Adrian Vandenberg believed that Jimmy Page would be playing with him in Whitesnake since Steve Vai was no longer involved. Whether this was a misunderstanding on Adrian's part we'll never know, but we do know that he presented DC with a bunch of songs that, according to the latter, were more in tune with Chicago (a 70's band that had taken to doing AOR by the late eighties). Thus, it soon became apparent that DC and Jimmy Page would not be working together under the Whitesnake monicker; exit Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo, and drummer Tommy Aldridge....
In the summer of 1993 the self produced Coverdale - Page album crashed into the charts at number one on both sides of the atlantic with the artwork being once again supplied by Hugh Syme. Featuring some excellent playing from Jimmy Page and some fantastic singing from DC, it was a good album with some great moments. Take Me For A Little While was the highlight of the CD for me with DC singing superbly and Page producing some excellent guitar work. Featuring a bunch of session men to back them up (including Heart's Denny Carmassi on drums), they had produced a very inspired piece of work. The British critics responded favourably for once with even Kerrang! magazine giving it four out of five K's. Nevertheless, a lot of early Whitesnake fans were put off by some of the DC screaming such as that at the end of the epic Whisper A Prayer For The Dying.
The two legends soon began to talk of touring but they only got as far as a few dates in Japan. With a recession in both Britain and the USA, ticket projections were low. Thus it was decided to be too uneconomical for a world tour; a major let down for the fans who'd envisaged a Whitesnake/ Zeppelin extravaganza.
Rumours soon started about Jimmy Page getting together with Robert Plant. Very soon it became fact and the two released the No Quarter Unledded album in 1994, which was followed eventually by 1998's excellent Walking Into Clarksdale (complete with lyrical dig at DC on the track Most High). A quick search on YouTube will enable you to observe Plant's live interpretation of Shake My Tree which pales next to DC's original recorded version found on Coverdale - Page. Whatever way you look at it Jimmy Page had been given a rebirth with the DC collaboration and the pair still maintain a mutual admiration for each other to this day.
Time for a Whitesnake reformation....
Track Listing (All songs by Jimmy Page, and David Coverdale)
1. Shake My Tree
2. Waiting On You
3. Take Me For A Little While
4. Pride And Joy
5. Over Now
6. Feeling Hot
7. Easy Does It
8. Take A Look At Yourself
9. Don't Leave Me This Way
10. Absolution Blues
11. Whisper A Prayer For The Dying
Produced by Jimmy Page, David Coverdale, and Mike Fraser
Musicians
David Coverdale - vocals/acoustic guitar
Jimmy Page - electric guitars/bass/harmonica/dulcimer/backing vocals
Lester Mendel - keyboards/percussion
Jorge Casas - bass
Ricky Phillips - bass
Denny Carmassi - drums/percussion
John Harris - harmonica
Tommy Funderburk - backing vocals
John Sambataro - backing vocals
Photo by Ross Halfin
This article written by Phillip Hackney