Published on Jul 4, 1997
About the only good thing that comes out of a move is you get a
chance to rediscover some lost, forgotten treasures. With the
recent move of the Pierce Memorial Archives, I have had a lot of
chances to “rediscover” stuff that I had forgotten I owned.
One such discovery was the catalog from the group Whitesnake.
Despite what many people may think, this band was not born at the
time of “Here I Go Again” and videos featuring Tawny Kitaen. Lead
singer David Coverdale has spent a good portion of his career, both
with Whitesnake and as the lead singer of Deep Purple, fine-tuning
his blues and hard rock-approach to his music.
The problem is that their entire early catalog has been
criminally ignored – for that matter, I don’t think it’s readily
available in the States anymore. That’s a shame – ’cause their 1980
release
Live… In The Heart Of The City showed how solid this band
had become.
At this time, it didn’t hurt that Coverdale had two former
bandmates from Deep Purple sitting in – keyboardist Jon Lord and
drummer Ian Paice. The two-guitar attack of Bernie Mardsen and
Mickey Moody, as well as the bass work of Neil Murray, made this
undoubtedly one of the strongest lineups Whitesnake ever had. (I
know I’m forgetting about
Slide It In, one of my favorite Whitesnake albums.)
At only seven songs, this album seems short on content, but it
is long on energy. From the opening notes of “Come On,” Coverdale
and crew are ready to show the Hammersmith Odeon what a good time
is. Thanks to the spectacular production work of Martin Birch (the
live band’s best friend), that performance still sounds fresh 17
years later.
The only drawback, besides the length, is the extended guitar
solo by Moody on “Love Hunter.” While Moody may be a good slide
player, it does not translate that well into an extended solo –
especially one that stretches out the length of this track to 11
minutes. Fortunately, this is the only real negative of the whole
album.
If anything,
Live… In The Heart Of The City serves as an excellent
primer for those who are interested in exploring the pre-MTV
Whitesnake. From the astounding “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The
City” to their first UK hit “Fool For Your Loving” to “Take Me With
You,” Coverdale and his band don’t let the energy fade for a
second. Even “Love Hunter,” which was more notable as an album for
its cover art, is decent.
The question of why this one isn’t longer may one day be a moot
point. According to a Whitesnake fan site in Japan, this was a
double album in Britain – something I’d be interested in having our
readers across the seas confirming for me. Seeing that Whitesnake
is again recording, there may be a chance this will see release in
the States again – and if that happens, I’d like to see it put back
into a double-album format. We’ll even review it again…
promise.
Yes, the hard rock/heavy metal scene is all but dead, and
Whitesnake fell out of the public’s graces almost as quickly as it
entered them. But
Live… In The Heart Of The City showcases a band who are
not out to prove anything except how much fun this type of music
could be. If you can actually get your hands on a copy, it’s worth
dropping the cash for.