Another compilation album from the legendary Whitesnake is on it’s way. And this time it’s all about the rockers. ‘The Rock’ album is set to drop on June 19th.
The collection doesn’t particularly focus on a timeline. The songs are not arranged chronologically. Instead, the album jumps from one great rocker to another. Whether it be the opening ‘Still of the Night’ from the ’87 album. Or the killer ‘Best Years’ from 2008’s ‘Good to be Bad.’ Which both show up back to back on the record. Other rocker hits on the album include: ‘Judgement Day,’ ‘Give Me All Your Love,’ and the legendary mega-smash ‘Here I Go Again.’ But it’s really the deeper cuts from the more recent records like ‘Good to be Bad’ and ‘Forevermore’ that make this collection pop. ‘Can You Hear the Wind Blow’ and ‘Tell Me How’ are great examples of how, in many ways, those two albums eclipsed their 80’s work. Endless catchy riffs, great production and that classic David Coverdale hard rock/blues croon to metal screeching throughout. And I’m glad that those albums are represented along with the classics.
Now, the major question about this release is, ‘Why would I buy it? I have all those songs on endless different platforms and have heard them countless times.’ Well, the reason for getting it is because it’s a remix album. Not a remaster. If it was a simple remaster of the harder rockers I’d say maybe skip this one. It’s just another collection. But these songs are remixed. Meaning someone went into the studio and changed the gain on the instruments. Maybe added more reverb here and less there. Tweaked this or that to make the songs sound more modern. Or hopefully in this case, heavier.
The lead off single ‘Always The Same,’ is a classic sounding 80’s track. It’s got that phat drum sound appropriately mixed with thick guitars. It’s a heavy ballad. Yes, there just a few on the album. But they’re all the ballads that are heavier. Don’t expect ‘Is This Love?’ to be on this collection. But tracks like ‘Always The Same’ do pop up. It’s that classic, mid tempo rock ballad sound that is so synonymous with Whitesnake. A good addition. If the rest of the album is mixed like this lead off single, ‘The Rock Album’ may just be worth picking up upon it’s release.
