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Classic Rock News And Views
April 17, 2009
Latest Rock Spat Puts David Coverdale And Joe Lynn Turner At Odds
Referring to Joe Lynn Turner as a “daft bugger” and “total prick,” David Coverdale is clearly not happy about allegations coming from the former Rainbow frontman accusing Coverdale of lip-synching during live performances.
According to Coverdale, the lip-synching rumors started on the internet last year in Spain when Whitesnake was touring with Alice Cooper and have refused to die off. “I do not, have not and will not use tapes of my voice to mime in concert. My band and I perform and sing live in concert. Yeah… we’re that f—ing good!,” Coverdale said recently.
In order to disprove the rumors, a journalist was invited to join the group’s sound man at his station in front of the stage during a show in Germany.
The comments from the German journalist seemed to throw water on the allegations of lip-synching and quoted sound man Bradley Johnson regarding Coverdale’s unusual technique, which involves holding his microphone further away from his mouth than most other singers.
Coverdale’s technique results in a particularly challenging situation according to Johnson, who says that, “I work extremely hard to accommodate David’s mic technique. I endeavour to make every syllable and nuance of his vocal heard no matter how far the microphone strays from the sweet spot.”
Summing it all up, Johnson had the following comment: “Getting a vocal mic audible over a juggernaut guitar rig when it is three feet from a singers mouth is no small task. Some nights I win, some nights I do not. As far as running tracks live… ludicrous.”
Below is video reported to be from a Whitesnake show in Barcelona last summer that has some nice close-up footage of Coverdale. Lip-synching? Seems unlikely, but viewers can judge for themselves.
For more on this story, see Classic Rock Magazine.
May 18, 2008
Led Zeppelin Tour Rumors Rise And Fall Again
It started again last weekend with a report that Whitesnake’s David Coverdale was making comments that suggested his group would be joining Led Zeppelin on a world tour.
Coverdale reportedly told the U.K.’s Daily Mirror newspaper that he 
was expecting a call from Jimmy Page and was anxious to accept an invitation to join the legendary group for their world tour.
Needless to say, the alleged comments by Coverdale set off another round of Led Zeppelin tour rumors that appeared in various other publications and web sites. It was reported that the group was planning a $500 Million world tour.
As it goes with most of these Led Zeppelin rumors, the man who allegedly started the rumor, David Coverdale of Whitesnake, was denying a few days later that he said anything about touring with Led Zeppelin. In fact, it appears that there is some bad blood between Coverdale and Robert Plant, which Coverdale points to as evidence that this latest rumor is just as bogus as all the others that have surfaced since December when Led Zeppelin performed at London’s O2 Arena.
Coverdale also points out that Whitesnake is already busy with their “Good To Be Bad” world tour and has no plans to be supporting Led Zeppelin on a world tour.
March 8, 2008
Whitesnake Album, Tour Drawing Near
With a new album set for release on April 22 and a European tour this summer, Whitesnake is back in the news. With 10 years or so passed since their last studio albums, fans may not have expected to hear from the rockers again, but they are indeed back.
The group’s new album, Good To Be Bad, will be released on SPV on 
April 22 and frontman David Coverdale took some time to talk with Billboard recently.
Plans for a U.S. tour are being discussed but are not yet final. European fans will be treated to a tour that features Whitesnake and Def Leppard, who also happen to have an album coming next month.
Coverdale reveals that he and Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot are old friends who are both surprised how well their tour is being received. They have decided to add new dates due to the fact that because the arenas are selling out three months in advance of the tour.
Whitesnake fans may also be looking forward to the release of a newly remastered 3-disk set to celebrate the groups 30-year anniversary. A live Whitesnake DVD is also said to be in the works.
When asked what inspired him to emerge from retirement, Coverdale mentions his experience touring with German rock legends the Scorpions and how he finished up that adventure with a smile on his face and a large sum of money, which prompted his wife to encourage more activities of that nature.
To avoid portraying the Whitesnake frontman as too interested only in the financial rewards of the music business, it should be noted that he was also quoted as saying: “I thought this is an opportunity to keep me happy and make other people happy, too.”
January 15, 2008
Def Leppard And Whitesnake Team For U.K. Tour
Classic rockers Def Leppard and Whitesnake have recently revealed their plans for a tour of the United Kingdom this summer.
After a very successful tour in the U.S. last year, Def Leppard is set to rock their fans closer to home this time and get a little assist from Whitesnake along the way.
Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale makes no secret of the fact that he is anxious to get himself back on stage in front of a live crowd. “I can’t wait to get back on stage. After being in the studio for most of 2007, I am most definitely ready to let off some steam. The front row should definitely be prepared!”, he said recently.
Both groups are planning to release a new album this year. It will be the first new album from Whitesnake in more than 10 years.
The current plans have these shows scheduled as follows:
June 17 at SECC, Glasgow
June 18 at NEC, Birmingham
June 20 at MEN Arena, Manchester
June 23 at Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
June 24 at Newcastle Arena, Newcastle
June 26 at Wembley, London
Tickets are set to go on sale January 18.
For more, head on over to ThisIsNorthScotland.
