Snakebite (album)

Last updated

Snakebite
SnakebiteEP.JPG
Original 4 track EP sleeve
EP by
Released2 June 1978 [1]
Recorded10–19 April 1977; 7–13 April 1978
Studio AIR and Central Recorders, London, UK
Genre Hard rock, blues rock
Length36:25
Label United Artists (North America)
EMI International (Rest of the world)
Producer 1-4 by Martin Birch, 5-8 by Roger Glover
Whitesnake chronology
Snakebite
(1978)
Trouble
(1978)
Double EP cover
Whitesnake 1978 Snakebite (european cover) 1.jpg
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 5/10 [3]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Snakebite is the first official release by the British hard rock band Whitesnake. The original EP initially featured only four tracks and was released in the UK in June 1978 and never published in the US. Snakebite was re-released in September 1978 as a Double Extended Play containing four extra studio tracks taken from David Coverdale's second solo album Northwinds . [5] The EP sleeve is entitled David Coverdale's Whitesnake and features photographs of the live band in concert. [6] All tracks from the original EP also were used as bonus tracks on the 2006 remaster of Whitesnake's debut studio album Trouble .

Contents

Background and writing

Shortly after producing and then touring in support of Northwinds , Coverdale found that his new band was already producing and testing new material. Thus they returned to the studio to capture this newfound energy.

The resulting mini-album (Snakebite EP) features the cover song "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City", originally performed by Bobby Bland. Although it is now considered a classic Whitesnake song, according to Coverdale it wasn't planned that way: "Originally I had no plans to actually record ‘Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City’… if you can you believe it… a song that connects so deeply with so many that I still play it today, 25 years later."

Some of the songs from this album would be captured later in 1978 and released on the 1980 Live...In the Heart of the City live album.

Track listing

Side A

  1. "Bloody Mary" (Coverdale) – 3:16
  2. "Steal Away" (Coverdale, Micky Moody, Marsden, Neil Murray, Peter Solley, Dave Dowle) – 4:15

Side B

  1. "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" (Michael Price, Dan Walsh) – 5:05
  2. "Come On" (David Coverdale, Bernie Marsden) – 3:25

David Coverdale's Whitesnake – Snakebite

  1. "Come On" (David Coverdale, Bernie Marsden) – 3:31
  2. "Bloody Mary" (Coverdale) – 3:18
  3. "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" (Michael Price, Dan Walsh) – 5:07
  4. "Steal Away" (Coverdale, Micky Moody, Marsden, Neil Murray, Peter Solley, Dave Dowle) – 4:16
  5. "Keep On Giving Me Love" (Coverdale, Moody) – 5:13
  6. "Queen of Hearts" (Coverdale, Moody) – 5:15
  7. "Only My Soul" (Coverdale) – 4:33
  8. "Breakdown" (Coverdale, Moody) – 5:12

Personnel

Tracks 1-4

Tracks 5-8

Charts

Chart (1978)Position
UK Albums Chart [9] 61

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitesnake</span> British hard rock band

Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entity, Coverdale is the only constant member throughout their history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Coverdale</span> English rock musician

David Coverdale is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of Whitesnake, a hard rock band he founded in 1978. Before Whitesnake, Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, after which he established his solo career. A collaboration with ex-Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page resulted in a '"Coverdale-Page'" studio album in 1993 that was subsequently certified platinum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Murray (British musician)</span> Scottish bassist

Philip Neil Murray is a Scottish bass guitarist, best known for his collaborations with Whitesnake, Brian May's band, Black Sabbath and Gary Moore.

<i>Slide It In</i> 1984 studio album by Whitesnake

Slide It In is the sixth studio album by British band Whitesnake, released in 1984. It was the first Whitesnake album to be released by Geffen Records in the US, but was remixed for the release. Because of this, two different editions of the album exist, each with its own unique qualities. It was their fourth top 10 album in the UK, peaking at number 9. It includes their first breakthrough hits in the United States, "Love Ain't No Stranger" and "Slow an' Easy". In 1988 the album re-entered the US charts due to the success of the self-titled Whitesnake album (1987), and is certified double platinum. It was the final Whitesnake recording to use the band's original "snake" logo. The album eventually sold over six million records worldwide. The band delivered a harder sound than their previous albums, and marked the band's change to a glam metal sound.

<i>Trouble</i> (Whitesnake album) 1978 studio album by Whitesnake

Trouble is the debut studio album from British hard rock band Whitesnake, led by former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale. It reached No. 50 on the UK Albums Chart when it was released in October 1978. This followed the four track EP Snakebite, later available in the US as an import album from continental Europe.

<i>Northwinds</i> 1978 studio album by David Coverdale

Northwinds is the second solo album by former Deep Purple singer David Coverdale, released in March 1978.

<i>Lovehunter</i> 1979 studio album by Whitesnake

Lovehunter is the second studio album by British band Whitesnake, released in 1979. It charted at No. 29 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Saints & Sinners</i> (Whitesnake album) 1982 studio album by Whitesnake

Saints & Sinners is the fifth studio album by English hard rock band Whitesnake, released in November 1982. It peaked at number 9 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Live... in the Heart of the City</i> 1980 live album by Whitesnake

Live...in the Heart of the City is a 1980 live album by English rock band Whitesnake. Originally released as a double-vinyl album, and double-play cassette, it utilises recordings made in 1978 and 1980. The album charted at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart, and number 146 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Starkers in Tokyo</i>

Starkers in Tokyo is a live acoustic album by English rock band Whitesnake, released only in Japan on 9 September 1997. It is performed in the style of the Unplugged series and simply features David Coverdale on vocals and Adrian Vandenberg on acoustic guitar. The performance was recorded at the EMI studios in Japan for a small audience of fans in support of the most recent album "Restless Heart". This recording was also released on VHS and Laserdisc in Japan Only. This CD was released outside Japan almost 1 year later in June 1998.

<i>Live... in the Shadow of the Blues</i> 2006 live album by Whitesnake

Live: In the Shadow of the Blues is the third live album by the band Whitesnake. Included are four new studio tracks. The album was recorded on a world tour which began on 9 May 2006 in Zepp Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. The Japanese concerts were followed by concerts in Europe and UK. The tour went to twenty two countries and ended on 9 August 2006 in NIA, Birmingham, UK. The album was released in Europe on 24 November 2006 and was released in Japan on WEA. The album features most of Whitesnake's biggest hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micky Moody</span> British musician

Michael Joseph Moody is an English guitarist, and a former member of the rock bands Juicy Lucy and Whitesnake. He was also a founder-member of Snafu. Together with his former Whitesnake colleague Bernie Marsden he founded the Moody Marsden Band, and later, The Snakes, having previously collaborated with unofficial 5th Status Quo member Bob Young in Young & Moody. Along with Marsden and ex-Whitesnake bassist, Neil Murray, he formed The Company of Snakes and M3 Classic Whitesnake with which they mainly performed early Whitesnake songs. From 2011 to 2015, Moody toured and recorded with Snakecharmer, a band he co-formed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Marsden</span> British musician

Bernard John Marsden is an English rock and blues guitarist. He is primarily known for his work with Whitesnake, having written or co-written with David Coverdale many of the group's hit songs, such as "Fool for Your Loving", "Walking in the Shadow of the Blues", "She's A Woman", "Lovehunter", "Trouble", "Child of Babylon", "Rough and Ready", and the multi-million selling chart-topper "Here I Go Again".

David 'Duck' Dowle is an English drummer who has played with the bands Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, Streetwalkers, Whitesnake, Runner, Midnight Flyer, Bernie Marsden.

<i>Long Way from Home</i> (EP) 1979 EP by Whitesnake

Long Way from Home is a 1979 EP by British hard rock band Whitesnake. The titular song was written by lead singer David Coverdale, and "Trouble" and "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" are the B-side tracks. The song was taken from the band's album Lovehunter, and was the lead-off track. The song charted at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Break My Heart Again</span> 1981 single by Whitesnake

"Don't Break My Heart Again" is a song by the English hard rock band Whitesnake from their 1981 studio album Come an' Get It. Written by vocalist David Coverdale, the song was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage. The guitar solo performed by Bernie Marsden was recorded on the first take. Despite numerous attempts to top it, Marsden eventually conceded and agreed to use the first take. Guitarist Doug Aldrich later named "Don't Break My Heart Again" one of his favorite Whitesnake songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crying in the Rain (Whitesnake song)</span>

"Crying in the Rain" is a song by the English hard rock band Whitesnake. The song was originally released on the group's 1982 album Saints & Sinners, but was re-recorded on the group's 1987 multi-platinum album Whitesnake. The song was inspired by singer David Coverdale's divorce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slow an' Easy</span> 1984 promotional single by Whitesnake

"Slow an' Easy" is a song by the English rock band Whitesnake from their 1984 album Slide It In. The album provided the group with a commercial breakthrough in the United States, and this specific song, which was released as a promo single, became a hit on rock radio. "Slow an' Easy" and "Love Ain't No Stranger" reached #17 and #34 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, respectively.

<i>Live... in the Still of the Night</i>

Live... In the Still of the Night is a live concert DVD by the band Whitesnake. The concert was filmed on 20 October 2004 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. It was released in 2006 featuring most of Whitesnake's biggest hits. The limited edition includes a bonus CD with selected songs from the same show.

References

  1. Popoff, Martin (2016). The Deep Purple Family, vol 1 (2nd ed.). Wymer Publishing. p. 237. ISBN   978-1-908724-42-7.
  2. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Whitesnake - Snakebite review". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  3. Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 311–312. ISBN   978-1894959025.
  4. Graff, Gary, ed. (1996), MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, Visible Ink Press, p. 728, ISBN   9780787610371
  5. Snakebite ad: "David Coverdale's Whitesnake and their debut album Snakebite.". Billboard (16 September 1978) - p. 1. Retrieved on September 15, 2010.
  6. Palm, Anders. "David Coverdale's Whitesnake: Snakebite". Soldier of Fortune website. Archived from the original on 13 December 2000. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  7. CD Liner Notes
  8. CD Liner Notes
  9. "Whitesnake The Official Charts Company". Official Charts .