White Snake | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 6 May 1977 [1] | |||
Recorded | August–September 1976 [2] | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | Blues rock, hard rock | |||
Length | 38:18 | |||
Label | Purple | |||
Producer | Roger Glover | |||
David Coverdale chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternative Cover (2000) | ||||
Alternative Cover (2024) | ||||
Singles from White Snake | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Record Mirror | [5] |
White Snake is the first solo album by David Coverdale,released in May 1977. Coverdale would use the album title as the name of his future band,first known as "David Coverdale's Whitesnake" and soon afterwards shortened to Whitesnake. The album was released as a part of a compilation album Whitesnake/Northwinds in 1988,was reissued alone in 2000,and released again as part of a double compilation album now titled as The Early Days (2003).
A reissue is set to be released as Into the Light:The Solo Albums as a Whitesnake complication,including Coverdale's solo works via Rhino Entertainment on 25 October 2024.
As his first solo effort,Coverdale later admitted:"It's very difficult to think back and talk sensible about the first album. White Snake had been a very inward looking,reflective and low-key affair in many ways,written and recorded as it was in the aftermath of the collapse of Deep Purple". [6]
The album received mixed reviews. Bret Adams of AllMusic gave it 2/5 stars,considering it "a tentative,generally disappointing album because Coverdale is clearly flummoxed regarding the direction the music should take",mixing blues rock,R&B and soul music,with the track "Blindman" as "the best song because of its blues-rock purity" and sounds "ultimately,future Whitesnake". [4] Richie Unterberger gave 3/5 stars to the 1988 double compilation,concluding "they're mediocre listening,the product of a man uncertain about where to take his music as a solo act,without the rock-hard hard rock support of one of his steady bands". [7]
Victor Valdivia writing for PopMatters a 6/10 review about both 70s albums states it is from a pre-late 80s period image when Coverdale "was considered a talented singer with a bluesy voice far more reminiscent of Bad Company's Paul Rodgers than Zep's Robert Plant" and the album sounds "absolutely nothing like Led Zeppelin. Not only is Coverdale's voice much lower and bluesier than it would be in later years,but the music meanders all over the place,from horn-driven funk and R&B,to jazzy piano noodling and a more compact style of hard rock than he would ever try in his career's later incarnations",highlighting tracks "Whitesnake" and "Celebration",but also "badly dated" production. [8]
Neil Jeffries in 2021 Classic Rock retrospective included the album as 7th out of 20 on a list of Coverdale-Whitesnake's best albums, [9] saying "with a lazy,bar-room style,a bit of brass and ace backing singers,this is David Coverdale as few have heard him ... had "Hole In The Sky" (a ballad built on Tim Hinkley's piano) provided Coverdale with a hit,he might well have sailed off into Frankie Miller/Joe Cocker territory without a second thought about asking anyone to lie down or let him slide it in". [10]
White Snake is set to be reissued on Whitesnake's complication box-set featuring Coverdale's proceeding solo albums titled Into the Light:The Solo Albums by Rhino Entertainment on 25 October 2024 as a multi-disc box set,including remixed and remastered versions of the album. [11]
All songs are written by David Coverdale,except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Lady" | David Coverdale, Micky Moody | 3:48 |
2. | "Blindman" | 6:01 | |
3. | "Goldies Place" | 5:03 | |
4. | "Whitesnake" | Coverdale, Moody | 4:22 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
5. | "Time on My Side" | Coverdale, Moody | 4:26 |
6. | "Peace Lovin' Man" | 4:53 | |
7. | "Sunny Days" | 3:31 | |
8. | "Hole in the Sky" | 3:23 | |
9. | "Celebration" | Coverdale, Moody | 4:11 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "Peace Lovin' Man" (Take 1) | 5:04 |
11. | "Sunny Days" (Take 1) | 3:21 |
[12] Stephen husband
Chart (1977) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian (Kent Music Report) | 98 [13] |
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.
David Coverdale is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the founder and lead singer of the hard rock band Whitesnake. He was also the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, after which he released two solo studio albums, White Snake (1977) and Northwinds (1978), before forming Whitesnake in 1978.
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. The EP sleeve is entitled David Coverdale's Whitesnake and features photographs of the live band in concert. All tracks from the original EP also were used as bonus tracks on the 2006 remaster of Whitesnake's debut studio album Trouble.
Trouble is the debut studio album from British hard rock band Whitesnake, led by former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale released on October 1978. It reached No. 50 on the UK Albums Chart. This followed the four-track Snakebite EP, later available in the US as an import album from continental Europe. The album later received a reissue by EMI/Parlophone in 2006, containing bonus tracks from their previous EP.
Northwinds is the second solo album by former Deep Purple singer David Coverdale, released in March 1978. The album was released as a part of a compilation album Whitesnake/Northwinds in 1988, was reissued alone in 2000, and released again as part of a double compilation album now titled as The Early Days (2003).
Lovehunter is the second studio album by British band Whitesnake, released in 21 September 1979. It was the bands first UK Top 30 album, charting at No. 29 on the UK Albums Chart. "Long Way from Home", the leading track on the album reached No. 55 on the UK charts, while "Walking in the Shadow of the Blues" was one of the most popular and praised Whitesnake's songs in the beginning. The album became controversial because of its cover art.
Come Taste the Band is the tenth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 7 November 1975. It was co-produced and engineered by the band and longtime associate Martin Birch. Musically, the record consists of stronger influences of funk than the band's previous albums.
Restless Heart is the ninth studio album by English hard rock band Whitesnake, released by EMI on 26 March 1997 in Japan and 26 May in Europe. It was produced by the band's vocalist David Coverdale and originally conceived as a solo album. However, EMI pressured him into releasing the record under the moniker "David Coverdale & Whitesnake". Musically Restless Heart features a more subdued sound compared to Whitesnake's previous two albums. It is also the only full-length Whitesnake studio album to feature guitarist Adrian Vandenberg throughout, despite having been a member of the group since 1987.
Saints & Sinners is the fifth studio album by English hard rock band Whitesnake, released on 15 November 1982 by Liberty Records. The album was the last to be recorded by the Ready an' Willing line-up as the members had strained relations alongside the musical direction and the band's management despite commercial successes in their native. Guy Bidmead produced the album as Martin Birch's replacement at first, but Birch returned to finish the album during the recording.
Live in London is a live album from Deep Purple. It was recorded on 22 May 1974 at Gaumont State Theatre in Kilburn, London by the BBC for radio broadcast, but was unreleased on vinyl until 1982. It features the Mk 3 lineup of Blackmore/Coverdale/Hughes/ Lord/Paice during the tour for their album Burn.
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 with Platinum certification, and number 146 on the Billboard 200. The Classic Rock magazine in 2011 and 2023 placed it among the best live albums ever.
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.
Bernard John Marsden was 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", "Ready an' Willing", "Lovehunter", "Trouble", and "Here I Go Again".
Into the Light is the third solo album by English singer David Coverdale, released by EMI on 25 September 2000 in the UK, 27 September in Japan and by Dragonshed on 21 November in the US.
The Early Years is a double CD compilation album released in 2003 by David Coverdale of Deep Purple and Whitesnake, not to be confused with the Whitesnake compilation album The Early Years released in 2004. It contains his first two solo releases, White Snake, and Northwinds, released in 1977 and 1978, respectively. Both albums retain the bonus tracks found on the Spitfire reissues from 2000.
Whitesnake is the seventh studio album by English rock band Whitesnake, released on 23 March 1987, by Geffen Records in the US and by EMI Records in the UK one week after. It was co-written and recorded for over a year in what would be the first and final collaboration between vocalist David Coverdale and guitarist John Sykes, the final album to feature longtime bassist Neil Murray and the only album with drummer Aynsley Dunbar. The album, besides its commercial success, is remarkable for the band's change to a more modern glam metal look and sound, and the first recording to use the band's new logo which would characterise them in the future.
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 regularly on 5 May 2006 featuring the recording of the live performance, behind-the-scene documentary and a photobook. The limited "special collector's" edition which was previously released on 7 February 2006 includes a bonus live album CD with ten selected songs from the same show.
Into the Light: The Solo Albums is a compilation album by British hard rock band Whitesnake, compiling singer-songwriter David Coverdale's solo albums, White Snake (1977), Northwinds (1978) and Into the Light (2000). It features "revisited, remixed and remastered" forms of previously released and unreleased material from the installment of the three solo albums. The title of the compilation derives from Coverdale's third solo album. The compilation is set to be released via Rhino Records on 25 October 2024.