Rich’s Rapidfire Recommendations – bite-sized metal morsels to let you know about albums that have grabbed Rich Davenport by the ears, that we hope you’ll enjoy too! ROCK ON!
Artist: WHITESNAKE
Album: The Purple Album
Label: Frontiers Music Srl
Released: May 18th, 2015
Tracklist:
01. Burn
02. You Fool No One (interpolating Itchy Fingers)
03. Love Child
04. Sail Away
05. The Gypsy
06. Lady Double Dealer
07. Mistreated
08. Holy Man
09. Might Just Take Your Life
10. You Keep On Moving
11. Soldier Of Fortune
12. Lay Down Stay Down
13. Stormbringer
Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks
14. Lady Luck
15. Comin’ Home
Whitesnake – The Purple Album. First things first – Deep Purple form part of the hallowed original trio of Hard Rock / Heavy Metal forefathers, along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, and any mention of revisiting their sacrosanct Seventies masterworks is basically always going to be viewed as foulest heresy by some true believers among the Rock flock! Many bands have gone down the path of re-recording classic tracks, and it’s always controversial, so much so that in “The Purple Album’s” sleevenotes, David Coverdale makes it very clear that these versions are in no way intended to compare or compete with the originals, it was simply a case of Mr Coverdale wanting to play them with Whitesnake after already having begun to rework the material for a projected reunion with Ritchie Blackmore that never happened. As a fan of the original Purple platters, I really enjoyed what DC and the new ‘Snake line-up (with Reb Beach moving more to the forefront, partnered by new guitarist Joel Hoekstra (ex-Night Ranger), and former member Tommy Aldridge back behind the kit) have done on this album, approaching gems from “Burn”, “Stormbringer” and “Come Taste The Band” from their contemporary perspective.
In the electronic press kit for the record, David mentions that the guitar tones chosen were deliberately less Metallic than on Whitesnake’s recent output, to avoid this being nothing more than an amped up, steroid-pumped bulldoze through the classics, with the possible exception of “Stormbringer”, delivered here clad in full Metal jacket; released as a preview track, it attracted some flack, as expected, but this version, intended in its current form to be an all-guns-blazing grand finale, isn’t representative of “The Purple Album” in its entirety. These reworkings are far subtler and more closely aligned with their predecessors than the extreme makeovers the “1987” line-up applied to earlier ‘Snake faves “Here I Go Again” and “Crying In The Rain”.
Personally, I really enjoyed all 13 of ‘em, and if you take the album simply as a chance to hear one of the co-writers of a cache of vintage Hard Rock masterworks performing them passionately, with the aid of a band of top-flight musicians who respectfully filter them through their combined talents, then this collection offers a very enjoyable way to visit some old musical friends in a different setting. If anything, “The Purple Album” serves as an effective reminder of just how many good songs were produced during Mr Coverdale’s three-three year stint with Deep Purple, making me want to go back and listen to those 70s records again, and it’s great to hear the man himself still evidently revelling in his fine heritage, and the other ‘Snakes relishing getting their teeth into it all.
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 