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Rating: Hello to all DeBaserians and non!
This time I am taking on the task of reviewing a band that has greatly divided the Hard & Heavy audience: Whitesnake by David Coverdale. The former frontman of Deep Purple formed his group in 1977. A band with bluesy sounds, a genre very dear to the singer. Some have called Coverdale a Rock icon, others have doubted (and doubt) his singing qualities, and others, on the other hand, believe he simply capitalized by exploiting this genre. I believe Coverdale was very good at navigating the various eras of Rock; first singing with Deep Purple at the height of the Hard Rock revolution, then (taking advantage of the good dose of fame acquired) he was able to devote himself to his favorite style and more suitable for his voice, namely Hard Blues; finally, from the second half of the '80s to the present day, he has made the band's sound heavier to ride the wave left by Heavy Metal.
After the first three albums of decent (if not good) success, in 1979 " Lovehunter" is released. With the collaboration of Wikipedia, I discover the line-up that created this record: besides, obviously, Coverdale, the magical duo Moody-Mardsen is confirmed; on the keyboards, there is a Rock legend, that Jon Lord who made his friend David famous; on bass Neil Murray and on drums Dave Dowle (he won't last long, he will be replaced by another former purple: Ian Paice).
The album opens with "Long Way From Home", a track with sounds typical of the late '70s, very commercial, both for the sound and for the chorus formed in the refrain by the three string instrument players.
The second track, however, is one of the most famous in the Whitesnake repertoire: "Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues", a song that Coverdale dedicates to himself and his passion: the Blues. The rhythm of this song is pressing, very determined and you can also hear the first solo of the album by Bernie Mardsen, the contribution of Jon Lord is also really important: a true masterpiece.
There is also room for a well-executed cover by Leon Russell: "Help Me Thro' The Day". The album continues with a series of very catchy and well-played Hard Blues songs such as "Medicine Man" (excellent riff by Mardsen), "You 'N' Me", the fast "Mean Business", all tracks that showcase the technical virtuosity of the musicians and their harmony.
The title track deserves a few more words: "Lovehunter". Irriverent as usual in the lyrics (which often deal with women, as in this case, life on the road, and drinking), and with a very Southern Rock style, this song is undoubtedly the best on the album. I emphasized the Southern sound because the contribution given by that genius Micky Moody and his slide guitar is very successful and will be even more appreciated in live performances, making it a must at every concert of the era. Great job, guys!
After listening to the commercial "Outlaw" and the rocking "Rock 'N' Roll Women" (name omen), the Snakes bid farewell with a ballad dedicated to those who are undoubtedly the cornerstone of music in general: the fans. "We Wish You Well" is the right conclusion for an excellent album, which consecrates a band made up of excellent musicians who carry on a genre like Hard Blues that is very lively and cheerful, but not to be underestimated at all.
Thank you for your attention, a greeting to the DeReaders, I Wish You Well!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Long Way From Home (04:57)
I would do anything I could to be near you,
Walk all night in the pouring rain
To be at your side
My heart is aching for love,
My body's shaking with desire
Believe me, baby, when I say
I will drink you dry
I would do anything to be near you,
You're everything any man could claim
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, it's a long long way from home,
I'm just trying to get a message to you,
It's a long long way from home,
An' I don't know what I'm gonna do
I'd been looking for love for so long when I found you,
Too many years I walked alone
When I touch you inside I feel you burning me with fire,
Believe me baby when I say
I will feed the flame
I would do anything to be near you,
Walk all night in the pouring rain
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, it's a long long way from home,
I'm just trying to get a message to you,
It's a long long way from home,
An' I don't know what I'm gonna do
I would do anything to be near you,
You're everything any man could claim
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, it's a long long way from home,
I'm just trying to get a message to you,
It's a long long way from home,
An' I don't know what I'm gonna do
I would do anything I could to be near you,
Check in on any night time flight, I don't mind
My heart is aching for love,
My body's shaking with desire
Believe me baby when I say
I will drink you dry
I would do anything to be near you,
Walk all night in the pouring rain
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, it's a long long way from home,
I'm just trying to get a message to you,
It's a long long way from home,
An' I don't know what I'm gonna do
It's a long long way from home,
I'm just trying to get a message to you,
It's a long long way from home,
An' I don't know what I'm gonna do,
It's a long long way from home
02 Walking in the Shadow of the Blues (04:26)
I love the blues,
They tell my story,
If you don't feel it you can never understand
So many times I thought about it
And now I know just what it means to be a man
Everyday I realize you can see it in my eyes
I never wait, or hesitate.
'Cos I love the life I live,
I'm gonna live the life I choose,
You gotta understand
I'm walking in the shadow of the blues
All of my life I've had the same reputation,
I've been the black sheep of the family all along
I never know if in my heart I'm really guilty
But, I've been accused of never knowing right from wrong
Everyday I realize you can see it in my eyes
I never wait, or hesitate.
'Cos I love the life I live,
I'm gonna live the life I choose,
You gotta understand
I'm walking in the shadow of the blues
My father said you're crazy,
He said what you gonna do?
I left with my guitar and said
I'll leave it up to you
I'm gonna live the life I love
And live the life I choose,
And I'm walking in the shadow of the blues
I love the blues,
They tell my story,
If you don't feel it I will tell you once again
All of my life I've been caught up in a crossfire,
'Cos I've been branded with the devil mark of cain
Everyday I realize you can see it in my eyes
I never wait, or hesitate.
'Cos I love the life I live,
I'm gonna live the life I choose,
You gotta understand
I'm walking in the shadow of the blues,
I'm walking in the shadow of the blues
04 Medicine Man (04:03)
(Coverdale)
You never leave her alone,
I can see you never learn
When you're playing with fire,
You get your fingers burned
There ain't no use in crying,
Baby don't delay,
You can call your doctor,
I'll be there right away
I'm the medicine man,
Your doctor of love
Medicine man,
Doctor of love
When there's a feeling inside,
That just can't be denied,
I will be your medicine man
Now don't you ever worry,
If you feel the fever rise,
You'll never fool nobody,
When there's fire in your eyes
There ain't no use denying,
When you need it deep inside
You've got your witch doctor
To keep you satisfied
I'm the medicine man,
Your doctor of love
Medicine man,
Doctor of love
When there's a feeling inside,
That just can't be denied,
I will be your medicine man.
You never leave her alone,
I can see you never learn
When you're playing with fire,
You get your fingers burned
There ain't no use in crying,
Baby don't delay,
You can call your doctor,
I'll be there right away
I'm the medicine man,
Your doctor of love
Medicine man,
Doctor of love
When there's a feeling inside,
That just can't be denied,
I will be your medicine man
Your doctor of love
I'm medicine man,
Doctor of love...
06 Mean Business (03:49)
(Coverdale/Moody/Marsden/Murray/Dowle)
You're taking a walk on the wild side
If you're gonna take a chance with me,
I'm gonna make you take a look on the inside
And you might not like what you see
So don't you knock on my door
If you don't want an answer
Or gimme a beat
If you don't want a dancer
I've got my love gun loaded,
I've got you in my sight,
I never take no for an answer,
So you'd better say yes tonight
I told you the score
Right from the start,
You'll never get to heaven
If you break my heart
So if you don't mean business
Knock on someone else's door,
'Cos it's a mean mean business
Staying alive if you fool with me
You say you want my money,
I say you've got no sense,
If you just want to bleed me dry
Stay on your side of the fence
No mercy you can see
'Cos seven to eleven made a fool out of me
So if you don't mean business
Knock on someone else's door,
'Cos it's a mean mean business
Staying alive if you fool with me
You're taking a walk on the wild side
If you're gonna take a chance with me,
I'm gonna make you take a look on the inside
And you might not like what you see
So don't you knock on my door
If you don't want an answer
Or gimme a beat
If you don't want a dancer
So if you don't mean business
Knock on someone else's door,
'Cos it's a mean mean business
Staying alive if you fool with me...
08 Outlaw (04:05)
(Coverdale/Lord/Marsden)
When I left my home
I was not much more than a child,
My mother started crying
She knew that I was born to be wild
'Cos I was looking for the bright lights of the big city,
A red hot town where the girls are pretty
I took to the highway,
Chasing my dream down the line
Heading out for trouble,
Never finding my peace of mind
'Cos I been run out of town so many times before
An' usually kind of places where I can't go back no more
Outlaw - born outside of the law,
Just another outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
I never find it easy trying to keep the feeling alive,
I've always been a dreamer,
Dreamers find it hard to survive
When they're living in the bright lights of the big city,
A red hot town where the girls are pretty
Outlaw - born outside of the law,
Just another outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
Outlaw - born outside of the law,
Just another outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
Outlaw - born outside of the law,
Just another outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
Born outside of the law,
Just another outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
Outlaw, outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
09 Rock 'n' Roll Women (04:48)
I'm goin' looking for a woman
With the night in her eyes
Someone to take all the small talk
And laugh at the lies
A high heeled double trouble backstage queen
Who gets what she wants
And knows where she's been
Alright show your hand
I'm looking for the promise of a one night stand
So I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
You can see in my face
Just what I'm hoping to find
I want a twelve bar beauty
With a one track mind
I don't drive babe, but, I can steer
We got the green light let's get out of here
Alright show your hand
I'm looking for the promise of a one night stand
So I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
I said I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
When I saw you across the floor
I could feel I wanted more
I get lonely in the night
I would do anything, anything you say
Do anything to take the pain away
So those lonely nights will be alright
Don't worry honey, we can put out the light
I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
I said I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
So I'm looking for a woman who got no shame
'Cos in the morning there'll be no one to blame
A high heeled double trouble backstage queen
Who gets what she wants and knows where she's been
Alright show your hand
I'm looking for the promise of a one night stand
So I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
I said I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
Rock 'n' roll women, rock 'n' roll women
Rock 'n' roll women gonna steal my heart away
Rock 'n' roll women, I said rock 'n' roll women
I said rock 'n' roll women gonna steal my heart away
Rock 'n' roll women
Talkin' 'bout rock 'n' roll women, rock 'n' roll women
Rock 'n' roll women gonna steal my heart away
Rock 'n' roll women, rock 'n' roll women
I said rock 'n' roll women gonna steal my heart away
10 We Wish You Well (01:34)
I'm sad to say
It's time to go
But until we meet again along the road
Remember this, on your journey home
When you hear the thunder roar, your not alone
We wish you well
We wish you well
In times of trouble, may your heart be strong
We wish you well
We wish you well
Until we meet again
We wish you well
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