Coverdale joined Deep Purple to replace Ian Gillan nobody would have expect him to last for decades - he didn't in Deep Purple -, but Whitesnakee did. He achieved a superstar status and now we can only hope that he will present us a new studio album.... Meanwhile you can also check out the DVD Live In The Still Of The Night.



No doubt that David Coverdale is one of the best singers of the genre with his powerful, emotional and bluesy voice. He inspired many musicians and so this album is a must-have for every hard rock fan - only Whitesnake fans who have all their albums are excused!





Track list:



Don't Break My Heart Again

Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City

Ready An' Willing

Slide It In

Love Ain't No Stranger

Slow An' Easy

Fool For Your Loving

Judgment Day

The Deeper The Love

Now You're Gone

Looking For Love

Give Me All Your Love

Is This Love

Here I Go Again

Still Of The Night

Pride And Joy

We Wish You Well
 
 

 










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