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Whitesnake: Live-In the Still of the Night (DVD/CD)
 David Coverdale and his cast of merry men put on a scorcher of a show at the Hammersmith Odeon for this live concert DVD Live-In the Still of the Night. Showing that there is still plenty of life left in this band, Whitesnake rampage through of a set of classics old and new, electrifying the crowd at the Hammersmith, and sure to do the same to the viewer at home. Joining Coverdale for the recent World Tour are guitarists Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach, bassist Marco Mendoza, drummer Tommy Aldridge, and keyboard player Timothy Drury. Together, they form a powerful and tight line-up, perhaps one of the best that Whitesnake has ever had.
The set list digs deep from the past as well as cover many of the 80's hits. Long time fans of Coverdale from as far back as his Deep Purple days will love the raging "Burn", which also includes parts of "Stormbringer" for good measure, as well as older Whitesnake treasures like "Ready An' Willing", "Don't Break My Heart Again", the sing along blues rock anthem "Ain't No Love In the Heart of the City", and the rousing cranker "Take Me With You". Fans of the Slide It In album might be disappointed that only "Love Ain't No Stranger" is played (where's "Slow an' Easy" guys?), but the self-titled album sees plenty of coverage with "Bad Boys", the monster hit ballad "Is This Love?", "Give Me All Your Love Tonight", the heavy metal "Cryin' In the Rain" (complete with a great Tommy Aldridge drum solo), the anthem "Here I Go Again", and the classic "Still of the Night". Guitarist Aldrich has a style very similar to former axe master John Sykes, so he fits right in on these songs with his muscular style and trusty Gibson Les Paul guitars. Beach on the other hand, handles the Steve Vai period stuff with ease ("Fool For Your Lovin", "Judgement Day") thanks to his whammy bar and tapping technique, and even adds some nice bluesy solos to a few of the older songs. The two make a formidable guitar duo, although Aldrich gets my vote for MVP here with his heavy, tasty tone and virtuoso solos.
What can you say about Mr. Coverdale? At 50+ years old, the guy can still sing, although some of the husky low tones and soaring high shrieks he obviously has problems hitting, the guy still has some healthy pipes, and knows how to work the crowd. Bassist Mendoza adds plenty of backing vocals and tight grooves, and keyboard player Drury really shines with his Hammond organ sounds on some of the older material.
The DVD comes in a nice slipcase package with colorful booklet jammed full of photos and commentary, and the CD includes ten of the fifteen songs from the DVD. For the Whitesnake fan, things don't get much better than this. Now we can only hope that this line-up can make their way into the studio to come up with some new songs to carry the Whitesnake banner even further.
Track Listing
1) Burn/Stormbringer
2) Bad Boys
3) Love Ain't No Stranger
4) Ready An' Willing
5) Is This Love?
6) Give Me All Your Love Tonight
7) Judgement Day
8) Blues for Mylene (Doug Aldrich solo)
9) Snake Dance
10) Cryin' In the Rain
11) Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City
12) Don't Break My Heart Again
13) Fool For Your Lovin'
14) Here I Go Again
15) Take Me With You
16) Still of the Night
Bonus Material-Documentary of the making of the DVD/PhotoGallery
Added: February 21st 2006
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:  
Related Link: Whitesnake Website
Hits: 3344
Language: english
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Whitesnake: Live-In the Still of the Night (DVD/CD)
Posted by Ken Pierce, SoT Staff Writer on 2006-02-25 19:18:51
My Score:
Whitesnake!!!! If there is one band that epitomizes the glory of 80's Hard Rock and Metal, it's them. This concert film from 2005 is the perfect reminder of those glory days. As you watch this DVD you will re-live a particular time in your life if you were lucky enough to remember them from experience. If you only know the band from CD and video collections, then this DVD is a treat for the senses. I remember Whitesnake from tours in the Eighties when they played with Motley Crue as support; and while I am sure I saw a few more appearances, I just can't recall at this time. Needless to say, there was always something very "live" about Whitesnake music. Being a fan of the record was nice, but you were cheating yourself if you did not catch a concert. The memory I have of them opening for Crue is still very vivid, and the lineup was the one from the famous MTV videos. Catching them again a few years ago with a different lineup for the most part proved that this was still a Metal force to be reckoned with. Now, in 2006 with yet an almost entirely different group of players, Whitesnake shows that they still deliver and are not to be dismissed as "old school". As the DVD begins, I have to say that David Coverdale doesn't seem to have aged that much despite the time that has gone by. Remember, Dave was in Deep Purple in the early seventies and usually a 30 plus year career in Rock and Roll has one showing the signs of wear. No such luck in the case for Mr. Coverdale, who looks youthful and still belts out the notes, to the delight of his fans. Purple fans will enjoy the rousing opener of "Burn", which brings a little bit of "Stormbringer" to the mix. David still has the power and the smooth-as-silk voice fans will remember well.
The DVD is loaded with hits that range from the band's rich catalog of music, with five tracks coming from the juggernaut self-titled release Whitesnake. Sadly, it seems that only one track comes from the also hot album Slide It In with "Love Ain't No Stranger". Next to the self-titled, this is one of my favorites from the group. The lineup assembled for the past few years has also proven a level of talent to be respected. On guitar you have both Reb Beach (Winger) and Doug Aldritch. Aldritch follows in the footsteps of some amazing players (Vai, Vandenberg, Campbell) and shows that he is no slouch as well across the whole performance and during his ripping solos during "Blues For Mylene". Bass guitar is former Ted Nugent bottom end Marco Mendoza and he is really a solid and entertaining player. On the drums is Tommy Aldridge, who in my opinion is probably one of the most powerful Rock skin bashers in the business. Lucky for the viewer, Aldridge's thundering drum solo is included and it is so powerful that you will feel your heart pound if the stereo is loud enough. Watching him perform the segment where he uses bare hands still makes me say ouch and wonder how this man even can make a fist after so many years of this playing technique. The group also has the talented keyboards of Timothy Drury. The entire video is shot in a great style that sometimes breaks to black and white and it always sweeps the entire stage so you see things you don't get from the audience seat. Musically sound and produced with a skill that makes you feel like you were there, I cant see any fans of this band or the individual players complaining. The performance was filmed at a capacity crowd Hammersmith Odeon and whenever Coverdale (the classiest showman I've seen in a while) elicits a response from them, it is resounding.
As an added incentive there is a CD included that features 10 of the songs showcased on the DVD. I like when bands choose to do this with their DVD's. I would prefer a full version, but this does allow you to take some of the music with you as you travel about or load it on your music player of choice. This DVD is a very high recommendation from me and I admit that even though I truly enjoy this band, I am not being anything but truthful. Time to get bitten by The Snake once again. I think you can handle it with a smile.
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