Metal Sludge Gossip Board

IMO the reason was the bad first single.
Fool For Your Loving is not a good song. Maybe mainstream people liked it at the 70's (in the U.K.) but I find it very weak.

They should have picked:

1. Judgement Day (more Zeppelish stuff)
2. Now You're Gone (guaranteed airplay)
3. Sailing Ships (good power ballad)

The album bombed because of the lousy Fool For Your Loving stupid bluesy song wrongfully updated with Vai's guitars.

What about The Deeper The Love?

Kitten's Got Claws was the clear choice for the single...

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:05 pm What about The Deeper The Love?

It would have been O.K. for the 4th single after already multi-platinum-status, if they have made the singles as I mentioned

the_man_incognito wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:07 pm Kitten's Got Claws was the clear choice for the single...

That's a good one also. The album was not bad. It just got destroyed by an idiot who chose the FFYL as a first single.
Even the Sweet Lady Luck would have been better (and if I understood it right, it was only a b-side cut in the single and not included in the album)

EuroJR wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:10 pm

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:05 pm What about The Deeper The Love?

It would have been O.K. for the 4th single after already multi-platinum-status, if they have made the singles as I mentioned

Are you in Europe? Two of the songs you mentioned were a bit too prog for mainstream US radio in '89. Wings of the Storm is a good song too, but not for radio. Vai was allowed to be Vai in the guitar work and I'm not sure if that worked for Whitesnake.

It lacked John Sykes, who co-wrote most of the 1987 album. Coverdale made a poor decision by kicking him out.

A weak album overall, with Steve Vai saving his best material for his solo projects.

SexxAtraxxion wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:18 pm It lacked John Sykes, who co-wrote most of the 1987 album. Coverdale made a poor decision by kicking him out.

A weak album overall, with Steve Vai saving his best material for his solo projects.

Sykes was better but the sound of the 1987 was muddier. It also had filler songs.
Slip Of The Tongue got enough of the good songs and Vai was ok. It was simply the bad choice of the 1st single that destroyed the album.

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:17 pm

EuroJR wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:10 pm

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:05 pm What about The Deeper The Love?

It would have been O.K. for the 4th single after already multi-platinum-status, if they have made the singles as I mentioned

Are you in Europe? Two of the songs you mentioned were a bit too prog for mainstream US radio in '89. Wings of the Storm is a good song too, but not for radio. Vai was allowed to be Vai in the guitar work and I'm not sure if that worked for Whitesnake.

I'm from Europe all right. And my opinion is that the ONLY place that the lousy Fool For Your Loving could have made it was the U.K. in the late 70's.
After that no chance nowhere. Who idiot picked that song as their single and thought that it was gonna be huge?

EuroJR wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:30 pm

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:17 pm

EuroJR wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:10 pm

It would have been O.K. for the 4th single after already multi-platinum-status, if they have made the singles as I mentioned

Are you in Europe? Two of the songs you mentioned were a bit too prog for mainstream US radio in '89. Wings of the Storm is a good song too, but not for radio. Vai was allowed to be Vai in the guitar work and I'm not sure if that worked for Whitesnake.

I'm from Europe all right. And my opinion is that the ONLY place that the lousy Fool For Your Loving could have made it was the U.K. in the late 70's.
After that no chance nowhere. Who idiot picked that song as their single and thought that it was gonna be huge?

Now You're Gone is the most radio friendly song on that album and failed to reach top 40 in the USA. I think the trend-hopping American fans were done with Whitesnake. I remember people my age weren't into them at the time. The older fans they had couldn't make a song crack the top 10.

I never thought someone would hate fool your loving this much.

I guess I have to like it because I'm british

pieceofme wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:55 pm I never thought someone would hate fool your loving this much.

I guess I have to like it because I'm british

Like I wrote before - the only country that could listen to that turd is U.K.

ps. the Sunday roast is one of the best dishes of the world

1987 right time right place.

Still of the night sounds huge.

Here i go again is just one of those songs that really connected. Thank God they updated in 87 compared to the crap earlier version. 87 version gave it some balls. The old blues/slow version is tedious.

I don't think it mattered which songs they released as singles for slip of the tongue as they were never going to compete with those two singles off 1987.

Maybe judgement day and now you're gone would have helped a little bit. But as others have said, people had already moved on and it would have taken something very special to match 1987. I like judgement day, but that song as a single isn't making it a 5 million seller

pieceofme wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:55 pm I never thought someone would hate fool your loving this much.

I guess I have to like it because I'm british

I like it! I knew it from the old days, so I thought it was cheesy they were reusing it. BITD, I didn’t know here I go again was from the old days too.

Like Quiet Riot, it’s never a good idea if you don’t have a clear cut single and have to rely on an old tune as your lead off. Sometimes it works (CFTN, Once Bitten Twice Shy), but it’s not great.

Amusing that OP is asking a question, but only accepting his own answer

EuroJR wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 5:00 pm

pieceofme wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:55 pm I never thought someone would hate fool your loving this much.

I guess I have to like it because I'm british

Like I wrote before - the only country that could listen to that turd is U.K.

ps. the Sunday roast is one of the best dishes of the world

Yeah Sunday roast is great! I've had it many times when listening to fool for you loving

always loved "SOTT", not sure the single had much to do with how well it sold.

the album itself had a few great tracks, especially the aforementioned "Sailing Ships."

pieceofme wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 5:08 pm

EuroJR wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 5:00 pm

pieceofme wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:55 pm I never thought someone would hate fool your loving this much.

I guess I have to like it because I'm british

Like I wrote before - the only country that could listen to that turd is U.K.

ps. the Sunday roast is one of the best dishes of the world

Yeah Sunday roast is great! I've had it many times when listening to fool for you loving

Haha that made me laugh - thank you

I think Steve Vai was great in DLR but he just jizzed all over this recording. Compared to 87 it sounds like Nitro.

The correct answer is Guns N Roses.

pieceofme wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:55 pm I never thought someone would hate fool your loving this much.

I guess I have to like it because I'm british

As I said in my top 40 rundown thread, I like it, but really IMO it was the only immediately catchy anthemic rocker on the album, and really the only sensible choice for the lead single, though it didn't exactly pack the same punch as "Still of the Night" or "Here I Go Again". That was the main issue that kept SOTT from having the same success as '87--people were expecting another huge anthem or two and were disappointed when it didn't have one. Though I do enjoy the album as a whole.

BernieTaupson wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 5:26 pm

SexxAtraxxion wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:18 pm
A weak album overall, with Steve Vai saving his best material for his solo projects.

Vai didnt write anything. All the songs were already written and recorded with Adrian Vandenburg doing all guitars. The record company heard it and said wtf, this playing is pedestrian and all the songs are in the same key! They demanded a hotshot guitarist be brought in to replace all the guitars. They paid Steve Vai a million bucks to do it and concocted the “Adrian had a wrist injury and couldn’t play on the record” story to save face.

yeah, some people say dum stuff.

Whitesnake should have brought in Bruce kulick

The correct answer is the songs on SOTT were not written or performed by the same people and weren’t in the same universe as far as quality. Coverdales voice was the only carry over. Coverdale and Sykes had a working relationship and worked tirelessly for years perfecting 1987.

Coverdale and his MTV pretty boys flew into Tahoe and thought they could recreate the 1987’s bands magic from scratch. Didn’t happen.

Kalodner had them reworking stuff like Vandenbergs “Burning Heart” (scrapped) and “Fool For Your Loving” even though they’d already pretty thoroughly raided the back catalog because he knew they didn’t have any singles. Brought in Vai as a Hail Mary for the same reason.

FreddyFender wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 7:38 pm Coverdale and his MTV pretty boys flew into Tahoe and thought they could recreate the 1987’s bands magic from scratch. Didn’t happen.

PBFSUCKS wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 5:32 pm I think Steve Vai was great in DLR but he just jizzed all over this recording. Compared to 87 it sounds like Nitro.

Best 2 takes

BernieTaupson wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 7:28 pm To carry Steve Vai’s guitars into the studio?

nah, he’s the wounded hand ringer

The album actually didn't have any singles, compared to Aerosmith and Motley, who were churning out hits nonstop in 1989 and 1990.

I'm sure us kids still wanted to love Whitesnake as much as we did in 1987, but the tunes just weren't there.

Now You’re Gone was a single - nowhere close to being a hit.

Judgement Day is a long Kashmir ripoff with zero chorus/hook, and Kingdom Come had just done a Kashmir ripoff 10x better/more commercial that had been all over rock radio already (Get It On). Radio wouldn’t have touched “Judgment Day”

It was their Reach For The Sky … too many good albums at the same time by bands moving forward and the album cover was not appealing … put Tawny on the cover and you’ve got a hit album even though it sucked.

I think Mike Clink's production didn't help...always thought it was a bit too sterile....same thing with the Use Your Illusion albums.

War_in_D wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 9:43 pm The album actually didn't have any singles, compared to Aerosmith and Motley, who were churning out hits nonstop in 1989 and 1990.

I'm sure us kids still wanted to love Whitesnake as much as we did in 1987, but the tunes just weren't there.

This all day - the 8 million people who bought the s/t were ready'n'willing for a great followup, but we didn't get one.

FreddyFender wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 10:49 pm Judgement Day is a long Kashmir ripoff with zero chorus/hook, and Kingdom Come had just done a Kashmir ripoff 10x better/more commercial that had been all over rock radio already (Get It On). Radio wouldn’t have touched “Judgment Day”

Correctamundo. In the "making of" video from Tahoe, Coverversion and VandenEdam play it for Kalodner, and he takes a long look into the camera before rolling his eyes as if to say "this albums in trouble". I'm sure he was on the car phone to Vai as soon as he left the chalet.

If they had released "Judgement Day' as the first single it would've tanked even faster.