Coverdale/Page is the sole release from two of the most renowned artists in rock n roll, David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) & Jimmy Page (Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin ). The eleven track album was released on Geffen Records on March 15, 1993.
Although the album was a commercial success even hitting platinum status (1 million units), and had several hit singles like Shake My Tree, Pride And Joy , Take A Look Yourself & Take Me For A Little While; The Coverdale/Page album has simply been forgotten. It has never been remastered and there hasn’t been an anniversary or expanded edition since its release. With the 25th anniversary coming up in 2018, I really hope that something happens and that Coverdale/Page record gets a second chance to be heard.
I really enjoyed the album when it first came out and I still play it today. I thought that the hard rock/ blues vibe of the record really catered to Coverdale’s voice. In my opinion, the album boasts some of Coverdale’s best vocal performances of his career. As well, without a doubt, the record reaffirmed Jimmy Page’s status as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. The album captured some of Page’s most invigorated playing since the disbanding of Led Zeppelin. From the acoustic intro of the album opener, Shake My Tree, the Zeppelin-esque riffs of Waiting On You, Feeling Hot or Pride And Joy, Page’s guitar playing dominated the record. It may even be Page’s most significant musical output since Zeppelin.
As to why this great album has simply been forgotten is a mystery to me. Songs like Shake My Tree, Waiting On You and Pride And Joy are some of best hard/melodic rock songs from Coverdale and Page. The last three tracks off the album, Don’t Leave Me This Way, Absolution Blues and Whisper A Prayer For The Dying are simply epic and really need to be rediscovered and added to your playlists.
Some critics have claimed that the album has become lost or forgotten simply because it got released at the wrong time. By 1993, the musical climate had changed drastically and Grunge had taken over the air and video waves; making it difficult for Classic rocks acts to get any support. Even though the album went platinum it can’t match the hold that Grunge had over music scene during the 90’s.
My take, was that rock fans weren’t sure what to make of Coverdale/ Page. The record had elements of both Zeppelin & Whitesnake, so which one was it? I remember upon its initial release, a lot of Zeppelin fans were in an uproar. David Coverdale was simply a Robert Plant wannabe and teaming with Page then making a Zeppelin sounding record enraged the fans and fuelled reunion rumours. In the end, the album just had a hard time connecting with fans and fell under the weight of the legacies of its creators.
But in the end, if you can get past the history of these two rock icons, Coverdale/ Page is a great album. I do hope that David or Jimmy revisit this album and release some sort of remastered anniversary/expanded edition. Heck, what I wouldn’t give for a second album. These guys just clicked and created a solid blues/hard rock record. I can only imagine what could have been if these two guys would have stayed together a little longer. Of all the “super groups”, I thought Coverdale/Page had the most potential.
So if you never heard of this album, and you like Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake and Deep Purple then I urge you to seek out this forgotten gem.