[.ca] Love Hunter

Whitesnake was the band formed by vocalist David Coverdale after his acrimonious departure from Deep Purple. Intended as a vehicle for his own brand of bluesy vox-heavy rock (the first album was a set of ballads), the project quickly grew to include the gargantuan keyboards and pyrotechnic percussion of Deep Purple's Jon Lord and Ian Paice, the sound becoming fuller, the lyrics more overtly predatory. Love Hunter, recorded before Paice's arrival, was immediately notorious for a sleeve featuring a buxom woman sitting lasciviously astride an enormous snake. It also revealed Coverdale, who was often dismissed as a mere sexist rocker, to be a master of various forms--dirty, dark-hearted rock ("Mean Business"), incorrigibly sensual R & B ("Rock'n'Roll Women"), and slow, impassioned and soulful anthems ("Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues"). Leading to 10 years of unremitting success, Love Hunter was Whitesnake's purest offering. --Dominic Wills

come taste the band!:
it is like a kind of emotional rescue,if you like coverdale and his early works with whitesnake. when you are alone,and 'walking in the shadow of the blues',listen it in silence and you feel better. as time goes by you want once more.be sure.

Rock 'n'roll and a great sexist album cover!:
The album cover says it all. It's one more slab of mucho macho hard rock for a testosterone-charged audience that, even when new wave was ultra-hip and "heavy metal was dead", didn't forget the pleasures of beer, women and song. It was 1979 and Whitesnake was a hell of a band. Coverdale and Lord were the "former Purple stars", Micky Moody & Bernie Marsden knew the tricks for simple and memorable rock guitar, the rhythm section just grooved. "Walking In the Shadow fo the blues" is the classic, and anyone who considers himself a Whitesnake fan has to love it! "Love Hunter" is the great hour of Moody's slide, "Mean Business" is fast and strong, with Mr. Lord kicking @$$! "You and Me" and "Rock 'n'ROll Women" are that kind of uplifting, I-know-is-silly-but-what-the-hell rock 'n'roll. The same can be said of "Medicine Man" (I would prefer a heavier version). "Outlaw" is an endearing rock (sung by Bernie Marsden, I guess), with some cool guitar work and a synth solo. About the ballads: "Long way from home" is a mistake, and I can't believe they opened the album with this one. It could scare the rock-hungry audience. "Help me through the day" is a cover from Leonard Russel, and it's much better. It reminds me of "Ain't no love in the heart of the city", but this time they didn't create a stage favourite. "Wish you well" is a gentle closing. I think this album is a satisfying experience for fans of late '70s long-haired rock. It doesn't sound like the glam metal monster Coverdale created in 1987. It is a more sincere, rootsy affair, in the tradition of British hard rock. The following tour turned the band into a major attraction, and after the arrival of Ian Paice some months later, they were ready to record "Ready and Willing", Whitesnake's most respected album. But hey, Love Hunter has a much cooler cover!

Good Hard Rock album with a little blues in it:
I'll never forget the first time I saw this album at a local record store and I saw the album cover, I was hooked on getting the album and I wish that this album wasn't so hard to find, the album opens with 'Long Way From Home' (not to be confused with Foreigner's version) and it's a good way to start the album, Walking Through the Shadow of the Blues is also a beautiful song with sensitive vocals and lyrics, Help Me Thro' the Day is one of the most beautiful ballad's that I've ever heard and it sure beats the heck out of Is This Love, Medicine Man is a good rocker with great lyrics, You and Me and Mean Business are what I consider it being the weakest songs but it's far from bad and I'll gladly take it over the best stuff of today's music, Love Hunter is my favorite song on the album and I'm surprised that it wasn't a hit in America, Outlaw is something that reminds me of a lesser known song off of Foreigner's debut album but I take that as a good thing, Rock 'N' Roll Women isn't one of the album's better efforts either and the album ends with a 1 and a half minute song called We Wish You Well. Although I'm only a casual fan of Whitesnake but I think that this is a really good album, although it does have its weak spots but the good songs easily make up for it and this album deserves a well earned 4 stars.

A solid slice of bluesy rock n' roll:
"Lovehunter" opens with the groovy blues-rock of "Long Way From Home", and the classic, swaggering "Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues" - perhaps David Coverdale's best composition, and certainly one of his best and most mature lyrics. Other highlights include the foot-stomping "Rock 'N' Roll Women", which is precisely as clichéd as it sounds, and the supremely funky title track, which features some fiery slide guitar from Mickey Moody. And "You 'N' Me" is a pretty solid rocker as well. There are too many mediocre songs for "Lovehunter" to be a great album, but it's still a pretty good one. A fine purchase for fans of Whitesnake's earlier material...and good enough for some 31/2 stars.

• Long Way from Home
• Walking in the Shadow of the Blues
• Help Me Thro' the Day
• Medicine Man
• You 'N' Me
• Mean Business
• Love Hunter
• Outlaw
• Roco 'N' Roll Women
• We Wish You Well