It's pretty funny, the thing John say about Whitesnake "Americans don't know what it is."... Three years later, every single American knew what Whitesnake was and I believe it has to do a lot about John's excellent song writing duties on that album!
Without a doubt..I watched Whitesnake destroy Quiet Riot at Cobo Hall in Detroit November 1984.. Cozy Powell , Neil Murray and John Sykes were so good and tight it was scary..And Coverdale is the best
@@thomasrose38 I wouldn't call Quiet Riot a cover band. Metal Health, Condition Critical, and QRIII are all rock solid, but you are correct that there is no comparison between QR and Whitesnake.
He's not arrogant...I met him years ago and he was actually one of the coolest rock stars I've ever met..talked with my friend and I until he had to go on stage..we talked mostly about Thin Lizzy and his relationship with Phil Lynott..he really loved him...after he came off stage he walked up to me and my friend grabbed us both and said "Phil was here tonight!!"..very cool dude!!..
@@tboysrocknroll8848 I totally agree with you. I've also met him. I met him twice and he was definitely not arrogant. He was not complicated at all and easy to talk to. Actually I was expecting him to be arrogant, but he wasn't. I rather have it like this than the other way around. Sometimes famous people can appear nice on TV/RU-vid or something, but when you meet them, they may disappoint you.
+FarFromEquilibrium Producer Keith Olsen said almost all 35 of Sykes guitar tracks were out of tune and all of Sykes effects were out of tune. Dann Huff was brought in to cover what Sykes couldn't or wouldn't do.
Keith Olsen couldn't find his own dick, not even to mention '' covering what Sykes couldn't or wouldn't do''... The truth is Coverdale did all he could to handicap John Sykes career.
Forever love John. Formidable guitarist, gorgeous vocalist, and great songwriter. I miss new music from him however! Come give us all that magic John! ❤️
I absolutely can't get enough of John while Blue Murder was together. What an amazingly talented guitarist. But, of course, everyone that comments here already knows that. :)
@zgolijan.... you're full of shit. Whitesnake was well known in the US, but it was in 1987 where Whitesnake changed producers to make them look more like other LA Glam metal rock bands during the time where poser metal fan boys like you would notice. You must be a Millennial indeed.
@@gmlasam I was a teen in the 80s and very into rock/metal. I do not remember Whitesnake at all in 1984. They weren't big, big until Here I go Again in 1987. Maybe they were known in smaller circles. But like I said, I was into this music and never heard of them at this time.
gmlasam 1987 album is nothing like LA glam rock...like poison or ratt, motley crue etc. That sound and guitar riffs/ wicked playing by John Sykes mostly made the album. Man everyone was humming that riff( still of the night) in the late 80's cause it was epic and nothing WS did before. It was a landmark album
Well to state the facts....in 1984 Whitesnake released " Slide it In " with the semi hit's Slide it In ....Slow and Easy....and Love Aint No Stranger....all really good song's in my opinion....the only one Syke's played on was Slow and Easy.... so they weren't mega star's .....but I do believe the US had heard of them... when the 1987 album hit....that was all John Sykes riff's and the rest is history
I’ve often wondered why so many people hate watching someone chew gum?? When I actually had all my teeth. I chewed gum all the time. It helps with dry mouth. Especially if you’re somewhere where you can’t bring a drink with you. But I think most people would side with you, on this matter😁.
Such a damn cutie badass he was,awesome!! ....John Sykes is a guitar god ,one of the greatest ever...He brought Whitesnake to the highest level in the 80s...such a huge talent, I love all of his works....
Best hard rock vocalist E V E R. totally unique and original... his voice has an amazing deep quality like a baritone even though he's clearly a brilliant tenor. And the way he annunciates words. Full on original. Notice the way he annunciates "night" in SOTnight... that's what I'm talking about. 1inAMillyun.
I still have a cassette of blue murder album. I finally got around to upgrading to a CD so I can enjoy it in my car. Anyway I did not know that John Sykes was British and assumed that his accent was a Long Island accent 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Sykes maybe arrogant but he made David Coverdale in América. COVEREGO never accepeted that fact. But here in Brasil on Rockin in Rio Sykes overshined everybody back in 1985.
It's a fact that coming from such a great band like Deep Purple helped Coverdale a lot in forging his legend. It's also truth that Coverdeale did all he could to obstacle Syke's career after he kicked him out of Whitesnake.
Sykes Blue Murder Album wipes the floor with Whitesnakes' Slip of the Tounge. They came out around the same time. This was 1989/90 and it was the end of a great era. The Blue Murder album, everybody thought would be a huge hit. Amazing players, songs and Bob rock production. But John was let down by his record-company (Geffen, same as Coverdale/Whitesnake) and had no proper management. The story is well known.
@Crimson Idol Whatever man sure David did everything he could to keep John Sykes down Cry me a river! The success of WS 87 made John a millionaire because he co-wrote the songs! Publishing rights, royalties=$ They didn't get along and David wanted to take the band in a more commercial direction. It's funny because Blue Murder was also given direction by John Kalodner the executive that oversaw Whitesnake's commercial success!
@@tangerinerose3724 I'm a lioness as well but I can't stand his attitude, must be something to do with his ascendant then? Lower lion signs, lion is loyal! I'm lion- saggitarius😉
To clear up some of the confusion, John jioned WS after slide it in was pretty much finished and rerecorded some guitar parts for the U.S. release. He played on the 1987 WS record, and Adrian plays keyboard (though I think I read he did the solo for here I go). Crying in the Rain was an older WS song from Saits and Sinners that was redone for the 1987 record.
I think Sykes is awesome. One thing of note though. John did not play the Lead on Here I Go Again, Album Version. Whitesnake 1987. I allways thought he did but he was fired before he laid that down. I listen to it now and realize its so NOT a sykes solo. Its actually Adrian Vandenburg, Hired Hack that he is. There is plenty of interviews with John that state this.
marcusdolby1 I used to think he played on the radio version of that song (which I prefer) but was done by a session guitarist. Vandenberg played on the other version .
@@PishedupScotsmaninSweden Yeah the US version is played by Dan Huff who is a fantastic session guitarist. There were rumours that a lot of the tracks on the 1987 were re-recorded by Huff because Sykes's tracks were "unusable" but I think it's pretty obvious it's Sykes on most of the tracks and this rumour was spread by friends of Coverdale
...John is talking about the rehearsals with Cozy Powell for the concert in Belfast and that he met him a couple weeks before (Cozy is still over the top, heavens bless him) so this interview must be 1984
Dude, I concur mate, my thoughts exactly. Sykes' sound on the '87 album was as ballsy as it gets; Vai sounded thin compared to Sykes' stint in the band.
The problem with Steve Vai is he just doesnt ROCK like John Sykes does,.Vai is the "best" all around guitarist,.but he will NEVER ROCK like Sykes,.And I dont remember Steve Vai writing and singing an Album like Blue Murders first LP,.That Album is a TOUR DE FORCE OF ROCK!,.Im glad John Sykes isnt a good Jazz guitarist!
You're right that he doesn't rock like Sykes, but I don't see it being a problem . Once you get past the point of professionalism , it boils down to personal taste .
Have Mercy, there's no one like Sykes. Talent & looks. The kids today have missed out on looking up to true musical talent. I would never trade in my youth for today's rancid selection of artists.
I find it difficult to call them artists, especially the rap bullshit. It takes talent to be classified as an artist, that is something they don't have.
Some of us in America knew about Whitesnake but Johnny Sykes made Whitesnake in America. Great guitar player I first heard John in Thin Lizzy. Those two Whitesnake albums he helped make were awesome. I saw him on the Slide it in tour.
Why this should be a comparison between JS and SV. I love both of them: when I want to listen to JS I go for Lizzy & Whitesnake, while when I want to listen to Vai I go for Passion&Warfare and Alien Love Secrets. As simple as that!
My one my fave NWOBHM albums was the Tygers of Pan Tang's Spellbound from about 1981 - I saw John with them at Hammersmith Odeon back in the day. Great player and talent. This is the first time I saw him interviewed...I hope he cringes too if he watches this!
I wonder if Rob Reiner or Christopher Guest saw this before the legendary spinal tap movie. the relaxed rock star chewing gum on camera speaking his mind.
If Phil hadn't passed and Sykes could have avoided the poison that was Coverdale maybe he'd have been more productive and happy with the music scene. As is a top 5 guitarist for me.
Notice that the other guitarist in Thin Lizzy the majority of the time, Scott Gorham made everyone who played with him sound great. Props to Scott Gorham, one of my favorites.
I've always wondered if Coverdale fired him because after John ,Coverdale wasn't the most handsome guy in the band. My opinion from a girl fan point of view.
your right. sykes was kicked out after recording of 1987.. vandenburg came in and recorded a solo for here i go again. then vandenberg got injured so steve vai recorded all the gutiars for slip
Steve Vai was never the right guy, for that band. Great with Dave, not with Whitesnake. Sykes was the man. His writing & playing propelled Whitesnake to the top. He was the right guy, at this point.
He fancied the boss his job and maybe the wife too.. That's not done, not loyal if you wanna steal the band because David had into surgery, Sykes had the rest of the band mpre or less behind him to go on while David couldn't perform for 9 months or so. If you have that attitude than David had the right to fire them all, what Sykes was about to do, go on with WS with another singer. Not loyal and not done.
@@LindaEll89 That's the rumor, not necessarily the truth. I was around back then & initially Coverdale was saying something about "gambling debts" that Sykes had incurred. Neil Murray & Aynsley Dunbar have never spoken of a Sykes coup. And despite the fact that I love Coverdale as a singer & an artist, look at how many people he's fired and/or forced out of that band.
@@johnsoos6907 It seems like Coverdale and Blackmore etc were always getting musicians then dumping them after their initial contributions had been used . I feel that Jimmy Page used Coverdale for that one-off collaboration album and then finished his association with Coverdale because a jealous Plant returned to work with Page.
Just respect Adje for laying down a nice track. I'm a huge fan of Sykes and Vandenberg. I prefer Adje's Here I Go, though obviously still of the night had to be a Sykes riff and solo.
Love Sykes. To me he just articulated reality at that time; definitely confident, which is cool with me. Bought the Whitesnake release a few years ago with Sykes and Cozy playing together (1984?); it's badass.
WHITESNAKE VIDEOS - Coverband fired Sykes because he was stealing the spotlight from him. Whitesnake was a C-list band before Sykes joined. If not for his contributions to the 1987 album, no one would be talking about David these days, except as a footnote to Deep Purple.
An interview I read years ago John Kolodner stated that Sykes and Ansly Dunbar were both fired after pressuring Coverdale to hire a replacement singer, while he was recovering from vocal surgery. (Just about anyone of us would have axed him if he tried to have us replaced in our own band) All that being said, He does play a hell of a guitar. I like Via too, but Sykes was better for WS. But don't discount Doug Aldrich. Dude kills.
Sorry mate. Yes, you're right, it isn't a whitesnake album, it's a steve vai album with coverdale on it. I would love to have heard what a second proper sykes/coverdale ablum would have sounded like. Guess the closest we've got is the first blue murder album - do you know it? It's great.
Does anybody know the exact date of this interview? For the way he expresses he may be starting to have some issues with David, I guess 1984- 1985. Everybody thinks Vandenberg is the main guitarrist behind Whitesnake 1987 album, but what you hear is really John creating all the riffs and the good stuff for David. With all respect to Vandenberg but I do prefer Sykes wayyyyy more than any other guitar player in the band. This man's singing, playing and writing is just unbeatable. We really need a good comeback from John, I hope to hear that soon! Hail Thin Lizzy, Blue Murder and John forever! ♥
I think it's short before he joins Whitesnake for the ''Slide it in'' tour. John played some riffs and add some guitar licks for the Slide it in album at studio for the US release. That's why the US version sounds lot better compared to the UK version. The issues between Coverdale and Sykes starts after John finished his guitar parts for the ''1987'' album. At that time, Coverdale has some health issues and he couldn't finish his vocals. After long delay because of Coverdale problems, the 1987 album was finished, and something happened. Coverdale fired his bandmates, without reason. Of course Covedale claims that the reason is the record company forced him to do, but who knows. (sorry for my english)
