Guthrie Govan Discussion

[alexkhan]

I recently got the new Whitesnake DVD of them performing at the Apollo Hammersmith in London from last year. A bonus audio CD is included, so for $16.99 from Amazon, this package is one smokin' deal because the overall quality of the performances, the production, and the sound is simply superb.

I have to admit that being a fan of some (not all, of course) things 80's, I was a big fan of Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Jake E Lee and Zakk Wylde era Ozzy, Dokken, Ratt, and even some Motley Crue, etc. besides the shred of Yngwie, MacAlpine, Vinnie Moore, Racer X, Cacophony, Satch, Vai, etc. This Whitesnake DVD brings back a lot of good memories of why I actually liked Whitesnake so much back then, but the amazing thing is that this new version featuring Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach on the guitars is probably the best version yet.

I've always known that Doug and Reb were great mainstream rock/metal players, but this DVD reaffirms that they're truly amazing players in their own right and that this band is still at its very peak. David Coverdale looks, performs, and sings better than ever. This is a totally professional unit that's truly having fun and playing their asses off. I don't get blown away very easily, but this DVD does it and I'm enjoying it like a college boy, singing along to those great anthemic songs like 'Here I Go Again', 'Judgment Day', 'Fool For Your Lovin' and 'Still Of The Night'.

Doug Aldrich is a monster. Of that particular lineage which includes players like the rock-era Gary Moore, George Lynch, John Sykes, and Zakk Wylde, I'd have to say Doug is my favorite. He's just an incendiary player who has tone, attitude, feel, fire and some amazing chops with great ideas to boot in the old school hard rock/metal realm. And then, there's Reb. Reb tends to get slagged for his 80's Winger association, but I tell you, Reb is one really smokin' player who also has amazing chops, feel, taste, phrasing, and tone. He's quite different from Doug and that's the beauty of this DVD. You see two very distinct old school rock/metal/shred players complementing each other, Coverdale's singing and the band.

Perhaps I'm biased because we, at Suhr, also have such a great relationship with both Reb and Doug, but I'm telling you, this DVD is really great. They all look so good, too. They all look like they are in their prime. But it's all about the music in the end. The songs and the performances all rock. As for that mainstream rock/metal band in the Deep Purple lineage, it just doesn't get any better than Whitesnake. In fact, Whitesnake takes it a step further. They have set a standard that many other bands will continue to look up to for inspiration. This DVD is serious good fun. And for the guitar freaks, this is a DVD you can enjoy alone checking out Doug and Reb rip and lay down tasty solos or actually watch and enjoy along with your wife or girlfriend. Great stuff! I can't recommend it highly enough.
_________________
Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.

[treeduck]

Interesting Ed, yeah I used to be into these guys in the 80s very cool line-up. I found a review on amazon with more info for anyone interested as an adjunct to your post...


"Modern Whitesnake., February 7, 2006

Reviewer: ncsamaniego from Sheffield, S Yorks United Kingdom

This DVD was filmed in 2004 at the Hammersmith Odeon (it's true name, none of this Apollo stuff), and clearly a lot of work has gone into it. Over 20 cameras, slick visuals and top notch production make this DVD easy on the eye. The director managed to have a heart attack last year, which delayed things somewhat.

The set listing is:

01. Burn (with brief Stormbringer section)
02. Bad Boys
03. Love Ain't No Stranger
04. Ready An Willing
05. Is This Love
06. Give Me All Your Love
07. Judgement Day
08. Snake Dance
09. Cryin' In The Rain
10. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City
11. Don't Break My Heart Again
12. Fool For Your Lovin'
13. Here I Go Again
14. Take Me With You
15. Still Of The Night

The band is an interesting line-up, which will please generic rock fans, and probably annoy those who have been fans since the early days (ie Marsden/Moody era). The idea seems to be to use the 1987 vibe as a template.
Doug Aldrich plays very much in the John Sykes mode (Still of the Night/Bad Boys, that sort of thing), and is very VERY good.
Reb Beach (ex-Winger/Alice Cooper) is more of a Steve Vai-ish player in this context - fast scales, loads of tapping, wang bar excesses and wierd harmonics.
They play together very well, and appear to be having a blast (mind you, any guitarist with a half-decent job these days ought to be happy!).
Marco Mendoza on bass is very versatile, total poser, good stuff.
Tommy Aldridge is an animal on drums - you don't realise how good he is until you experience him live.
And Timothy Drury on keys is excellent, gets to show off in Burn, and is audible throughout the DVD, which is unusual for a rock band - and very welcome.
The songs are played flawlessly well, with emphasis on the rock as opposed to blues-rock, which'll also probably grate with longer-standing fans. I like it, but I didn't really get into Whitesnake until 1987.
Problems? Well, you can't include everyone's favourites in a live show. I'd have loved to hear/see Guilty of Love for example, but I don't think it's featured in the show for years. And the fact that some old Mark III Purple material has been resurrected I think is fantastic.
A couple of complaints: the camera-work is very busy, and personally I like to be able to see what's going on, especially when there's a guitar solo (might learn something) but it keeps cutting to other shots, which is a bit irritating.
Also there is regular use of grany black & white shots. Now I know some people think this is cool - to me it's just annoying.

The interview section is OK, but only 14 minutes long, although the whole band gets a say.

So overall a good buy, whether people enjoy it will depend on what Whitesnake means to you; blues rock, or rock/metal."

[sumis]

i'm defiinitely going to check this out. its probably one of the best opportunities to hear what beach/aldrich are up to today ... and to hear some great suhr tones as well. i've heard many people complaining about the busy editing though. that didn't seem to annoy you ed, or did it?

actually, for me, the end of whitesnake started with john sykes! don't get me wrong, i love sykes, and i'm one of the biggest vai fans around (i saw the vai/vandenberg tour). but musically, the golden days of whitesnake was during the lord/marsden/moody days. more soul, more groove, great sound, and definitely better songs. "saints and sinners" is one favourite, as is "live in the heart of the city". its plain and simple less kiddie rock the sykes redux version of slide it in is NOT an improvement, in my opinion.

i grew up with shrapnel as well, but alongside the deepest respect for vintage stones, neil young and seventies hard rock. the fact that vai, my then biggest idol whatsoever joined whitesnake was a very conflicted thing for me ...

but i'd say that the current band probably is the best whitesnake we've seen for a long time.

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[alexkhan]

Yeah, the busy edits do get a little annoying. It seems it never stays on one scene for more than 10 seconds, sometimes much less. Just when you start getting a nice close-up of Doug's fingers flying over the fingerboard during a solo, they change the camera to some dude or chick in the audience bobbing their heads. Yeah, those things do suck.

But the music, the performance, the sounds, and the camera work overall are pretty good. This DVD wasn't produced with us guitar freaks in mind at all. It's mainly for the mainstream party audience. I'd say like 80~90% of the audience wouldn't be guitar players and nearly half of that audience are women.
_________________
Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.

[Bode]

I dont have to say much....I'm a die hard Whitesnake fan...
Each line-up over the years has it's own unique offering...and I happen to love the post 1984 line-ups better(with the Vai inclusion being my least favourite)... but whatever it is...Whitesnake has always definitely been one of my fav bands...if not THE fav band
John Sykes, Vivian Campbell, Adrian Vandenberg, Steve Vai, Reb Beach, Doug Aldrich...love all of 'em...


HERE'S A SONG FOR YAH!!!!

Now...gotta get that DVD...
_________________

(Banner Designed at Losfer Words Records)

[sumis]

i actually had the opportunity to see micky moody play once back in sweden. it was some kind of invitation-only promo thing for a music store in gothenburg (15 years ago), and moody did this solo gig, just him playing some real bad ass slide guitar. that was a really cool experience. better than the slip of the tounge tour (for the love of god was i highlight there ... not very very whitesnake though )

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[Carlo]

Never really got into Whitesnake, but if Ed approves, I will definitely check out this DVD

btw, does anyone have Reb Beach's instructional DVD? what's your thoughts on it?

[sumis]

[alexkhan]

[Carlo]

hey man, I know what you mean. I listen to a lot of fun, more simple types of music,. So I'm sure I can be right at home with some Whitesnake

Reb's DVD seems pretty recent, at least juding by the cover...

http://www.rebbeach.com/online_store.htm

I noticed he has a very slightly unique way of tapping. He lightly plucks the adjacent strings with his ring finger before he taps when crossing strings.

[sumis]