Whitesnake – Live In The Shadow of The Blues

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SPV Music
Produced by Doug Aldrich, David Coverdale & Michael McIntyre

The new Whitesnake line-up has been impressing audiences new and old for around three years now. Their return in 2003, headlining the UK Monsters of Rock tour with Gary Moore and Y&T stunned the doubters who thought the band’s day had long passed. The subsequent UK theatre tour did the same.

Since then they’ve headlined almost all of the biggest rock festivals in Europe and have toured the US, and the UK a third time. Earlier this year they finally released the first fruits of the new lineup, an excellent live DVD with a bonus live CD, showing everyone who’d so far not seen a show exactly what they’d been missing.

The band now consists of ever-present band leader David Coverdale, ex-Dio guitarist Doug Aldrich, ex-Dokken/Winger guitarist Reb Beach, long-time drummer Tommy Aldridge, keyboard player Timothy Drury and bassist Uriah Duffy. At the time of the DVD, Marco Mendoza was on bass, but he left to work on Soul SirkUS with Jeff Scott Soto and Neil Schonn (Journey).

On the tours and the DVD (which was long delayed through contractual and production issues) it was clear to all that every member of the band was on top form, including Coverdale. Many are even saying this is the best Whitesnake lineup of all time and the band are sounding better than ever. Of course, these are predominantly fans of the hard rock side of the band. Fans of the early Moody/Marsden blues lineup of the band are less keen.

The plan was originally to release a DVD and CD at the same time. Contractual obligations prevented this, so the band recorded a completely different live CD on the next tour and released it on a different label. Of course, the setlist is largely the same, including all the best Whitesnake songs you’d expect from throughout the band’s history. The bonus with this new double CD, and the main talking point of the whole album, is the inclusion of four brand new studio recordings at the end. These represent the first songs recorded since the 2003 reformation.

The live recording itself is every bit as good as the audio from the Live In The Still of The Night DVD. The only things missing are the renowned semi-spontaneous acapella spots Coverdale did between songs. Tracks like Soldier of Fortune and Sailing Ships were frequently dropped in as teasers with David really showing his voice is still there. The DVD included these, and theey are a special part of the new Whitesnake live experience. Apart from that the song selection, sound and mix of the whole album is practically perfect.

For the new songs the band have intentionally tried to make typical Whitesnake songs. The idea being to show that the new band can write and play just as well as any lineup could. Certainly the first three song titles, Ready To Rock, If You Need Me (I’ll Come Running) and All I Want Is You sound like they could have come from any Whitesnake album. A good start, then. Ready To Rock is indeed a classic, good time rocking song that doesn’t really say very much but sees Coverdale producing a similar voice to early Whitesnake and even his Deep Purple days.

If You Need Me (I’ll Come Running) raises the bar. The riff and the melody are not like any previous Whitesnake. Aldrich’s playing is more like his work on Dio’s Killing The Dragon. This is probably the heaviest song the band have ever recorded. Not what you’d expect from the title. All I Want Is You is more what you’d expect. A delicate Coverdale-led power ballad in the Crying In The Rain-mould. It’s not as good as Crying In The Rain, but it is good and certainly shows they can still write the kinds of songs the fans like to hear. Lastly Dog is another heavy rocker with another big riff from Aldrich that again sounds like his Dio days with a Coverdale attack akin to Kitten’s Got Claws and similar.

When a band with the history of Whitesnake does something as bold as reform with a completely new lineup against a landscape of fans doubting they can pull it off (because they couldn’t last time they tried) the double live album of classics with a few new songs to test the water is definitely the best way to do it. At the same time it proves the new band can pull off what the old band could do, and shows that they’re capable of producing new music to the same standard or better. Whitesnake accomplish both in spades. Every fan needs this.

“ the whole album is practically perfect ”

Tracklist:
CD 1 Bad Boys / Slide It In / Slow An’ Easy / Love Ain’t No Stranger / Judgment Day / Is This Love / Blues For Mylene / Snake Dance / Crying In The Rain / Ain’t No Love In The Heart of The City / Fool For Your Loving / Hear I Go Again / Still of The Night

CD 2 Burn/Stormbringer/Burn / Give Me All Your Love Tonight / Walking In The Shadow of The Blues / Deeper The Love / Ready An’ Willing / Don’t Break My Heart Again / Take Me With You / Ready To Rock / If You Need Me (I’ll Come Running) / All I Want Is You / Dog

Photo(s): Franky Bruyneel

Written by Andy Lye
More: Hard Rock, Live Albums, Whitesnake