No stranger to the world of redundant live albums is Whitesnake. This makes for their 11fifth live release and follows on the heels of previously reviewed live capitulations by Iron MAIDEN and AC/DC.
Written by: Dangerzone
ARTIST: Whitesnake
ALBUM: Made In Japan
LABEL: Frontiers
SERIAL: FRCD 598
YEAR: 2013
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: David Coverdale – vocals * Doug Aldrich – guitar * Reb Beach – guitar * Michael Devin – bass * Brian Tichy – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Best Years * 02 Give Me All Your Love Tonight * 03 Love Ain’t No Stranger * 04 Is This Love * 05 Steal Your Heart Away * 06 Forevermore * 07 Six String Showdown * 08 Love Will Set You Free * 09 Drum Solo * 10 Fool For Your Loving * 11 Here I Go Again * 12 Still Of The Night
13 Love Will Set You Free (bonus) * 14 Steal Your Heart Away (bonus) * 15 Fare Thee Well (bonus) * 16 One Of These Days (bonus) * 17 Lay Down Your Love (bonus) * 18 Evil Ways (bonus) * 19 Good To Be Bad (bonus) * 20 Tell Me How (bonus)
RATING: 10/100
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
No stranger to the world of redundant live albums is Whitesnake, who as recently as 2011 unleashed their 1990 headlining show at Donington on a surely frothing at the mouth public. This makes for their fifth live release and follows on the heels of previously reviewed live capitulations by Iron Maiden and AC/DC.
To give this some kind of marketability Coverdale slapped on a bonus disc with material culled from soundtracks, but it isn’t enough to save this, not by a mile. This was recorded at the Loud Park Festival in Japan in 2011 and was supposedly so sought after that the band decided to release it commercially. I’m not sure what this says for the Japanese fans.
Everything about this release is uninspired, from the set list to the album design and title. I’m sure it’s Coverdale’s take on the Deep Purple classic, but it must have taken one second to devise such a tired name for an album.
The Songs
If the last Whitesnake album ‘Forevermore’ gave you unmitigated chills then the three tracks included here from the album might entice you; that is unless you’re the most loyal, die-hard and sickest Whitesnake fan roaming the planet.
This seems to be the age old tactic, include a few new tracks and back them up with the stalest hits of a bands catalogue. For Whitesnake naturally their history before 1984 never happened and anyone hoping to hear ‘Rough And Ready’ or ‘Mean Business’ should probably have themselves committed.
The newer likes of ‘Steal Your Heart Away’, ‘Forevermore’ and ‘Love Will Set You Free’ get run through, plus ‘Best Years’ from ‘Good To Be Bad’. This is supposed to give the album viability, but I’m sure nobody is holding out for these already dull tracks live.
This isn’t the problem though. Like Iron Maiden and AC/DC it’s the tepid inclusion of the usual favourites that make me dislike this as equally as those duds.
I’m sure the world has been holding out for new live renditions of ‘All Of Your Love Tonight’, ‘Is This Love’, ‘Still Of The Night’, ‘Here I Go Again’, ‘Fool For Your Loving’, and ‘Love ‘Ain’t No Stranger’. Maybe they have and I’m the foolish one.
There’s nothing here you haven’t heard before and what value these versions are supposed to offer is beyond me. Every one of these was on the 2006 ‘Live: In the Shadow Of The Blues’. Given the already worn out notion of these songs, attempting to listen to them here is pointless.
It’s funny how random cheers from the crowd appear out of nowhere too, as if they tacked them on to remind people listening that this is a live album. If these songs weren’t enticing enough to the consumer then the six minute guitar solo and seven minute drum solo will surely make their minds up for them.
Who doesn’t want to hear an endless drum solo in 2013? I mean this is the legend known as Brian Tichy (who gave way to the returning Tommy Aldridge for his 14th stint in the band in January) after all. This puts Keith Moon and Ian Paice to shame, it really does.
The wizardry of Aldrich and Beach also has the Japanese in raptures, as they square off in a duel for the ages. Based on the 30 seconds I listened to I’d have to award it to Beach. The crowd cheers this as if Japan won the World Cup.
If this was a sane crowd they’d have tossed beer bottles and firecrackers at such a display of indulgence. Coverdale sounds mostly disinterested, as if he recorded his vocals in the studio and to have to keep singing these songs might cause anyone to lose their grip on reality.
In Summary
In a way I’m glad the band released this as it’s allowed me to give it the walloping it requires.
Like the loyal Iron Maiden and AC/DC freaks who probably snapped up the dreadful offerings from those two, there are Whitesnake devotees who’ll be waiting outside the record store before it opens to get their hands on this.
The other disc is barely worth mentioning, with the band at rehearsal playing mostly newer songs, with witty banter and forced dialogue meant to represent unity among this boring lineup.
What has always been the problem with this lot is the American success of ‘1987’. It forevermore (every pun intended) relegated their ‘English’ output to the dustbins of rock history, with the only really essential live album being 1980’s ‘Live, In The Heart Of The City’.
And if any more proof is needed about how much of a money grab this is, another two CD live album is being released in June, ‘Made in Britain/The World Record’ all with the same songs as here. What can you say? Words fail me in this instance. This is truly the pits of the record industry.
Whitesnake on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
