To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Whitesnake's monumental 1987, David Coverdale and Rhino Entertainment have joined forces to release this exquisite 4CD/DVD set honoring the biggest selling album in the Whitesnake back catalog. This is a lavish, attractive box set packed with 4 CDs, a DVD, lyric book, poster, and a 60-page hardbound book stacked with photos, notes, and info. For the loyal fan, it doesn't get much better than this!
Here we have the original album, remastered in 2017, and for North America fans, this remaster will be a real treat, as it includes the European version & running order, as well as the two B-Sides "Looking for Love" and "You're Gonna Break My Heart Again" which were only available here in this country on a hits compilation or on the singles. Honestly, these two hard rockers fit in so well with the rest of the album that their inclusion here for US listeners will be a revelation, making the 1987 album now truly complete. Sure, hearing "Still of the Night" kick off the album as opposed to "Crying in the Rain" is a bit odd, but you'll get used to it quickly. I'm not sure how much different/better this 2017 remaster sounds compared to previous editions, as this album always sounded great, but that legacy continues here.
The bonus CDs contain a wealth of content, including a solid live set from the 1987-88 tour featuring Adrian Vandenberg, Vivian Campbell, Rudy Sarzo, & Tommy Aldridge, which is not the band at their best but still highly enjoyable. Coverdale for the most part sounds good, but you can hear the cracks in his voice already starting to reveal themselves, and the band aren't as tight as you would expect, but it's still a fun listen. The real meat for plenty of fans will be the 87 Evolutions disc, which contains demos and rehearsal tracks from the band as they were recording the actual album, featuring John Sykes, Ansley Dunbar, and Neil Murray. While some of the material here is rough and of subpar quality, you can experience some of these songs in their infancy, and a few, such as "Looking For Love", "Crying in the Rain", and "Children of the Night" are truly monstrous, with Sykes and Dunbar killing it every step of the way. CD 4 contains various remixes and live tracks, while the DVD shows off the MTV videos, a few live snippets brief 'making of 1987' documentary.
There are a few variations of this set, one that also includes all the above and an LP and backstage pass laminate, as well as LP or CD only sets, but whichever you choose, you'll be experience the glory of 1987 all over again, and again, and again.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
4CD/DVD Track Listing
Disc One: Original Album 2017 Remaster
"Still Of The Night"
"Give Me All Your Love"
"Bad Boys"
"Is This Love"
"Here I Go Again 87"
"Straight For The Heart"
"Looking For Love"
"Children Of The Night"
"You're Gonna Break My Heart Again"
"Crying In The Rain"
"Don't Turn Away"
Disc Two: Snakeskin Boots [Live On Tour 1987-88]
"Bad Boys/Children Of The Night" *
"Slide It In" *
"Slow An' Easy" *
"Here I Go Again" *
"Guilty Of Love" *
"Is This Love" *
"Love Ain't No Stranger" *
Guitar Solo – Adrian and Vivian *
"Crying In The Rain" *
"Still Of The Night" * (available to steam on iTunes with pre-order)
"Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" *
"Give Me All Your Love" *
Disc Three: 87 Evolutions [Demos and Rehearsals]
"Still Of The Night" *
"Give Me All Your Love" *
"Bad Boys" *
"Is This Love" * (available to steam on iTunes with pre-order)
"Straight For the Heart" *
"Looking For Love" *
"Children Of The Night" *
"You're Gonna Break My Heart Again" *
"Crying In The Rain" *
"Don't Turn Away" *
"Crying In The Rain" (Lil' Mountain Alternate Take Ruff Mix) *
Disc Four: 87 Versions [2017 Remixes]
"Still Of The Night" – Remix *
"Is This Love" – Remix *
"Give Me All Your Love" – Remix *
"Here I Go Again 87" – Remix *
"Standing In The Shadows" – 1987 Versions, Japanese Mini-Album
"Looking For Love" – 1987 Versions, Japanese Mini-Album
"You're Gonna Break My Heart Again" – 1987 Versions, Japanese Mini-Album
"Need Your Love So Bad" – 1987 Versions, Japanese Mini-Album
"Here I Go Again" – Radio Mix
"Give Me All Your Love" – Single Version
DVD
"Still Of The Night" – Music Video, Restored and Remixed in 5.1
"Here I Go Again 87" – Music Video, Restored and Remixed in 5.1
"Is This Love" – Music Video, Restored and Remixed in 5.1
"Give Me All Your Love" – Music Video, Restored and Remixed in 5.1
Documentary about the making of 1987 Album *
"Here I Go Again" – Purplesnake Video Jam *
"Crying In The Rain" – 1987 Tour Video Bootleg *
Band Intros – 1987 Tour Video Bootleg *
"Still Of The Night" – 1987 Tour Video Bootleg *