80s Classic Albums (Featuring: King Crimson)

[bl5150]

Whitesnake was nothing before Sykes

This is like the Hagar discussion in reverse.   Hagar was/is a relative nobody outside the US in terms of album charts , even though he was big in the US.   Whitesnake pre-Sykes were big in the UK and Australia (less so) long before Sykes arrived and in fact Ready and Willing (1980) @#6  , Come And Get It (1981)@ #2  charted higher in the UK than 1987 did ........although eventual sales of 1987 would win out.

  The only thing that leaves a bad taste in my mouth is that the band you saw on the videos, and playing live (you know...the ones who got all the credit in the public eye) were NOT the performers of the music....nor were any of them involved in any way with its creation.    Coverdale was a complete idiot to fire the entire band before it was even released.

But.... but....... Cov had 3 keyboard players (not to mention Tawny doing Shaguar gymnastics) at the start of the Here I Go Again video which is very     

I agree that was a shame and Sykes has been so unproductive in terms of quality output ever since.  He was lined up to work with MP before Winery Dogs too.  A real wasted talent IMO who could've done so much more than running the Thin Lizzy thing into the ground.   

[jammindude]

Well....as a side note to your last point, the Blue Murder project was  It's just too bad that he didn't keep it going. 

But that's another discussion.   

Great album.  Truly a classic.   But in my mind, Sykes is the one who deserves the credit for it.

[bl5150]

The debut Blue Murder was half killer (Black Hearted Woman,Valley Of The Kings, Billy etc...), half filler (Sex Child, Jelly Roll)  for me and the follow up Nothin' But Trouble and his string of solo albums were mostly very average , so IMHO he needs a good writer to work with in order to make the most of his playing talent.  I blew so many $ importing those crappy solo albums     

And the Blue Murder was 1989 which is more what I was getting at. Aside from the live album Screaming Blue Murder which is quite good and the ballad album Loveland I can't think of anything he has done since 1989 that is much chop.  There were some tidbits released in 2014 of some new solo material that sounded promising so hopefully that comes good.

Just another match made in heaven (Cov/Sykes) that couldn't get past the ego barrier.

[Kwyjibo]

I did write a long reply, why 1987 is good but why I don't find it that great as others but got somehow lost and probably was tl;dr, so short form:

Good but not really great
Sykes is overrated
Crying In The Rain has probably the most stupid and most silly solo section in all of rock & metal
Tawny 

[bl5150]

I did write a long reply, why 1987 is good but why I don't find it that great as others but got somehow lost and probably was tl;dr, so short form:

Good but not really great
Sykes is overrated
Crying In The Rain has probably the most stupid and most silly solo section in all of rock & metal
Tawny 

   Don't diss Tawny man 

[Kwyjibo]

No, that should mean that when I think of Tawny I have to smile. She was definitely one of the positive aspects of Whitesnake videos.

[bl5150]

You need a schwing emoticon Kwyjibo - this will have to do.

[wolfking]

Amazing, classic album.

[Kwyjibo]

Yeah, "schwing" was the word I was looking for.

[TAC]

Personally, I think this album is overrated. Hear that, people? O-V-E-R-R-A-T-E-D!

Side A was absolutely incredible. Stellar! But Side B was so full of filler it wasn't even funny. Seriously. If ever an album suffered from a Halo Effect, this is it.

Still Of The Night is one of my favorite 80's rock tunes. The song is just incredible. The Dunbar/Murray/Sykes lineup was absolutely killer.

And then it became a joke. Yes, getting Vai was a stunt, and as J Dude said, it felt that way. I have never taken Whitesnake seriously since.

[King Postwhore]

I overplayed the hell out of this album.  Don't listen to it much.  It's all my fault.  got to see this tour with Dokken opening.  Took a girl I was head over heels for.  Thank you Whitesnake and Dokken for being my wingman.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

This album fucking rocks.  All of it.  John Sykes is a monster.

[bl5150]

The only song I don't care for too much is Children of the Night which always felt like the filler track to me.

Maybe it's just me - Chad would back me up if he was about - but aside from a couple of weak tracks I don't mind Slip of the Tongue at all - and for the record Coverdale and Vandenberg wrote that whole album (aside from the Fool For Your Loving cover) and Vai was a rather last minute replacement due to Vandenberg's hand injury and Vivian Campbell leaving.  He had the unenviable task of taking Vandenberg's songs and , if memory serves correct , submitting tracks to Coverdale for approval with little to no studio time as a band.  Under the circumstances I think he did a pretty remarkable job. 

[BlobVanDam]

The only song I don't care for too much is Children of the Night which always felt like the filler track to me.

I love that song. If we're talking the US version, I'd say the only filler song is Straight For The Heart, and maybe Don't Turn Away is a bit weaker than the rest, but I love that one too.
If we're including the European version, Looking For Love is definitely the filler-iest song.

[TAC]

I overplayed the hell out of this album.  Don't listen to it much.  It's all my fault.  got to see this tour with Dokken opening.  Took a girl I was head over heels for.  Thank you Whitesnake and Dokken for being my wingman.

I skipped it. Saw them open for Motley Crue the first time around in 1987.

[hefdaddy42]

Really good album.  The ballads are hard to listen to now, because for me they became WAY overplayed.  But "Still of the Night" still kicks my ass, that's one hell of a song.

You guys can say Vai joining for the next album was a stunt, but there is some killer music on there, for me MUCH more appealing than anything else I ever heard from Whitesnake before the 87 album or since the Vai album.   

[bl5150]

The only song I don't care for too much is Children of the Night which always felt like the filler track to me.

I love that song.

I'm shocked 

[BlobVanDam]

The only song I don't care for too much is Children of the Night which always felt like the filler track to me.

I love that song.

I'm shocked 

Shocked that my opinion is contrary to yours, or shocked that I love a song about being a night owl?

[bl5150]

The only song I don't care for too much is Children of the Night which always felt like the filler track to me.

I love that song.

I'm shocked 

Shocked that my opinion is contrary to yours, or shocked that I love a song about being a night owl?

Both. 

[Bolsters]

Trust Blob to love one of the weaker tracks and dislike one of the best.

[BlobVanDam]

Trust Blob to love one of the weaker tracks and dislike one of the best.

Which one would that be? The only song I'd say I actually dislike is Looking For Love, which is piss weak, probably why it wasn't included on the US release.
And Children of the night is badass.

[Kwyjibo]

Regarding Vai: I really like Slip Of The Tongue, mainly because of Vai. He just has that distinctable tone that so many other players lack. And he brings something fresh to the table.

And I saw the tour with him and Vandenbergh and they were killer (Poison and Aerosmith opened).

[emtee]

Easily one of all time favs from the hair metal days. Played the living crap out of this album and I think it still sounds great.

Tons of great memories associated with this one!!

[Cyclopssss]

Loved slip of the tongue as well. Especially Sailing Ships.

[hefdaddy42]

Loved slip of the tongue as well. Especially Sailing Ships.

Great song, along with Judgement Day.

[bosk1]

Monster album.  I have to put it on my list of greatest rock albums of all time.  No use beating a dead horse--the reasons have all been stated already.

You guys can say Vai joining for the next album was a stunt, but there is some killer music on there, for me MUCH more appealing than anything else I ever heard from Whitesnake before the 87 album or since the Vai album.   

I completely agree. 

I was fortunate enough to see them once on each of the tours for Slide It In, s/t, and Slip.  Very different lineups each time, but each show was fantastic.  I can't say which I preferred more.  But it was REALLY cool seeing Vai do a couple of his solo tunes from Passion and Warfare.  And the stage on that tour at the opening was pretty unique for its time as well.

[bl5150]

I saw them on the Slip of the Tongue tour too - I remember it quite well as I got an earful from my father about going to a concert the night before my final pharmacy exam 

Unfortunately the concert was crap.  By that time Vai had been replaced by DeMartini (who I really like) but the sound was just atrocious and DeMartini didn't really fit the style anyway.  And Vandenberg wasn't powerful enough to make up for Sykes or Vai.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/whitesnake/1994/festival-hall-melbourne-australia-53db976d.html

[TAC]

Nice setlist. Was the Slip tour as late as 94? I thought it was earlier, no?

I think I went back and gave Slip a listen and was pleasantly surprised with a couple of tracks. Might have to check it out again.

[bl5150]

Nice setlist. Was the Slip tour as late as 94? I thought it was earlier, no?

I think I went back and gave Slip a listen and was pleasantly surprised with a couple of tracks. Might have to check it out again.

I suppose technically speaking it was probably the Greatest Hits tour.  Slip was the last studio album though.

[TAC]

Gotcha!

Too bad we didn't get more from the Coverdale/Page project, but then of course the Page/Plant tours were magnificent.

[hefdaddy42]

Gotcha!

Too bad we didn't get more from the Coverdale/Page project, but then of course the Page/Plant tours were magnificent.

Yeah, I really liked Coverdale/Page.

[jjrock88]

Amazing, classic album.

[vtgrad]

Loved slip of the tongue as well. Especially Sailing Ships.

Great song, along with Judgement Day.

I'll give a +1,000 to both of those songs.  The ending to Sailing Ships still makes me want to close my eyes and drift off into the waters.

Judgement Day always makes me think of Kashmir.

I entered the Whitesnake basket (get it, snake basket... nevermind) with Slip and then found the self-titled after the fact and was blown away.  Especially by "Still of the Night".  Keep in mind, I was 7 when this album was released!

And Vai's addition may have been a stunt, but it worked I think.  Slip has it's own voice (especially when compared to the self-titled giant), and I think it's a good voice. 

[Lowdz]

The only song I don't care for too much is Children of the Night which always felt like the filler track to me.

Maybe it's just me - Chad would back me up if he was about - but aside from a couple of weak tracks I don't mind Slip of the Tongue at all - and for the record Coverdale and Vandenberg wrote that whole album (aside from the Fool For Your Loving cover) and Vai was a rather last minute replacement due to Vandenberg's hand injury and Vivian Campbell leaving.  He had the unenviable task of taking Vandenberg's songs and , if memory serves correct , submitting tracks to Coverdale for approval with little to no studio time as a band.  Under the circumstances I think he did a pretty remarkable job.

I'll happily stick up for you in Chad's absence. I like Slip, mainly for vai's involvement.it would have been average without him.
As for 1987, I loved it at the time and still do I guess but it's been overplayed. I prefer live in the heart of the city, slide it in and even saints and sinners though they lacked the polish in the production department that 1987 had. Cov's voice was going by then too.
As for Sykes,that first blue murder was very good, his stint with lizzy was good, but all those false harmonic squeals get on my tits after a while.
I really haven't enjoyed much of whitesnake's output since slip.
Live I always enjoyed the shows, even more recently when his voice was really not up to the job.

[KevShmev]

Say what you want about hair metal, but I think the Guns N' Roses and Whitesnake albums have generated the most discussion so far in this thread.