I've seen Colin live (not only with WS, where he was largely uncomfortable). He's a fine and very idiosyncratic bass player with strong blues and jazz roots, but he's not really a rhythm section rock bassist plus a bit angular in his groove. With WS he actiually played less than his (also jazz-influenced) predecessor Neil Murray, but when he played something a bit more adventurous it was actually ill-fitting. He didn't really know what to do in WS. A man for the intimacy of clubs and a small line-ups, not for arenas battling it out with a drummer like Cozy Powell, a roaring Hammond and two lead guitarists plus having to meet John Kalodner's (Whitesnake's Rasputin at the time) "act, breathe and look like a rock star"-standards .
That's not knocking Colin, not everybody has to be made for the hard rock/heavy metal world. He's best in a two- or three-piece in a club.
To hear what I mean: Here's Colin playing Guilty of Love
and here's Neil Murray:
Different mixes and line up changes aside (the later version has just one guitarist, leaving more room for the bass), Neil's playing is just more assertive. He felt at home playing that type of music, Colin didn't. That's him right there on a jazzy Cozy Powell solo outing, much more comfortable, but a bit angular, that's just his style:
