White Snake is the debut 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).
| 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 | ||||
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| Alternative Cover (2000) | ||||
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| Alternative Cover (2024) | ||||
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| Singles from White Snake | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Record Mirror | [5] |
A reissue was released as part of Into the Light: The Solo Albums, including all of Coverdale's solo albums, re-mixed (as a Whitesnake compilation), via Rhino Entertainment on 25 October 2024.
Background and writing
editAs 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]
Reception
editThe 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]
Release and promotion
editWhite Snake is set to be reissued on Whitesnake's compilation 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]
Track listing
editAll 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 |
Personnel
edit- David Coverdale – lead vocals, piano, percussion
- Micky Moody – guitars, percussion, backing vocals
- Tim Hinkley – organ, percussion, vocals
- Ron Aspery – saxophone (baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano), flute
- DeLisle Harper – bass, percussion, vocals
- Roger Glover – bass, melodica, ARP 2600 synthesizer, percussion, vocals, production
- Simon Phillips – drums, percussion
- Liza Strike, Helen Chappelle, Barry St. John – backing vocals
[12]Stephen husband
Miscellaneous
edit- Blindman was later re-recorded by Whitesnake in 1980, for their album Ready an' Willing.
Charts
edit| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report) | 98[13] |
References
edit- ^ Popoff, Martin (2016). The Deep Purple Family (2nd ed.). Wymer Publishing. p. 221. ISBN 978-1-908724-42-7.
- ^ Bloom, Jerry (2015). The Road of Golden Dust (1st ed.). Wymer Publishing. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-908724-23-6.
- ^ "David Coverdale discography".
- ^ a b Adams, Bret. "David Coverdale – White Snake review". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ Smith, Robin (30 April 1977). "Albums: David Coverdale – White Snake" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 23. ISSN 0144-5804. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023 – via World Radio History.
- ^ DeRiso, Nick (19 July 2021). "45 Years Ago: David Coverdale Quits As Deep Purple Disintegrate". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "David Coverdale – Whitesnake/Northwinds review". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ Valdivia, Victor (16 October 2011). "David Coverdale: White Snake / North Winds". PopMatters. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ Jeffries, Neil (22 September 2021). "Every David Coverdale and Whitesnake album, ranked from worst to best". Classic Rock. Louder. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ Jeffries, Neil (5 January 2021). "David Coverdale: a guide to his best albums". Classic Rock. Louder. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "Into The Light: The Solo Albums (6CD)". Rhino. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ David Coverdale – Whitesnake @Discogs.com Retrieved 12-29-2012.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 74. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- Liner notes from the Spitfire remastered edition of White Snake.
External links
edit- White Snake at Discogs (list of releases)
- The Deep Purple Podcast - Episode #34 - David Coverdale - White Snake