David Coverdale turns 60 in 2011. John Harrell photo.

INFINITELY CHARMING AND CHARISMATIC MUSICALLY as he is personally, David Coverdale took time to catch up with Goldmine’s Carol Anne Szel just before the release the band’s 11th CD, “Forevermore,” on the Frontiers Records label.

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By Carol Anne Szel

Recorded, produced and mixed by Coverdale, Doug Aldrich and Michael McIntyre at Snakebyte Studios and Grumblenott Studios & Villas in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, with additional work at Casa Dala in California, Coverdale has restored Whitesnake to its prime with this balls-to-the-walls, bluesy, soulful, rock and roll endeavor. In addition to Aldrich (guitars), the band is rounded out by Reb Beach (Winger, Alice Cooper) on guitar, Brian Tichy (Ozzy, Billy Idol, Foreigner) on drums and Michael Devin (Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lynch Mob) on bass.

“Oh, Carol, don’t let me steal your heart away,” Coverdale croons as I answer the phone for our interview. “Hi dahling.” No wonder he’s in such a good mood; he’s been nestled in his Lake Tahoe digs for years now, staying away from the trappings of many of his peers, enjoying the rewards of his life’s work. “I’ve got almost a 365-degree angle where I can look out at the beauty of Lake Tahoe. It’s postcards from God on a daily basis,” he tells me.

I understand that in addition to releasing this new album, you’ve been working on a Whitesnake DVD of 1990 footage? How did you handle that while recording the new CD?

Whitesnake released its 11th album, "Forevermore," on Frontiers Records.

DC: My life’s a three-ring circus, honey, with all the acts playing at the same time. I was in such incredible shape back then. Yes, you’re talking 20 years; it was the 20th anniversary last August. But watching this son of a bitch Coverdale, I’ve seen more fat on a french fry, going around like some trollop. Literally, I’m going ‘Christ Almighty.’ I mean, I’m in pretty good shape, but this (1990) was like crazy stuff. So, it was intimidating, but also really inspiring for me to go ‘OK, f**k this, I’m going to get back into it.’ You know, acknowledging where I am in age or whatever. Still it was very encouraging for me to take on a healthier regime, workout regime, you know? Now I am weighing in, this morning at 177 which is pretty happening. For an almost six-footer, it ain’t bad.

Holy hair band, Batman! This incarnation of Whitesnake eagerly embraced the look of the day. Photo courtesy Warner Brothers.

How have your musical inspirations changed over the years?
DC: Well, you know, I’m not digging into the old negative. I did an album some years ago called “Restless Heart” (1997). A lot of the time the music comes first and then I make songs out of that. But some of the music was giving me inspiration for negative physical relationships. And I have such an incredibly positive relationship that I found I was digging back. You know, to get the kind of resentment vibe (laughing). For me, resentment is like taking poison and hoping someone else will die. I just do not recommend it. I can see that I was in a dark time because of that. And I made up my mind that I ain’t wastin’ no more time.

So I think that album was the last time I did one of those. Now it’s going to be a fun lyric like it is on “Good to Be Bad” and “A Fool in Love.” So it’s not that poisonous, venomous that woman sucks. You know, I don’t want that. That was then. That is just a theme that is not interesting to me anymore, and I feel a lot better going into something significantly more positive and legitimately where I am.  I wrote a song on “Good To Be Bad” called “Best Years.” “These are the best years of my life.” Are you kidding? These are even better than when I wrote it!
So that’s what I have to celebrate. Music is a celebration. You know, naughtiness, search for direction, love on an assortment of levels. And all the elements are secure as they were from the very beginning. Which is hard rock, rhythm and blues, soul, melody, and tongue-in-cheek.

Now you produced and co-produced with Doug Aldridge and Michael Macintyre?

Whitesnake at the beginning of its commercial peak in 1984 featured (from left) Mel Galley, John Sykes, Neil Murrary, David Coverdale, Cozy Powell and Jon Lord. Courtesy Geffen Records/Simon Fowler.

DC: Well we are “The Brutal Brothers.” It started way back when. I did a deal with an European independent company for a live greatest hits. And then I said ‘well, I don’t want to just keep re-working the old stuff. What about if we included a couple of songs?’ And I didn’t want to get myself too overwrought by writing a whole record because when I revamped Whitesnake I didn’t intend to make another record. That just unfolded that way. Thank God.

So we did four songs. Michael Macintyre has worked with me for years. He’s a fabulous Pro-Tools engineer and a dear friend. He’s my right hand guy. Michael, as I say, he’s recorded my voice for the last bunch of projects, and he has my total trust.

Doug, of course, came in as a guitar hotshot. We developed a great friendship and discovered we could write simply as an extension of our friendship. I’ve been in relationships that have been the equivalent of 12 root canals writing songs. Whereas this is more or less natural. You know, it’s a marriage made in heaven in other words. So we did these songs and it went very, very well. And then f**k it, the next album unfolded.
But we are really hard on each other to get the best out of each other. I turned around and I made a remark one day and Doug went ‘DC, man, that’s brutal.’ I said, ‘We’re the f**king brutal brothers, what do you expect!’ The way there’s the Glimmer Twins or the Toxic Twins, it’s just fun. But the three of us work together extraordinarily well. It’s just worked out really, really well for us.

Have you always been involved in production with Whitesnake?
DC: Basically I’ve always been involved in the production, from the very, very beginning. But the engineers I’ve wanted to work with to get that big bottom-end sound on records, they’d end up getting managers. And the managers would insist that these guys are producers. You know a real producer is somebody like Keith Olsen. All the albums I did with other people, they weren’t really producers, they were more engineers. So with this I’m very happy to now start taking production credits. You know, keep it all in-house, family.

Musicians seem to be doing that now.
DC: Well, it just makes sense. Because before you’d be paying a hundred grand plus enormous points. Which nobody could afford because it’s economically ridiculous. But the circumstances are, if you need it. I don’t.
Forgive me if I sound arrogant, but I don’t.

Not at all, it sounds real. It must be a challenge at times, though.
DC: Well Whitesnake’s no f**kin’ walk in the park. Because some of the songs are deceptively simple. Until you start playing them. And then you go, ‘Oh my God.’ It’s a full physical workout to do that.

Tell me about the new Whitesnake lineup.
DC: Doug and Reb, these are guitar slingers to die for. They’ve been with me for eight years, which is pretty long to last with Coverdale. They’ve kept their eye on the ball, they’ve kept focused, kept motivated, inspiring, and it was blissful to see those guys cooperating in the studio.

And these new guys, we have Brian Tichy, I’m sure you know. And he brought me Michael Devin, who has fantastic chops and is a beautiful boy; you’ll fall in love with him immediately. He and Reb are largely responsible for the backgrounds on this.

For many, many, many years I’ve worked with drunken sailors. So to have such accomplished singers now is lovely. I mean for singing, we’re going to have the f**kin’ Beach Boys up there! I’m very, very happy with them.

With all the celebrities going to rehab these days, how have you stayed away from all the partying and addictions that seem to have befallen many musicians over the years?
DC: I pretty much have indulged in all the naughtiness. Without the problem. And, of course, I’ve been involved with people who actually have been in a program.

When I first came back to the states in the early ’80s, the mid-’80s, a lot of the people I was familiar with, partying with, were in programs which I never f**kin’ heard of. I mean, if you have a problem in England or Germany, you go to the pub with your mates and get rat-assed drunk and spill the beans. Then they’d be like ‘don’t be so stupid. Snap out of it.’ Not to belittle the program because I’ve seen how extraordinarily beneficial it is, and I’ve been very supportive. I think it’s an amazing program and long may it be there. Because that support mechanism is extraordinarily necessary. But I’m truly grateful that I love my wine, my single malt, and my whiskies. But when it’s coming up to work time, I haven’t had a drink for six months. You know, when I finish in November I’ll probably indulge in some extraordinarily fine wine, but nothing is going to compromise my work.

I mean, I’m so grateful number one, I’m going to be 60 this year … I’m going to be 60 in September. And I feel healthier than I was at 30. Which I certainly f**king am! I’ll indulge now and again in a beer or this-and-that, but if you don’t have the recovery, then you’re kidding yourself.

Well what do you want to say to your fans about the new music?
DC: Well what Whitesnake is, the musicians do the kind of music that they like to sing and play. Whitesnake has something for everyone. I tried years ago to keep everyone happy, and guess what? It doesn’t f**king work.

We’ve done an album that we are extraordinarily happy with. If you want to jump on board, you will fall in love. Because it’s a f**king good time, a guaranteed good time for all.

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GIVEAWAY: Five (5) lucky winners will get a copy of Whitesnake’s newest release from Frontiers Records, “Live at Donington 1990.” All you have to do is go to the GOLDMINE twitter page, follow us and then type in what your favorite Whitesnake song is under #WhitesnakeGoldmine

Get our last cover story on WHITESNAKE: “Good to be…’ Whitesnake,” Goldmine August 15, 2008. Get the Digital Download for the issue for only $4.99.

Grab your neck brace and call the chiropractor: It’s time to bang your head with Goldmine’s May 2011 Heavy Metal issue, on newsstands now!

(Or, subscribe now and get Goldmine delivered right to your door!)

Goldmine's May 2011 issue is on newsstands now.

With the anniversaries of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” and “The Black Album,” celebrated author Mick Wall takes a closer look at the world’s most popular heavy-metal band. Plus, you’ll get an exclusive sneak peek at Wall’s new book, “Enter Night: Metallica The Biography,” which explores the band’s adjustment to life without Cliff Burton.

Other ‘precious metal’ features include:
• Ronnie James Dio: The eternal king of metal is gone, but most definitely not forgotten
• Duff McKagan: Catch up with the former Guns N’ Roses bassist whose new project, Loaded, is shaking things up with ‘The Taking’
• Whitesnake: Eternal charmer David Coverdale talks about his musical inspiration, plans for a DVD, the band’s new lineup and his take on all the best rock and roll vices
• Thin Lizzy: Goldmine’s Mick Wall reflects on the legacy of Thin Lizzy’s ‘sensible one,’ Gary Moore, plus guitarist Brian Robertson launches his long-awaited solo debut
• Collecting Heavy Metal: How does your library fare with our list of 25 essential New Wave of British Heavy Metal records?
• Lemmy Kilmister: Catch up with the Motorhead madman about the band’s new CD, “Lemmy” the movie, and topics as diverse as drugs, Joan Jett and stealing from the poor.
Also in this issue:
• Discover 991.com, the Web site that helps fans fill in the gaps in their collections
• Get the scoop on ‘Meet The Beatles,’ ‘My Bonnie,’ ‘Magical Mystery’ and ‘The Beatles on Parlophone’
• Meet Free Reign, the metal band that features the musical stylings of three pro football players
• Find out which albums Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French and metal music know-it-all Eddie Trunk say changed their lives
• Learn the story behind the last days of Paramount Records, and the blues act that did its best to save the label

Don’t forget: The Spring 2011 Special Rock and Roll Hall of Fame issue (also on newsstands now) covers the lives of all of this year’s inductees:
•    Alice Cooper band
•    Tom Waits
•    Darlene Love
•    Dr. John
•    Neil Diamond
•    Leon Russell

Plus, we make the case for Donovan, look back at the first induction ceremony (complete with a wild Jerry Lee Lewis interview), share 10 serious Rock Hall snubs, explore the legend of bluesman Robert Johnson, celebrate the life of legendary inductee Bob Marley and a lot more.

You can find Goldmine at Barnes & Noble or Borders stores, and/or your local newsstand or record store. Or, you can save a ton of time, gas and money by subscribing to Goldmine now!

The “classic” Deep Purple lineup recorded this 1970 album

(No. 25 in a continuing series on artists who should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but are not)

By Phill Marder

There is no question Deep Purple belongs in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. At least from this writer’s viewpoint.

“Who is Deep Purple?” is the question.

As far as I can determine, and feel free to send in any corrections if necessary, there have been 14 different members of Deep Purple, including three different lead singers, since the band’s chart debut “Shades Of Deep Purple” in 1968. With some members coming in and out more than once, there have been seven (I think) five-man combinations, all of which have been successful.

Ironically, the only member who appeared in every version is drummer Ian Paice. Ironic because it was Searchers’ drummer Chris Curtis who formulated the original concept for the band with himself as the lead singer, then wound up never being a member. Ironic also because Paice has been the most maligned of the group members, critics often denigrating his drumming prowess. In fact, I remember Paice once being called the worst drummer of any major rock band. That’s just another example of a music critic not knowing which end of the drumstick is up.

As a drummer myself, I can assure you Paice is terrific. As is the rest of the band.

But back to the question. If Deep Purple is inducted into the Hall of Fame, as they should be, just which members should be included?

The first combination of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, bassist Nick Simper, organist Jon Lord, Paice and lead singer Rod Evans saw its first albums and singles chart, but, strangely, only in the United States, where the initial album, powered by the No. 4 single “Hush,” reached No. 24. The next two releases didn’t do as well, though, and Evans and Simper left, being replaced by vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover.

Gillan, Blackmore, Glover, Lord and Paice became the band’s classic combination, taking Deep Purple to new heights from 1969 to 1973, coming back from 1984 to 1989, and again from 1992 to 1993.

This was also the conglomeration that broke the band in the United Kingdom market, where it has enjoyed tremendous success since. The first effort, Lord’s “Concerto For Group and Orchestra,” a live effort performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall, didn’t do much in the States, but became the group’s first UK chart effort, hitting No. 26. Then the fun started.

“Deep Purple In Rock” had a weak showing in the US, but bolted to No. 4 in the UK and a single – “Black Night” – just missed being the band’s first chart-topper in their native land, reaching No. 2. Meanwhile, Gillan, playing the lead role, took place in the recording of the album “Jesus Christ Superstar,” earning rave reviews as the two-record set topped the US charts for three weeks.

The next single “Strange Kind Of Woman” reached No. 8 in the UK. Included on the US version of the ensuing “Fireball” LP, it helped bring the group back in the States, the LP hitting No. 32, while becoming the group’s first No. 1 album in the UK.

“Machine Head,” generally considered Deep Purple’s finest hour, appeared in 1972, topping the British charts for three weeks and soaring to No. 7 in the US. But the group’s signature song, the single, “Smoke On The Water” on which Blackmore introduced one of Rock’s most instantly identifiable guitar riffs, didn‘t gain release in the US until a year later, eventually getting to No. 4. Even stranger, the song didn’t hit the British chart until 1977, peaking at No. 21.

And even stranger was the fact that all this was happening after Gillan and Glover had quit the group, though the live “Made In Japan” and the studio “Who Do We Think We Are” had continued their run of success. In fact, by 1977 there was no group.

At the close of 1974, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes had moved in on vocals and bass, respectively, and the next two LPs, “Burn” and “Stormbringer” reached the UK top 10 and did almost as well in the US. But when Tommy Bolin replaced Blackmore in 1975, the band’s fortunes suffered an immediate downturn. By the end of 1976, the band had disintegrated and Bolin was dead from a heroin overdose.

Various releases, compilations and old live recordings, kept Deep Purple alive on the charts, but it wasn’t until 1984 that the group reformed, the classic lineup intact. Two smash albums, “Perfect Strangers” and “The House Of Blue Light” ensued. After the live LP,“Nobody’s Perfect” did ok as 1988 ended, Gillan left again, replaced by Joe Lynn Turner.

With Turner out front, the group had moderate success with 1990‘s “Slaves and Masters“ album. Eventually, Gillan came back again in 1992, Steve Morse joined on guitar in 1994 and Don Airey came in to replace Lord on keyboards in 2002.

All told, Purple’s remarkable career has produced just six hit singles in the UK, but 21 hit albums, including three that topped the charts. In the United States, only three of the group’s singles could be considered hits, but they put 20 LPs on the Top 200, 11 reaching the top 50, with three climbing into the top 10.

The majority of Purple’s success is due to the five members of the classic lineup. Those five must be inducted. But Coverdale and Hughes also should be considered for induction for their contributions to three major albums, though their relatively short stay with the band diminishes their credentials. And certainly Evans and Simper must be taken into consideration for getting Deep Purple off the ground with three hit albums and two hit singles. Morse and Airey also must be considered for helping to keep Purple alive today.

While Deep Purple has remained a still-potent concert attraction, Purple fans also soon may be treated to a new recording as Gillan said just last month, “…we’re going to get together and have a writing session real soon.”

“We’ll see how it goes,” he added. “…we’re getting poked by various connections who would like to see another Deep Purple record. So I think it’s about time.” Blackmore also remains active with “Blackmore’s Night” touring and the “Autumn Sky” LP released last year.

It’s also “about time” the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In the 70s, the Guinness Book of Records called Deep Purple “the world’s loudest band.” That alone should merit induction, but Deep Purple’s credentials speak with just as much volume.

By Carol Anne Szel

The 80s produced so many love songs, and in the world the way it was back then, even hard rockers tuned in to their softer side.  One song that oozed the art of longing, loving, desperation and heartfelt passion was penned by the David Coverdale-led band Whitesnake.   Their song “is This Love” says it all.

In 1987 the band released the album “Whitesnake” which sold in excess of 8 million copies in the United States alone.  And produced three of the most iconic songs of that era.  “Here I Go Again,”  “Still Of The Night,” and of course, the aforementioned “Is This Love.”

With no plans to tour right now, and an album tentatively scheduled for next year, I thought we’d take a glance down rock and roll’s memory lane of love with this one.  Just a sappy love song kind of day!  Rock on and enjoy.

“I should have known better
Than to let you go alone
It’s times like these
I can’t make it on my own
Wasted days, and sleepless nights
An’ I can’t wait to see you again

I find I spend my rime
Waiting on your call
How can I tell you, babe
My back’s against the wall
I need you by my side
To tell me it’s alright
Cos I don’t think I can take anymore

Is this love that I’m feeling
Is this the love that I’ve been searching for
Is this love or am I dreaming
This must be love
Cos it’s really go a hold on me
A hold on me

I can’t stop the feeling
I’ve been this way before
But, with you I’ve found the key
To open any door
I can feel my love for you
Growing stronger day by day
An’ I can’t wait too see you again
So I can hold you in my arms

Is this love that I’m feeling
Is this the love that I’ve been searching for
Is this love or am I dreaming
This must be love
Cos it’s really got a hold on me
A hold on me

Is this love that I’m feeling
Is this the love that I’ve been searching for

Is this love or am I dreaming”

For related items that you may enjoy in our Goldmine store:
• Get a digital back issue of one of our Whitesnake cover stories(August 15, 2008). How ’80s is that!
• Or check out a fun book on pop music: “The Everything Pop Culture Crosswords Book, Test your knowledge of trivia and trends with 150 pop culture puzzles!”
• And be sure to check out our latest Goldmine Record Album Price Guide