Customer Reviews

Saints & Sinners

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like many people, I first discovered Whitesnake in 1987 when they released their smash hit self-titled album. Growing up with that album and the band's 1989 follow-up Slip of the Tongue made listening to the band's early works a challenge. It's a challenge that paid off though. I'm not a huge blues rock fan, but something about these early Whitesnake albums really works for me, and I've come to love them (almost) as much as the later albums I grew up with.

Originally released in 1982, Saints & Sinners is the last real "old school" Whitesnake album before the band evolved into their better known "hair metal" phase. At this point the band had pretty well perfected their bluesy, soulful hard rock sound. All they were really missing was a wider audience. They had the technical chops, an amazing vocalist in David Coverdale, and some potential singles in "Here I Go Again" and "Crying in the Rain". Hearing the original versions of these familiar 1987-era hits is a real eye-opener. Unfortunately, when you consider the more popular new wave, arena rock and metal sounds at the time, even an album as impressive as Saints & Sinners sounds out of touch and dated.

Popularity issues aside, Saints & Sinners is a completely infectious blues rock album. Unlike previous albums, the songs on Saints & Sinners are much more up-tempo and generally "rock out" more. This may have been due to the departure of guitarist Bernie Marsden. I love the rockin' "Young Blood" and "Rock `an Roll Angels" is a great old school party rock anthem, but honestly the whole album has a charged, energetic vibe that's impossible to resist.

Saints & Sinners is probably my favorite of the early Whitesnake albums, and one that I'd definitely recommend it to all serious Whitesnake fans, as well as anyone into old school blues-based rock & roll. I'd also recommend it as the perfect starting point for fans of the later Whitesnake albums to start exploring the band's roots.

NOTE: Saints & Sinners was reissued by EMI in 2007. The reissue features digitally remastered sound, expanded liner notes and three bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are a pair of "monitor mix/early vocal" songs ("Young Blood" and "Saints an' Sinners") and an unfinished, previously unreleased song called "Soul Survivor" that's very rough and has no vocal track added. The bonus tracks are interesting enough, but the real reason to buy this import reissue is the digitally remastered sound, which is worlds better than the original release. EMI has been on fire lately with great sounding reissues (see: Blind Guardian, MSG, Scorpions, UFO and Saxon) and the Whitesnake reissues may be the best of the bunch.

Whitesnake was on a run of accomplished albums in the early `80's which included `Saints & Sinners' from late 1982. The overall quality of the record is even more impressive when one considers that the band was going through some severe turmoil from which they would really never recover in their original form. Bernie Marsden and Mickey Moody both left during various stages of the recording process and would soon leave for good when the LP was completed along with Neil Murray and Ian Paice. Despite that fact Coverdale would soldier on enjoy his greatest commercial success towards the end of the decade. As far as `Saints & Sinners' goes, the record is chock full of songs that epitomize the best of Whitesnake's first era - "Bloody Luxury", "Victim of Love" and "Rough n' Ready". "Here I Go Again" and "Crying in the Rain" also make their original appearances here and while many people prefer these versions, I still like the ones from `Whitesnake' (when I usual prefer the former - see "Fool for Your Loving"...eesh!). Again `Saints' was only a success in Europe and not the USA which is where Coverdale knew the big money would come from. And he was right....

In the mid 80's I went in search of the entire 'Snake back catalog (on vinyl, of course!). When I found this I was happy. I immediately loved it. My favorite track is Here I Go Again. This, to me is the REAL version of the song, with the original lyric; "Like a HOBO, I was born to walk alone." (It was changed to DRIFTER, in 1987.) I LOVE the more bluesy sound of the song. Far superior to the 1987 remake. The same goes for this version of Crying In The Rain. I also love the title track, Bloody Luxury, and Victim Of Love, all of which truly rock! Definitely a classic! I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to hear a truly cohesive band. The guitars of Micky Moody (one of Britains most underrated slide guitarists!) and Mel Galley are great! The rhythm section of Neil Murray on bass, Deep Purple's Ian Paice (drums) and Jon Lord (keyboards) really hold it together.

"Saints and Sinners" is the 5th studio album by legendary hard rock band "Whitesnake" originally released in 1982. At the time "Whitesnake" had established their reputation as a leading hard rock act in Europe with continuous chart success in their home country. "Whitesnake" was the last album to be recorded under the original line up of lead singer David Coverdale, guitarists Mick Moodie and Bernie Marsden, bassist Neil Murray, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice.

Although most fans would consider "Slide it in"(1984) to be "Whitesnake"s major transition from a blues-rock band to an 80s-rock group, I personally consider "Saints and Sinners" as Coverdale's first attempt in the hard & heavy sound. Songs like "Young Blood", "Rock'n roll angels", and "Dancing girls" are prime examples of early `80s melodic hard rock with a spicy/kinky twist. In addition the album carries two early versions of songs which would later rank amongst the greatest rock anthems of the decade-non other than "Crying in the rain" and "Here I go again".

"Saints and sinners" puts forward a great deal of performance aggression with speed, heaviness and technique moving upwards on the "Whitesnake" agenda of goals. While David and co always put forward song-writing, on "Saints and Sinners" the man decided that performance should weight as heavily as composing. Overall "Saints and sinners" is amongst "Whitesnake"s undervalued records although it can easily stand up to the quality of their later works. The album's commercial success also led "Whitesnake" headlining the Donnington `Monsters of rock' festival in 1983 for the first time.

I really enjoyed this album. While it is a little on the bluesy side, I rather consider that a good thing. Whitesnake were a blues/rock band before the late 80s conversion to more straight edge rock. The strongest track on the disc is 'Victim of Love' IMO as it really accentuates David Coverdale's voice. Of course 'Young Blood', 'Crying in the Rain', 'Here I go Again'and 'Saint an Sinners' are also strong tracks.

Whitesnake has always been unique to me as it exsists solely to accentuate the very powerful voice of David Coverdale, no matter the incarnation it is always the vocals that stand out. Saints & Sinners is no different in that regard.

I thought David Coverdale had a penchant for using "Love" a bit too often in his song titles (Victim of Love, Give Me All Your Love, etc.), but FOUR titles out of 10 with the awkward "An'" conjunction? Geez, man, get a thesaurus!

A great album by David Coverdale (ex-Trapeze, ex-Deep Purple member) and crew. Two of the songs off this one helped put
Whitesnake over the top later in the 80's. But this one really
kicks butt, as well as their other early albums, (which are
their best), and after falling in the shadows of Deep Purple,
really made a name of themselves. A classic for the ages.

Whitesnake's Saints and Sinners came out two years before their first big U.S. hit Slide it In. Saints and Sinners is of special interest because two songs off of Saints and Sinners would latter resurface on Whitesnake's 1987 self-titled release. Both Crying in the Rain and Here I Go Again were rerecorded for Whitesnake's 1987 album, with a few changes in lyrics on Here I Go Again. It's a shame this band didn't make years earlier.

I much prefer Whitesnake's bluesy late seventies/early eighties efforts to their later pop metal and poodle-rock, and "Saints & Sinners" is the last album before the transition began.
Bernie Marsden is gone, unfortunately, although he does get a few writing credits, but Mickey Moody, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice are still there, and the combination of former Deep Purple frontman David Coverdale's sandpaper voice and guitarists Mel Galley and Mickey Moody is superb on raw hard rock thumpers like the thunderous heavy metal of "Victim Of Love" and "Crying In The Rain", as well as on power ballads like "Here I Go Again" (the original version, thank you, not the evil, re-recorded pop metal version from the "1987" album).

There is barely a weak track on this fine album - "Love An' Affection" and "Rock An' Roll Angels" are not musical or lyrical heavyweights, sure, but they are both good-time, sing-along barroom boogie. "Rough An' Ready" is pure raunchy machismo. And the almost unknown "Bloody Luxury", one of the few Whitesnake songs never to show up on any compilation, is an irrestistable slice of melodic hard rock, boosted by some fierce boogie piano playing by Jon Lord.
Again, the lyrics are not great art, as I'm sure you know, although Coverdale does try on a couple of songs, but, hey, look upon it as a break from all the Bob Dylan and Neil Young that you should also be listening to!

This is a fine collection of blues-and-boogie rifs and great hooks, and it is definitely among the best three or four Whitesnake albums (along with "Ready An' Willing" and the wonderful "Live - in the Heart of the City").
4 1/2 stars. Fans of the "real" Whitesnake won't want to miss this one.

This album rocks all the way through. I much rather older
Whitesnake than the harder 90's stuff. The production is
awesome as usual with Martin Burch at the helm. Can't say
enough good things about this album. Not a clunker on it!
Some of the new rockers could learn from listening to this!