John Sykes’s guitar work on the ‘87 Whitesnake record is some of the finest of the time. The track, songwriting and especially the guitar solo on “Is This Love” all are musical masterpieces
"Still of the Night" is a monumental achievement in guitar sonics and performance. Everyone on the track pulls their weight, but Sykes is the center of attention: he is the whole show. Sykes performance is jaw dropping.
@@gravitationalconstant and Sykes doesn’t? Haha! Sykes is a complete failure business wise. Every project he has done has fallen apart. You have to ask yourself why that is
No chance. Sykes is not a leader and was in no way capable of leading Whitesnake or making any decisions, especially in the USA. A decent guitar player but he was not the creator of 87 or a major player in Whitesnake. Listen to Neil Murray who is relatively unbiased.
Mr. Sykes is one of those timeless Hardrock/Metal guitarists that never seaze to amaze. I love the work he did with Tygers Of Pan Tang, Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, also Blue Murder, especially the first album. He is in my top favourite guitarists list of all times.
I hated him on Thin Lizzy. All those squeals on his guitar every damn 3 seconds… ruined Lizzy and Coverdale continued hus des-construction of Whitesnake with Sykes.
@@mikaelbiilmann6826 Sykes killed it on the Whitesnake ST. He is the quintessential metal player. Not to mention, he has a pretty great voice.Vai is a great guitar player but not for everything; such as Whitesnake. He ruined the Slip of the Tongue album, so did Adrian.
@@matthewpaolini Yeah, I guess I quit when Coverdale changed everything. I liked the old Whitesnake, but Coverdale had to get on, and the times were changing and it was time for poofy hair metal. I never liked Sykes’ tone and I think he ruined Lizzy’s last live lp with his constant pinched harmonics.
I’ll tell you why, Coverdale was jealous of Sykes. Sykes had immense talent, he had the looks and he was a killer vocalist. No room for two stars on Coverdale’s stage. So Coverdale made the biggest mistake of his professional career. Sykes was the total package!
Coverdale is the CEO of Whitesnake. It’s his band. He put his career on the line to make it work. He signed away his pre Slide It In records to get out of a bad deal. Sykes tried to take over the band while making the 1987 record. Do you think Coverdale was going to keep him? John is massively talented, but he was nothing more than a highly paid hired hand. A hired hand that’s never going to have work again. I think his problem is that he’s too talented to be a hired gun, and not interested in being a bandleader. It’s been over 35 years since the Whitesnake album came out, and he’s released precious little since.
@@willemsikkema3604 Whatever criticism I have for Sykes, doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate his talent. His work with Thin Lizzy on Thunder And Lightning alone makes him a legend.
That is also why the claim that Sykes was trying to take over, or replace Coverdale are preposterous. Geffen had signed David, Geffen’s investment was in David, and David alone. That said Sykes is reputedly hard to work with; he may have annoyed too many people in the inner-circle, and many (not just Coverdale himself) may have wanted him gone (ie: management). Finally, and ironically, Sykes had no issue stepping-in and re-recording Slide It In; yet got mad when Coverdale essentially did the same to him.
I saw Blue Murder open up for Bon Jovi (don’t recall the year) but those 3 guys put out a sound as big (maybe bigger) than 5 members of Bon Jovi and John Sikes’ vocals and guitar playing were both incredible! He’s a major talent!
Crap I did security for Bon Jovi but they were touring with aaerosmith I believe , unfortunately no Blue Murder . Bob Jovi we’re a bunch of assholes especially Torres ( drummer ) . Tying that hit me the most about Bon Jovi was how short they were . Steve Tyler on the other hand was one jf the most personable rock stare I ever met .
@@humanactivated1017 That doesn’t surprise me. Lots of musicians who hit the big time magically think their shit doesn’t stink anymore. I’ve been in the music business for 30 years and met a ton of em.
@@karsguitarchannel6088 I think the massive unforeseen money that rushed into the hard rock music business in 1985 caused a wave of coke abuse and misogynism that made for a lethal cocktail for civility. I was active in music at the time and in the same genre and every time I got close to some of the higher rollers it was some very objectionable stuff. Not everybody, but soo so many.
John Sykes is one of the most underrated guitar players from the 1980s it's amazing how much credit he doesn't get this guy is fantastic songwriter guitar player. Kar great job here telling the story thank you!!
Great player but must have a defective personality or something. He’s done virtually nothing in 25 years. All his projects collapse. I think that says it all.
@@CrueLoaf You do know how difficult this business is,right? There are hundreds of decisions that must be made correctly, timing ,finances all have to be aligned and then there is the content..and the luck. There are many,many great talents (like John) who are not household names. They are not failures. It's just the gravity of it all. I wouldn't convict John or anyone if the lightning refused to strike twice.
@@georgebarry8640 many talents working their asses off from playing the local venues to recording in their bedrooms. The band Whitesnake shouldn’t be castigated because John felt he couldn’t fit in. He thought he was bigger than the band and went off to show the world just that. And in the last 35 years…one album of note! Great player but disappointing output.
Sykes is the reason I took up guitar. I was 16 when the 1987 album hit and it changed me. When they finally came to town, it wasn't Sykes, it was Steve Vai in 1990. Some will say even better but not to me. Sykes was the hero of this album.
Before I really knew about John Sykes, I heard someone say "Vai's got nothing on Sykes." Of course, I thought he was exaggerating because, come on, we're talking about Steve Vai. I listened, thought about it, and concluded, "nope, Vai's got nothing on Sykes."
Also the videos with Tawny were incredibly spectacular but no doubt that without that sound, guitars, drums, Whitesnake would never have become that huge
John Sykes and Jake E Lee man, I tell you, those two dudes are probably the two most gentlemen who were robbed of full on red meter fame and accreditation. Both did a lot for the bands they came in to essentially save them in the end, especially in the US where both Ozzy and Whitesnake were facing problems of how to go on in the early to mid 80’s. Both have the talent to make it big, they just unfortunately got muscled out by the people who they thought were their friends.
John Sykes is just one of a handful of Metal guitarists, I'm my opinion, that played with real feeling. He played with such emotion. If you play guitar you especially know what I mean. He's a phenom.
Oh yesterday I was watching Blue Murder "Valley of the Kings" video and I noticed that Carmine Appice had "Blue Carmine" written on his bass drums. Very cool! And I guess this is why David Coverdale called them Blue Carmine
It's not Dan Huff on the album version....he IS on the 45 version of Here I Go Again,though. Adrian Vandenberg is on the 1987 album version, doing the solo.
He has 2 bass drums that spell out 'Blue Murder' on top, and 'Carmine Appice' on the bottom. If you look at one of bass drums it says 'Blue Carmine' and the other says 'Murder Appice'. I guess Blue Carmine was the better option to go with... 😄⚰️
Actually, Kalodner said that he signed Coverdale because for him Coverdale was one of the greatest vocalists and he wanted Coverdale to work with Sykes because Sykes was fresh and talented player. And Kalodner wanted Whitesnake to become a heavy metal band with modern sound to make it big in the US. But then he had trouble because Coverdale had trouble singing and then Coverdale started fighting with Sykes. So Kalodner had to recut Here I Go Again in January 1987, with completely different musicians. And then he signed Sykes to Geffen because Sykes did a phenomenal work on the 87 album.
Blue Murder’s debut was superior to “Slip of the Tongue,” and nobody who is a fan of Blue Murder gives af that it didn’t sell as well as the latter. Sykes’ songs and guitar playing on Blue Murder showed just how important Sykes was to the sound on Whitesnake ‘87 - the album that revived the band and made them huge. Obviously, Sykes wasn’t the vocalist Coverdale was, so it would’ve been incredible to hear him or Ray Gillen (whom Sykes originally recruited to sing, but the deal fell through).
Yes Tony Martin (wrote lyrics and vocal melody to "Valey of the Kings"), then Ray Gillen, even Glenn Hughes was approached but eventually Sykes decided to sing himself, I guess just like Gary Moore did
@@bumpyroad3251 they all had problem with Sykes because of his EGO, the same happened to COZY, the only one to blame IS JOHN, VERY TALENTED BUT he felt he was a star when he wasn't
John Sykes… absolute complete package and brilliant musician. Total command of his instrument and his singing. I couldn’t stop listening to blue murder when they came out with that first record, and then years later, Bad Boys Live! There are some musicians that simply just have it all, John is one of them. The story of Whitesnake 87 is a sobering one, thanks for putting this video out.
Who in their right mind would want to get rid of a guitar god!... His riffs were so killer on that 87 album.. His guitar sounds massive too!.. They never came even close to those hits!.. David Coverdale made the biggest mistake not realizing this!
@@karsguitarchannel6088 absolutely! David found out as the sequel to the 87' album, never came close to the songs, sound or utter coolness that John had , even with hired gun Steve Vai brought in to shore up the sound!
I love Vivian Campbell, Adrian Vandenberg, Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo. They are great guys and got nothing to do with Caverdale's decision to change the line-up. That was just absolutely unfair what happened to the musicians who actually worked on the album.
I actually copied and love to play Adrian's and Vivian's guitar solos they recorded for Whitesnake - Here I Go Again album version and Give Me All Your Love 88 remix version
@@karsguitarchannel6088 in all honesty I didn’t like their solos , felt like just didn’t add anything to the songs from the Sykes versions which frankly are brilliant .
To take his spot like that.. Vivian is a bit of a douche himself. Great guitar player yes but that is a douche move. Just goes to show the business was cut throat.
John Sykes has his own complete style and sound. I can always pick out his super wide slinky vibrato. He’s had that since Tygers and Thin Lizzy. His sound has only developed and gotten better. Listen to Still of the Night then listen to Blue Murder Valley of the Kings. Please. NO ONE sounds like John Sykes. He’s a real player and sorely missed.
That's why I think the Dan Huff story is a load of crap created by Olsen and Coverdale. Listening to the Blue Murder album, his style and sound is unmistakable!
Super wide slinky vibrato? How about a whole step bend and release like I did 30 years ago to practice intonation. I never thought of that as a vibrato. Can you imagine a vocalist using that "vibrato"? I admit, "Baby Please Don't Leave Me This Way" that he did with Phil Lynott on their solo thing is about as good as it gets, song and solo. Still of the Night as an unreal "wind in the graveyard" solo; but, I'm not convinced he even played that. Why? Simply because he has never replicated it live. Honestly, I can see Dann Huff doing it, after studying both players' styles. As far as Blue Murder, I listened to it once-- and as a Thin Lizzy fanatic, I so WANTED to like it. As far as Thin Lizzy it cannot be denied that Sykes gave those strung out boys a shot in the arm. However, Thunder and Lightning was entirely completed (outside of Cold Sweat) was recorded. Scott Gorham is Thin Lizzy, and musically, Sykes would probably make a good guitar tech for Scott. Not much else.
This is something I've been trying to research for many years now, so thank you for the video. David has always changed his line-ups with alarming regularity.
It appears he learned a tonne from the master of change & selfishness . . . Ritchie Blackmore ! Like Blackmore (whom I like) but realise has a massive EGO, Coverdale also developed and commercially adopted a huge arrogant ego. Example- Coverdale said in a 2019 interview 'we Whitesnake competed with Rainbow. We absolutely killed Rainbow with the 1987 album. " Problem to his BS analogy. Rainbow broke up in May 1984 as Blackmore joined the MkII Deep Purple reunion by August of that year. How exactly was Whitesnake competing with Rainbow, when they ceased to exist in mid-1984 ? This highlights the BS Coverdale peddles.
Great vid. I saw that tour. This album literally saved WS in the 80s, who were a 70s band. No Sykes = no WS. I had no idea the guys on stage and in the video on MTV were NOT the guys who did the songs on the album. We didn't have the web back then. Coverdale is a great singer, and has managed to surround himself with superb musicians one after another. Seen WS many times. Look up how many guitar greats have been in Whitesnake. The last time I think I saw Reb Beach with them. Too bad it couldn't work out with Sykes. WS went downhill win album sales after the split. Although the tours were great. I really love Slip of the Tongue also, many apparently did not. It appears Coverdale got too cute by half. He has always said he likes to shake up the band for the sake of it. He should have kept Sykes though. Perhaps one arena could not contain both egos.
The musicians who played the instruments on Whitesnake ‘87 is printed clearly in the liner notes. Everyone who payed attention to that genre of music during that time knew that Sykes, Dunbar, and Murray played guitar, drum, and bass and that album.
Listened to Adrian Vandenberg's interview on John Sykes and he said that he was in the studio when John Sykes stormed in and had a heated argument with David Coverdale. Adrian said that he was recording the guitar solo to 'Here I Go Again' in the back room at that monent when he heard lots of screaming in the mixing room. He didn't go out because he thought 'It's none of my business' but when it got quiet, he went out and asked 'What was going on?'And Coverdale and Keith Olsen explained that John Sykes had been there.
Adrian also added (in Adrian's words) - John Sykes is a fantastic player and he's surprised that John Sykes has never come up with more records since then, he did one or two with Blue Murder and nobody heard of him again. It's very sad because he's a great player.
Besides it was Steve Vai who recorded the guitars on Slip of the Tongue album. But I really liked Restless Heart album released in 97. The guitar solos are so tasty! Adrain did a great work on that one.
What a turmoil arround that masterpiece of album!...Interesting quote by Robert Plant about Coverdale Great story as usual my friend! CARRY ON! Cheers from Chile🇨🇱
History revealed Sykes was the real talent. Coverdale deserves a lot of credit but Sykes is the man that constructed the band and sound. When I hear and see Coverdale my first impression is EGO. When it comes to Sykes I wonder why the industry hasn’t deemed him a GOD.
Funny that - David Coverdale has been a rock legend for the best part of 50 years - both before and after his very brief flirtation with John Sykes. Whitesnake were huge in the UK long before 1987. You have haerd of Burn, Mistreated, Soldier of Fortune etc haven't you?
Yes I know those latter tracks are Deep Purple - but frontman for Deep Purple!!!! Not sure Tygers of Pan Tang are going to go down in rock folklore in quite the same way
Lets test out your theory. Coverdale was in Deep Purple and wrote some of the best Deep Purple songs there. Then, he created Whitesnake and continued his success. Sykes has not done any of those things. If what you say is true, he would have created a new successful band, after he was fired from Whitesnake. On the other hand, if we talk about who is a good/bad person, it is a another conversation. People tend to think they are right and ignore what is happening around them. None of us were there to see things unfolding and therefore we can't make a judgement on who was right and who was wrong.
David Coverdale was an established rock star long before John Sykes became part of the " new" Whitesnake. This whole article sounds like John Sykes being a bitter man who believes he never got his dues.The Tygers of Pan Tang were never really anything more than an opening act in the time of the nwobhm, playing in the pubs and clubs around Newcastle This garbage belongs in soap opera digest.
I AM AN OLD METAL / JAZZ FUSION ROCK STUDIO DRUMMER FROM THE 80'S / EARLY 90'S AND WHATEVER IS OR HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT JOHN SYKES NEVER TOOK AND ROOT WHATSOEVER .. WE ARE ALL WELL AWARE OF HOW AWESOME SYKES IS, AND NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE THAT ... ITS FOREVER LOCKED IN THE HISTORY OF TIME !!!
I had the 1987 cassette, and John, Neil and Ainsley were credited with playing on the entire album, with Adrian Vandenberg doing the solo on “Here I Go Again”, and I believe Bernie Marsden as co-writer on both “Here I Go Again” and “Crying In The Rain”. And, as far as Whitesnake’s sound not connecting with Americans, I LOVED the early Whitesnake albums 1978’s US “Snakebite” to 1983’s “Slide It In” (to which I actually prefer the UK mix, released in February ‘83.)
To say Sykes didn't play on WS87 is just ludicrous. Just listen to Blue Murder, it's the same guitar tones. It's also the same caliber of songwriting. WS never recovered from Coverdale firing the band. Sykes is a monster.
this was a valuable video for me, and clarifies for me what I had suspected went down with Sykes and WS. Thanks for this. Sykes is an amazing artist and I have been listening to Blue Murder and Sykes’ live solo album everyday lately. Masterful!
John Sykes is fucking phenomenal. When WS was here in Brazil in '85 at the first Rock in Rio, replacing Def Leppard at the last minute, many people turned up their noses. To improve WS was the first "heavy" band to perform on the first night to an audience where most still didn't really know the band and for an audience that was nervously looking forward to the same night, Queen and Iron Maiden performances. Sykes not only put 300,000 people at his feet and carried WS on his back. And he was still elected the sex symbol of that edition of Rock in Rio.
I didnt know that additional info re: Rock in Rio 1985. Wow I wish I had been there..although I have viewed Sykes guitar solo a few times (magnificient!). Thank you for sharing this!
Without John Sykes i never would have visit Whitesnake concerts anyway. I was blown away how excellent Sykes was and a much better replacement for Lynott with Thin Lizzy. Excellent voice also. John rules
I've been watching this channel every morning with my coffee. I'm no better than any soap-opera watching housewife...as long as it's a rock&roll soap opera! Thanks man...I've been feeling the psychological (and some physical) ravages of father-time; these vids really bring me back to "back in the day" ---for instance, I'm still not over losing Randy. I had so much fun learning some of his material. I guess recently losing a lot of rock guys (starting with EVH) refreshed losing Randy also. I had never heard the real story of how Ozzy discovered him until recently, as well as the real story of losing him; along with the demon riddled Andrew Aycock's roll in it...wow.
Hi Erich, thank you very much for watching! Such a great pleasure, I appreciate very much! I write the stories and Shawn helps me to narrate them and he also does these beautiful opening videos.
@@karsguitarchannel6088 It's also inspiring me to play more...I now teach my teen daughters. While I don't gig any more (started playing in '77, inspired by KISS' Destroyer, then VH1) I figured out the VH stuff by slowing the LPs down to 16 speed on those old school record players, then tune an octave up; although the bi-product was having to hear Roth in slo-mo though, "RRRRROUUGGHHHOOWWW!!!" Switched to doing stand-up on stage...as there's no ego maniacs to deal with. Love You Man.
Well done Kar. I can tell you from first hand experience the information contained in this piece for the most part is spot on (minus the hear say segments) A fascinating subject for guitarist & fans alike. With the moutains of opinions on this topic and lack of truth its refreshing to finally stumble across a piece of work such as this thats based more on fact than opinion. -Dannyboy (JS studio tech/prod. asst B.M./N.B.T. 91'-95')
WS could have been a behemoth. If they’d put out 2 more albums of similar quality to 1987, they’d be a HoF level band. 1987, along with the extra cuts, was that good….To me, this album marked the end of the truly great British blues/hard rock bands.
Saw Whitesnske 4-5 times in the early 80's. Long before DC came under the spell of that devil geffen. This was the best lineup. Marsden, Moody, Hughes, Paice and Lord.
the real shame here is the fact that coverdale NEVER took "chemistry" into consideration here.. it was sykes and co. that put together "slide it in" and "slow and easy",etc, before the 87 album. there was a chemistry there that was working big time in davids' favor. once you fired those guys, he was NEVER able to achieve that again. sykes gave him the machine to stardom with great riffs that turned into hits. vandenburg and vai could NOT provide that for him. at least NOT in such a short period of time. had they stayed around for some years and developed some "chemistry" , it may have happened. but alas, that was NOT the case.. sykes was the golden goose that coverdale simply let get away. they could have easily put out another 2 or 3 great albums before the grunge movement kicked in... cementing him in rock and roll fame.
Whitesnakes best success was with slide it in and 87. They pushed slip of the tongue but it never took off. I think blue murder had more success than slip...
To be fair, I think Vandenberg and Coverdale songs were genuinely really good. Sure, the guitar riffs are nothing compared to 87 (or even pre-Sykes), but the songs on Slip of the Tongue are quite enjoyable (and sparkled up with Vai's playing)
Slide it in and slow and easy was rerecorded by sykes, NOT written by sykes. The eu version of that album has mel galley and Micky Moody, it was remixed for US release
🎸🙋♀️Sykes’ talent is undeniable. I wore out my cassette of 1989 Blue Murder album. Also some of my fav masterpiece songs are Whitesnake, with & w/o Sykes.
One of my more favorite conversations I have had with guitar heroes, Sykes is right there close to the top. I was a musician grinding in the 80's with a lot of these guys in LA, I had access to any concert that I wanted at the Forum in LA. The best part, often, was the after-party at the forum club downstairs. It was a who's-who of 80's rock. One night (I do not remember who I saw that night) I went down there and there was John. He was alone, sipping on a pint, just leaning against a dark wall people watching. This was after the dismissal (and although I saw the Vandenberg/Campbell version of WS, it was not THAT night - but close). I walked up to him with the "arrogant little prick" attitude, and he immediately disarmed me. He was so very kind and gentle. The WS issue was a "no fly zone," but other than that he was one of the kindest guitar heroes that I had ever met. We people watched together. We laughed at how Tommy and Heather always got that same booth on the right at the entrance to be seen. He would point people out - "There's Lukather." We talked about the club itself, the Forum, the LA scene, just stuff. I have no opinion on the differences between DC and JS, but I can say that John was a kind, gentle soul that appreciated that I appreciated him and didn't mind being a normal human with me.
@@karsguitarchannel6088 Plant would never do it. If there's one person who likes to call his own shots more than Coverdale, it's Plant. No way Plant would cede to Sykes. Coverdale only did it for Page due to his enormous respect of Jimmy.
David Coverdale sings 'Love Ain't No Stranger'... maybe not... but the truth obviously is. I'd believe Sykes over Coverdale (and his paid lackeys) any time.
The biggest mistake of Coverdale’s career was firing his real band and replacing them with a “made for MTV” band of hired guns. They looked great and had the chops obviously, but when it came time to write a follow up, Sykes was sorely missed. Whitesnake was never the same once Sykes was fired. That follow up album “slip of the tongue” was an embarrassment.
Sykes was influential in getting the 'Whitesnake' sound adapted to the American audience, and he was excellent at his craft🤩! David took Whitesnake to greater heights and sustained the music for decades! Sykes is not missed, appreciated yes, but Reb, Doug, Steve Vai, Adrian, Vivian, and Tommy🤩 carried the torch quite well 😉!! Anyone that thinks 'Slip of the Tongue & Good to be Bad' are not as good as Sykes' recording 'self-titled Whitesnake' are not being honest🤔. David has always surrounded himself with good musicians and talent, And David knows more than anyone what the 'Whitesnake' sound Is!! Sykes, thanks but you were not Whitesnake, David is the Heart & Mind of Whitesnake 🤩!!
I’ll tell you what….it’s psychological. Once that red light comes on, it totally throws you off! Because it’s GO time. Money is involved. On any other day, your voice is fine because there is no pressure.
The Black Sabbath tune "Warning" from their 1970 debut album was actually written by Aynsley Dunbar and band Retaliation, an excellent English blues band for those interested.
WOW. I met Sykes in NYC at 330 AM at a Lizzy Tribute show. He signed my last live performance record of Thin Lizzy. He was so cool, and a very nice guy. He was doing this Lizzy thing for the Music in my opinion. He cares about Phil. He Cares about music. He IS a beyond great musician. You can be great, but it is important to be cool. Sykes was cool in my Opinion. Saw it firsthand.
With Whitesnake ready to start their farewell tour, it would be so great to have a video of Sykes joining David on stage and playing Still of the Night together ONCE live. But I doubt it would happen.
Once the recording was over, Coverdale knew 87 was going to be a very successful album. So, instead of sharing the loot from the album sales, with the rest of his bandmates, he came up with the idea to fire all of them, so he could keep all the money for himself. And he did well collecting big bucks, until Tawny Kitaen got in his life and started spending tens of thousands of dollars every week.
Say what you want about her but she was extremely important in their success. Those videos would not have been nearly as big without her so she earned some money I’d say. She helped them make millions and boosted them on mtv. She was as important as anyone in the band honestly. Look at how much white snake has fallen off without her and Sykes
Crying In The Rain from the '87 record, is his magnum opus. Such a long, burning.and emotional guitar solo. Couldn't imagine my teenage years without that record.
It most certainly is his guitar solo. I never said that he wrote the song. I think you'll find that the solo in the original was quite different. Not exactly sure what your point is, or why you felt the need to say what you did ? I was pretty clear with what I said, and I stand by what I said. John Sykes was the lead guitarist for Whitesnake from 1984-1987, and of all the GUITAR SOLOS he laid to Whitesnake tape, the one he created and played on the 1987 version of Crying In The Rain, IN MY OPINION, is his magnum opus. Understand ?
Never been a big fan of the '87 album, the band became a metal band, a little too slick for me. I prefer the earlier albums and the Paice/Murray rhythm section was the best Whitesnake ever had. In terms of commercial success then Coverdale did the right thing in making the band more appealing physically and embracing that 80s metal sound and look.
Sounds like a lot of selective amnesia all the way around. A trivial thing sticks out to me. I'm not saying guitar players haven't had crappy sounds before. You know, washy, too much chorus, too many effects kind of experiments. As a guitar player myself, I know I drive people nuts with my tuning. We're known for it. Loathed for it. Am I supposed to believe John Sykes heard wholly unusable guitar tracks, so badly out of tune David couldn't sing to it and he went, "sounds great to me!" I doubt this.
I was lucky enough to meet John Sykes backstage at the 1st gig he did with my favourite band THIN LIZZY (REGAL THEATRE Hitchin Herts) Thunder & Lightning is a heavy weight LIZZY album and John gave it the steriod injection it needed! Mike Stone becameva friend of mine and not only a top rock producer (Queen, KISS, Journey and TEN etc etc) He was also a great human being! Pete Woodroffe Music UK
Whitesnake in the 80s was defined by John Sykes. Coverdale shafted the entire '85 band. Sykes was great in Thin Lizzy as well. As much as I love Dann Huff, I find his solo on the radio version of "Here I Go Again" pales in comparison to Sykes'. No radio station in my area played the Huff version...it was always the album cut. I had to seek out the radio edit.
Heh....the Radio "edit" was on the 45 and the Greatest Hits album. It wasn't even really an edit...it was a full on rerecord, that didn't get played ever!
Ironically, the album cut was the one solo on the entire album that was NOT played by Sykes. It was Adrian Vandenberg. Completely different tone from the rest of the album, and it sits differently in the mix than all the other solos on the album. John Sykes is quoted as saying it was the one solo he wasn’t able to finish before he got fired.
Still of the Night was the best Whitesnake song thanks to Sykes. It almost didn't happen too. Sykes made the song happen and took Whitesnake to it's height of greatness. 1987 was their best selling album and David couldn't get the same success ever again.
I went right off Coverdale after he did this. He treated Neil Murray even worse. Murray and Dunbar weren't even being paid, why didn't David fight for them? Robert Plant has slammed David in the past saying he isn't very reliable. The Powell, Murray, Sykes and Coverdale line up was so good and would have gone on to make some great albums. Instead it became style over substance.
I'll never forget Cozy Powell's drum solo with the Brian May band at Edinburgh Playhouse . Dust and plaster being shaken and falling of the roof because of his intense power. Excellent Video Thankyou. 🎸 👌
Saw the Sykes/Murray/Powell version play second bill to Quiet Riot in October 1984 in Kansas City. Sykes was incredible. They wiped the stage with QR. (half the crowd left during QR). Opener was Helix.
This was the first real rock album I ever heard. It's what got me into hard rock and that's become a huge part of who am today. I followed John Sykes to Blue Murder and I loved their work. Like a lot of people, I would then branch off into grunge and heavier forms of metal, but I am happy to say that I have just stumbled across a John Sykes solo album, and it's clear that he hasn't lost his touch. I remain a big fan.
I’m not a all happy with the way John Sykes was screwed (and the other members)BUT OUT OF THE ASHES OF THAT BETRAYAL CAME BLUE MURDER,WHICH IS ONE KICK ASS BAND!!JOHN IS AN INCREDIBLE VOCALIST,HES ALSO A GREAT SONG WRITER AND AMAZING GUITARIST (WHEN I SAY AMAZING,I MEAN REALLY AMAZING!!)People Like Coverdale just make me sick,I was betrayed in my band PHANTOMXPROJECT by my guitar,singer in which I taught him how to scream and put feeling and dynamics into not only his playing,But applying emotions (through dynamics)into not only playing live,But writing the music to have these feelings when they were played live!!The Thanks you get for this is envy,Accompanied with a huge stab in the back,So in some way John creating Blue Murder and being so awesome was validation for him and made me feel a certain sense of peace which I know sounds weird (cause he didn’t do it for me,obviously)But for anyone who’s been used and screwed over by someone they were working with!!SO GREAT JOB MR SYKES!!!
Thanks to TH-cam I've been able to find out what an incredible guitarist John Sykes was/is, watching him live from the 80s he has to be highly ranked, especially with no whammy tricks. But Whitesnake always was Coverdale's band, Sykes was beginning to shine brighter than Coverdale, not a surprise it ended but would have really enjoyed seeing the same lineup play the 87 album live. Sounds like everyone was tired of Coverdale's prima donna LSD(Lead Singer Disease) but it was still a pretty good gig. As long as you're getting paid. Geffen did have a hand in the supergroup retooling, which was a great lineup, but that Slide It In lineup was great in its own right. The new band liked to play dress up more than the old band. From all the info available now about what goes on in the studio probably half of what we hear was recorded by someone else who just took a paycheck. And in current time Coverdale can longer sing worth sh!t and Sykes still can rock the house.
They were under tremendous pressure to finish that album. The album came out three years after Slide It In. The '87 album has a very different vibe than Slide It In or any earlier Whitesnake albums. It did not have any of that 70s British heavy blues rock vibe. It was hard rock to metal and very American sounding, except for Sykes' playing which has a real European style to it. The guitar work and the tone are amazing. John primarily used a Boogie Mark II head through Marshall cabs and his Les Paul. He used a superstrat when he needed trem effects.
I don't know man. This proves how soft they are as people. Thank God 80's was full of real rockers and thrashers with drive. So many bands with less equipment and more problems pumping out gold.
@@blackbeansmatter1280 John Sykes is a far superior axman to 99% of the best thrash players. I'm not going to call him a virtuoso on the level of Marty Friedman, but he's certainly great rock/metal player. I don't know that I'd call Coverdale soft. He's made his living in music going on fifty years now. He was under a lot of pressure and having health issues. That's no picnic. I know he sounds like a whining primadonna from a certain angle, but he could never get away screaming like Tom Araya or Chuck Schuldiner. Nothing against them, their voices always worked well for the super heavy stuff. But Coverdale was known for a more commercial brand of metal/hard rock. The '87 album has its moments. But I prefer Slide It In.
The fact that to this day Sykes refuses to talk to Coverdale, despite Coverdale saying that he wants to clear all the bitterness of his life, is proof that Sykes isn't lying. They're BOTH ego maniacs
Sykes left a Thin Lizzy reunion in the lurch to join WS for the megabucks, seems he got treated the same way he treated Lynott. However if he got ripped off by Coverdale, and that IS Sykes on the album then Coverdale should pay him his dues.
LoL Right outta of the gate, I want to make it clear dude, I'm not choosing sides over the Sykes/Coverdale split over the '87 album. I think they were both tremendous assholes to each other and they both had egos the size of the Goodyear blimp.The only real losses, aside from a tremendous amount of money from Sykes' bank account, was what the fans were denied live show wise. That albums touring cycle could have been incredible. I'm just passing on what I remember from that time period. My opinion still to this day, David Coverdale's ego and greed sucked the life out of what could have easily been one of the best shows ever seen and heard, for hard rock fans. For a simple, stripped down, no frills, no big fireworks display, live hard rock band and show, that original '87 album lineup would have crushed it every night! It's just a shame. Sykes' arrogance when it came down to perfection, had to be a mountain of bullshit to deal with. As well as dealing with Coverdale's daily b.s., so they're both equally responsible. I personally think Coverdale was doing to much of something and that's what was ruining his sinuses and throat. "Worst sinus infection I've ever seen" is what the doctor said. lol I've been to Vancouver twice and the climate was always awesome and enjoyable outside. In the country, the air was as clean as you could possibly ever want to breath in your lungs. Coverdale is from a place where it rains all the time...I mean c'mon man! lol It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. lol Sykes and his fellow musicians/band mates had what was and could easily be seen a mile away, a monster album that was full of obvious hits. The split was then and still is today, one of those things that's very disappointing. Things in life happen like that, for better or for worse. As fans of guitar, we definitely got the shit end of the stick, when it came to the touring side of this album without Sykes on board, damn we all got the shaft! Sykes was firing on all cylinders playing live at that time and obviously by what he put on tape for the '87 album, all cylinders in the studio as well. I was 15 when it happened, but I knew even back then when adults make a BIG mistake and you can seriously see it a mile away, it just dumb on their part. I was stunned that they didn't get their shit together and work things out. As much money as Coverdale made, if Sykes had stayed on board playing those songs flawlessly every night, word of mouth would have had them easily tripling what they grossed on that tour. I was completely and extremely pissed off when I found out that Sykes was fired while finishing up the recording of the '87 album. I was a huge fan of the re-recording that Sykes had done on the 'Slide it In' record, for it's American release. Sykes took a killer album and made it even better than it was before. A very hard thing to do, because that band lineup for 'Slide it In' was badass! I was really looking forward to what Sykes was writing to follow up 'Slide it In' especially knowing his playing level was at 100% during and after that tour cycle for Slide. I have so much respect for the band who recorded the original music for 'Slide it In', so I knew if Sykes made that album sound even better/tighter, good god what he has to do as a follow up will be incredible. I was right too. John Sykes and the original '87 album lineup wrote some blistering hard rock music. Sykes' solos were perfect on every song. Everything about those songs just fit so well together. So, for what was available to me as a kid, magazine articles, radio interviews, some MTV blurbs here and there, and some short phone conversations with a very popular and by my luck, a very local radio Dj(12 miles aways) named Allan Handleman I got some inside info that wasn't easy to get back then. Allan was and still is the coolest, nicest Dj in the FM radio business! He was the last guy to interview Bon Scott before his untimely demise. Allan always knew alot of what was going on with bands at that time. Allan also had one of the best interviews I'd ever heard with 2 out of the 4 members of Pantera... Phil and Dimebag during the early tour cycle of CFH. So, in one or two conversations he told me that according to his inside info, Coverdale went completely dark on Sykes right before and when '87 was just about done. He went to no communication even more so, after it's completion and release. David fired Sykes and as this video explains thoroughly, he tried to replace Sykes and even go as far a having some of his guitar parts completely redone. Even the hired gun had a hard time and told Coverdale to get Sykes back! Along with that, he also fired the rest of the band to cut even more people out of royalties and tour pay.This is what his contact had told him anyway. Coverdale knew that he was sitting on gold mine of an album, that was full of money making singles. When he'd been told by many people inside the record company that Sykes was trying to take Full control of Whitesnake along with a handful of other things, he fired him. Can't really blame him for that, Coverdale really did hold up the album progress and Sykes and the band were tired of it, but John did kinda try and take over Whitesnake. So, that kinda explains why the rest of the band was fired too. Sykes and the other members gave David all the amo/reasons that he needed to clean the house as a band. They did so at the worst time they could have ever done that kinda crap too. Allan told me this stuff was just heresy and it was roughly only 3 weeks after the record was out. Again, when he told me this stuff he said it wasn't what he'd been told first hand, but here we are now and everything w has/was/and did happen pretty much exactly how he was told! Sykes tried to make a few power plays at wrong time! lol Coverdale seized the opportunity to completely cash in on those mistakes by hiring an all gunslinger band and he got to keep most of the profits for himself. So, Sykes did screw up more than a few things. Coverdale was an absolute greedy jackass and he still is today. If I was John Sykes I wouldn't talk to Coverdale either. He rode Sykes' talent and the other band members extremely killer music down a road paved with gold and also shut them out of the biggest portion of the profits...the entire 'sold out' touring cycle. Nobody really won. They both looked like jackasses. I saw the '87 tour twice and not one of those guys Vandenberg or Campbell could play John's music worth a shit. I saw the '87 tour twice and the 'Slip of the Tongue' tour twice and in 4 different shows, not once did they get the solo to 'Still of the Night' correct. I may have seen them a few more times, bit I'm getting old and the memory ain't what it used to be. lol I do know they weren't even close to Sykes' solos, or his phrasing style. It was almost as bad as how people say Marty Friedman is the best guitar player Megadeth ever had and he never once got ANY of Chris Poland's solos correct in the 9 times I saw him play with Megadeth. Steve Vai was awesome when got with Whitesnake, I will say that much, but Sykes' bluesy/ripping style was very missed by almost everyone I spoke with at those shows. Vai came the closest out of all of them. Nobody won. Sykes blew his career, even though Blue Murder was awesome live. Coverdale was exposed to be the greedy, ego ridden, arrogant jerk most already knew that he was anyway. Sorry for the book lol, but long story short, I wouldn't ever talk to Coverdale again either, without around 10 million being on the table when they have their talk.
@@richardcurtis2693 I agree with a lot of what you wrote. I saw them from 1982 onwards when they were still a blues based band. I also saw Sykes with Thin Lizzy. One point that seems to be missed is Coverdale had wrecked his voice, I read it was down to smoking and other chemicals, he got vocal training by a Jewish Cantor and his vocal range hugely improved, I don't think he could have sung those songs without that training. I also read that Sykes was getting more female attention than Coverdale that's up for debate but I do know that Sykes pushed WS to another level after that it became more style over substance for many. It did save WS and Coverdale always said the band were broke before MTV played their videos. Coverdale may have ripped Sykes off, kind of reminds me of what Mrs Osbourne did to many musicians too. I still prefer all the albums up to 1987 than after it. Sources say Coverdale will replace himself with their new guitarist who is a very bluesy singer after this tour, while he continues to manage them.
@@MrChopsticktech I don't remember it quite that way, Lizzy did break up but Phil was putting Grand Slam with Sykes but Sykes was quietly auditioning for WS, then Joined WS, Phil being Phil was upset but the gent he was didn't stand in his way. To be honest I saw Grand Slam who were a poor man's Lizzy and rumour had it that Phil wanted to reform Lizzy after being offered a tour, mainly because no label would sign GS and Phil was considered a risk due to his addiction, after that gig I knew it was pretty much over. Sadly. On hindsight Sykes made the right decision but it pissed me off that years after Phil died Sykes reformed Lizzy after not much success with Blue Murder, It was a brand cash in however that wouldn't have happened if Coverdale paid him his fair share.
I loved Sykes in Thin Lizzy even though the band itself wasn’t in the best of shape when he replaced Gary Moore. The party life had taken its toll and John had the near impossible task of breathing new life into a worn out band. He kept the show on the road.
Thanks a lot for this video. I’ve always wondered how things really went down between the two. Sadly, I think Coverdale has a bit of an ego thing going on (think Marsden and Moody would also agree - His late ex wife Tawny sure did). He wouldn’t let anyone with strong opinions of what the band should be get in the way. I think late great Cozy Powell, not a shy man himself, got a bit of a taste of David’s own medicine too. Too bad this all happened cuz they would have taken the band to the next level with John. Vandenberg was trash. Heard him play through solos out of key numerous times in live performances. I’m sure you can find ‘em on here and see what I’m talking about. But when all is said and done, David was the musical genius when it came to writing songs. Slip of the tongue has a lot of great tunes with DC’s stamp all over them. I’m amazed at how little recognition he gets for the earlier WS stuff. Slide it in is one of my favorite albums. It’s a shame he just couldn’t seem to back the music up by good working relationships with most of the bandmembers he’s been with over the years.
My best recordings have been when the engineer said, "I'm not recording, let's just run through it" it's amazing how great you play when you think it's not being recorded
Oh Steve Vai's work on the Whitesnake 89 album is amazing! But of course the 1987 is the best! When I was 14, I loved so much that Fool For Your Loving video... David's voice and Vai's guitar sound, plus Tawny in the car
I agree, there's no doubt when it comes to the sound on both records and when you have a couple of egomaniacs in a band, the conflict will come into play no matter what but Whitesnake has always been and always will be Davids band and John knew that coming in. Also, Cozy Powell was in the group when they started writing and at the last minute the group was asked to take Def Leppard's spot at Rock In Rio that year and at that point, David and Cozy were having issues and didn't want to continue after the festival, Neil Murray was also having issues with David and left the group during recording Slide it in and I honestly don't know how he got him back in the group but he did, so it's easy to see that David was the captain of the ship, and rightfully so, but when it came to how the group sound would develop into, that was Sykes and Kalodner saw that. As time went on after signing to Geffen, he would have to let others come on board with him to get the group to the successful point of other groups at the time and he had one of the best at the time and couldn't accept the way Geffen and Kalodner did, sure the album did fantastic as well as tours with Motley Crue then headlining later on that year, unfortunately, they wouldn't see success with the next album but it did ok, nowhere near the 1987 album so I say the proof is in the pudding so to speak.
John Sykes’s guitar work on the ‘87 Whitesnake record is some of the finest of the time. The track, songwriting and especially the guitar solo on “Is This Love” all are musical masterpieces
And the riffage in Bad Boys.
"Still of the Night" is a monumental achievement in guitar sonics and performance. Everyone on the track pulls their weight, but Sykes is the center of attention: he is the whole show. Sykes performance is jaw dropping.
I tend to buy Sykes' version.
Yes. David has already proven to be quite the historical revisionist
@@gravitationalconstant and Sykes doesn’t? Haha! Sykes is a complete failure business wise. Every project he has done has fallen apart. You have to ask yourself why that is
No chance. Sykes is not a leader and was in no way capable of leading Whitesnake or making any decisions, especially in the USA. A decent guitar player but he was not the creator of 87 or a major player in Whitesnake. Listen to Neil Murray who is relatively unbiased.
@@CrueLoaf Dave was the leader, he needed to let sykes be his "keef " and he wouldn't.... and neither guy could recreate that synergy....
@@CrueLoaf Thin lizzy and blue murder. Kick rocks
One of the saddest stories in rock. Sykes career seems so short when it should have flourished with the right band.
Just as a side note, Bob Rock recently said that Sykes was the best guitar player he ever worked with.
How Cool*
I saw that video too
@@guitarstrange2478 search for Tone talk bob rock on youtube
Bob also said Lars was the best drummer. So take it with a big grain of salt. lol
pffft he hasn’t worked with CC Deville. 😂
I think Sykes' guitar work on that '87 album is incredible. To this day the solo in 'Still of the Night' gives me goose bumps.
🎸🙋♀️YES AGREED MASTERPIECE!
Right?
Mr. Sykes is one of those timeless Hardrock/Metal guitarists that never seaze to amaze. I love the work he did with Tygers Of Pan Tang, Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, also Blue Murder, especially the first album. He is in my top favourite guitarists list of all times.
I hated him on Thin Lizzy. All those squeals on his guitar every damn 3 seconds… ruined Lizzy and Coverdale continued hus des-construction of Whitesnake with Sykes.
@@mikaelbiilmann6826 Sykes killed it on the Whitesnake ST. He is the quintessential metal player. Not to mention, he has a pretty great voice.Vai is a great guitar player but not for everything; such as Whitesnake. He ruined the Slip of the Tongue album, so did Adrian.
@@matthewpaolini Yeah, I guess I quit when Coverdale changed everything. I liked the old Whitesnake, but Coverdale had to get on, and the times were changing and it was time for poofy hair metal. I never liked Sykes’ tone and I think he ruined Lizzy’s last live lp with his constant pinched harmonics.
@@mikaelbiilmann6826 Yeah, He wasn't a good fit for Lizzy. If you don't like his tone; then that is your opinion and you're entitled to it.
@@matthewpaolini I know I was being old-fashioned and clearly Coverdale had to make money and get on, so I understand him.
I’ll tell you why, Coverdale was jealous of Sykes. Sykes had immense talent, he had the looks and he was a killer vocalist. No room for two stars on Coverdale’s stage. So Coverdale made the biggest mistake of his professional career. Sykes was the total package!
Coverdale is the CEO of Whitesnake. It’s his band. He put his career on the line to make it work. He signed away his pre Slide It In records to get out of a bad deal. Sykes tried to take over the band while making the 1987 record. Do you think Coverdale was going to keep him? John is massively talented, but he was nothing more than a highly paid hired hand. A hired hand that’s never going to have work again. I think his problem is that he’s too talented to be a hired gun, and not interested in being a bandleader. It’s been over 35 years since the Whitesnake album came out, and he’s released precious little since.
@@stormbringercoming8105 You are absolutely right !!! Sykes massively talented ? Never heard from again 😂😂😂😂
@@willemsikkema3604
Whatever criticism I have for Sykes, doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate his talent. His work with Thin Lizzy on Thunder And Lightning alone makes him a legend.
@@stormbringercoming8105 I agree with that
That is also why the claim that Sykes was trying to take over, or replace Coverdale are preposterous. Geffen had signed David, Geffen’s investment was in David, and David alone.
That said Sykes is reputedly hard to work with; he may have annoyed too many people in the inner-circle, and many (not just Coverdale himself) may have wanted him gone (ie: management).
Finally, and ironically, Sykes had no issue stepping-in and re-recording Slide It In; yet got mad when Coverdale essentially did the same to him.
I saw Blue Murder open up for Bon Jovi (don’t recall the year) but those 3 guys put out a sound as big (maybe bigger) than 5 members of Bon Jovi and John Sikes’ vocals and guitar playing were both incredible! He’s a major talent!
It was 1989
@@wayneblair67 Cool thanks! I saw them at Starwood outdoor theater in Nashville, TN. The sound was great.
Crap I did security for Bon Jovi but they were touring with aaerosmith I believe , unfortunately no Blue Murder . Bob Jovi we’re a bunch of assholes especially Torres ( drummer ) . Tying that hit me the most about Bon Jovi was how short they were . Steve Tyler on the other hand was one jf the most personable rock stare I ever met .
@@humanactivated1017 That doesn’t surprise me. Lots of musicians who hit the big time magically think their shit doesn’t stink anymore. I’ve been in the music business for 30 years and met a ton of em.
My condolences on having to see BonJovi....but John Sykes made the nightmare worthwhile didn't he?
What a sad state of affairs, the most tragic part to me is what happened to Neil Murray, one of the most underrated bass players ever
It is also a typical behavior in the industry, to use and abuse.
@@josephabela1922 No gentlemen there, just money and profit
He got a gig in Sabbath after that - could have turned out worse 😁
Yes, that's the one that's 100% unforgivable!
@@karsguitarchannel6088 I think the massive unforeseen money that rushed into the hard rock music business in 1985 caused a wave of coke abuse and misogynism that made for a lethal cocktail for civility. I was active in music at the time and in the same genre and every time I got close to some of the higher rollers it was some very objectionable stuff. Not everybody, but soo so many.
John Sykes is one of the most underrated guitar players from the 1980s it's amazing how much credit he doesn't get this guy is fantastic songwriter guitar player. Kar great job here telling the story thank you!!
I absolutely agree, John Sykes is a phenomenal player! Many thanks Jorge for the visit, much appreciated!
Great player but must have a defective personality or something. He’s done virtually nothing in 25 years. All his projects collapse. I think that says it all.
His vocals are great as well....total rock star
@@CrueLoaf You do know how difficult this business is,right? There are hundreds of decisions that must be made correctly, timing ,finances all have to be aligned and then there is the content..and the luck. There are many,many great talents (like John) who are not household names. They are not failures. It's just the gravity of it all. I wouldn't convict John or anyone if the lightning refused to strike twice.
@@georgebarry8640 many talents working their asses off from playing the local venues to recording in their bedrooms. The band Whitesnake shouldn’t be castigated because John felt he couldn’t fit in. He thought he was bigger than the band and went off to show the world just that. And in the last 35 years…one album of note!
Great player but disappointing output.
How can one tell just how good of a player John Sykes is? It took TWO really good guitar players to replace him.
Sykes is the reason I took up guitar. I was 16 when the 1987 album hit and it changed me. When they finally came to town, it wasn't Sykes, it was Steve Vai in 1990. Some will say even better but not to me. Sykes was the hero of this album.
Agreed. Vai was a big mistake for WS. Sykes has 1000x more tone than vai, AND taste. I saw WS at castle donnington with 300,000 people. In the front !
Before I really knew about John Sykes, I heard someone say "Vai's got nothing on Sykes." Of course, I thought he was exaggerating because, come on, we're talking about Steve Vai. I listened, thought about it, and concluded, "nope, Vai's got nothing on Sykes."
I saw them twice, both times it was Vandenburg & Campbell.
Without Sykes this album would’ve never been as big as it was.
No. The album was successful because of the promotion it got. Honestly it’s not that great of an album.
@@thetruthhurts6652 🤦🏻♂️ ffs
Without John Sykes there would have been no whitesnake 87 .. Neil Murray and Ainsley dunsbar are absolutely brilliant on it too
Also the videos with Tawny were incredibly spectacular but no doubt that without that sound, guitars, drums, Whitesnake would never have become that huge
@@karsguitarchannel6088 for sure. They would never of had that success in the USA with Marsden and Moody 😎
John Sykes and Jake E Lee man, I tell you, those two dudes are probably the two most gentlemen who were robbed of full on red meter fame and accreditation. Both did a lot for the bands they came in to essentially save them in the end, especially in the US where both Ozzy and Whitesnake were facing problems of how to go on in the early to mid 80’s. Both have the talent to make it big, they just unfortunately got muscled out by the people who they thought were their friends.
John Sykes is just one of a handful of Metal guitarists, I'm my opinion, that played with real feeling. He played with such emotion. If you play guitar you especially know what I mean. He's a phenom.
Favorite of all time.
th-cam.com/video/G5U8EutOiPI/w-d-xo.html
I totally agree!
Absolutely he has some soul in the sound when he been a string he meant it John Graham Cincinnati Ohio
🎸🙋♀️Yes
Oh yesterday I was watching Blue Murder "Valley of the Kings" video and I noticed that Carmine Appice had "Blue Carmine" written on his bass drums. Very cool! And I guess this is why David Coverdale called them Blue Carmine
That whole album is awesome!
It's not Dan Huff on the album version....he IS on the 45 version of Here I Go Again,though. Adrian Vandenberg is on the 1987 album version, doing the solo.
He has 2 bass drums that spell out 'Blue Murder' on top, and 'Carmine Appice' on the bottom. If you look at one of bass drums it says 'Blue Carmine' and the other says 'Murder Appice'. I guess Blue Carmine was the better option to go with... 😄⚰️
@@ChucksterOLove Yes I did notice that when I watched it one more time, thanks
It is funny to see the footage of Thin Lizzy from 1978 Sykes looks exactly the same as in 88 ...
Actually, Kalodner said that he signed Coverdale because for him Coverdale was one of the greatest vocalists and he wanted Coverdale to work with Sykes because Sykes was fresh and talented player. And Kalodner wanted Whitesnake to become a heavy metal band with modern sound to make it big in the US. But then he had trouble because Coverdale had trouble singing and then Coverdale started fighting with Sykes. So Kalodner had to recut Here I Go Again in January 1987, with completely different musicians. And then he signed Sykes to Geffen because Sykes did a phenomenal work on the 87 album.
Blue Murder’s debut was superior to “Slip of the Tongue,” and nobody who is a fan of Blue Murder gives af that it didn’t sell as well as the latter. Sykes’ songs and guitar playing on Blue Murder showed just how important Sykes was to the sound on Whitesnake ‘87 - the album that revived the band and made them huge. Obviously, Sykes wasn’t the vocalist Coverdale was, so it would’ve been incredible to hear him or Ray Gillen (whom Sykes originally recruited to sing, but the deal fell through).
Yes Tony Martin (wrote lyrics and vocal melody to "Valey of the Kings"), then Ray Gillen, even Glenn Hughes was approached but eventually Sykes decided to sing himself, I guess just like Gary Moore did
@@crusheverything4449 😂
I didn't know that. A Blue Murder with Sykes and Ray Gillen (RIP) would have been a dream band come true.
@@bumpyroad3251 they all had problem with Sykes because of his EGO, the same happened to COZY, the only one to blame IS JOHN, VERY TALENTED BUT he felt he was a star when he wasn't
@@marcelojavierlovera6130 You've got that the wrong way round, totally!
John Sykes… absolute complete package and brilliant musician. Total command of his instrument and his singing. I couldn’t stop listening to blue murder when they came out with that first record, and then years later, Bad Boys Live! There are some musicians that simply just have it all, John is one of them. The story of Whitesnake 87 is a sobering one, thanks for putting this video out.
Who in their right mind would want to get rid of a guitar god!... His riffs were so killer on that 87 album.. His guitar sounds massive too!.. They never came even close to those hits!.. David Coverdale made the biggest mistake not realizing this!
John Sykes is a guitar God
Coverdale thought that he was Whitesnake and he could change his guitar players anytime he wanted
@@karsguitarchannel6088 Yup!... 100%... and he was dead wrong about that!.
@@karsguitarchannel6088 absolutely! David found out as the sequel to the 87' album, never came close to the songs, sound or utter coolness that John had , even with hired gun Steve Vai brought in to shore up the sound!
@@karsguitarchannel6088 Whitesnake is DC’s enterprise. Whitesnake never belonged to Sykes. That’s just it.
I love Vivian Campbell, Adrian Vandenberg, Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo. They are great guys and got nothing to do with Caverdale's decision to change the line-up. That was just absolutely unfair what happened to the musicians who actually worked on the album.
I actually copied and love to play Adrian's and Vivian's guitar solos they recorded for Whitesnake - Here I Go Again album version and Give Me All Your Love 88 remix version
@@karsguitarchannel6088 in all honesty I didn’t like their solos , felt like just didn’t add anything to the songs from the Sykes versions which frankly are brilliant .
@@karsguitarchannel6088 Vivian Campbell is a great guitar player! My favorite in the eighties! Just listen to early DIO records!
To take his spot like that.. Vivian is a bit of a douche himself. Great guitar player yes but that is a douche move. Just goes to show the business was cut throat.
You got that right bro, just as badass / holy diver = on F ing Fire
You have to hand it to John Sykes, no matter what adversity threw at that sumbitch his hair always stayed totally on point.
His hair is still pretty good for being older.
Don’t forget those cheekbones and jawline.
Notice that after John was fired, David bleached his hair... funny, right? He clearly envied John.
John Sykes has his own complete style and sound. I can always pick out his super wide slinky vibrato. He’s had that since Tygers and Thin Lizzy. His sound has only developed and gotten better. Listen to Still of the Night then listen to Blue Murder Valley of the Kings. Please. NO ONE sounds like John Sykes. He’s a real player and sorely missed.
That's why I think the Dan Huff story is a load of crap created by Olsen and Coverdale. Listening to the Blue Murder album, his style and sound is unmistakable!
released August 2021 th-cam.com/video/BHLqf_r7I5c/w-d-xo.html
The other new song from Jan 2021 further explains the 'message'
Super wide slinky vibrato? How about a whole step bend and release like I did 30 years ago to practice intonation. I never thought of that as a vibrato. Can you imagine a vocalist using that "vibrato"? I admit, "Baby Please Don't Leave Me This Way" that he did with Phil Lynott on their solo thing is about as good as it gets, song and solo. Still of the Night as an unreal "wind in the graveyard" solo; but, I'm not convinced he even played that. Why? Simply because he has never replicated it live. Honestly, I can see Dann Huff doing it, after studying both players' styles. As far as Blue Murder, I listened to it once-- and as a Thin Lizzy fanatic, I so WANTED to like it. As far as Thin Lizzy it cannot be denied that Sykes gave those strung out boys a shot in the arm. However, Thunder and Lightning was entirely completed (outside of Cold Sweat) was recorded. Scott Gorham is Thin Lizzy, and musically, Sykes would probably make a good guitar tech for Scott. Not much else.
yes he had it since tygers but people is ignorant and tone deaf...not to mention how he hit the notes!!!! what a player!!!!!
Listen to him mangle black rose. Messy.
Never thought he was a good fit in Thin Lizzy.
JOHN SYKES MY FAVORITE GUITAR HERO AMAZING, JOHN SYKES THE BEST GUITAR LEGEND YEEEAAAAHHHH
This is something I've been trying to research for many years now, so thank you for the video. David has always changed his line-ups with alarming regularity.
Many thanks Dave, much appreciated!
It appears he learned a tonne from the master of change & selfishness . . . Ritchie Blackmore !
Like Blackmore (whom I like) but realise has a massive EGO, Coverdale also developed and commercially adopted a huge arrogant ego.
Example-
Coverdale said in a 2019 interview 'we Whitesnake competed with Rainbow.
We absolutely killed Rainbow with the 1987 album. "
Problem to his BS analogy.
Rainbow broke up in May 1984 as Blackmore joined the MkII Deep Purple reunion by August of that year.
How exactly was Whitesnake competing with Rainbow, when they ceased to exist in mid-1984 ?
This highlights the BS Coverdale peddles.
Great vid.
I saw that tour. This album literally saved WS in the 80s, who were a 70s band.
No Sykes = no WS.
I had no idea the guys on stage and in the video on MTV were NOT the guys who did the songs on the album. We didn't have the web back then.
Coverdale is a great singer, and has managed to surround himself with superb musicians one after another. Seen WS many times. Look up how many guitar greats have been in Whitesnake. The last time I think I saw Reb Beach with them.
Too bad it couldn't work out with Sykes. WS went downhill win album sales after the split. Although the tours were great. I really love Slip of the Tongue also, many apparently did not.
It appears Coverdale got too cute by half. He has always said he likes to shake up the band for the sake of it.
He should have kept Sykes though. Perhaps one arena could not contain both egos.
The musicians who played the instruments on Whitesnake ‘87 is printed clearly in the liner notes. Everyone who payed attention to that genre of music during that time knew that Sykes, Dunbar, and Murray played guitar, drum, and bass and that album.
Reb is the longest surviving member besides Coversale
He got a great big break when hired by Deep Purple . We'd never have heard of him otherwise 🤷
@@ReverendBow kkk I’ll Mo
@@jeffschwartz5199 IMO the best formation of Deep Purple was in fact with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes.
Listened to Adrian Vandenberg's interview on John Sykes and he said that he was in the studio when John Sykes stormed in and had a heated argument with David Coverdale. Adrian said that he was recording the guitar solo to 'Here I Go Again' in the back room at that monent when he heard lots of screaming in the mixing room. He didn't go out because he thought 'It's none of my business' but when it got quiet, he went out and asked 'What was going on?'And Coverdale and Keith Olsen explained that John Sykes had been there.
Adrian also added (in Adrian's words) - John Sykes is a fantastic player and he's surprised that John Sykes has never come up with more records since then, he did one or two with Blue Murder and nobody heard of him again. It's very sad because he's a great player.
Well it's kinda weird to hear that from Adrian. Did he record anything big after Whitesnake?
Besides it was Steve Vai who recorded the guitars on Slip of the Tongue album. But I really liked Restless Heart album released in 97. The guitar solos are so tasty! Adrain did a great work on that one.
...and Vandenberg is an accomplished player, but who has heard of HIM other than his involvement with WS?🤷♂
@@lcwatts2971 i have, hes done alot more than sykes, thats for sure. Although he took a 10 ? year break from music to focus on his art.
John Sykes the man,the myth and the legend.
Lives on!!!✊
What a turmoil arround that masterpiece of album!...Interesting quote by Robert Plant about Coverdale
Great story as usual my friend! CARRY ON!
Cheers from Chile🇨🇱
Big thanks Bruno for the visit! Great pleasure to hear that, much appreciated!
History revealed Sykes was the real talent. Coverdale deserves a lot of credit but Sykes is the man that constructed the band and sound. When I hear and see Coverdale my first impression is EGO. When it comes to Sykes I wonder why the industry hasn’t deemed him a GOD.
Funny that - David Coverdale has been a rock legend for the best part of 50 years - both before and after his very brief flirtation with John Sykes. Whitesnake were huge in the UK long before 1987. You have haerd of Burn, Mistreated, Soldier of Fortune etc haven't you?
Yes I know those latter tracks are Deep Purple - but frontman for Deep Purple!!!! Not sure Tygers of Pan Tang are going to go down in rock folklore in quite the same way
Lets test out your theory.
Coverdale was in Deep Purple and wrote some of the best Deep Purple songs there.
Then, he created Whitesnake and continued his success. Sykes has not done any of those things.
If what you say is true, he would have created a new successful band, after he was fired from Whitesnake.
On the other hand, if we talk about who is a good/bad person, it is a another conversation.
People tend to think they are right and ignore what is happening around them.
None of us were there to see things unfolding and therefore we can't make a judgement on who was right and who was wrong.
David Coverdale was an established rock star long before John Sykes became part of the " new" Whitesnake. This whole article sounds like John Sykes being a bitter man who believes he never got his dues.The Tygers of Pan Tang were never really anything more than an opening act in the time of the nwobhm, playing in the pubs and clubs around Newcastle This garbage belongs in soap opera digest.
John hasnt done anything of note outside of thunder and lightning and whitesnake 87.
I AM AN OLD METAL / JAZZ FUSION ROCK STUDIO DRUMMER FROM THE 80'S / EARLY 90'S AND WHATEVER IS OR HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT JOHN SYKES NEVER TOOK AND ROOT WHATSOEVER .. WE ARE ALL WELL AWARE OF HOW AWESOME SYKES IS, AND NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE THAT ... ITS FOREVER LOCKED IN THE HISTORY OF TIME !!!
I had the 1987 cassette, and John, Neil and Ainsley were credited with playing on the entire album, with Adrian Vandenberg doing the solo on “Here I Go Again”, and I believe Bernie Marsden as co-writer on both “Here I Go Again” and “Crying In The Rain”. And, as far as Whitesnake’s sound not connecting with Americans, I LOVED the early Whitesnake albums 1978’s US “Snakebite” to 1983’s “Slide It In” (to which I actually prefer the UK mix, released in February ‘83.)
To say Sykes didn't play on WS87 is just ludicrous. Just listen to Blue Murder, it's the same guitar tones. It's also the same caliber of songwriting. WS never recovered from Coverdale firing the band. Sykes is a monster.
this was a valuable video for me, and clarifies for me what I had suspected went down with Sykes and WS. Thanks for this.
Sykes is an amazing artist and I have been listening to Blue Murder and Sykes’ live solo album everyday lately. Masterful!
John Sykes is fucking phenomenal. When WS was here in Brazil in '85 at the first Rock in Rio, replacing Def Leppard at the last minute, many people turned up their noses. To improve WS was the first "heavy" band to perform on the first night to an audience where most still didn't really know the band and for an audience that was nervously looking forward to the same night, Queen and Iron Maiden performances. Sykes not only put 300,000 people at his feet and carried WS on his back. And he was still elected the sex symbol of that edition of Rock in Rio.
Awesome, thanks for sharing!
I didnt know that additional info re: Rock in Rio 1985. Wow I wish I had been there..although I have viewed Sykes guitar solo a few times (magnificient!). Thank you for sharing this!
You’re right about everything. Sykes was awesome in Rock in RJ and Coverdale was horrendous. I think it was Sykes last gig with WS.
Wish John Sykes would play live again in the UK, fabulous player!!
Without John Sykes i never would have visit Whitesnake concerts anyway. I was blown away how excellent Sykes was and a much better replacement for Lynott with Thin Lizzy. Excellent voice also. John rules
Lynott WAS thin lizzy😂. Sykes will never be in the same league, grow up and learn about talent boy. 🤣
There's no replacement for Master Phil Lynott.
What a moronic statement.
I've been watching this channel every morning with my coffee. I'm no better than any soap-opera watching housewife...as long as it's a rock&roll soap opera! Thanks man...I've been feeling the psychological (and some physical) ravages of father-time; these vids really bring me back to "back in the day" ---for instance, I'm still not over losing Randy. I had so much fun learning some of his material. I guess recently losing a lot of rock guys (starting with EVH) refreshed losing Randy also. I had never heard the real story of how Ozzy discovered him until recently, as well as the real story of losing him; along with the demon riddled Andrew Aycock's roll in it...wow.
Hi Erich, thank you very much for watching! Such a great pleasure, I appreciate very much! I write the stories and Shawn helps me to narrate them and he also does these beautiful opening videos.
@@karsguitarchannel6088 It's also inspiring me to play more...I now teach my teen daughters. While I don't gig any more (started playing in '77, inspired by KISS' Destroyer, then VH1) I figured out the VH stuff by slowing the LPs down to 16 speed on those old school record players, then tune an octave up; although the bi-product was having to hear Roth in slo-mo though, "RRRRROUUGGHHHOOWWW!!!" Switched to doing stand-up on stage...as there's no ego maniacs to deal with. Love You Man.
Well done Kar. I can tell you from first hand experience the information contained in this piece for the most part is spot on (minus the hear say segments) A fascinating subject for guitarist & fans alike. With the moutains of opinions on this topic and lack of truth its refreshing to finally stumble across a piece of work such as this thats based more on fact than opinion. -Dannyboy (JS studio tech/prod. asst B.M./N.B.T. 91'-95')
Oh hi Dannyboy, I remember you! Many thanks for the visit, great pleasure to see you!!! Thanks for all kind words, I appreciate!
Have an awesome rocking day!
WS could have been a behemoth. If they’d put out 2 more albums of similar quality to 1987, they’d be a HoF level band. 1987, along with the extra cuts, was that good….To me, this album marked the end of the truly great British blues/hard rock bands.
I mean they still are better than some bands in HOF.
Slide it in was a great album too
Saw Whitesnske 4-5 times in the early 80's. Long before DC came under the spell of that devil geffen. This was the best lineup. Marsden, Moody, Hughes, Paice and Lord.
Hughes?
@@TheLjohnfoxx Roger Glover, a Murray?
Interesting,, Great photos of Cozy & the band what a incredible lineup of the 1st WhiteSnake rockers.. :)
Hi Scott, great to see you! Thanks for the visit, much appreciated!
1987 was such a great album. It's a shame they couldn't work things out and produce another album together.
I am so bummed I could not see this show because my band was playing the same night. Kar does so much research for these stories. Great job Kar!
Big thanks Shawn!
the real shame here is the fact that coverdale NEVER took "chemistry" into consideration here.. it was sykes and co. that put together "slide it in" and "slow and easy",etc, before the 87 album. there was a chemistry there that was working big time in davids' favor. once you fired those guys, he was NEVER able to achieve that again. sykes gave him the machine to stardom with great riffs that turned into hits. vandenburg and vai could NOT provide that for him. at least NOT in such a short period of time. had they stayed around for some years and developed some "chemistry" , it may have happened. but alas, that was NOT the case.. sykes was the golden goose that coverdale simply let get away. they could have easily put out another 2 or 3 great albums before the grunge movement kicked in... cementing him in rock and roll fame.
but he learned. good to be bad and forevermore are really good albums. felt they were a band again.
Whitesnakes best success was with slide it in and 87. They pushed slip of the tongue but it never took off. I think blue murder had more success than slip...
To be fair, I think Vandenberg and Coverdale songs were genuinely really good. Sure, the guitar riffs are nothing compared to 87 (or even pre-Sykes), but the songs on Slip of the Tongue are quite enjoyable (and sparkled up with Vai's playing)
Slide it in and Slow and Easy was a far better album than Here I go again. I still listen to Slide it in on that Spotify playlist!!
Slide it in and slow and easy was rerecorded by sykes, NOT written by sykes. The eu version of that album has mel galley and Micky Moody, it was remixed for US release
🎸🙋♀️Sykes’ talent is undeniable. I wore out my cassette of 1989 Blue Murder album. Also some of my fav masterpiece songs are Whitesnake, with & w/o Sykes.
John Sykes reinvented Whitesnake. Coverdale owes his career to John Sykes.
Great video, love it! Thanks for the upload
Many thanks for checking out Callahan, much appreciated!
One of my more favorite conversations I have had with guitar heroes, Sykes is right there close to the top. I was a musician grinding in the 80's with a lot of these guys in LA, I had access to any concert that I wanted at the Forum in LA. The best part, often, was the after-party at the forum club downstairs. It was a who's-who of 80's rock. One night (I do not remember who I saw that night) I went down there and there was John. He was alone, sipping on a pint, just leaning against a dark wall people watching. This was after the dismissal (and although I saw the Vandenberg/Campbell version of WS, it was not THAT night - but close). I walked up to him with the "arrogant little prick" attitude, and he immediately disarmed me. He was so very kind and gentle. The WS issue was a "no fly zone," but other than that he was one of the kindest guitar heroes that I had ever met. We people watched together. We laughed at how Tommy and Heather always got that same booth on the right at the entrance to be seen. He would point people out - "There's Lukather." We talked about the club itself, the Forum, the LA scene, just stuff. I have no opinion on the differences between DC and JS, but I can say that John was a kind, gentle soul that appreciated that I appreciated him and didn't mind being a normal human with me.
It's criminal that John Sykes doesn't get the recognition he's worthy of. Blue Murder 'here comes trouble' album is amazing work.
This channel s so fascinating! It’s great to hear the stories told by an actual musician who knows their stuff and lives through this as well!
Big thanks Robbie, much appreciated!
If we could get a Sykes and Plant album that would the ultimate payback
Oh I love this idea! That would've been a really great project!
It'd be a nice riposte to Coverdale/page!
@@karsguitarchannel6088 Plant would never do it. If there's one person who likes to call his own shots more than Coverdale, it's Plant. No way Plant would cede to Sykes. Coverdale only did it for Page due to his enormous respect of Jimmy.
David coversong wanted to be plant so bad
I would listen to that..
Sykes was playing with WS going back to at least 1985. It would be nice to hear the full history between these two.
David Coverdale sings 'Love Ain't No Stranger'... maybe not... but the truth obviously is. I'd believe Sykes over Coverdale (and his paid lackeys) any time.
The biggest mistake of Coverdale’s career was firing his real band and replacing them with a “made for MTV” band of hired guns. They looked great and had the chops obviously, but when it came time to write a follow up, Sykes was sorely missed. Whitesnake was never the same once Sykes was fired. That follow up album “slip of the tongue” was an embarrassment.
yyyyup.
Sykes was influential in getting the 'Whitesnake' sound adapted to the American audience, and he was excellent at his craft🤩! David took Whitesnake to greater heights and sustained the music for decades! Sykes is not missed, appreciated yes, but Reb, Doug, Steve Vai, Adrian, Vivian, and Tommy🤩 carried the torch quite well 😉!! Anyone that thinks 'Slip of the Tongue & Good to be Bad' are not as good as Sykes' recording 'self-titled Whitesnake' are not being honest🤔. David has always surrounded himself with good musicians and talent, And David knows more than anyone what the 'Whitesnake' sound Is!! Sykes, thanks but you were not Whitesnake, David is the Heart & Mind of Whitesnake 🤩!!
Dawson Yeess 👍❤️🇦🇷
@@terrydawson8371 Agreed !!😊
I’ll tell you what….it’s psychological. Once that red light comes on, it totally throws you off! Because it’s GO time. Money is involved. On any other day, your voice is fine because there is no pressure.
John sykes was brilliant in thin lizzy
The Black Sabbath tune "Warning" from their 1970 debut album was actually written by Aynsley Dunbar and band Retaliation, an excellent English blues band for those interested.
Really...I thought that was an Anamals tune with Chas Chandler
WOW. I met Sykes in NYC at 330 AM at a Lizzy Tribute show. He signed my last live performance record of Thin Lizzy. He was so cool, and a very nice guy. He was doing this Lizzy thing for the Music in my opinion. He cares about Phil. He Cares about music. He IS a beyond great musician. You can be great, but it is important to be cool. Sykes was cool in my Opinion. Saw it firsthand.
With Whitesnake ready to start their farewell tour, it would be so great to have a video of Sykes joining David on stage and playing Still of the Night together ONCE live. But I doubt it would happen.
The first time I ever heard Jon was the thin Lizzy song cold sweat. Man he stood out. Great guitarist and songwriter
Saw them Aug 30th 1987 Hampton VA open up for Motley on their girls, girls, girls tour. They were on fire.
Once the recording was over, Coverdale knew 87 was going to be a very successful album. So, instead of sharing the loot from the album sales, with the rest of his bandmates, he came up with the idea to fire all of them, so he could keep all the money for himself. And he did well collecting big bucks, until Tawny Kitaen got in his life and started spending tens of thousands of dollars every week.
Oh I think Tawny deserved that. Thanks to her, those videos became huge!
Even Coverdale admitted that people watched those videos first because of Tawny!
@@karsguitarchannel6088 I agree 100%.
Say what you want about her but she was extremely important in their success. Those videos would not have been nearly as big without her so she earned some money I’d say. She helped them make millions and boosted them on mtv. She was as important as anyone in the band honestly. Look at how much white snake has fallen off without her and Sykes
Crying In The Rain from the '87 record, is his magnum opus. Such a long, burning.and emotional guitar solo. Couldn't imagine my teenage years without that record.
@@500erider It’s not his magnum opus. It’s not even his song !
It most certainly is his guitar solo. I never said that he wrote the song. I think you'll find that the solo in the original was quite different. Not exactly sure what your point is, or why you felt the need to say what you did ? I was pretty clear with what I said, and I stand by what I said. John Sykes was the lead guitarist for Whitesnake from 1984-1987, and of all the GUITAR SOLOS he laid to Whitesnake tape, the one he created and played on the 1987 version of Crying In The Rain, IN MY OPINION, is his magnum opus. Understand ?
Sykes is just a natural musician and true rock guitar legend. He is naturally gifted by God.
Great video my friend...had me hooked from beginning to end.
Many thanks!!!
Never been a big fan of the '87 album, the band became a metal band, a little too slick for me. I prefer the earlier albums and the Paice/Murray rhythm section was the best Whitesnake ever had. In terms of commercial success then Coverdale did the right thing in making the band more appealing physically and embracing that 80s metal sound and look.
Worked at the Record Plant Recording studio from 1991 to 2007. Hung with John, Mike Fraser and Tommy. What a time it was ....
Sinus infections are a thing, obviously. Nose candy problem???
A lot of the pics show Cozy (R.I.P.) with the band. Didn’t Aynsley Dunbar play drums on the ‘87 album?
1987 Is the best album ever... and Sykes guitar work was amazing! great video!
Many thanks!!!
Sir!!! SUPER HUGE FAN OF YOUR PAGE!!! Thank you!!!
Many thanks, great pleasure to hear that, I appreciate!!!
Sounds like a lot of selective amnesia all the way around. A trivial thing sticks out to me. I'm not saying guitar players haven't had crappy sounds before. You know, washy, too much chorus, too many effects kind of experiments. As a guitar player myself, I know I drive people nuts with my tuning. We're known for it. Loathed for it. Am I supposed to believe John Sykes heard wholly unusable guitar tracks, so badly out of tune David couldn't sing to it and he went, "sounds great to me!" I doubt this.
I could never function in bands, as I can NOT play out of tune!
Coverdale was in fear of John stealing his thunder, instead of seeing him as an asset, saw this as a threat ?
I was lucky enough to meet John Sykes backstage at the 1st gig he did with my favourite band THIN LIZZY (REGAL THEATRE Hitchin Herts)
Thunder & Lightning is a heavy weight LIZZY album and John gave it the steriod injection it needed!
Mike Stone becameva friend of mine and not only a top rock producer (Queen, KISS, Journey and TEN etc etc) He was also a great human being!
Pete Woodroffe Music UK
Hey Pete thanks for the visit, you are very welcome!!
Whitesnake in the 80s was defined by John Sykes. Coverdale shafted the entire '85 band. Sykes was great in Thin Lizzy as well.
As much as I love Dann Huff, I find his solo on the radio version of "Here I Go Again" pales in comparison to Sykes'.
No radio station in my area played the Huff version...it was always the album cut. I had to seek out the radio edit.
Heh....the Radio "edit" was on the 45 and the Greatest Hits album. It wasn't even really an edit...it was a full on rerecord, that didn't get played ever!
Ironically, the album cut was the one solo on the entire album that was NOT played by Sykes. It was Adrian Vandenberg. Completely different tone from the rest of the album, and it sits differently in the mix than all the other solos on the album. John Sykes is quoted as saying it was the one solo he wasn’t able to finish before he got fired.
I heard a watered down version of Still of the Night on satellite radio yesterday. Where'd that come from?
Still of the Night was the best Whitesnake song thanks to Sykes. It almost didn't happen too. Sykes made the song happen and took Whitesnake to it's height of greatness. 1987 was their best selling album and David couldn't get the same success ever again.
What did sykes achieve after 87 ? Besides Blue Murder, which in all honesty is not very good. Lacking everything that made 87 great
@@haggbom72 better you didn't listen to any blue murder album
Love Dan Huff and his work in Giant. Cool story. I’ve never heard this before.
I went right off Coverdale after he did this. He treated Neil Murray even worse. Murray and Dunbar weren't even being paid, why didn't David fight for them? Robert Plant has slammed David in the past saying he isn't very reliable. The Powell, Murray, Sykes and Coverdale line up was so good and would have gone on to make some great albums. Instead it became style over substance.
I'll never forget Cozy Powell's drum solo with the Brian May band at Edinburgh Playhouse . Dust and plaster being shaken and falling of the roof because of his intense power. Excellent Video Thankyou. 🎸 👌
Thank you, great pleasure!
Saw the Sykes/Murray/Powell version play second bill to Quiet Riot in October 1984 in Kansas City. Sykes was incredible. They wiped the stage with QR. (half the crowd left during QR). Opener was Helix.
Saw that same line up here in LA John killed it David did all that works how come you never wrote anything like that when John was gone
This was the first real rock album I ever heard. It's what got me into hard rock and that's become a huge part of who am today. I followed John Sykes to Blue Murder and I loved their work. Like a lot of people, I would then branch off into grunge and heavier forms of metal, but I am happy to say that I have just stumbled across a John Sykes solo album, and it's clear that he hasn't lost his touch. I remain a big fan.
I’m not a all happy with the way John Sykes was screwed (and the other members)BUT OUT OF THE ASHES OF THAT BETRAYAL CAME BLUE MURDER,WHICH IS ONE KICK ASS BAND!!JOHN IS AN INCREDIBLE VOCALIST,HES ALSO A GREAT SONG WRITER AND AMAZING GUITARIST (WHEN I SAY AMAZING,I MEAN REALLY AMAZING!!)People Like Coverdale just make me sick,I was betrayed in my band PHANTOMXPROJECT by my guitar,singer in which I taught him how to scream and put feeling and dynamics into not only his playing,But applying emotions (through dynamics)into not only playing live,But writing the music to have these feelings when they were played live!!The Thanks you get for this is envy,Accompanied with a huge stab in the back,So in some way John creating Blue Murder and being so awesome was validation for him and made me feel a certain sense of peace which I know sounds weird (cause he didn’t do it for me,obviously)But for anyone who’s been used and screwed over by someone they were working with!!SO GREAT JOB MR SYKES!!!
Coverdale should’ve pulled back on the lines up his nose
Collapsed septum in 1986=Too much nose candy❄️
IKR? "Sinus infection" 😂😂😂😂
Thanks to TH-cam I've been able to find out what an incredible guitarist John Sykes was/is, watching him live from the 80s he has to be highly ranked, especially with no whammy tricks. But Whitesnake always was Coverdale's band, Sykes was beginning to shine brighter than Coverdale, not a surprise it ended but would have really enjoyed seeing the same lineup play the 87 album live. Sounds like everyone was tired of Coverdale's prima donna LSD(Lead Singer Disease) but it was still a pretty good gig. As long as you're getting paid. Geffen did have a hand in the supergroup retooling, which was a great lineup, but that Slide It In lineup was great in its own right. The new band liked to play dress up more than the old band. From all the info available now about what goes on in the studio probably half of what we hear was recorded by someone else who just took a paycheck. And in current time Coverdale can longer sing worth sh!t and Sykes still can rock the house.
totally agree!
It is unfortunately though that Sykes did not move on and had a good productive run afterwards.
Coverdale is one strange looking dude now. Still has ridiculous big hair and all his posts are narcissistic.
I knew Cozy Powell, he lived near me in the 80's, he drove a white Ferrari 308 GTB
Amazing, thanks!
They were under tremendous pressure to finish that album. The album came out three years after Slide It In. The '87 album has a very different vibe than Slide It In or any earlier Whitesnake albums. It did not have any of that 70s British heavy blues rock vibe. It was hard rock to metal and very American sounding, except for Sykes' playing which has a real European style to it. The guitar work and the tone are amazing. John primarily used a Boogie Mark II head through Marshall cabs and his Les Paul. He used a superstrat when he needed trem effects.
I don't know man. This proves how soft they are as people. Thank God 80's was full of real rockers and thrashers with drive. So many bands with less equipment and more problems pumping out gold.
@@blackbeansmatter1280 John Sykes is a far superior axman to 99% of the best thrash players. I'm not going to call him a virtuoso on the level of Marty Friedman, but he's certainly great rock/metal player. I don't know that I'd call Coverdale soft. He's made his living in music going on fifty years now. He was under a lot of pressure and having health issues. That's no picnic. I know he sounds like a whining primadonna from a certain angle, but he could never get away screaming like Tom Araya or Chuck Schuldiner. Nothing against them, their voices always worked well for the super heavy stuff. But Coverdale was known for a more commercial brand of metal/hard rock. The '87 album has its moments. But I prefer Slide It In.
I knew there was something wrong with that radio version of Here I Go Again.
The fact that to this day Sykes refuses to talk to Coverdale, despite Coverdale saying that he wants to clear all the bitterness of his life, is proof that Sykes isn't lying. They're BOTH ego maniacs
Sykes left a Thin Lizzy reunion in the lurch to join WS for the megabucks, seems he got treated the same way he treated Lynott.
However if he got ripped off by Coverdale, and that IS Sykes on the album then Coverdale should pay him his dues.
LoL Right outta of the gate, I want to make it clear dude, I'm not choosing sides over the Sykes/Coverdale split over the '87 album. I think they were both tremendous assholes to each other and they both had egos the size of the Goodyear blimp.The only real losses, aside from a tremendous amount of money from Sykes' bank account, was what the fans were denied live show wise. That albums touring cycle could have been incredible. I'm just passing on what I remember from that time period. My opinion still to this day, David Coverdale's ego and greed sucked the life out of what could have easily been one of the best shows ever seen and heard, for hard rock fans. For a simple, stripped down, no frills, no big fireworks display, live hard rock band and show, that original '87 album lineup would have crushed it every night! It's just a shame. Sykes' arrogance when it came down to perfection, had to be a mountain of bullshit to deal with. As well as dealing with Coverdale's daily b.s., so they're both equally responsible. I personally think Coverdale was doing to much of something and that's what was ruining his sinuses and throat. "Worst sinus infection I've ever seen" is what the doctor said. lol I've been to Vancouver twice and the climate was always awesome and enjoyable outside. In the country, the air was as clean as you could possibly ever want to breath in your lungs. Coverdale is from a place where it rains all the time...I mean c'mon man! lol It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. lol Sykes and his fellow musicians/band mates had what was and could easily be seen a mile away, a monster album that was full of obvious hits. The split was then and still is today, one of those things that's very disappointing. Things in life happen like that, for better or for worse. As fans of guitar, we definitely got the shit end of the stick, when it came to the touring side of this album without Sykes on board, damn we all got the shaft! Sykes was firing on all cylinders playing live at that time and obviously by what he put on tape for the '87 album, all cylinders in the studio as well. I was 15 when it happened, but I knew even back then when adults make a BIG mistake and you can seriously see it a mile away, it just dumb on their part. I was stunned that they didn't get their shit together and work things out. As much money as Coverdale made, if Sykes had stayed on board playing those songs flawlessly every night, word of mouth would have had them easily tripling what they grossed on that tour. I was completely and extremely pissed off when I found out that Sykes was fired while finishing up the recording of the '87 album. I was a huge fan of the re-recording that Sykes had done on the 'Slide it In' record, for it's American release. Sykes took a killer album and made it even better than it was before. A very hard thing to do, because that band lineup for 'Slide it In' was badass! I was really looking forward to what Sykes was writing to follow up 'Slide it In' especially knowing his playing level was at 100% during and after that tour cycle for Slide. I have so much respect for the band who recorded the original music for 'Slide it In', so I knew if Sykes made that album sound even better/tighter, good god what he has to do as a follow up will be incredible. I was right too. John Sykes and the original '87 album lineup wrote some blistering hard rock music. Sykes' solos were perfect on every song. Everything about those songs just fit so well together. So, for what was available to me as a kid, magazine articles, radio interviews, some MTV blurbs here and there, and some short phone conversations with a very popular and by my luck, a very local radio Dj(12 miles aways) named Allan Handleman I got some inside info that wasn't easy to get back then. Allan was and still is the coolest, nicest Dj in the FM radio business! He was the last guy to interview Bon Scott before his untimely demise. Allan always knew alot of what was going on with bands at that time. Allan also had one of the best interviews I'd ever heard with 2 out of the 4 members of Pantera... Phil and Dimebag during the early tour cycle of CFH. So, in one or two conversations he told me that according to his inside info, Coverdale went completely dark on Sykes right before and when '87 was just about done. He went to no communication even more so, after it's completion and release. David fired Sykes and as this video explains thoroughly, he tried to replace Sykes and even go as far a having some of his guitar parts completely redone. Even the hired gun had a hard time and told Coverdale to get Sykes back! Along with that, he also fired the rest of the band to cut even more people out of royalties and tour pay.This is what his contact had told him anyway. Coverdale knew that he was sitting on gold mine of an album, that was full of money making singles. When he'd been told by many people inside the record company that Sykes was trying to take Full control of Whitesnake along with a handful of other things, he fired him. Can't really blame him for that, Coverdale really did hold up the album progress and Sykes and the band were tired of it, but John did kinda try and take over Whitesnake. So, that kinda explains why the rest of the band was fired too. Sykes and the other members gave David all the amo/reasons that he needed to clean the house as a band. They did so at the worst time they could have ever done that kinda crap too. Allan told me this stuff was just heresy and it was roughly only 3 weeks after the record was out. Again, when he told me this stuff he said it wasn't what he'd been told first hand, but here we are now and everything w
has/was/and did happen pretty much exactly how he was told! Sykes tried to make a few power plays at wrong time! lol Coverdale seized the opportunity to completely cash in on those mistakes by hiring an all gunslinger band and he got to keep most of the profits for himself. So, Sykes did screw up more than a few things. Coverdale was an absolute greedy jackass and he still is today. If I was John Sykes I wouldn't talk to Coverdale either. He rode Sykes' talent and the other band members extremely killer music down a road paved with gold and also shut them out of the biggest portion of the profits...the entire 'sold out' touring cycle. Nobody really won. They both looked like jackasses. I saw the '87 tour twice and not one of those guys Vandenberg or Campbell could play John's music worth a shit. I saw the '87 tour twice and the 'Slip of the Tongue' tour twice and in 4 different shows, not once did they get the solo to 'Still of the Night' correct. I may have seen them a few more times, bit I'm getting old and the memory ain't what it used to be. lol I do know they weren't even close to Sykes' solos, or his phrasing style. It was almost as bad as how people say Marty Friedman is the best guitar player Megadeth ever had and he never once got ANY of Chris Poland's solos correct in the 9 times I saw him play with Megadeth. Steve Vai was awesome when got with Whitesnake, I will say that much, but Sykes' bluesy/ripping style was very missed by almost everyone I spoke with at those shows. Vai came the closest out of all of them. Nobody won. Sykes blew his career, even though Blue Murder was awesome live. Coverdale was exposed to be the greedy, ego ridden, arrogant jerk most already knew that he was anyway. Sorry for the book lol, but long story short, I wouldn't ever talk to Coverdale again either, without around 10 million being on the table when they have their talk.
@@richardcurtis2693 I agree with a lot of what you wrote. I saw them from 1982 onwards when they were still a blues based band. I also saw Sykes with Thin Lizzy. One point that seems to be missed is Coverdale had wrecked his voice, I read it was down to smoking and other chemicals, he got vocal training by a Jewish Cantor and his vocal range hugely improved, I don't think he could have sung those songs without that training. I also read that Sykes was getting more female attention than Coverdale that's up for debate but I do know that Sykes pushed WS to another level after that it became more style over substance for many. It did save WS and Coverdale always said the band were broke before MTV played their videos. Coverdale may have ripped Sykes off, kind of reminds me of what Mrs Osbourne did to many musicians too. I still prefer all the albums up to 1987 than after it. Sources say Coverdale will replace himself with their new guitarist who is a very bluesy singer after this tour, while he continues to manage them.
@@Thirdfish Thin Lizzy broke up in 1983, and Sykes had Phil's blessing to join Whitesnake.
@@MrChopsticktech I don't remember it quite that way, Lizzy did break up but Phil was putting Grand Slam with Sykes but Sykes was quietly auditioning for WS, then Joined WS, Phil being Phil was upset but the gent he was didn't stand in his way. To be honest I saw Grand Slam who were a poor man's Lizzy and rumour had it that Phil wanted to reform Lizzy after being offered a tour, mainly because no label would sign GS and Phil was considered a risk due to his addiction, after that gig I knew it was pretty much over. Sadly.
On hindsight Sykes made the right decision but it pissed me off that years after Phil died Sykes reformed Lizzy after not much success with Blue Murder, It was a brand cash in however that wouldn't have happened if Coverdale paid him his fair share.
Truth is Coverdale was never able to replace Sykes. Whitesnake would've been better had Sykes stayed.
The fact that Coverdale can't keep a line up throughout his career tells you who the problem is.
Yes and probably another reason why he did so was to keep Whitesnake fresh.
I loved Sykes in Thin Lizzy even though the band itself wasn’t in the best of shape when he replaced Gary Moore.
The party life had taken its toll and John had the near impossible task of breathing new life into a worn out band. He kept the show on the road.
Thanks a lot for this video. I’ve always wondered how things really went down between the two. Sadly, I think Coverdale has a bit of an ego thing going on (think Marsden and Moody would also agree - His late ex wife Tawny sure did). He wouldn’t let anyone with strong opinions of what the band should be get in the way. I think late great Cozy Powell, not a shy man himself, got a bit of a taste of David’s own medicine too.
Too bad this all happened cuz they would have taken the band to the next level with John. Vandenberg was trash. Heard him play through solos out of key numerous times in live performances. I’m sure you can find ‘em on here and see what I’m talking about. But when all is said and done, David was the musical genius when it came to writing songs. Slip of the tongue has a lot of great tunes with DC’s stamp all over them. I’m amazed at how little recognition he gets for the earlier WS stuff. Slide it in is one of my favorite albums. It’s a shame he just couldn’t seem to back the music up by good working relationships with most of the bandmembers he’s been with over the years.
My best recordings have been when the engineer said, "I'm not recording, let's just run through it" it's amazing how great you play when you think it's not being recorded
Thanks Kar, I learn so much from your vids🎸🎸🎸🎸☇🎹🎶❣
Hi SAHARA "HASHA" ART! Many thanks, such a great pleasure to hear that!
Oh Steve Vai's work on the Whitesnake 89 album is amazing! But of course the 1987 is the best! When I was 14, I loved so much that Fool For Your Loving video... David's voice and Vai's guitar sound, plus Tawny in the car
I agree, there's no doubt when it comes to the sound on both records and when you have a couple of egomaniacs in a band, the conflict will come into play no matter what but Whitesnake has always been and always will be Davids band and John knew that coming in. Also, Cozy Powell was in the group when they started writing and at the last minute the group was asked to take Def Leppard's spot at Rock In Rio that year and at that point, David and Cozy were having issues and didn't want to continue after the festival, Neil Murray was also having issues with David and left the group during recording Slide it in and I honestly don't know how he got him back in the group but he did, so it's easy to see that David was the captain of the ship, and rightfully so, but when it came to how the group sound would develop into, that was Sykes and Kalodner saw that. As time went on after signing to Geffen, he would have to let others come on board with him to get the group to the successful point of other groups at the time and he had one of the best at the time and couldn't accept the way Geffen and Kalodner did, sure the album did fantastic as well as tours with Motley Crue then headlining later on that year, unfortunately, they wouldn't see success with the next album but it did ok, nowhere near the 1987 album so I say the proof is in the pudding so to speak.
No band with any member could follow up an album with that same success. After a band peaks (in sales) it’s down hill.
SYKES COULD HAVE SUNG THOSE SONGS HIMSELF.
@@rhaastaa Pavarotti could have sung those songs? What’s your point?