Formed London, 1978. Following the acrimonious break-up of Deep Purple in 1976, David Coverdale, the band's vocalist for the last
theee albums, was in no mood to return to the musical wilderness. After releasing two solo albums, he set about challenging for
honours with a new band named, like his solo debut, Whitesnake. Coverdale installed guitarists Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody,
bassist Neil Murray and drummer Dave 'Duck' Dowle as the first of many Whitesnake line-ups. It was this crew that recorded Snakebite (1978), an EP including an emotive cover of Bobby Bland's "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City", which remains an integral part of the Whitesnake live show.
Soon after came Trouble (1978), the band's debut album, clearly defining what was to become a successful blues/rock crossover, dominated by Coverdale's voice.
Whitesnake included Deep Purple standards such as "Mistreated" in concerts, and the connection was bolstered by the arrival of ex-Purple keyboardist Jon Lord in time for Trouble and staying on the team for Lovehunter (1979), an impressive set graced by perhaps the most sexist album cover in history.
The Deep Purple connection was further reinforced when Dowle was replaced behind the kit by
Ian Paice in 79.
By the time Ready An' Willing (1980) hit the shops, the band were established as a leading force in heavy rock, particularly on the live circuit where few matched their pulling power, and fewer still their excellence, a fact amply demonstrated on Live In The Heart Of The City (1980), which caught them at the peak of its powers.
The album features Doyle's drumming on the first half (taken from a gig in 1978) and Paice's pasting on the second (recorded in 1980). It was then that the personnel merry-go-round started in earnest. Paice, Marsden and Murray were replaced by Cozy Powell, Mel Galley and Colin 'Bomber' Hodgkinson respectively for Slide It In(1984), a spanking return to form.
By its release in the USA though, Moody and Hodgkinson's parts had disappeared, too, having been overdubbed by John Sykes and the returning Neil Murray (with Coverdale keeping his eye, as ever, on the US). Then, during the tour, Mel Galley injured his hand, in an altercation with Sykes, according to rumours. Despite encouraging talk from Coverdale, the guitarist never returned, and at the end of the tour Powell resigned, while Lord joined the re-formed Deep Purple.
A period of re-evaluation followed. To his obvious chagrin, Coverdale had yet to crack the American market, and a partnership with Sykes, the most overtly 'rock' guitarist to join Whitesnake, finally offered him the chance to do so.
The pair wrote an album of polished, radio-friendly hard rock, and re-recorded "Here I Go Again" and "Crying In The Rain", a move that bore fruit when the former become a US #1. The album, Whitesnake 1987 (1987), had a mixed reception from old 'Snake fans, especially when Coverdale adopted an image tailored for MTV. But the ploy worked and it sold over ten million copies. In typical Whitesnake fashion, Sykes, Murray and drummer Aynsley Dunbar all played on 1987 and departed before its release, and the all-new line-up fuelled fears that Coverdale was pandering to America.
No one doubted the ability of Rudy Sarzo (bass), Tommy Aldridge (drums), plus guitarists Adrian Vandenberg and Vivian Campbell, but here was a c lassic British band now featuring just one Englishman, who himself was hellbent on looking every inch the Hollywood superstar. This was bad enough, but when Campbell was ditched and an injury to Vandenberg put him temporarily out of the band, Coverdale hooked up with Steve Vai, an undoubted technical genius, but one lacking in all the qualities that Whitesnake traditionally espoused.
Slip Of The Tongue (1989) was a huge letdown, and sold only a tenth of its predecessor. Having dabbled with Jimmy Page on the Coverdale/Page project, Coverdale re-emerged to promote Whitesnake's Greatest Hits (1994) with a brief tour that left most critics wondering if there was a place for the band in the 1990s. The gap between Slip of the Tongue and Restless Heart (EMI 1997) gave Coverdale time to do some much needed growing up. Now in his late forties, he can still rock like a bastard ("You're So Fine" being this recording's prime example of bastard-like rocking) and still finds it hard to let go of his fondness for the sound of vintage Zeppelin, but the years of silence have given him the chance to mellow out and to explore amplifier settings somewhere below '11'. Check out Whiplash!, Laurita's picture-filled page and the splendid David Coverdale and Whitesnake pages.
Live . . . In The Heart Of The City (1980; Liberty/EMI). A double set marrying 1978 and 1980 concerts with the band in sublime form. "Come On", "Lie Down" and "Ain't Gonna Cry" are just three highlights of a release, which, as live albums go, is damned near perfect. Come An' Get It (1981; Liberty/EMI). Coverdale's voice is at its biggest and best, the band is right on the money, and self-confidence oozes from the grooves. "Would I Lie To You" and "Wine Women & Song" are classic, cocksure Whitesnake, juxtaposed with the moody hit single, "Don't Break My Heart Again". 1987 (1987; EMI). A new direction that saw Whitesnake storm America and go multiple-platinum, but alienated many fans. "Still Of The Night" and the reworking of "Crying In The Rain" are mighty achievements, but are counterbalanced by dross like "Children Of The Night" and a dire new version of "Here I Go Again".