Brian Johnston had proved unsuitable for Whitesnake’s intense live performances, and Moody’s ex-Snafu colleague Pete Solley was quickly hired for the band’s first recording sessions.

The resulting ‘Snakebite’ EP included the old standard ‘Ain’t No Love (In The Heart Of The City)’, which was to become Whitesnake’s signature tune. After a follow-up round of live shows, and with a first group album almost complete, it was decided to replace Solley with Jon Lord, who agreed to join after hearing, and enjoying, the debut EP.

(photo. Back row: David Dowle, Micky Moody, David Coverdale, Neil Murray.
Front row: Pete Solley, Bernie Marsden)

 

                                                              

Jon Lord joined in time to overdub keyboards onto the new album, which was released as ‘Trouble’ in October 1978. It was generally viewed as a disappointment, largely failing to capture the energy which the band put across on stage. This was to become a recurring problem with a lot of the studio output.

The band’s stature in the UK and Europe continued to grow apace however, aided by Lord’s presence, and they ended the year with a headlining show at London’s Hammersmith Odeon (soon to become their second home). The show was recorded, and released in March 1980 (as a single edited album 'Live At Hammersmith') when the Japanese decided that a live album would help the band's first tour there.

A regular Whitesnake occurrence was the latest line-up of the band touring in support of an album recorded by a previous line-up. David Dowle was increasingly viewed as the band’s weak link – being a jazz-rock drummer unsuited to Whitesnake’s heavy r’n’b - and was axed soon after recording the next album.

(photo. Neil Murray, Bernie Marsden, David Coverdale, Micky Moody, David Dowle, Jon Lord)

‘Lovehunter’ appeared in October 1979, and in good time for the supporting tour Ian Paice eagerly stepped in to the band, strengthening the live sound, and increasing the ex-Purple quota to three. The others responded with "No I wasn’t in Deep Fucking Purple’ t-shirts! With ‘Lovehunter’ already in the racks, the new line-up’s first recording sessions were for Bernie Marsden’s ‘About Time Too’ solo album.

The 1979 shows were possibly the band’s peak live performances, and were followed up in 1980 by their most consistent album to date in ‘Ready & Willing’ and a #13 UK hit single in the shape of the wonderfully taut ‘Fool For Your Loving’. In the UK, Europe and Japan the band had hit the top, rounding off the year at home with a headlining spot at the Reading Festival, and another major album success with the 'Live In The Heart Of The City' album, which added 1980 performances to the original 'Live At Hammersmith' to make up a double LP

American recognition remained a very long way off; a late 1980 support slot with Jethro Tull barely made a scratch. In 1981 complacency set in. The tremendously strong ‘Don’t Break My Heart Again’ single kept up standards, but the new album ‘Come An’ Get It’ (despite reaching #1 in the UK) failed to improve on the band’s previous output. With rows over money brewing, and with David Coverdale feeling that the rest of the band lacked his ambition to push Whitesnake onwards and upwards, he came to the decision in early 1982 to disband the line-up entirely.

(photo. Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, David Coverdale, Neil Murray)

click above to view the next pages