Bernie Marsden : A life in rock

Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh, 1981. Whitesnake were at the top of their game, and rolled into the city to play two nights.
First night found myself and my mate front row of the stalls where we still found ourselves three rows back within seconds of the band hitting the stage.
A fair bit of jostling and elbowing later, we were back, pinned against the stage with my head in Bernie Marsden's speaker bin. Couldn't hear right for days.
Couldn't get rid of the stench of other people's BO either. 
My first experience of what they now call 'the mosh pit' was of being squashed by dozens of large, lardy men in denim who punched the air and headbanged for two hours. Only when we emerged blinking into the night air did we realise that we stank. Urgh!
As for the gig, it was so good I went back the night night. Aged 16, for the first time n my life,  I bought a ticket off a tout. Looking down from the balcony, I saw the same gig from a different perspective, and it was every bit as good.
Whitesnake were a huge part of my teenage soundtrack - one that was wrapped round bands such as Purple, Led Zep, Iron Maiden, Gillan, Saxon,and the mighty Rainbow with Graham Bonnet on vocals.  Their gig at Ingliston circa '81 was simply epic - their Playhouse one a year or two later, not so as Blackmore had one of his sulky nights.
But while some bands came and went - a brief dalliance with Rush came to nowt, while I never really got into Sabbath that much - 'Snake were constant.
From Coverdale's solo album to Lovehunter, complete with that slightly risque album cover, on to Ready And Willing - the first album to reunite Coverdale with ex-Purple sidekicks Jon Lord and Ian Paice, which was their breakthrough.
It was, and still is, a belting album by a  band that could rock and still deliver songs with a commercial edge, perhaps best captured on their double album Live In The Heart Of The City. Top this day, it remains one of my favourite albums of that era.IO still dust if off every now and then and relive those great gigs.
Last time I saw Marsden was at the Lochgelly Centre with In The Company Of Snakes, band that also featured fellow guitarist, Micky Moody, and bassist Neil Murray from that classic line-up, and ex-Rainbow keyboards wizard Don Airey, still playing the songs they loved.
Here's a guy who looks like an ordinary bloke, but who plays a mean guitar and co-wrote massive rock anthems such as Here I Go Again, and Fool For Your Loving - songs which defined Whitesnake.
So, I look forward to hearing the stories behind those classic numbers when Marsden takes to the stage at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline on September 4.
A gig for any discerning rock fan who grew up in the 80s...
Ticket info from wwwonfife.com

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