Bernie Marsden: Shine

Former Whitesnake guitarist plays heavy blues with friends.

By Paul Elliott
( Classic Rock )
published

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Bernie Marsden hasn’t done too badly out of Whitesnake. Although David Coverdale kicked him out of the band in 1982, the blow was softened five years later when – ker-ching! – the revamped ’Snake had a US No.1 with a remake of Marsden’s song Here I Go Again.

And after the two men reconciled in 2010, Marsden’s new album has them making music together again, reworking Whitesnake’s 1978 classic Trouble. Bernie also duets with Joe Bonamassa on this album’s title track, which sounds like Deep Purple jamming with the Doobie Brothers.

Marsden, like Bonamassa and Rory Gallagher before him, has a style rooted in blues rock but not limited to it. This master craftsman is simply doing what comes naturally. What Shine has, above all else, is a sense of purity.

Paul Elliott
Paul Elliott

Freelance writer for Classic Rock since 2005, Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis. He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss, and currently works as content editor for Total Guitar. He lives in Bath - of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Roman of you!”