Tuesday, 13 August 2013

'Slip of the tongue' represented Whitesnake's nadir

How many times have I read in 'buyers guides' or discographies of Whitesnakes output where SOTT is represented as a nosedive by the 'Cov? Really? Let's just have a look at some ofthe discs which DC brought out a few year's later. What about 'Restless Heart' and 'Into the Light?' I can almost hear some of you asking 'Restless what?'. Precisely. A more bland and dismal set of tunes you couldn't hope to come across. But everyone wants to blame the stalling of the 'Roger Moore of rock' on Stevie Vai. Now first off, SV has to be one of the most virtuosic guitarists in the universe. DC brought him in because he wanted an injection of 'majesty' to the guitar work .... And he got it in spades. SV has coloured the palette of Dave Lee Roth, Graham Bonnet and Frank Zappa. His contributions to SOTT are sublime. Take his solo on 'Wings of the storm' for example. His guitar sounds like a leviathon unleashed. For a more sensitive side, consider his sitar-like playing on ' Sailing Ships'. Songs from this album still feature in Whitesnake's current live show e.g. 'Judgement Day'  and 'Cheap and Nasty' . OK there were some turkeys on there as well - why they had to do an updated version of 'Fool for your Loving' I shall never know - the original from the 'Ready an' Willin' album was a true classic. But we can forgive DC this minor indiscretion. SOTT was the album which presaged Whitesnake's triumphant re-appearance at Donongton in 1990. Watching the recently released DVD of this awesome show reveals Whitesnake at the height of their game. They had the tunes, the stage presence and the clothes - what's not to like? My favourite line-up will always be the Moody/Marsden/Lord years but SOTT was a natural progression from 1987. So, if you don't like Vai's tenure, why do you accept the Sykes incarnation which saw the real turnaround from Heavy Blues to pop metal? So, I'm off now to listen to the title track and imagine DC strutting the stage of Donington in his metal studded leather jerkin, accompanied by Aldridge, Sarzo, Vandenberg and, of course, the legendary Vai.
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2 comments:

  1. Unknown13 August 2013 at 14:42

    Hi Tom
    I think that the biggest issue with SOTT was that it was the first album where Coverdale dropped any pretense that Whitesnake was a band. Even the 1987 album felt like a collaboration between Coverdale and Sykes, whereas Vai was definitely a 'hired gun', with no real interest in furthering the band as a whole. Compare this with his work with Dave Lee Roth, where his sound was an integral part of the band's overall feel, the squeals, glides and harmonies of the guitar being perfectly matched by Diamond Dave's whoops and vocal eccentricity. Coverdale's more traditional 'blues shouter' vocals, to me, seemed at odds with Vai's more modern, technical approach. Vai's playing also seemed to miss the the rhythm section of Billy Sheenan and Gregg Bisonnette, who showed a subtlety and sensitivity to the music that Aldridge and Sarzo seem incapable of.
    I agree that Coverdale went downhill from here, but I suspect that this was because of his lack of a strong working partnership, as he had in the days of both Purple and Whitesnake.
    Of course, it was also the time when Whitesnake stopped being a British band; lots of loyal fans were bitterly disappointed at the lack of live performances, which had always been the 'Snake's biggest strength.

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  2. Tom Adams15 August 2013 at 10:15

    Thanks for commenting on the blog Tim. Some very insightful comments. Vai certainly seems more at home with Sheehan doing his solo stuff now. Greg Bisonnette - now didn't he lend out his drumming skills to Cliff Richard and 'Zoom' era ELO?

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