WHITESNAKE
‘BOX ‘O’ SNAKES: THE SUNBURST YEARS 1978-1982’
9 AUDIO DISC + DVD & 7” VINYL BOX SET
INCLUDING A 90-PAGE BOOK
On November 7th, EMI will release a super deluxe box set of Whitesnake’s Sunburst Years. Collecting together all studio and live albums, two previously unreleased BBC concerts, a limited 7”, DVD and a 90-page book with new interviews and previously unseen photos and rare memorabilia, all overseen by David Coverdale.
Following the split of Deep Purple, after three years as their lead singer David Coverdale released two solo albums: ‘Whitesnake’ (1977) and ‘Northwinds’ (1978), both sowing the seeds for what would eventually become Whitesnake.
Whitesnake originally formed in March 1978 to promote the release of ‘Northwinds’, but eventually releasing the 4-track 7” ‘Snakebite EP’ in June of that year, followed by the full-length debut ‘Trouble’ before the end of 1978. Jon Lord and Ian Paice, both founder members of Deep Purple, would augment the line-up, helping steer the band close to the top of the charts in 1981 (only kept off the top spot Adam & The Ants’ ‘Kings Of The Wild Frontier’).
By the end of 1982 with the release of “Saints & Sinners”, the band had released five studio albums, two live albums and an EP. These earlier, ‘bluesier’ recordings the band made before signing to Geffen (for ‘Slide It In’ (1984) and the 8 million-selling ‘1987’, including the US no.1 ‘Here I Go Again’), were from a band certainly big enough to sell out Hammersmith Odeon four nights in a row, or headline 1983’s Donington Monsters Of Rock festival, though a very different beast to the world conquering ‘1987’ version of the band.
‘BOX ‘O’ SNAKES: THE SUNBURST YEARS 1978-1982’ is an 11-disc set – including the original 1982 version of ‘Here I Go Again’ – featuring nine audio CDs, a DVD and a 7” white vinyl replica of the ‘Snakebite EP’, the very first release from Whitesnake, remastered versions of the five studio albums and two live albums Whitesnake released from 1978-1982, plus two previously unreleased live albums recorded for the BBC at the 1979 & 1980 Reading Festivals. The DVD features 10 promo videos, four rare BBC TV performances and a previously unreleased US live show filmed in 1980. The release is housed in a lift-off-lid box and also contains a 90-page hardback book featuring an introduction from Classic Rock magazine’s Geoff Barton, plus a new 10,000 word interview with David Coverdale and Bernie Marsden, with many unpublished photos and rare memorabilia from Marden’s personal collection, as well as a large colour poster .
‘BOX ‘O’ SNAKES: THE SUNBURST YEARS 1978-1982’ TRACKLIST & CONTENT
Disc One: TROUBLE (1978)
1. Take Me With You
2. Love To Keep You Warm
3. Lie Down (A Modern Love Song)
4. Day Tripper
5. Nighthawk (Vampire Blues)
6. The Time Is Right For Love
7. Trouble
8. Belgian Tom’s Hat Trick
9. Free Flight
10. Don’t Mess With Me
Disc Two: LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH (1978)
1. Come On
2. Might Just Take Your Life
3. Lie Down
4. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City
5. Trouble
6. Mistreated
Disc Three: LOVEHUNTER (1979)
1. Long Way From Home
2. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues
3. Help Me Thro’ The Day
4. Medicine Man
5. You ‘N’ Me
6. Mean Business
7. Love Hunter
8. Outlaw
9. Rock ‘N’ Roll Women
10. We Wish You Well
Disc Four: READY AN’WILLING (1980)
1. Fool For Your Loving
2. Sweet Talker
3. Ready An’Willing
4. Carry Your Load
5. Blindman
6. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More
7. Love Man
8. Black and Blue
9. She’s A Woman
Disc Five: LIVE…. IN THE HEART OF THE CITY (1980)
1. Come On
2. Sweet Talker
3. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues
4. Love Hunter
5. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City
6. Fool For Your Loving
7. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More
8. Ready An’Willing
9. Take Me With You
Disc Six: COME AN’ GET IT (1981)
1. Come An’ Get It
2. Hot Stuff
3. Don’t Break My Heart Again
4. Lonely Days, Lonely Nights
5. Wine,Women An’ Song
6. Child of Babylon
7. Would I Lie To You
8. Girl
9. Hit An’ Run
10. Till The Day I Die
Disc Seven: SAINTS & SINNERS (1982)
1. Young Blood
2. Rough An’ Ready
3. Bloody Luxury
4. Victim Of Love
5. Crying In The Rain
6. Here I Go Again
7. Love An’ Affection
8. Rock An’ Roll Angels
9. Dancing Girls
10. Saints An’ Sinners
Disc Eight: LIVE AT READING ROCK ’79 (1979)
1. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues
2. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City
3. Steal Away
4. Belgian Tom’s Hat Trick
5. Mistreated/Soldier Of Fortune
6. Love Hunter
7. Breakdown
Disc Nine: LIVE AT READING ROCK ’80 (1980)
1. Sweet Talker
2. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues
3. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More
4. Love Hunter
5. Mistreated/Soldier Of Fortune
6. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City
7. Fool For Your Loving
Disc Ten: DVD VIDEO
• Promo Videos 1978-1982
• TV Performances
• Extra Feature: Official Bootleg
Live at the Capital Centre, Washington, USA 1980
SNAKEBITE EP (1978) 33rpm 7” White Vinyl
Side One
1. Bloody Mary
2. Steal Away
Side Two
1. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City
2. Come On
