619. Whitesnake / Live at Donington 1990. 2011. 4/5

The long-overdue release of this Donington headlining performance has always seemed a little strange to me, given that most of us (myself included) have possessed an A-quality bootleg of the concert for over a decade. Why then do you wait until just a couple of months after you have released a new solo album (the rank average Forevermore) to also throw this into the mix as well? Is it to remind the old fans that they are still around, and by the way we have a new album out as well? I don't know, but the marketing side of things seemed a little unusual.

So here in all of its glory is Whitesnake live in 1990 on the Slip of the Tongue tour, with David Coverdale surrounded by a fair armoury of Steve Vai, Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. Like many live performances of the age, it was a mixed bag. Coverdale's vocals in a live setting often seem to be a little out, whether it is just that he can't do live what he does in the studio (and he's not the only vocalist in that boat) or that it just doesn't come across great in the recording, but at times in some tracks he appears to be struggling. No big drama, that's live music. The song list is a mix of new and old, of fast and slow, and because of this the album runs hot and cold.
The album starts off with a bang, with "Slip of the Tongue" exploding out of the speakers, followed by "Slide It In" and the powerful "Judgement Day". No argument here, we're moving along well. "Slow An' Easy" slows the tempo down a little, before the gangbusters "Kittens Got Claws" raises the bar once again.

From here though, we move into the middle of the album, where everything gets a little awkward. When you are at a live show, watching the band perform and jumping around, there can be seen to be a little bit of sense in the 'solo break'. It gives the other band member s a break and, in my case at least, an opportunity for the crowd to grab a beer or a smoke before hostilities recommence. However, on a live album that you are listening to in the comfort of your home or in the car, solo breaks are unnecessary and above all else - boring!
So here it is that amongst some of Whitesnake's biggest songs - "Cheap An' Nasty", "Crying in the Rain" and "Fool For Your Loving" - we are subjected to Vandenberg's solo break, then Aldridge's solo break, and then Vai's solo break. Great for people at the show. Almost completely futile for those of us who just want to listen to the songs.
"Here I Go Again" and the super "Bad Boys" close out the bulk of the show, before the very average "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" and the overblown "Still of the Night" complete the album if not overwhelmingly, then perhaps less than excitedly.

This is an excellent recoding of a moment in history, when Whitesnake were at their theoretical peak in regards to commercial success. Despite the reticence I have displayed here, this is still worth grabbing and listening to, unless you have that bootleg of the gig tucked away somewhere. If you do, then its quality is just as good as this, so save your dollars.