Customer Reviews

Definitive Collection

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Whitesnake has Released several Best of Compilations over the Years, and untill now None of them were right...The First Release, 1994's Greatest Hits was Ok, yet it contained a poor Remix version of "Here I go Again" that marred the CD (Much like Billy Idol's Hits CD containing the Studio "Mony Mony" and Bowie's ChangesBowie having a Remixed "Fame"; The above mentioned 3 Songs ALL reached #1 on the Billboard Singles Chart); That CD also concentrated on 1984-94 Whitesnake, ignoring their early Period when they were successful in Europe but not America. Then came the Double Best of, which was too much, many ordinary Cuts, followed by the Skimpy Milleneum Best of that lacked, among other Songs, "Slide it in"; This release Shines, ALL the important Songs are here on One stellar-Sounding Disc, the first 4 Songs are European Hits, followed by the 3 best Cuts from the 1984 CD Slide it In, and all the Hits that followed, including the Radio Hit "Pride and Joy" by Coverdale/Page, which Rocks HARD...The sequencing is a bit Odd, it is Chronological for the first Half, then Jumps to 1990 for 4 Songs, followed by 4 tunes from the '87 CD before ending with '93's "pride" and a Cut from 1979...But it all Plays well, and the Songs Are NOT Remixed, despite What the Previous "Kid's Review" Says (Who obviously Reviewed This CD Twice).....

THE BAND: David Coverdale and an assortment of players from the late 1970's through the late 90's. Most notably playing on one or more Whitesnake albums: John Sykes (guitar), Steve Vai (guitar), Adrian Vandenberg (guitar), Micky Moody (guitar), Tommy Aldridge (drums), Aynsley Dunbar (drums), Ian Paice (drums), Cozy Powell (drums), Rudy Sarzo (bass), Neil Murray (bass), Jon Lord (keyboards/organ).

THE DISC: (2006) 18 songs clocking in at approximately 79 minutes. Included with the disc is a 14-page booklet containing plenty of band photos, a 5-page history (mainly showcasing Coverdale), song titles/credits, what songs came from which albums, and Billboard chart success. Oddly, there is no mention of the musicians/players in any shape, manner or form. Label - Geffen.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Come An' Get It (1), Love Hunter (2), Snakebite (1), Ready An' Willing (1), Slide It In (3), Whitesnake (4), Slip Of The Tongue (4), Greatest Hits (1), Coverdale-Page (1).

COMMENTS: I grew up with Deep Purple and Whitesnake in the 1970's. Coverdale had smoking bluesy vocals that absolutely rocked... especially in those early (1974-75) Deep Purple days of "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band". He continued to rock with Whitesnake in the late 70's and early 80's despite the music industry bashing his sexist lyrics that were full of innuendos. Coverdale had a way with surrounding himself with very accomplished rock musicians - providing slightly different flavors on each album. On Whitesnake's self titled release in 1987, things changed and the Coverdale power ballad was born. The slower tunes were good, but this wasn't the Whitesnake I had grown to love. It took some time to get used to it. The radio stations ate these songs up and Whitesnake was reborn in the late 80's ("Now You're Gone", "Is This Love", "Here I Go Again", "The Deeper The Love" were all mega hits for the band). Now, mellowing with age perhaps, these power ballads are more tolerable, though my favorite songs are still the harder crunchier types. This "Definitive" collection is dead-on with the songs selected, though a few big songs are missing. One of my all-time favorite tunes (featured on the 1st "greatest Hits" disc) is missing here, "Crying In The Rain". I also would have liked to have seen "Slip Of The Tongue" here due to Vai's incredible guitar playing... he simply shreds on this track. One third of the songs here (6) are power ballads. Several albums are overlooked in the Whitesnake catalog. You'll find NO songs included here from "Trouble" (1978), "Saints & Sinners" (1982), "Whitesnake" (1977), "Restless Heart (1997), or anything 'live', most notably "Live In The Heart Of The City" (1980). The inclusion of non-Whitesnake song (Coverdale-Page) "Pride & Joy" is mysterious choice to me, but a welcome one. It comes from a very underrated album. However, this opens up a whole other can of worms - why not axe one of the power ballads and throw one of Coverdale's masterpiece songs from Deep Purple (i.e. "Burn") in exchange? If you're looking for a more comprehensive compliation, look for Whitesnake's 2-disc 36-track "Silver Anniversary" edition from 2003 (now an import). All in all this "Definitive" mix has great digitally remastered sound; contains all original studio versions (no edited crappy pop remixes); has a nice booklet with lots of info; and a nice selection of songs. A great intro to the band, even if it does showcase much of their softer side (4.5 stars).

First off, I am as of this writing a CASUAL Whitesnake fan who remembers the late 80's hits when I was a pre-teen and knows some of David Coverdale's work with Deep Purple. Therefore, this review is geared towards similar types of Whitesnake fans, not the harcore fan who has all the albums. I bought this CD because I simply wanted the hits yet also wanted a sample of Whitesnake's deeper history. THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION, more than any other Whitesnake compilation, seems to deliver. Unlike most compilations, we get five tracks worth of material from the pre-SLIDE IT IN/American fame period, which adds a bit of depth to the compilation in addition to ALL the hits that appeal to compilation buyers. This CD leaves me satisfied with what is on it and also makes me want to explore more Whitesnake later on, which is exactly what I want out of a compilation. Whitesnake may have been a "hair band" image wise, but their talent, professionalism, and 70's hard rock pedigree transcends such an empty genre. Well worth checking out for the beginner.

While the most recent "Here I Go Again" 2CD collection wasn't bad considering you could get all 3 of the popular U.S. Geffen releases on 2 CDs including bonus tracks remastered, this release contains 5 tracks of the older material in remastered form, therefore giving the listener more of a perspective of the band's history. What is really surprising is that the CD contains the original European versions of "Love Ain't No Stranger" and "Slow An' Easy" which was never released in the U.S. or on the Geffen label. The track "Slide It In" however, remains as the U.S. remix on this set which was a bit disappointing. It was also nice to hear a remastered version of "Pride And Joy". In essence, this is a good collection for the casual listener who likes the well known hits but wants a little more more retrospective of the band's history. But in reality there are better European "Best Of's" out there if you look hard enough...

This is as good as it gets when it comes to a single CD with Whitesnake's Greatest Hits.
I liked it so much I bought two, one for me and one for a special one (who likes good rock too).
This band and its music are pretty much unique.
So, if you like the snake and you are considering this CD, do yourself a favor and get it :)
I hope you like it as much as I do.

WHITESNAKE-THE DEFINITIVE COLLLECTION: A DEEP PURPLE spin-off featuring that group's third lead singer, WHITESNAKE began life as bloozey hard rockers, long before hair metal embraced their gradual changeover to a more chauvinistic, streamlined style. Their early, sublime treatment of BOBBY "BLUE" BLAND's aching AIN'T NO LOVE IN THE HEART OF THE CITY was stylistically a world away from the juggernaut belly-rubbing flash of HERE I GO AGAIN (a commerical update of one of their own earlier numbers). Pretty boy belter DAVID COVERDALE, the band's only constant, unleashed ROBERT PLANT-inspired sex kitten purrs and macho wallbanger screams, backed by a faceless, big-haired "who's who" of lead guitarists on swaggering arena headknockers like FOOL FOR YOUR LOVING, SLOW AN' EASY and STILL OF THE NIGHT. However, it was the band's blatant, bombastic power balladry that became their real bread and butter; the video image of COVERDALE's ex-wife model TAWNY KITAEN splayed atop a sports car remains as indelible as any MTV moment. Rising above the glut of WHITESNAKE compilations on the market, DEFINITIVE lives up to its claim.

RATING: FOUR HISSES

Lots of remastered tracks and several good timejams are on this cd. Many good hard rocking songs I had never heard before. A coupa cheezy songs makes this one a 4.

A very solid collection of Whitesnake songs primarily from "Slide it In" "1987" and "Slip of the Tongue". These songs are all most people will need, but if you are a hardcore 'Snakes fan, you are better off buying "Gold: Whitesnake" as it has far more from the band's early years.
I should point out that one of the big upsides to this album is that it features the U.K. versions of all the songs off "Slide it In". These versions are quite difficult to obtain in the U.S., and many feel are superior to the more slickly produced American cuts. These are, however, certainly not "remixed" versions as the "Kid Reviewer" claimed in his three unnecessary and uninformed reviews.
In conclusion this is a very good collection of Whitesnake songs, but not quite as "Definitive" as it claims to be.

If you are planning to buy this cd please don't! Buy the "Gold" cd better. Now the sound of this cd is very good. That's not my issue here the problem is the Slow n Easy version that was included here. So what if it is from the European version of "Slide it In" this version is totally lame. The version from the American "Slide it In" featuring John Sykes, and Neal Murray is much much better! It rocks harder with killer guitar riffs. The American version of Slow n Easy was the first Whitesnake song I ever heard and it blew me away. I was completly p!@#off when I bought this and found out that they had the lame Euro version. The "Gold" cd has the killer version that we all know.

Whitesnake's "Definitive Collection" is basically a retread of a couple other previously released greatest hits collections. Four tracks at the beginning and one short epilouge are added to an otherwise familiar collection. As the kid reviewer has noted below, songs from the Slide It In disc are not in their familiar stateside format. However, I believe that these stripped down versions are the originals from the UK version of Slide It In, released in January '84 whereas the US version was not released until April of that year with added production from Martin Birch. And correct my young metal fan, the liner notes add very little that hasn't been mentioned in some Snake hits collection scribble somewhere.

The only other worthy addition to this is the Coverdale/Page hit "Pride and Joy" from '93 (which isn't Whitesnake at all, so this is a questionable addition). I was very pleased to see "Walking in the Shadow of the Blues" from the import-only Lovehunter make the grade as well. This one and "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" can be found in super-gized states on the Snakes '80 Live Hammersmith offering. Not bad, but at the end of the day, unneccessary.