Published on Jul 31, 1999
You could call David Coverdale and his post-Deep Purple band
Whitesnake the hard rock Jekyll and Hyde.
On one side, there is the blues-based rock that Coverdale and
whatever particular lineup he was working with at the time could
blow the bolts out of. When it came to playing in that vein,
Whitesnake was an outstanding band.
On the other hand, there was Coverdale thinking with the wrong
head (go ask your big brother if you don’t know what I mean),
churning out cock-rock that would have made a sailor blush. With
lines like “Lie down, I think I love you” or the blatant sexuality
of a song like “Take Me With You” (off of
Trouble), Coverdale let his libido get in the way of the
music.
In 1978, the blues-based rock version of Whitesnake won out in
its first outing,
Snakebite. Really a collection of what could have been two
EPs, Coverdale shows his progression from his role as the third
lead singer in Deep Purple’s history to running the show himself.
It’s an interesting portrait, and one that is well worth searching
out.
The second half of
Snakebite features Coverdale in 1977, shortly after his
departure from Deep Purple. In reality, you could argue whether
these songs are true Whitesnake material or not, but there is no
debating that Coverdale is on fire creatively. Tracks like “Queen
Of Hearts,” “Keep On Giving Me Love” and “Breakdown” all are
exciting to listen to, even 22 years after they were first
recorded. I would argue that you can hear the birth cries of
Whitesnake in this lineup (which included future member Mickey
Moody on guitar, bassist Alan Spencer and drummer Tony Newman), and
are deserving of the name in front of the music.
The first half of the album is the first “official” recording of
Whitesnake, with the lineup of Moody and Bernie Mardsen on guitar,
Neil Murray on bass, Dave Dowle on drums and, as “special guest,”
keyboardist Pete Solley. The highlight of this short set is “Ain’t
No Love In The Heart Of The City,” which could be called the first
hit for the band. All four songs in this set, including “Bloody
Mary,” “Come On” and “Steal Away,” are all enjoyable, and hold a
lot of promise for the band. (Unfortunately, they would make a
serious U-turn into cock-rock on
Trouble.)
The only complaint I could have with
Snakebite is its length. While I understand this was the
first effort from the band, I do wish that it was longer than eight
songs. Just when you’re really locking into a groove, the album is
over – not fair, especially when you’ve got a lot of air guitar
riffs dying to be released into the atmosphere.
Snakebite is an album you might have to do some looking for,
but if you like any of Whitesnake’s other work or you are a fan of
the Coverdale-era Deep Purple, this one’s a keeper.