The original "Here I Go Again" had a video, not nearly as famous as the one made in 1987. In it we see Cozy Powell (but hear Ian Paice on drums) and we also can see/hear the things that made Whitesnake great, the vocal harmonies, guitar interplay Jon Lord's organ playing, etc. I like the original version better, but I do think that the word "hobo" is a little dated.... yeah "drifter" may be an overused word but probably works better here. Anyway, the song makes a nice farewell to the classic years.
After this, the band went through a bunch of lineup changes on its way to being the platinum selling "hair band" that Whitesnake is famous as. On the road to 1987, they did make a fine hard rock album called "Slide it In", which I have to admit was the first Whitesnake album I ever owned. However, it is beyond the scope of this article. Still, let us take a moment to admire the fine shredding of guitarist John Sykes, on the song "Cryin' in the Rain", live in Rio in 1985. It is not the same kind of band that I have been talking about these past 6 days, but I do love this video. David Coverdale's slightly off key vocals are just proof that this is live, no overdubs. Sykes' shredding is completely over the top, and Cozy Powell matches him note for note. This video does not walk in the shadow of the blues, but is a guilty pleasure to watch. John Sykes was a lone axeman on this tour, but his playing works just right here, with a little backup from an (off-stage) keyboard player.
And where are they now? Well here is a video of David Coverdale working sometime in the late 80's, and here is some much more recent footage of Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden. Ok, I rest my case.
