Member Of:
Deep Purple
Whitesnake
Coverdale/Page
Influenced By
Led Zeppelin
You just can't keep the 'Snake down.
"We're the alternative to alternative music," says David Coverdale of Whitesnake. "We were the alternative when we started too, during the punk period. People forget that we've spent more time on the outside than the inside. The image became old-fashioned, but never the music. It's always been there."
Whitesnake's Greatest Hits (released July 19, 1994 on Greffen Records) is evidence of that. Blending friction and finesse, power and polish, hard rock rhythm-and-blues and sophisticated modern rock, Whitesnake emphasized heart and soul, defining a unique category of rock 'n' roller - the hard rock romantic. Whitesnake was one of the first hard rock bands to bring ballads into its repertoire with hits such as "Is This Love." And at a time when hard rock was a bastion of males, it was one of the first bands to crossover to female fans. Along the way, Whitesnake became one of the most successful and popular groups of the '80s.
Encompassing the band's three original Geffen albums, including all of its hits in America, Whitesnake's Greatest Hits also features a trio of songs never before released in the United States. "Looking For Love" and "You're Gonna Break My Heart Again" (featuring guitarist John Sykes) were on the U.K. version of the band's most successful album, Whitesnake, and "Sweet Lady Luck" (with Steve Vai on guitar) was recorded during sessions for Slip Of The Tongue. In addition, the album includes an unreleased radio mix of the band's #1 hit "Here I Go Again."
From the down 'n' dirty "Slide It In" to the anthem "Still Of The Night," from the bluesy "Slow An' Easy' to the powerful "The Deeper The Love," Whitesnake's Greatest Hits illustrates the scope of the band in style, through time and across a spectrum of musicians who have been part of Whitesnake. Represented are original members, guitarist Mickey Moody, keyboardist Jon Lord (a founding member of Deep Purple) and bassist Neil Murray. In addition to guitar heroes Sykes and Vai, plus Adrian Vandenberg as a co-songwriter as well, there is also the rhythm section of drummers Cozy Powell (Rainbow), Aynsley Dunbar (Journey, Starship), Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy Osbourne) and bassist Rudy Sarzo (also Ozzy). Most of all there is Coverdale, his voice and his vision.
The son of a factory worker-turned-barkeep in the industrial North of England, Coverdale was first inspired when he saw Jimi Hendrix perform on television's "Ready, Steady, Go." Admiring the likes of Otis Redding and Joe Cocker, bluesy, soulful singing soon became his way of expressing emotion and rock 'n' roll his stage. "The essence of my voice is blues," he says, "a whisper-to-a-scream vocal. I'm not comfortable singing pop."
In 1973, while in an obscure band called The Fabuloso Brothers, he answered an ad in a music trade paper that led to his becoming the lead singer of one of the most popular bands in the world, Deep Purple. Accustomed to performing at small clubs, he stood before 20,000 fans for his first show. With Coverdale in the spotlight, Deep Purple was the best-selling band in America in 1974, thanks to a pair of albums, Burn and Stormbringer. Yet the following year's Come Taste The Band, with legendary guitarist Tommy Bolin replacing Ritchie Blackmore (Bolin was Coverdale's suggestion), was the group's last studio album. Breaking up in early 1976 after a world tour, two live albums were subsequently released: Made In Europe (1976) and Last Concert In Japan (1977).
Almost immediately, Coverdale began a solo career. "It was the height of the punk era and I was told nobody was interested in hard rock, so I booked a tour of six little clubs in England and found out there were thousands of people waiting to get in. I thought, 'Somebody's f***ing wrong.'"
Following a self-titled 1977 album and Northwinds the following year, he officially founded Whitesnake in 1978. "The original concept of Whitesnake," he says, "was to be a vehicle for good rock and roll songs; a gathering of musicians with a passion for expression under a creative umbrella to present R&B-based hard rock. Now it's time to return to that premise."
After Snakebite and Trouble (both 1978), and Lovehunter (1979), Whitesnake released an EP which included a hit cover of Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City." Continuing to mine his blues roots, Coverdale then co-wrote a song intended for B.B. King but ended up recording it with his band: "Fool For Your Loving" became a breakthrough hit in the U.K. (on 1980's double-record Live...In The Heart Of The City). Boosted as well by that year's Ready And Willing album, Whitesnake was selling out tours, setting attendance and merchandising records, and conquering the charts in Europe and Japan. But while two other albums were forthcoming, Come An' Get It (1981) and Saints & Sinners (1982), success in America had eluded Whitesnake.
Then, in 1984, Whitesnake was signed to Geffen by A&R Executive John Kalodner. That year, the band's debut American album, Slide It In, with tracks such as "Love Ain't No Stranger" and the title cut, became a Top 40 platinum hit. Whitesnake had finally conquered the New World. But when, in late 1985, Coverdale contracted a sever sinus illness that required surgery, it was feared he'd never be able to sing again. Remarkably, after a six-month hiatus, not only was Coverdale back as strong as ever but his greatest success was yet ahead.
Whitesnake (1987) was one of the most successful albums of the '80s, named Album of the Year for 1988 by music publications around the world. Though it didn't break into the top spot on the charts, settling for #2, its staying power was phenomenal. The album remained in the Top 5 for more than six months, sold 10 million copies worldwide (more than six million in the U.S. alone) and boasted a #1 single ("Here I Go Again") and a #2 hit ("Is This Love"). A third single, "Still Of The Night," reached the Top 40.
The band's videos for each of those songs warranted their own kudos. "Here I Go Again" was MTV's #5 video of 1988 while both "Is This Love" and "Still Of The Night" were in the year-end Top 40. When a video compilation, Trilogy, was released later that year, it quickly won platinum certification.
Also in 1988, Geffen re-issued six of the band's earlier albums, one of which (Saints & Sinners) featured the original versions of "Here I Go Again" and "Crying In The Rain." Those two songs appeared on the North American Whitesnake, replacing "Looking For Love" and "You're Gonna Break My Heart Again" on the international rendition of the album.
In 1989, Whitesnake continued it's rock 'n' roll "sex drama," as Coverdale puts it, with Slip Of The Tongue. (As for his suggestive lyrics, Coverdale says: "Tongue-in-cheek from the blues school of lyrics, but some people don't get the grin and take it for philosophy.") A Top 10-charting album, Slip Of The Tongue spawned the Top 40 singles "The Deeper The Love" and a newly-recorded "Fool For Your Loving." Though the album went platinum, Coverdale put the band on hold after its 1990 world tour.
"I was intimidated by the success of the previous album," Coverdale admits. "Slip Of The Tongue had great tunes but they were overarticulated, too flamboyant, and away from the R&B, blues-based rock I started with. But those were extremely heady days and it was easy to get caught up in the ride. Sometimes I'd think," he says with a laugh, "'Maybe it's the hair.' When I see the videos now I cringe. The fashion side of rock doesn't last five minutes. It was time to reflect on success and time for a breather away from where we had been sidetracked."
He began to collaborate with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and the teaming resulted in the well-received 1993 Coverdale/Page album, also on Geffen. However, arranging a tour proved problematic. "With Jimmy it was back to meat-and-potatoes, no frills, just let the music and performance do the talking," says Coverdale, "and I needed that. But sadly we only did seven shows in Japan. That's not enough for me." When Vandenberg suggested firing up Whitesnake again, the two set to writing new songs together. "I still love getting to the point or poetry of a lyric. I didn't get into this for fame or fortune or immortality. I just love rock 'n' roll."
Whitesnake's Greatest Hits closes one chapter, but the story isn't over. A new chapter in the band's history is about to begin.
The 'Snakes are back in town - with Coverdale, Vandenberg and Sarzo, plus Warren DeMartini (guitar), Paul Mirkovich (keyboards) and Denny Carmassi (drums). In June, the band embarked on a five-week summertime tour through Europe playing venues from 1,500-seat clubs to 60,000-seat stadiums (including the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia).
"Whitesnake has been missed," says Coverdale. "There was a magical alliance between the band and the audience. A song like 'Here I Go Again' became an anthem for people experiencing those same feelings and it gave them strength. When what I call The Whitesnake Choir, the audience, takes over the chorus of a song like that or a power thing like 'Still Of The Night' and I hear that roar of approval, it genuinely warms the heart."
Coverdale's as passionate today about R&B-based, bluesy hard rock as when he began his career 20 years ago. (He still hopes B.B. King will record "Fool For Your Loving" and Tina Turner sing the song he wrote for her, "Is This Love.") For him, and for Whitesnake, the music has indeed always been there.
Source: http://www.deeppurple.blueage.it/whitesnake_bio.htm |
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