It's about time he retired

[uwe]

I just figured I'd toss this in here for laughs.

There are even recordings of it (but all wiped from youtube for copyright issues). The American pianist was even impressed by the young English talent. The Outlaws (not the Southern Rock band) were Lewis' backing band on some European tours in the early sixties as were The Savages/The Crusaders (not the black jazz-funk outfit) which also featured Blackmore. Blackmore has said that he learned a lot from he Killer as regards professionalism and showmanship.

[Pekka]

Murray came from a jazz rock background, initially he was just invited to a Whitesnake session so they could audition a drummer. Of course, once they had heard him play, they never let him go again! On that particular track you can hear that young Neil (Murray) must have listened to Rocco Prestia/Tower of Power more than a few times.

He plays like Andy Fraser on those early Whitesnake albums but fills also all the spaces Andy would have left. Great playing, one of my favourite bassists (Andy too).

Did you knew that he used to borrow John Mole's Jazz Bass for the sessions in the late 70's because his Tele-necked Precision was fretless at one point (like on this picture from Bruford rehearsal in 1977 where he was subbing for Jeff Berlin):

[Highlander]

afair he played an Aria throughout the times I saw him, from the first gigs (pre Paice) to first Donnington - I remember trying one at the time and being so disappointed by the feel... I have always enjoyed his playing...

[Pekka]

He also used a Kramer DMZ4000 (as seen on the cover of the live double) which was modified with two P-pickups quite close together in reverse positions (he had the same configuration on his Mockingbird later on). His brown Aria SB 900 was wired in stereo and can be heard that way on track "Ready & Willing". Then he had another Aria with pickups more close together and a kind of a ramp in the middle:

[uwe]

All true, he swappeded basses quite a bit, in the early hair version of Whitesnake (with Sykes and Powell), he also played a BC Rich Mockingbird. By that time his playing had already lost some of its signature style. It all started with Gary Moore, where Murray had to play simplistic after leaving WS for the first time, Moore being such a control and precision freak. When he returned to WS after the stint with Moore, the drum stool was occupied by Cozy Powell rather than Ian Paice, and of course if you play with Powell all you can do is back him and mimic his heavy-handed approach, he doesn't leave you room as a bassist like Paice does and there is really no conversation going on between drums and bass at all, just wham-bam, thud-woargh! Powell famously admonished Colin Hodkinson, a virtuoso player (both Murray's successor and predecessor second time around in WS), by storming out of the drum booth and snapping: "Let me introduce myself, I am the drummer!" when he didn't like what Hodkinson played to his drums. Hodkinson didn't last long.

With the over-simplification of his style, Murray also changed his sound, diminishing the mid-frequencies in favor of a deep ooomph. His bass on 1987 sounds suitably phat, but has none of the focus and distinction of the old WS recordings. He also gave up on a lot of Andy Fraser'esque and Gary Thain'esque rhythmic ornamentation, probably thinking that you wouldn't be hearing them anymore anyway between heavy metal drums and heavy metal guitar.

[Pekka]

His style gelled also with Dave Dowle who had previously played with more funky R&B style bands like The Streetwalkers and Brian Auger's Oblivion Express (with Murray's early mentor Clive Chaman on bass who used to play with Cozy in Jeff Beck Group!:)). It seems that Dowle gets the flak too much but I liked his style on some of those early not-at-all heavy songs like "Free Flight", "Night Hawk" and "The Time Is Right For Love".

Here's Neil's basses in 1981:


Here's the Mockingbird (1981):

[uwe]

His style gelled also with Dave Dowle who had previously played with more funky R&B style bands like The Streetwalkers and Brian Auger's Oblivion Express (with Murray's early mentor Clive Chaman on bass who used to play with Cozy in Jeff Beck Group!:)). It seems that Dowle gets the flak too much but I liked his style on some of those early not-at-all heavy songs like "Free Flight", "Night Hawk" and "The Time Is Right For Love".

Here's Neil's basses in 1981:


Here's the Mockingbird (1981):

I liked Dowle too, Coverdale and Lord just wanted their old buddy back and of course Ian Paice was another name to add to the ranks. Yes, Paice was even better than Dowle, but then he is better than most rock drummers, period.

But tell me, what is that Fender bass with what looks like three single coil pups in Strat fashion? 

[Pekka]

But tell me, what is that Fender bass with what looks like three single coil pups in Strat fashion? 

It's 32" scale custom job. The neck was originally a fretless Fender Precision neck that Neil had fretted and according to him the bass didn't sound that great. It was used in the "Long Way From Home" video.

[Basvarken]

You can listen to the entire Moonkings album here:

http://www.bluesmagazine.nl/audio-vandenbergs-moonkings-luisterpaal/

The closing track of the record is sung by David Coverdale

[uwe]

Have it on order!

[Basvarken]

A disappointing album.
They worked three years to write these songs.
I had certainly expected - and hoped for - more.
(And less lame lyrics to start with...)

[uwe]

Distancing yourself from your blond angelic countryman at this stage will not help you, wretched Holländer, retribJU52tion will be swift and unexpected. Lock up your bikes!!!

Die Kommandantur

PS: I also have the Jake E. Lee newie in the Volvo, but haven't gotten round to listening to it yet. I'm currently in my J. Geils Band and Reinhard Mey phase (what a combo!).

[Basvarken]

I really hoped that the new album would be great. Jan is a great guy and a great singer who deserves a bigger platform than the bars he's performed in all these years. But the album contains too many cliches to really make my heart beat faster.
Having said that I'm still going to the cd-release party tomorrow ;-)

[uwe]

I've listened to it twice now. What is the Dutch term for "kleine weiße Schlange"?! Because that is what they are, Whitebabysnake. The singer copies so many mannerisms of Coverdale and even the color of his voice he could be playing in a tribute, Adrian must have forced him to listen to David Coverdale for weeks. The music could be off any of the last two WS CDs, the only difference being that the production is not so overblown, I actually like the dryer, lower budget production of the Moonkings better, that Cinemascope sound Coverdale has opted for on recent WS CDs grates quickly. Vandenberg sounds whitesnakisher on this album than he did with Manic Eden or on WS' Restless Heart (the only WS studio CD he actually played on). It is as if he tried to prove "fate had it that I could not play on 1987 or on Slip of the Tongue, but I can craft the WS wall of sound too".

That said, within the confinements of the WS sound, I don't think that either the songwriting, the guitar playing (Vandenberg plays a bit too often flashy chromatic heavy metal runs in the music which do not always fit the blues rock backing, wasn't he once supposed to be the Dutch Michael Schenker as regards melodicism?) or the singing is bad though some of the "Moonkings do Whitesnake doing Led Zep"-songs are a bit too third generationish for me. I prefer the original, Kingdom Come.  No, that's not a younger David Coverdale singing here nor did Coverdale write the lyrics ('ere's a lyric for you: "sweet temptation -  a celebration of lust and lies ..."  )



And on Sailing Ships, the WS reworking with Coverdale on guest vocals, Coverdale's voice is so sanitized and drowned in effects, it sounds like it was recorded in another - much more expensive - studio, which it probably was! He has more effects on that vocal track than the Moonkings have on the rest of the album combined. 



But to give credit: The string arrangement is nice and Vandenberg plays the thing a lot more emotively than Vai ever did (for whom the music he had to play on Slip of the Tongue must have come from another planet, "Yuropean" as a vampire movie).

It's a well made album, but unfortunately derivative and I think the market is saturated, never mind that Jan is a more credible Coverdale than the original is these days live. Bass player has some nice touches too.

[Basvarken]

What is the Dutch term for "kleine weiße Schlange"?!

That would be "piemeltje". (willy)

The singer copies so many mannerisms of Coverdale and even the color of his voice he could be playing in a tribute, Adrian must have forced him to listen to David Coverdale for weeks.

Jan sang in a Deep Purple tribute band years ago. But I don't think his voice sounds that much like Coverdale. I hear a younger Dio in his voice rather than DC

And on Sailing Ships, the WS reworking with Coverdale on guest vocals, Coverdale's voice is so sanitized and drowned in effects, it sounds like it was recorded in another - much more expensive - studio, which it probably was! He has more effects on that vocal track than the Moonkings have on the rest of the album combined. 

The album was recorded at Wisseloord Studios. Not a low budget studio by all means. And I think it's more likely that Coverdale sang the track in his own home studio as he was grounded due to a knee surgery at the time.


Meanwhile the band has played their second gig. But Adje is still extremely rusty. He's even forgotten how his biggest hit went...:





This cover makes my toes curl in my shoes. The fact that they chose this song out of all the songs they could choose (Vandenberg, Manic Eden WS, etc) And even more so, the guitar solo that is just one huge trainwreck...