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40 years ago David Coverdale made the step back to the big stages and into the charts with Whitesnake. His way there was paved by the album "Ready An' Willing" with the hit "Fool For Your Loving" and the live release "Live For Your Loving". In The Heart Of The City". In the course of two conversations, the first of which took place before the Corona pandemic, the second in the middle of the lockdown, Old Cov remembered his fellow musicians of the time and came out as a passionate mixtape composer. The Rock Album", released on June 19, is a result of this passion. In addition, we asked Ian Paice about his memories of his time in Coverdale's band.

Two solo albums on the hump ("White Snake, 1977, and "Northwinds", 1978), but no band in the back. Ex-Purple singer David Coverdale wanted to create facts even before the release of his second work and founded David Coverdale's Whitesnake in February 1978, who presented themselves as a band for the first time in Great Britain on the "Northwinds Tour" in March. "It was not a lightning start that I made after leaving Purple in March 1976. With Roger Glover as producer and guitarist Micky Moody I recorded my [first] solo album in the summer of '76. But it did not appear until May of the following year. Roger, Micky and I already had 'Northwinds' in the box, which was also put on ice for almost a year."

Coverdale is on the charm offensive in interviews, that's a well-known fact. No matter whether his counterpart is male or female, the singer compliments him, calls it by its first name as often as possible, he even pronounces German names without an accent. Coverdale is empathetic, joking, without changing the serious tone. If he meets people to whom he has already confessed speech and answer, he remembers earlier conversation contents, the meetings also lie years ago.

This binding manner may give an impression of how the 63-year-old Englishman has regained the trust of his landman Ritchie Blackmore. With the notorious Grantler, he actually wanted to set up a joint project. When the implementation became uncertain, his wife encouraged him not to abandon the plan to re-record Deep Purple material, but to realise it with Whitesnake instead.

Although guitarist Bernie Marsden had never disappeared from the scene and always mixed with various Whitesnake and Rory Gallagher tribute bands and events, the sound architect of the early Whitesnake hasn't been heard from such a conclusive album for a long time. One often gets the impression with "Shine" that if David Coverdale would sing here, the whole thing could be an early classical 'Snake' work.