Four on the Floor – Whitesnake.

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!