WHITESNAKE - Live In The Still Of The Night [DVD/CD]

Posted: 04/18/06

Reviewed by: Dirt

Category:  Hard Rock

Released: 2/7/06

Label URL: www.umeportal.com

Band URL: www.whitesnake.com

1/2

It's amazing but lead vocalist David Coverdale somehow continues to breathe fresh blood into Whitesnake after three decades in the business.  While 70s diehards may wish that he re-assembled the Mick Moody/Bernie Marsden lineup, and 80s fans wish for the John Sykes or Adrian Vandenberg/Vivian Campbell or Adrian Vandenberg/Steve Vai lineups, the current lineup is one firey beast!  Live In The Still Of The Night features Coverdale and drummer Tommy Aldridge (who was with the band at the height of its success), along with bassist Marco Mendoza (Blue Murder, Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent), keyboardist Timothy Drury, and the new axe team of Doug Aldrich (Lion, Bad Moon Rising, Dio) and Reb Beach (Winger).  In watching the band's performance on this DVD, it's clear that Whitesnake is as powerful as ever, and Coverdale was careful not to have his new band members come off as replacements.  And while some fans may miss past members, these guys live up to the Whitesnake tradition in every sense of the word.  Anybody that's heard Reb Beach's 2001 solo album, Masquerade, knows how talented he is.  And while he takes a back seat here, primarily handling rhythm guitar, he does have several moments in the spotlight.  Doug Aldrich is the star of the show, finally getting the chance to show the world how talented he is.  Just look at how agile his fingers are throughout the performance.

The set list is primarily a greatest hits collection, but the surprising thing is that the band does reach back to play "Take Me With You," "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City," "Don't Break My Heart Again," "Ready An Willing," and Deep Purple's "Burn" (with a snipet of "Stormbringer").  The 1987 self-titled release makes up six of the sixteen tracks, while my personal favorite, Slide It In, is only represented by "Love Ain't No Stranger."  For the life of me, I cannot figure out why "Slow An' Easy" and "Slide It In" (to a lesser extent) have been forgotten.  This is really my only gripe with the DVD, and is the cause of the half-axe deduction).  Overall, Coverdale's voice sounds impressive, although you may note that at points, it does seem slightly more raspy than on the older studio recordings.  Physically, his face shows some weathering, but he's trim, full of energy, still has an amazing head of hair, and he clearly maintains a passion for these tunes and his fans.

The Bloody Truth: Live In The Still Of The Night is a necessary purchase for all Whitesnake fans, as well as fans of energetic hard rock  This special collector's edition not only contains the DVD but a live cd, featuring ten of the sixteen songs.  After watching Live In The Still Of The Night, I'm really sorry that I didn't catch Whitesnake's US tour last year.  The band is still at the top of their game and I really hope Coverdale decides to record a new studio album with this lineup (well, without Mendoza, as he was recently replaced by Uriah Duffy).