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Here They Go Again The Company of Snakes |
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How's this for an unlikely "reunion" of sorts. The original members of the classic Whitesnake lineup, sans Coverdale-but you knew that already-reassemble to perform many of the once great bands biggest hits and also-rans live. Before turning into a mega-selling Pop/Rock machine, and fading off into oblivion, Whitesnake was a respectable, gritty, blues-based hard rocking act known more for their album length achievements than top 40 successes to come later. Featuring the formidable team of Marsden, Moody, and Murray, the core lineup is joined by renowned keyboardist Don Airey, well traveled drummer John Lingwood and new vocalist Stefan Berggren who immediately makes a presence in reintroducing well loved classics as "Come On," "Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues," and "Rough An' Ready." An endeavor apparently in the works for some time, The 'Snakes had toiled here and there since Whitesnake's internal dissemination began during the early '80s. While Coverdale assembled continually different session players in the years to come, the rest remained active on their own fronts, though with one or another always retaining a tie of sorts to the bands future successes, and thus "Is This Love," recorded during their peak of popularity finds its way to the set. What many people may not realize is that some of what later appeared on Whitesnake's biggest sellers-"Crying in the Rain" (which is unfortunately not featured here), "Fool For Your Loving," and their biggest hit "Here I Go Again," all began life in the early 'Snake tradition with the original band. The two-disc set features mainly of those memorable moments that occurred during the period of '78 - '82 where albums such as "Trouble," "Snakebite," "Come And Get It," and "Love Hunter," would form the foundation for the bands future successes and historical significance-and then of course "Slide It In," which really set a new measure of achievement for Whitesnake as a whole though only Neil Murray remained on bass as the other remaining original with Coverdale. With the exception of the relatively scant "Live in the Heart Of The City" done in 1980, many of these tunes are being heard as a live recording for the first time-"Slow An' Easy," "Ready & Willing," "Is This Love," as well as their own version of the classic Rainbow hit "Since You Been Gone," and "Here I Go Again." Set in front of thousands of fans between shows in Oslo, Norway and Germany's Wacken Open Air Festival, the band performs admirably, revisiting and remarking their past without losing the integrity there of. Berggren's vocals are indispensable, in many instances Coverdale's equal, particularly in the lower key areas and a Hughes-like tilt on the broader levels, while the band as a whole pulls it off in grand fashion. Expect to hear them go again later this year with a new studio album and tour in the works! Released by SPV: http://www.spv.de/ Review by Vinnie
Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] |