1987 - April: Whitesnake "Whitesnake"
While the album Whitesnake may not be the debut album from the band Whitesnake, this self-titled seventh studio album might as well be a debut, as only two members were present from the previous album. Known in the UK as 1987, and in Japan as Serpens Albus, this album featured returning members John Sykes on guitars and backing vocals, and David Coverdale on lead vocals. Additionally Neil Murray was on bass, Aynsley Dunbar was on percussion, and Don Airey was on keyboards.
David Coverdale was the lead singer for Deep Purple, and left the group in 1976. He did a couple of solo albums, the first of which was named “White Snake.” He formed the band Whitesnake as his backing band in 1978. They had a lot of success in the UK, Europe, and Japan with their early albums, but Coverdale wanted to break through in North America by the mid-80's. He started moving from a blues/hard rock sound to a more glam metal sound, starting with the album "Slide It In" in 1984, and fully embraced the heavy metal sound and hair band image with this album.
Whitesnake would get significant airplay, with two singles going to number 1 (Here I Go Again) and number 2 (Is This Love?) on the Billboard US charts. Their videos would be staples of MTV, with prominent exposure of Tawny Kitaen, Coverdale's girlfriend and soon-to-be wife.
The band would be broken up shortly after the album was complete, leaving David Coverdale as the sole member by the time they went on tour. This was despite the fact that John Sykes co-wrote all but two of the songs on the album.
Get your hair metal on as Bruce puts his metal hair on, presenting this week's album.
Bad Boys
A deeper cut, this song is heavy on the rock and light on the significance of the lyrics. “Bad bad boys, getting wild in the street, wild in the city, I see you - you see me.” Much of the album has this heavy rock sound.
Crying In the Rain '87
This track that starts the album is a reworked song originally released by the group in 1982. The original is more bluesy and has a slower tempo than this version. The song was inspired by David Coverdale's divorce.
Give Me All Your Love
This was the fourth single from the album, and it reached number 58 on the US Top 100 charts. By the time the single was released in January 1988 a new guitar solo had been recorded by Vivian Campbell, replacing guitarist and co-writer John Sykes. Campbell would tour with the band but would leave before the next album.
Still of the Night
The first single from the album may have only hit number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it received significant airplay on rock stations and MTV. The comparisons to Led Zeppelin were frequent, not just for the guitar riffs, but also for the heavy drumming and similarity between the vocalizations of Coverdale and Robert Plant. The song is about obsession, maybe a vampire, maybe a stalker.
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Love and Marriage by Frank Sinatra (from the television series “Married...With Children”)
This anti-Cosby Show family dystopia followed the antics of shoe salesman Al Bundy and his family.
STAFF PICKS:
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight by Genesis
Lynch gets the staff picks going with a single from Genesis's album Invisible Touch. It went to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 despite being written less as a pop song and more like the prog rock style that Genesis used earlier in the decade. The lyrics are about a conversation with a drug dealer, a fact that must have been missed when Michelob used the song to promote their beer.
Love Removal Machine by The Cult
Wayne's staff pick is the first single from The Cult's third album, Electric. It went to number 15 on the Mainstream Rock charts in the United States. Lead singer Ian Astbury compares this song to getting on your favorite motorcycle. The opening riff is often compared to “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones.
Ahead by Wire
Rob features the closest post punk band Wire would get to a pop single. It has a spacey, ethereal sound. Wire had extensive influence over many groups, including Sonic Youth, The Cure, and R.E.M.
First We Take Manhattan by Jennifer Warnes
Bruce closes out the staff picks with a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. Jennifer Warnes originally did this song for a Cohen tribute album, and it features guitarist extraordinaire Stevie Ray Vaughan. The song itself is dark and apocalyptic, with lyrics told from the perspective of a terrorist.
COMEDY TRACK:
Put Down the Duckie by Hoots the Owl and Ernie
We first learned that we have to put down the duckie if we want to play the saxophone from this skit, which aired on Sesame Street for the first time in April 1987.
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