I will
admit to loving Whitesnake then falling out of love with them and then falling
back in love with them at a much later point, as you can see with the first
album that I review Trouble I loved every single note on that album, then Love
Hunter appeared and I hated it, at the time I didn’t care much for Ready and
willing but soon swam back to the shore with Come and get it, but I’m getting
ahead of myself, here we go…….again!
Whitesnake –
Trouble 8.5/10.
I remember my
brother getting the snakebite ep (in white vinyl oooooh the good old days) and I
was hooked, then this album came out and I was hooked even more, I even like
the Beatles cover, I loved the twin guitars of Mr Moody and Mr Marsden, I thought
that the band was tight as a… , well I’m sure you get the picture Mr C was
singing in a natural register and he wasn’t screeching his nuts off, I loved
Martin Birch’s production and it had the added surprise of Jon Lord on
Keyboards, what wasn’t there to like on this album nothing it was a little
rough around the edges but that just added to its charm, was it going to smash
sales records? no but it was a great start from
the band.
Whitesnake
- Come and get it 8.5/10.
I had
wandered away from the band, but this album brought me back to the fold, I’m
not even sure why I hated Love hunter I just did, same ingredients, I simply didn’t
care much for it I then tarred Ready and willing with the same brush, which in
reality I shouldn’t have as it’s a great album, oh the joys of being a bigoted
youth! Come and get it was again ten great songs, well played and well
produced, and still singing in a lower tone, in reality the last true great
record by the original band, Mr C started to tinker after this and although he
started to sell more it was never the same.
Whitesnake –
Slide it in 7.5?10.
This has
its moments but also has its disappointing moments, Mr C was starting to cater
to the USA, with a full remix just a couple of months after the original
release, I know the line up changed there’s a couple of songs I don’t care for Gambler is a weak opener it’s probably a
poor b side if I’m honest, the three singles were all good and proved that the
band were going in the right direction, the problem with this album, the good
songs are great and the weak ones exactly that, watch the rock in Rio concert
that the band played, with the band as a four piece and the potential is
unbelievable, but in hindsight what we should have seen was that it was going
to implode like it did!
Whitesnake –
Restless Heart 9/10.
And then it
went through the roof, superstar line ups, did I like the albums yes, I did,
but I don’t think I rate them as much as the four that I picked, slip of the
tongue was simply yuk, three decent tracks do not a great album make. I like
Steve Vai but he was the wrong person for the band, then what followed was more
faceless sidemen just taking the cheque. Until you get to this album, which
upon release I avoided, simply because it was billed as Mr C and Whitesnake as
it was going to be a solo album for him, I was gobsmacked when I first heard it
and it was on continuious play once I listened to it, if its that good why only
9/10? it was going so well and then he had to blemish it with a cover, Stay
with me baby is a pure car crash, horrible to say the least, what salvaged the
record was when it was reissued after 25 years, and OMG it got even better but
it still had the damned cover on it, the last great vocal by Mr C on this
record after this he went off into dog whistle territory and simply ruined his
throat, if he sang like this today he could go for another 25 years.
So, there
you have it, probably controversial, but it is what it is, no 1987, I’m simply bored with it, it’s a great album but
too many repeat old tracks , Here I go again which is good as is crying in the
rain, but its simply played to death, Sykes was awesome but it simply wasn’t to
be, I’m expecting a bit of poison and bile over this one, it’s what I like I’m
not saying the albums that like are worse or better it’s what I liked and still
like now!
