Whitesnake / London, UK 12.29.1987 Complete

Coinciding with the news of David Coverdale’s retirement, a superb live album capturing the band’s peak performance has been newly unearthed! This album captures the “December 29, 1987 Wembley Arena” performance, a truly exceptional audience recording. “Wembley in 1987” is a special, truly special event in the entire history of Whitesnake. The show itself was special, and the recordings are a treasure trove of masterpieces. To explain the circumstances, let’s first take a look at the band’s activities at that time. 1987: April 7th – “SERPENS ALBUS” released; June 20th – October 27th: North America #1a (81 shows) ← *Promoted to headliner at LA CROSSE 1987; October 30th – December 3rd: North America #1b (26 shows); December 10th – 23rd: Europe (10 shows); December 29th – 31st: UK #1 (3 shows) ← ★HERE★ 1988: January 2nd – 8th: UK #2 (6 shows); January 22nd – April 7th: North America #2 (49 shows) ← *PROVIDENCE 1988 and others; June 11th – 22nd: Japan (8 shows) ← *DEFINITIVE TOKYO 1988 and others; June 25th – August 15th: North America #3 (34 shows) This was the peak “SERPENS” Whitesnake during the “ALBUS” era. Coverdale finally achieved his long-held dream of world domination, and his triumphant return to his home country of England for “UK #1” consisted of three consecutive performances at the prestigious Wembley Arena. These three performances are the ultimate symbol of Coverdale’s success. He continued to fight, shaking off the curse of his time in Deep Purple, and it was the moment he conquered the world on his own merits and returned home in triumph. These three performances are also known for having some of the highest audience records. Let’s take a closer look at the dates. Details of “UK #1” * December 29th: Wembley performance ← ★This release★ * December 30th: Wembley performance ← ※BRITISH EMPIRE (recording) * December 31st: Wembley performance ← ※BRITISH EMPIRE (video) The strongest/best audience recording of the SERPENS ALBUS era All three performances above. Particularly decisive was the classic three-disc set “BRITISH EMPIRE,” which featured a superb recording from the second day and a masterpiece of video from the third day. This album, however, is a live recording from the first day, different from both of those. While “WEMBLEY 1987 1ST NIGHT” from this first day has been known for some time, this album is different from that as well. It’s not an upgrade of the same recording, but a completely different recording. This album, which captures the first day of such an “ultimate performance,” is truly an unprecedented new discovery. The sound quality is on a completely different level from the old recording. It has a powerful, dense core that is almost like a soundboard recording. The second-day recording included in the classic “BRITISH EMPIRE” was also a wonderful recording, but when compared, this one is clearly superior. The thickness of the core of the performance sound, the separation of each instrument, and the sense of atmosphere are all preserved while being extremely close. This is truly the strongest and best audience recording from the “SERPENS ALBUS” era. A triumphant return concert at the peak of a glorious career, featuring a top-notch, ultra-superb sound that delivers an equally top-tier full show. Let’s take a look at the setlist. Serpens Albus (6 songs + α) – Bad Boys (incl. Children Of The Night) / Here I Go Again / Is This Love / Crying In The Rain / Still Of The Night / Give Me All Your Love Others (5 songs + α) – Slide It In: Slide It In / Slow An’ Easy / Guilty Of Love / Love Ain’t No Stranger Others: Guitar solo / Drum solo / (Ain’t No Love) In The Heart Of The City …and so on. The setlist itself is familiar, but the performance that brings it all together is superb. Above all, the star is Coverdale. His vocals are truly at the peak of his career. Coverdale’s shouting style, which he first discovered on “SERPENS ALBUS,” is still evident in his voice, which is clear, powerful, and free from any harshness, allowing him to shout and sing with a beautiful tone. Moreover, this night was a triumphant return, filled with the confidence of having conquered the world. That passion and joy were channeled into the strength of his voice, overwhelming the venue. Perhaps because it was the first night, his brilliance remained unwavering until the very end. The twin guitars of Adrian Vandenberg and Vivian Campbell, who flanked Coverdale, are also noteworthy. Adrian’s classical, weeping style, reminiscent of Michael Schenker since the VANDENBERG days, and Vivian’s sobbing, as if shouting “I love Gary Moore!”—these two individual styles intertwine, eventually culminating in exquisite harmonies during their solos. It’s a catharsis that embodies the ideal of European hard rock. This is something even the genius Steve Vai couldn’t achieve. The unique sound comes from this “European twin” of Irish and Dutch descent. David Coverdale, the singer of soul. While his voice and style have changed throughout his long career, 1987 was undoubtedly the peak of his musical life. This album offers a chance to enjoy that particularly special “triumphant return concert” in superb sound quality—that’s the true value of this release. This is truly a new absolute classic in the WHITESNAKE collection. A superb audience recording of the December 29, 1987 Wembley Arena (first night) performance. This is a completely new, unearthed recording, unlike any previous recordings, with a dense, on-board quality that’s almost like a soundboard recording. This is undoubtedly the strongest and best audience recording of the SERPENS ALBUS era, a kingly record that allows you to fully experience Coverdale’s career-high triumphant return concert—an absolute live album that explodes into a spectacular moment. Wembley Arena, London, England 29th December 1987 Disc:1 (60:18) 1. Intro 2. Bad Boys / Children Of The Night 3. Slide It In 4. Slow An’ Easy 5. Here I Go Again 6. Guilty Of Love 7. Is This Love 8. Love Ain’t No Stranger 9. Guitar Solo (A. Vandenberg / V. Campbell) 10. Crying In The Rain 11. Drums Solo 12. Crying In the Rain (Reprise) Disc:2 (25:49) 1. Band Introductions 2. Still Of The Night 3. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City 4. Give Me All Your Love 5. Outro: We Wish You Well