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Post by jno on Sept 19, 2016 10:37:55 GMT
This week, it's one of Terry McCann's favourite bands, Whitesnake.
Which version of Whitesnake's 'Here I Go Again' is the best?
1. 1982 Original Album Version The original version from the 1982 Saints & Sinners album with Jon Lord on Hammond organ and Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody on guitar.
2. 1987 Re-recorded version The re-recorded version which appears on the Whitesnake (aka 1987) album with John Sykes on guitar (solo by Adrian Vandenberg).
3. 1987 Radio Mix Version - released as a U.S. single with Denny Carmassi on drums and Dann Huff on guitar, who also provided the new arrangement. This version also appeared on the Whitesnake's Greatest Hits album in 1994
4. 1997 Acoustic Version
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Post by ace5150 on Sept 19, 2016 13:51:53 GMT
You overlooked Steve Vai live version at Donnington in 1990. Best line up imo.
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Post by ace5150 on Sept 19, 2016 16:51:50 GMT
I liked the video that featured Tawny Kitten in it. I think she married Coverdale as well, then he divorced her as she was 'seeing' OJ Simpson. Considering how OJs wife ended up, I think Coverdale dodged a bullet.
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Post by jno on Sept 20, 2016 3:19:46 GMT
I have the feeling it might only be guitar lovers spending too much time on this thread. Steve Vai - undoubtedly a superb superb player and unlike many seems to be pretty down to earth AND it is a great line-up BUT I can't help but think when he's in Whitesnake the whole focus suddenly switches to him instead of the band. When I first saw Vai playing in Whitesnake back in the day (TV only) it was always just a wait for the guitar part to come along just to see how he would do it. Even in the live version at Donnington the production is milking Vai being in the band and the camera is always on either Coverdale or him. Thus, probably through no direct fault of his own it becomes "The Coverdale, Vai and the rest show" unfortunately and no longer do I look at 'em as a band. It is always funny for me watching Vai stepping aside and chugging along on some power chord while Vandenberg plays the solo. On the one hand, total respect to Vai for doing this from me as having played in (a few) two guitar bands this can often become about individuals as opposed to end product. On the other hand though, I can't help but think there would have been some technical wizardry there had you let Vai do it, i.e. have we just missed the opportunity to see something magical there? Again, focus on the guitar hero over band as a whole. I voted for the 1987 remix. I love the appeal of the commercial rock/metal song and this is no doubt the version of the song that contributed to Whitesnake being popular with lots of people at the time (for me). I also think the guitar solo in the remix totally fits in far better than the other versions - the Vandenberg ascending run although great to listen to does seem scrappy to me in a commercial song. As for the line up, the 'Slip of the Tongue' album has a few classy numbers on it but I personally preferred the more commercial Whitesnake 1987 album in terms of songs and era. For me, Whitesnake suffer from constantly changing line-ups (in the vein of Deep Purple and Rainbow etc.) with albums having a different line-up every few years. This in itself tells me there are some major egos somewhere nearby. What happened after 'Slip Of The Tongue' anyway? I remember seeing the 'Now You're Gone' on the ITV Chart Show in mid (August?) 1990 and they we're very much riding high. Then suddenly, Whitesnake pretty much disappeared in the early 1990s? The next time I saw Coverdale was on Paula Yates's bed being interviewed on Channel 4's 'The Big Breakfast' where everyone treated him like a hero who had come back from the past.
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Post by ace5150 on Sept 20, 2016 4:37:22 GMT
I have the feeling it might only be guitar lovers spending too much time on this thread. What happened after 'Slip Of The Tongue' anyway? I remember seeing the 'Now You're Gone' on the ITV Chart Show in mid (August?) 1990 and they we're very much riding high. Then suddenly, Whitesnake pretty much disappeared in the early 1990s? . Grunge came along. Death of hair metal.
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Post by jno on Sept 20, 2016 6:14:41 GMT
I think that pretty much sums it up ace ... surely though Coverdale could have shortened it and done something more appealing unplugged perhaps? Also, Metallica seemed to survive this 1990 - 1996 period quite well from what I recall.
So what do you think was the last real METAL chart hit ace? I am REALLY struggling after Iron Maiden's Different World gets to number 3 in 2006, after that?
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Post by ltd on Sept 20, 2016 6:40:08 GMT
I voted none. I love metal, but never liked c¤ck rock.
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Post by plasticpenguin on Sept 22, 2016 13:10:15 GMT
Nah... Poor man's Rainbow.
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Post by Portland Road on Sept 24, 2016 8:43:48 GMT
Grunge will not have helped Whitesnake's cause. But prior to that Guns n Roses became prominent in heavy rock (certainly by 1989).
Compared to the 'hair metal' of Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Def Leppard etc, they had a bit more of a raw sound and unkempt image. Perhaps this helped to ease in the Seattle bands amongst the MTV glamour.
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Post by ltd on Sept 24, 2016 17:59:02 GMT
Grunge will not have helped Whitesnake's cause. But prior to that Guns n Roses became prominent in heavy rock (certainly by 1989). Compared to the 'hair metal' of Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Def Leppard etc, they had a bit more of a raw sound and unkempt image. Perhaps this helped to ease in the Seattle bands amongst the MTV glamour. Also they were possibily being squeezed from the other side by speed metal acts like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer etc. As a kid in the 80s speed was what I was interested in, not some bunch of reheated Deep Purple leftovers. Coverdale has a good voice, I'll give him that, but his music has always been dull, dull, dull.
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Post by ace5150 on Sept 24, 2016 20:32:41 GMT
Good observation. Most the bands around had various members from earlier big groups. Still, it's because of them they sold tickets and got recording deals.
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Post by ltd on Sept 25, 2016 8:04:55 GMT
Good observation. Most the bands around had various members from earlier big groups. Still, it's because of them they sold tickets and got recording deals. I certainly wouldn't deny their popularity. Used to see lots of grebos with Whitesnake patches. Just a band I never liked personally. On the other hand I'm not averse to a bit of Ronnie Dio era Rainbow or even some of the Graham Bonnet stuff.
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Post by dscarter1975 on Sept 25, 2016 17:08:57 GMT
The 1987 version of Here I Go Again will always be my favourite. That's what helped me get into the band as it has that uplifting, upbeat, heavy feelgood factor whereas its 1982 predecessor was more bluesy, grimmer and downbeat.
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Post by fordcapri on Jun 24, 2017 14:03:38 GMT
The 12" US Radio Version (or whatever) was the best. Ironically I think only David Coverdale himself was actually an official member of Whitesnake at the time. I think the drums are by Denny Carmassi, and maybe Dan Huff is on guitars with Adrian Vandenberg providing the solo. Vandenberg would end up joining the band full-time to replace John Sykes and Carmassi toured as their drummer in the mid '90s (when I saw them in Sheffield).
Best line-up was COV, SYKES, MURRAY, DUNBAR.
VAI was somewhat over the top with his playing and weaved a few too many 'sonic tapestries from hell' over 'Slip of the Tongue' and the live work from 1990.
Wrote all the above before reading any of the thread. I don't think SYKES is on any of the recordings of this song, as I don't think it was originally intended for the '1987' album.
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alf
One Of Your Own
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Post by alf on Jun 24, 2017 21:32:16 GMT
Oh come on 1982 by a country mile.One of the first concerts I went to was the Saints n Sinners tour.
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Post by jno on Jun 13, 2022 16:54:39 GMT
After my refusal to go to the WS concert near me, I've been listening to all three versions of this recently, trying to perfect the guitar parts as I might just do it in my band and I have confess, it has to be the 1987 "radio-mix" any day for me. The Adrian Vandenberg guitar solo on the 87 album version is great though, especially that killer fast run at the end - it's very hard to nail that run at the right tempo, well for me anyway.
Yes, the remix solo is way more commercial but I confess, I love it and it's my favourite solo too. The remix is so up-beat compared to the others and does it for me anyday. It's joint second for the other two though, impossible to distinguish or rank them into second or third place.
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Post by fordcapri on Jun 14, 2022 8:04:35 GMT
Yeah... I love that non-Whitesnake (apart from Old Cov) radio mix. Dan Huff on guitar, plus assorted session men. That's the one I bought on 12" single back in '87. To my ears, Vandenberg always ends awkwardly on his version, just sounds like a 'wrong' note to me. All the other guitars are Sykes. A shame his solo was 'lost'.
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Post by jno on Jun 14, 2022 18:37:10 GMT
Totally agree fc.
I could bore for hours on these 2 solos. Vandenberg's solo ends on a half step bend, the radio mix is a full step bend, and I think that's the issue and/or difference. The last note of a solo is usually a big one and half step bends just don't nail it as well as a full bend I'd argue.
For me Vandenberg's solo is great BUT the radio mix solo, despite being more simplistic to play, totally nails key notes on chords. There's the difference.
Vandenberg's run is top notch though, superb bit of commercial shred but the Huff solo is just musically better, which shows entirely the difference between melody over technique. The whole remix just has a better feel to it for me, that chugging G power chord is brilliant stuff.
That whole remix is all about using slightly different chord tones over what is essentially just G, D, C. The remix takes a great song and just makes it better and I'd wish Whitesnake would do a live version of this. If I were ever to cover this song, it would have to be this remix version.
Do I remember an interview with Coverdale where he said he was ready to sue over it at some point? (I have vague memories of an interview with him on this)
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Post by fordcapri on Jun 14, 2022 19:23:45 GMT
Totally agree fc. I could bore for hours on these 2 solos. Vandenberg's solo ends on a half step bend, the radio mix is a full step bend, and I think that's the issue and/or difference. The last note of a solo is usually a big one and half step bends just don't nail it as well as a full bend I'd argue. For me Vandenberg's solo is great BUT the radio mix solo, despite being more simplistic to play, totally nails key notes on chords. There's the difference. Vandenberg's run is top notch though, superb bit of commercial shred but the Huff solo is just musically better, which shows entirely the difference between melody over technique. The whole remix just has a better feel to it for me, that chugging G power chord is brilliant stuff. That whole remix is all about using slightly different chord tones over what is essentially just G, D, C. The remix takes a great song and just makes it better and I'd wish Whitesnake would do a live version of this. If I were ever to cover this song, it would have to be this remix version. Do I remember an interview with Coverdale where he said he was ready to sue over it at some point? (I have vague memories of an interview with him on this) I don't know about that Coverdale interview. He was 100% onboard for the radio version - not a remix as such, but a completely new recording. As it is (if you forget about the original from '82) there are TWO entirely different versions of Here I Go Again. 1) Coverdale, Sykes, Murray, Dunbar and solo by Vandenberg 2) Coverdale, Huff, Mark Anders, Denny Carmassi. The keyboards are by Don Airey and Bill Cuomo. There's also backing vocals here and there; Sykes on the original 1987 version and someone else on the radio version. Carmassi, of course, DID eventually join Whitesnake for a couple of years in the mid 90s. The rest of the guys on the radio version were never part of the band. The only legal action I know of, was that Sykes had to take legal action to get his name (and those of Murray and Dunbar) on the 1987 album and also, apparently, had to sue to get his royalties. Of course, if you were to raise that with Coverdale, he would flatly deny it!
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Post by steve99 on Jul 11, 2022 20:08:25 GMT
I recall my brother taping the 1990 Donington gig from the radio and I think it might still be around somewhere. From memory there seemed to be some frantic solos and Adrian Vandenberg was booed when DC introduced him to the crowd. For a Yorkshireman, Coverdale gave it some of the London geezer patter, shouting "Can't 'ear ya!" to gee up the audience and a bit later urging them to take the f------ roof off. The Beeb weren't impressed and Coverdale informed punters in a sarky tone that he'd been told by the BBC he had to stop swearing. Whaddaya have to say to that, asked the Covester, which elicited the expected two word reply.
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Post by ltd on Jul 12, 2022 14:53:53 GMT
I recall my brother taping the 1990 Donington gig from the radio and I think it might still be around somewhere. From memory there seemed to be some frantic solos and Adrian Vandenberg was booed when DC introduced him to the crowd. For a Yorkshireman, Coverdale gave it some of the London geezer patter, shouting "Can't 'ear ya!" to gee up the audience and a bit later urging them to take the f------ roof off. The Beeb weren't impressed and Coverdale informed punters in a sarky tone that he'd been told by the BBC he had to stop swearing. Whaddaya have to say to that, asked the Covester, which elicited the expected two word reply. Having the BBC on site recording was hardly ever a deterrent on the effing and jeffing front. I remember the Friday Rock Show used to broadcast festival performances some weeks after the event so they could edit out all the foul language. Motorhead's 1986 Donington appearance springs readily to mind. Lemmy swearing, threatening a bottle thrower and making an off colour joke or two all got the snip in the radio version.
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Post by steve99 on Jul 12, 2022 16:21:55 GMT
Good old Tommy Vance. Rock fans were treated like lepers by the mainstream media back in the day and prior to Kerrang magazine there only was Tommy and the Sounds music paper that I knew of to hear and read about rock and metal. One rare event I recall was on BBC2 when they screened some of the first Monsters of Rock a few months after that festival.
Never understood those idiots who throw bottles at festivals. Why bother going if they're going to act like a **** and does it make them feel big and important.
Crafty old Coverdale though doing a Jagger and disputing the input from others to certain songs. What's that line from Beast of Burden - "Ain't I rich enough?" Apparently not.
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Post by ltd on Jul 12, 2022 18:43:59 GMT
Good old Tommy Vance. Rock fans were treated like lepers by the mainstream media back in the day and prior to Kerrang magazine there only was Tommy and the Sounds music paper that I knew of to hear and read about rock and metal. I was having a drink with my brother last Saturday and Tommy's name came up. We agreed that he and the rock show played a major part in shaping our musical taste(s). Suffice to say we raised a glass to Mr Vance's memory.
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