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Elly Roberts reviews
SPV/Steamhammer Records
- April 2008
- Rating: 2/10
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Hairy rockers return after a decade. Old hat.
Fronted by one of rocks greatest singers David Coverdale, Whitesnakehave been knocking around for 31 years. During that time there have been 29former members including ace drummers Cozy Powell, Ian Paice, and ex-DeepPurple organist John Lord amongst others.
One of my claims to fame is meeting ex-guitarist Adrian Vandenberg at afriends wedding in Enschede Holland in 2000.
It now consists of ever present founder member David Coverdale (vox), DougAldrich (guitars), Reb Beach (guitars), Uriah Duffy (bass), Timothy Drury (keyboards)and Chris Frazier (drums).
To celebrate their 30th anniversary, they release their first album in 10years which features 11 new songs eight rockers and three ballads.
For me Whitesnake always delivered the goods with power ballads. Their rockersseemed to fall short of real quality and that still applies now. They failedto hit the spot as much of their work left me cold, though Top 10 singlesIs This Love and Here I Go Again (1987) were top class, thoughas hard as they try, nothing here matches them.
Predictably they deliver an adrenalin rush from the get-go: Best Yearsis just average rock fodder; thumping riffs and horrible gratuitous solos inattempt to create a new anthem. Dirty guitars keep the momentum going on Can You Hear The Wind Blow?,but again it fails to impress. Call On Me has more of a commercialappeal, but again those gratuitous solos are grating I hate them.
Inevitably theyre looking to match past glories (and seeking a new anthem),so All I Want All I Need is probably going to tick the box, though itstoo reminiscent of their ’80s efforts. You know its Whitesnake but thats aboutit. Sounds like theyre trying to compete with George Thorogoods blisteringBad To The Bone on Good To Be Bad (they even mention the lyrics)but its a pitiful attempt.
The classiest moments are heard on soaring rocker All For Love, butguess what? Those solos are back and its infuriating. Summer Love is niceenough a ballad, even if its forgettable. Its no secret Coverdale had a thingabout Led Zeppelin in the ’80s with Lay Down Your Love an undisputablehomage to them.
Got What You Need is trash rock: unbelievably bad. The best of the lotis Till The End Of Time, a lightweight ballad. To be truthful, after a10-year hiatus, this bitterly disappointing. Much of Whitesnakes repertoirewas always style over substance, like a poor mans Led Zep or Deep Purple. Things havent changed.
File under: Call it a day lads.
Weblink:whitesnake.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Best Years
2. Can You Hear The Wind Blow?
3. Call On Me
4. All I Want, All I Need
5. Good To Be Bad
6. All For Love
7. Summer Rain
8. Lay Down Your Love
9. A Fool In Love
10. Got What You Need
11. Til The End Of Time
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.