@@tangerinerose3724 Yeah, after writing 8 out of 10 songs for the album John Sykes was just fired with no further explanation. Unfortunately Whitesnake never got that good after him, and Steve Vai although great guitarist didn't fit very well their sound.
@@bumpyroad3251 They tried with producer to press David Coverdale while he was recovering from sinus infection and surgery, with another singer. No wonder why John was fired. Not to defend David, but he was over a decade in the business, when you have situation like this, its like your throne menaced. David is very radical, where there s a problem, he prefer to extract it than let the project burn in flames. So he did a cleaning firing certain members ( except Neil Murray ) like Sykes because in that case and context, with Recovery with no guarantee to sing again, David saw some people profit from his vulnerability. Its not a great feeling. David have his mistakes, but Sykes was difficult too. David is a Boss. When there s certain decisions to take... You take it. And before calling it bullshit, on that surgery it was real. Both Vanderberg and Keith Oslen producer as well than Neil Murray confirm Coverdale version on that aspect Sykes was an immature dick too impatient. You can't do anything but wait in that case. And another thing, since that time, David Forgive, and he had given a hand to John as individual. John still bitter and salty. Understand what you have to understand.
John was a favorite of mine after hearing him play in Tygers of Pantang then going to Thin Lizzy I got to see him play and sing in Thin Lizzy in the early 200s and man he brought the house down in Boynton beach never forget it he was just on fire 🔥 on everything
It’s totally endless how many close calls there were and bands that were hugely competitive almost having the same guys at one time or another. Mind blowing. Whitesnake alone must have a family tree the size of CT.
Totally agree. That Call To The Heart video was the first time we knew they existed. Craig made those guitars cool. Blackie in WASP and Lita F did also, but Craig using it made it more tangible for the average person. Pretty neat stuff back then.
Yeah, that was hilarious. If he can do impressions on other people as great as he did David Lee Roth, he could probably could do stand up doing impressions
Pffft Diva Dave changes guitarists more than he changes his underwear... The best fit overall for talent was Sykes. Hands down. No other WS albums since has topped that album...
Yes..I think Whitesnake wouldve had a better run if Craig Goldy was in it. I think he is VERY hook oriented..and reasonable to work with. For whatever its worth the writing with Vandenberg..as great as he is...lacked the immediacy that I think Craig Goldy would have brought. But circumstances and timing didnt converge..dammit.
Sykes is a great musician but he s not whitesnake. He came in the picture only in 1984. While The band had already 6 studios records since 1978 and one live album.
@@Nissardpertugiu No one knows any of those albums bud. Don't get cute. When you mention White Snake, the 1987 album is what everyone thinks about. It sold more than 50 copies compared to the previous stuff. I like the previous albums, but White Snake never did anything like that 87 album before or after.
@@lelandgaunt7130 In America, because in America, and Whitesnake is a great example, you don't open doors to the band unless he s bringing water into his wine. You re more fashion oriented. Because once 1987 came out, even you pretend to be a fan, you don't search and want to discover the story of the band, their albums, their musical variety ( Trouble is a great example of that, for instance ). You stay on the Commercial Hits. For proof, many american think Whitesnake as " hair band " popping up in 1986 from Nowhere and did 1987 and Slip of the tongue album. Its just 2 years on 45 years career . In Europe we grew up with all the records. David, beign from Deep Purple ( 3 albums between 1974 and 1975, plus 2 solo albums in 1977-1978, with already Micky Moody on it and Simon Phillips on drums, and also Ronnie Dio on backing vocals ;) ) was already followed. In Japan, once you re part of the Deep Purple Family tree, you re Huge. Including Dio, Rainbow, Alcatrazz, Ian Gillan Band... That said, more on the east coast and stuff , some underground metal guys and stuff beign huge after knew about Whitesnake before 1987. Rudy Sarzo knew it. I invite yourself to listen closely a Whitesnake song riff like " Ready and Willing " and next listen what Rex and Vinnie are playing in section of Psycho Holiday by Pantera during the Darrell solo Doug Aldrich knew it as well he was fan of thoses early records. By the way, where do you think Crying in the Rain, Here I go again, and Fool for you loving came from ? 1987 and Slip of the tongue ? Its from Ready and Willing and Saint in Sinners. It was already Big hits back in Europe and Japan. Even South america. You were late at the party. USA are not the only country on earth. Its not because you didn't knew it ( and to be honest its not really your fault, its the politic market of your country ). Whitesnake in 1978-1984, did 2 Doningtons festivals, They did many gigs with AC DC, The Police, Rainbow, Ian Gillan Band, Ozzy, Dio, I believe Saxon too ..
@@lelandgaunt7130 Personnally i don't think on the lenght 1987 is a very quality album. The demos are better, its heavier. But the album, i mean there s stuff that became cheesy, thoses sugar keyboards, and few songs that are not really inspired . But its my opinion. Selling more don't mean better. I mean hit records of Scorpions in USA aren't touching the Genius and innovation of Virgin Killer or Taken By Force...
John Sykes didn't quit to play in Blue Murder, he was fired by Coverdale. Sykes created Blue Murder. Steve can play anything, but he didn't really sound right in Whitesnake. Goldie would have been a better fit.
man I don't want to wish anyone bad things but Coverdale; had it coming ; for firing John Sykes. he is the one that gave the 87 album the sales it needed. then came along; Vivian Campbell, Adrian Vandenberg and that wasn't a good lineup. i can't imagine Craig goldy in Whitesnake. he was loyal to Ronnie James Dio until his last days.
Sykes signed his firing when too cocky and impatient wanted to force Coverdale get the vocals, to the point, with one of sound guy inge, think about getting another singer on the album.. David couldn't sing, he had a serious sinus infection and surgery on chords. He had to shut up and rest for 6 months.
Saw in interview with John Sykes back in '89, as the first Blue Murder album was released, and according to Sykes, he said he didn't want to sing lead but all the good singers were taken.
Sykes was too impatient. His mistake was with the ingeneer to replace David in studio while he was recovering his surgery and couldn't sing. John disgrace on that one is only his fault. The only thing Sykes was right was publishing credits sharing.
There is some pretty cool footage out there of John playing with the classic mk II line up coming off the Slide It In album. Really showed a spotlight on how smooth of a player he is. It's pretty cool to sit back after all these years and to be able to appreciate all of these great musicians for their personal styles. We really had it made as fans in the 80s and early 90s with so much talent on the rock/metal scene. So glad so many are still out playing and doing interviews. A lot of things to fill in the spaces between Circus and Creem magazine articles.
@Apocalypse2031I don’t disagree with you on any of this except Sykes being a great singer. His vocals ruined the “Thin Lizzy” tribute he was doing for years. If he and Coverdale could’ve worked it out, Whitesnake would’ve had a much longer run. Instead they had one massive album and most people don’t even know who John Sykes is
I know C.Goldy from the group DIO - he played there 3 times. He looked a lot like Rudy Sarzo when he was young. They played together in the last line-up of Dio. But today Goldy looks different. Even though Rudy is 11 years older - he looks great.
I love hearing how all of these things are interconnected. Blue Murder wanted a true lead singer. I never realized David Glen Eisner was in the mix. At one point, they cut some demos with Ray Gillen (of Badlands, and brief stint in Black Sabbath), but John Kalodner didn't like them. Then, Tony Martin was the guy (helped write Valley Of The Kings, which totally sounds like his kind of song), but he eventually bailed. Finally, they decided to go with John Sykes. The Blue Murder wikipedia page goes into much more detail.
Honestly I can't imagine that. If you had Ray Gillen available you wouldn't even give DGE the time of day. And then Craig saying Kalodner didn't want Sykes to sing is just nonsense, it was Kalodner that told Sykes to quit fucking around with Gillen and Tony Martin and whoever else and just sing the songs himself, which turned out to be a great move as John sang the shit out of those tracks.
Saying John Sykes left Whitesnake is one way to say it. Another way to say it would be he got unceremoniously fired. Shit canned. Out on his ass. Yeah….I’d say it one of those ways….but “he left” works too.
Totally crazy that any Music Producer wouldn't want John Sykes as a Singer / Guitar Player in a Band like Blue Murder .John Could Sing "Bad Boys" by Whitesnake and play those Fierce Riffs / Solos perfectly together on Stage . He sang that song just as Good as David Coverdale . John ended up singing a lot of the Blue Murder songs anyway , so it all worked out . David Coverdale was a Fool to part with John Sykes in Whitesnake .
@Apocalypse2031 I was sitting right next to Carmine at his house playing me the "Blue Murder" demos! That's how I found out first that Koladner didn't want John to be the lead Singer! Yes, John can sing and write like no one else....but Sykes is not a singer! He can sing but he is not the top grade of lead singers! John Sykes didn't want to battle lead singers anymore just to get his amazing ideas out there! It's the age old story.....guitarists fight with singers.....to get their guitar parts in as amazing as they currently are ! But that makes it harder for amazing singers to do what they do best! But most guitarists......don't sing as well as John Sykes! But John Sykes is not among the world's best singers or front men.....period.....but John Sykes earned his place in the sun! But as a result of that.... "Blue Murder" did not set the world on fire! I have worked one on one with both Carmine and Tony Franklin.....and they have never tried to correct me! Mainly because.....I learned all this from them.....and not just Koladner!!
@Apocalypse2031 he wasn't trying to lie ffs..he's been around so long and involved with so many acts and musicians that for recollections to become a little muddied or confused can happen. One thing for sure is that you'll never hear Craig talking shit about somebody. He always takes the high road in those situations
@Apocalypse2031 with your response completely shines a light on his class and your angst. Frankly, it's a little puzzling why you're taking souch a strong tone with a legend. Mean, give you credit for having a conversation, but heck, dude. Craig was on stage, doing the demos, writing the songs, and in the studios for all of it. Those of us who were probably should show some respect, no? Mean, he spent a lot of days away from family and friends, nights on tour busses, spent a lot of time chatting with us fans. That's a lot of work. If you don't love what you do, it's hard to see anyone pulling that off for long periods of time, let alone decades. Jus sayin. It's hard to watch Craig feel disrespected. He deserves better than that from us. Mean, if you want to pay for the domain name and start a let's argue about metal heros website, hope it's successful, but to do it under an interview with the hero himself? Some say legend to those who really looked up to him? Kind of backwards to take such a strong and disrespectful tone, don't you think?
I love Craig, but he’s off the track here. He made a lot of confusion with the events happening. Anyway, i think he was the perfect man for Dio. Dream Evil sounds like an evil version of Blackmore🤘🏻
Saw WS with Adrian & Vivian… they couldn’t replicate Sykes’ beastial tone and the show really fell flat. I went it assuming that and accepting it for what it was, but the mood of the crowd was pretty careless with people just kind of wandering around. Dave was pissed af, even making comments. But no one seemed to care. Weirdest vibe ever at a concert. What made it arguably worse was white lion I believe was the opener and Vito was completely on fire. And the audience was really revved, esp on Lady of the Valley.
I saw WS in 1987 with Vandenberg/Campbell, and Anthrax opened. I'm a big Anthrax fan, but they sounded horrible that night. Could barely tell what song they were playing, the sound was so muddy. And you are correct, Whitesnake sounded flat and uninspiring. Their sound was much clearer than Anthrax's though, so I'm not sure what happened while Anthrax was playing. 🤷♂️
Might be wrong, but thought we heard back in the day, only Sykes, Gary Moore and Z Wylde were using active pick ups in their Les Pauls. Made sense because all three players definitely brought a monster wall of rhythm and soloing on command.
John Sykes was fired by David Coverdale. It doesn’t matter, because he laughs all the way to the bank. Since he owns part of the publishing to all the music on the Whitesnake slide it in, and the 87 album. 😊
Best version we heard was David's mom pulled him aside and asked him what he thought he was doing. With John's looks he was going to get all the attention from the ladies. Can't remember if that was David telling that story in a video or who we saw recounting it, want to say it was David in an interview back closer to when it happened. However it went down, it was pretty dang funny. Had to have been David that was telling the story/joke. Otherwise it wouldn't have had the same punch. lol
You cannot compare players like this or guys in Warrant ect. to Vai & Satch they can adapt to whatever style while adding their signature stuff . I been a Guitarist for 40 yrs. or so and have heard and seen both of them several times , live through the years .
@@isaiahmarquez9717 Any knowledgeable fan of 80s metal who lived and was neck deep back during that time and hearing the player's stories comparing notes knows that guys and gals were bouncing around a lot. Same as LA Guns and Guns and Roses became separate bands when the guys split from the original band. Questioning the people who were there is kind of like insisting there were shadow painters on the most famous works of art in museums. Easy to say, but...
Craig does a great DLR impersonation! But I think Goldy has the wrong Bob. Ezrin didn't work on A Little Ain't Enough, it was Bob Rock. I love Lady Luck!
@Homeschool Adventure Bob Ezerin was his producer at the time during the songwriting portion....once I was done I later heard about Bob RockI. Said "Ezerin was the producer at the tine"!
HELP: I recently went through all my concert tickets during the 80s and remembered that I saw Whitesnake 3 times. The Texas Jam in 87, March of 88 and March of 90(Reunion Area). My recollection is that Vivian Campbell played the Texas Jam but now I'm starting to question it. My favorite guitarists at the time were EVH, George Lynch and Campbell until Nuno showed up. PLEASE FORGIVE ME but I didn't know who John Sykes was at the time. Since then I've become a HUGE Sykes and Doug Aldrich fan. Anyways, does anybody know the lineup of those three concerts, it's really bugging me now.
I saw Whitesnake in 88 and 90. The lineup in 1990 was Vai, Vandenberg, Aldridge, and Sarzo. The 1988 lineup was Campbell, Vandenberg, Aldridge, and Sarzo. I looked at the Wiki page of Whitesnake and it says that Texas Jam 87 was the first show of the lineup with Campbell, Vandernberg, Aldridge, and Sarzo. Hope this helps.
So if I understand Goldy correctly, DLR picked only one song of the several (?) that they wrote together. Were these songs recorded? Will we ever get to hear them?
@@captainflamson -- Thanks, I know about Lady Luck and Jason Becker. I'm asking about other songs. DLR and Goldy wrote multiple songs according to Goldy.
Someone tried to replace David vocals awaiting his recovery on vocal surgery with another singer. No wonder why David did a cleaning to potentials traitor in his team trying to take advantage of him...
@@Nissardpertugiu Was it voice surgery? Thought it was a sinus infection that took David over 3 months to recover from. Sykes thought David was avoiding recording because in his mind it only takes 2 to 3 weeks to recover from a sinus infection, which is true when it's a bacterial infection. A fungal infection can take up to 3 months and longer. Some people never recover. The surgery may have been on his sinus cavity. Sometimes for a fungal infection they have to go into the sinus cavity to scrape the infection off, which in the process injures the sinus cavity to the point where it will change the sound of the singer's voice. Fungal infections are a bitch to get rid of because they thrive off of sugar and other carbohydrates, and in many cases, antibiotics not only doesn't kill it, for some fungal infections the antibiotics feeds the fungal infection. I know from personal experience, I almost died 3 times from 3 different respiratory tract infections where my doctors had to take me off the antibiotics because in there words, the antibiotics was feeding the infection. In all three situations, it was extreme natural medicine remedies that cured me, and is the only reason I'm alive today
Sounds like he s got his stories confused...it wasn't til the interviewer corrected him about Vai joining Whitesnake 2 years later, after Sykes left WS.
@Joe Joe The time line is scondary....all I know is that the record company didn't want Sykes to be the lead vocalist for Blue Murder.....He wanted David Glenn Eisley.... and he wanted me in Whitesnake.....and all I remember was that I wasn't a good fit and I had heard it was Vai they went for....I'm not a Whitesnake exclusive journalist.....sorry!! The timeline for guitarists is not the key element to this story! I didn't call this guy up for the interview.....he called me years after the whoke thing went down! !
@Apocalypse2031 And you read this where??? I lived it! Ask Carmine, Tony, Sykes or Kalodner who was personally responsible for breathing life back into Aerosmith and Whitesnake! This is well documented! You just heard it or read it from someone or somewhere.....I LIVED IT!! You can say whatever you want! And believe whatever you want! But IT DOESN'T TAKE AWAY THAT MESSAGE ON MY PHONE MACHINE FROM KOLADNER!! PERIOD!!
@Apocalypse2031 BTW.....I have worked with Tony Franklin and Carmine on several projects one on one and in a group of musicians for the final outcome....and NOT ONE OF THEM......NOT ONE OF THEM HAVE TRIED TO CORRECT ME!! SO WHO ARE YOU TO DO SO?????
@Apocalypse2031 Just out of curiosity......how did you "Live This"? Worked with a lot of these guys.... "How"? "A lot of these guys" is actually quite non-specific! Were you a roadie? Were you a secretary? Were you right in the mix as a colleague? Were you friends with someone's wife? Got invited to a party? What position did you "Actually" occupy? Worked at Geffen? If so....personally knowing who? Being given such information you claim to have....... must've come from somewhere on the inside!! What "Inside Information" person did you know? What "Inside Information" position did you "Actually" occupy? And can it be verified??????
He had a vision to change Whitesnake from its blues rock roots into a metal band leader of the times. Right, wrong or otherwise, have to give him credit for accomplishing what he set out to. Personally, we are HUGE John Sykes and Viv Campbell fans. They both went on to do (and continue to do) great things, so it worked out. And, watching John and the 2 guys in Blue Murder play Still Of The Night as a 3 piece from 10 feet away with John singing on a triple bill King's X, Blue Murder, Billy Squier concert was just plain cool. Gotta give him credit. Taking a metal classic from a 5 piece down to a 3 piece and bringing down the house is no small thing.
The original composers and songwriters on that Whitesnake album with “Still of the Night” was the sh-t. ... The followup albums didn’t touch that album. It was Sykes fault he got canned. Coverdale had a sinus infection that lasted 3 to 6 months, and therefore, Coverdale did not want to record until his sinuses were clear, becaues it was messing up his voice. Sykes thought that no one could have a sinus infection that long, and he thought Coverdale was blowing smoke and avoiding the project, when in fact, some sinus infections, especially fungal infections of the sinus cavity can take 6 months to recover from. Coverdale said that what cured him was they went in and did some sinus scrapes in the sinus cavity, to remove the infected tissue. This is usually what they have to do to remove fungal infections of the sinus cavity. Because Sykes was playing doctor when he wasn’t one, he kept pushing at Coverdale until Coverdale had enough and wanted Sykes out of the band. Who knows if there was more to the story. But the Sykes version of Whitesnake in that time period was the shit.
Nothing Whitesnake ever put out came remotely close to Sykes work on that 87 album. It stands heads above the rest! Coverdale was a f'g fool for letting him go! He was jealous AF of him!!
Sounds like he's making up the story as he goes along and being led by the interviewer. I met Goldy once in a club near Atlanta when he was playing in a band called Giuffria, and he was kind of a snob. I was also in a band and friends with a lot of local musicians who didn't really care for him either. To hear him talk smack about other famous and much more talented musicians makes me laugh, like anyone really knows who the hell he is anyway. 😄
@RussUlmer @Apaclypse2031 I was sitting right next to Carmine at his house playing me the "Blue Murder" demos! That's how I found out first that Koladner didn't want John to be the lead Singer! Yes, John can sing and write like no one else....but Sykes is not a singer! He can sing but he is not the top grade of lead singers! John Sykes didn't want to battle lead singers anymore just to get his amazing ideas out there! It's the age old story.....guitarists fight with singers.....to get their guitar parts in as amazing as they currently are ! But that makes it harder for amazing singers to do what they do best! But most guitarists......don't sing as well as John Sykes! But John Sykes is not among the world's best singers or front men.....period.....but John Sykes earned his place in the sun! But as a result of that.... "Blue Murder" did not set the world on fire! I have worked one on one with both Carmine and Tony Franklin.....and they have never tried to correct me! Mainly because.....I learned all this from them.....and not just Koladner!!
We're going to put in a plug again that somehow Mick Brown sees this and Craig, Mick and some others find a way to monetize this. Cuz watching these guys hand your a.. umm keyboards/phones to you is absolutely hilarious. "No, no, no. He can't be right. I have my phone right here. Doesn't matter if he was there. I'm right because I got 3 thumbs up from random strangers on the internet that are probably hairy overweight men in their underwear posing as real heavy metal fans. I know I'm right. Harry metal balls agreed with me!" You guys are better than cable. Soooooo glad Craig is taking time to respond to this stuff. It is just plain awesome. If it didn't prove he was the man before, well this sure does. Wouldn't blame him at all if he started every response with "Hey numbnuts, ...."
Coverdale could sense another Blackmore rift only now with Sykes and cut it before it spread It's a shame because Sykes was the best guitarist of the 80s, no one came close
Sykes was great, hell yeah. In the top 20. IMO Randy Rhoads was the best the 80's had to offer, and still, much better than most today. Then there was Eddie, Slash, Dimebag, Glen Tipton, KK Downing, Kirk Hammett and a ton of unknowns that never made it.
@@ThisUnderWorldOfDarkness You're leaving out Reb Beach, who has tore it up in all of his playing, and George Lynch, which as just about every live performance video out on yt right now, is shredding and blowing the doors off more than ever. There's even a few of him playing Still Of The Night with a couple of bands. It is so cool to see a legend put their own stamp on another classic. No complaints here. What's the alternative? They read yt comments and hang it up? No thanks. We'll take every last performance they want to give us fans.
@U I U That's why I said that I wasn't a good fit! It's not my fault thexrecird company guy wanted me at one point....but I knew deep down I wasn't the right fit....not sure why you need to point something out as if I didn't say it?
@Apocalypse2031 Craig cruises these comments. Might want to strap in. Only a matter time before he sees yours. And we are going to enjoy, every, last, minute, of it. ;)
I don't know, this story doesn't make sense, he says he was going to replace sykes and then he says that they called steve vai and vivian was the one who replaced sykes, maybe craig in this interview was a little drunk.
@Jorge Paul The time line is scondary....all I know is that the record company didn't want Sykes to be the lead vocalist for Blue Murder.....He wanted David Glenn Eisley.... and he wanted me in Whitesnake.....and all I remember was that I wasn't a good fit and I had heard it was Vai they went for....I'm not a Whitesnake exclusive journalist.....sorry!! The timeline for guitarists is not the key element to this story! I didn't call this guy up for the interview.....he called me years after the whoke thing went down! !
vai is probably the best living electric player ,however he was never ever the man for snake .neither was viv Adrien or any other player they had after sykes ,and David had a few amazing players. its clear dave never new about guitarists and thought he could draft any half decent player in and it would work out . like dio ,like ozzy ,ozzy got lucky btw . horses for courses,sykes would have sounded as out of place on a Dave lee roth album as vai did on slip .
@@tangerinerose3724 That good ? I disagree with this. People also don't realize how physically challenging are his lines to do. People talk shit.. Real musicians that done many shows in a row know.
@Guillaume Joan Pépin Viano ya he's been singing for too long. He was great in the seventies but by the mid eighties with his excess of drugs and booze it took its toll, hence his continued procrastination with the singing part of the 1987 album.
@@tangerinerose3724 It was touring and he sang a lot higher all the time by late 80's. 1987? The guy had sinus infection contamination to vocal chords and surgery in 1986. What he was supposed to do to recover ?
@Full in Bloom To those who doubt me and think I'm full of crap: I was sitting right next to Carmine at his house playing me the "Blue Murder" demos! That's how I found out first that Koladner didn't want John to be the lead Singer! Yes, John can sing and write like no one else....but Sykes is not a singer! He can sing but he is not the top grade of lead singers! John Sykes didn't want to battle lead singers anymore just to get his amazing ideas out there! It's the age old story.....guitarists fight with singers.....to get their guitar parts in as amazing as they currently are ! But that makes it harder for amazing singers to do what they do best! But most guitarists......don't sing as well as John Sykes! But John Sykes is not among the world's best singers or front men.....period.....but John Sykes earned his place in the sun! But as a result of that.... "Blue Murder" did not set the world on fire! I have worked one on one with both Carmine and Tony Franklin.....and they have never tried to correct me! Mainly because.....I learned all this from them.....and not just Koladner!! I never once thought I was right for Whitesnake nor did I try to make it sound like that....if you listen....I say quite the opposite!! For those who met me and think I'm a "snob"....I'm the very last person to think highly of myself!! So if you had a bad interaction with me......you need to look in the mirror!! Period
Totally agree. The only thing cooler than Craig's playing is the man himself. He was a total pleasure to talk to. Anyone whining about something better step forward with proof they've never had a bad day in their life. Cuz whoever is tempted to complain about meeting a rock star is kind of missing the point. You met a rock star. Next question. lol
Sure Goldy. As if he wouldn't have taken the Whitesnake gig if offered to him. Is he forgetting he was playing in a b-grade generic "hair-metal" 80's hard rock band GIUFFRIA at the time? Steve Vai didn't suit WHITESNAKE at all. Sounds like Goldy's timeline is way out anyway, Campbell was in WHITESNAKE during the same time that Goldy was in DIO during his first stint, hell he was Viv's replacement in DIO. So he should really know better or maybe he is just ignorant to his peers
Who you callin B grade? Giuffria was a great group. Both of their albums and the House Of Lords stuff that followed stand up to this day. Craig's work on it helped solidify the s/t album in rock history with all of us metal heads in the 80s and early 90s. Not many players were pulling off solos like what Craig did in Don't Tear Me Down and the Hear N Aid sessions. They were just plain awesome. And, a word of warning, if you haven't noticed.. Craig is personally responding to a lot of these comments. lol Love that guy. He's just such a fun soul. We don't care if he was drunk, high, spun in three circles and reciting Randy Rhoads history backwards. We'd be laughing all the way right there with him and still think the world of him. He was great to meet and he pulled off some of the most iconic playing in Giuffria, Dio, and his other projects. The only people that don't think so just haven't taken the time to seek them out and listen. Simply put, Craig's not your average player. He's got a style all his own, just like other greats. Otherwise, there would be 10,000 Craig Goldies, and well, there just isn't. The proof is in the pudding... And besides, everyone's kind of missing the entire point. Just the fact that so many people were talking with Craig about different projects and there were demos floating around, well, that kind of says it all. Rock on brother!
We struggled with it too, until we saw the Donnington performance. We never, never saw someone glide over the strings like Vai did. Everything made sense after that. It was really something to watch.
Steve Vai can play but he did not fit Whitesnake one bit. He actually made them sound crappy. Songs weren't that good when Vai was in the band but Whitesnake's bluesy rock with Vai's guitar sound did not fit together
@pfdad1.....I'm not a rock journalist....all I know is that when Sykes started Blue Murder the record company didn't want Sykes to sing....they wanted David Glenn Eisley.....and around that same time I got a call to hold off on anything cause the record company wanted me to be the next guitarist in Whitesnake and I just assumed I got beat out by Vai.....who cares....I wasn't the right fit for that band! That's all I was trying to get across!!
Steve Vai can play anything.....except Whitesnake. Saw him with them 3 times and it was just awful. Everything was great, but this guy is trying to do that bizarre solo style of his to classic bluesy Whitesnake. Vai is a gimmick, not even remotely a blues guy, like a Sykes. With Roth doing his thing it was great. It matches Roth's flamboyant style. In Whitesnake he was just awful
At 0:18 John Sykes did not leave Whitesnake to join Blue Murder. - John Sykes formed Blue Murder after being forced out of Whitesnake.
John was fired after attempting a coup
Exactly!!!!
@@ronniejdio9411 no it wasn't that...
@@tangerinerose3724 Yeah, after writing 8 out of 10 songs for the album John Sykes was just fired with no further explanation. Unfortunately Whitesnake never got that good after him, and Steve Vai although great guitarist didn't fit very well their sound.
@@bumpyroad3251 They tried with producer to press David Coverdale while he was recovering from sinus infection and surgery, with another singer.
No wonder why John was fired.
Not to defend David, but he was over a decade in the business, when you have situation like this, its like your throne menaced.
David is very radical, where there s a problem, he prefer to extract it than let the project burn in flames.
So he did a cleaning firing certain members ( except Neil Murray ) like Sykes because in that case and context, with Recovery with no guarantee to sing again, David saw some people profit from his vulnerability.
Its not a great feeling.
David have his mistakes, but Sykes was difficult too.
David is a Boss.
When there s certain decisions to take...
You take it.
And before calling it bullshit, on that surgery it was real.
Both Vanderberg and Keith Oslen producer as well than Neil Murray confirm Coverdale version on that aspect
Sykes was an immature dick too impatient.
You can't do anything but wait in that case.
And another thing, since that time, David Forgive, and he had given a hand to John as individual.
John still bitter and salty.
Understand what you have to understand.
John Sykes is a great guitarist!
monster guitar player.
Maestro Sykes. Dave really screwed him over..
The best guitar for Whitesnake. After Dave let him go it was all downfall, even great Steve Vai couldn't remedy this.
Sykes was the shit. Monstrous, fluid groove. Right in the pocket.
John was a favorite of mine after hearing him play in Tygers of Pantang then going to Thin Lizzy I got to see him play and sing in Thin Lizzy in the early 200s and man he brought the house down in Boynton beach never forget it he was just on fire 🔥 on everything
Love Craig. Such a nice dude.
Saw Goldie with Dio twice..It was F#king epic!
Craig is a beast on guitar. A true asset to any band he’s apart of 🤘🏻
always great to hear craig tell these stories....i could listen all day.
Second that!
It’s totally endless how many close calls there were and bands that were hugely competitive almost having the same guys at one time or another. Mind blowing. Whitesnake alone must have a family tree the size of CT.
I love the Dream Evil record..... I loved Craig in Dio and am always on the hunt for reverse headstock BC Rich guitars thanks to Craig.
Totally agree. That Call To The Heart video was the first time we knew they existed. Craig made those guitars cool. Blackie in WASP and Lita F did also, but Craig using it made it more tangible for the average person. Pretty neat stuff back then.
Craig is awesome! Also, Ray Gillen was supposed to sing for Blue Murder. Also Great DLR impression!!
The original lineup for Blue Murder was Sykes,Gillen,Tony Franklin and Cozy Powell.There a couple demos from that lineup floating around the net.
Yeah, that was hilarious. If he can do impressions on other people as great as he did David Lee Roth, he could probably could do stand up doing impressions
Always doing the BEST interviews!
David Glen Eisley vocals & Craig Goldys guitar signature in Giuffra were awesome.
Pffft Diva Dave changes guitarists more than he changes his underwear... The best fit overall for talent was Sykes. Hands down. No other WS albums since has topped that album...
Totally agree.
Agree, I love Vandenberg, Campbell and Vai but Sykes and Coverdale was a magical combination. Too bad they'll never reconcile.
David Coverversion is thefather of those GretaVanFleet kids.
@finnmcginn9931 he even suggested Steve Vai joining when Skyes was in the band!
U right!!!!
David Coverdale did John Sykes dirty. Now years later David Coverdale cannot understand John Sykes not forgiving him. Goof
Craig Goldy would have been awesome in Whitesnake . He would have been more like Sykes
Yes..I think Whitesnake wouldve had a better run if Craig Goldy was in it. I think he is VERY hook oriented..and reasonable to work with. For whatever its worth the writing with Vandenberg..as great as he is...lacked the immediacy that I think Craig Goldy would have brought. But circumstances and timing didnt converge..dammit.
Love Viv but both he and Vandenberg butchered Sykes' solos on that tour. I feel Craig would have done a much better job.
Such great rock history,, love it.. 🤘🏻
Great interview, I would like to hear more excerpts from this…
Sykes was White Snake. Campbell would have been a good fit for WS, but no one is replacing that killer vibrato and the riffs that Sykes had.
Sykes is a great musician but he s not whitesnake.
He came in the picture only in 1984.
While The band had already 6 studios records since 1978 and one live album.
@@Nissardpertugiu No one knows any of those albums bud. Don't get cute. When you mention White Snake, the 1987 album is what everyone thinks about. It sold more than 50 copies compared to the previous stuff. I like the previous albums, but White Snake never did anything like that 87 album before or after.
@@lelandgaunt7130 In America, because in America, and Whitesnake is a great example, you don't open doors to the band unless he s bringing water into his wine.
You re more fashion oriented.
Because once 1987 came out, even you pretend to be a fan, you don't search and want to discover the story of the band, their albums, their musical variety ( Trouble is a great example of that, for instance ).
You stay on the Commercial Hits.
For proof, many american think Whitesnake as " hair band " popping up in 1986 from Nowhere and did 1987 and Slip of the tongue album.
Its just 2 years on 45 years career .
In Europe we grew up with all the records.
David, beign from Deep Purple ( 3 albums between 1974 and 1975, plus 2 solo albums in 1977-1978, with already Micky Moody on it and Simon Phillips on drums, and also Ronnie Dio on backing vocals ;) ) was already followed.
In Japan, once you re part of the Deep Purple Family tree, you re Huge.
Including Dio, Rainbow, Alcatrazz, Ian Gillan Band...
That said, more on the east coast and stuff , some underground metal guys and stuff beign huge after knew about Whitesnake
before 1987.
Rudy Sarzo knew it.
I invite yourself to listen closely a Whitesnake song riff like " Ready and Willing " and next listen what Rex and Vinnie are playing in section of Psycho Holiday by Pantera during the Darrell solo
Doug Aldrich knew it as well he was fan of thoses early records.
By the way, where do you think Crying in the Rain, Here I go again, and Fool for you loving came from ?
1987 and Slip of the tongue ?
Its from Ready and Willing and Saint in Sinners.
It was already Big hits back in Europe and Japan.
Even South america.
You were late at the party.
USA are not the only country on earth.
Its not because you didn't knew it ( and to be honest its not really your fault, its the politic market of your country ).
Whitesnake in 1978-1984, did 2 Doningtons festivals, They did many gigs with AC DC, The Police, Rainbow, Ian Gillan Band, Ozzy, Dio, I believe Saxon too ..
@@lelandgaunt7130 Personnally i don't think on the lenght 1987 is a very quality album.
The demos are better, its heavier.
But the album, i mean there s stuff that became cheesy, thoses sugar keyboards, and few songs that are not really inspired .
But its my opinion.
Selling more don't mean better.
I mean hit records of Scorpions in USA aren't touching the Genius and innovation of Virgin Killer or Taken By Force...
@Guillaume Joan Pépin Viano Blackout was one of Scorpions best album. Come on man.
Sykes is a god
John Sykes didn't quit to play in Blue Murder, he was fired by Coverdale. Sykes created Blue Murder. Steve can play anything, but he didn't really sound right in Whitesnake. Goldie would have been a better fit.
Thank you
Dream evil is one of my favorite dio albums!!! Awesome guitar work!!!
im a big goldy fan especially with dio but there is no replacing sykes!
man I don't want to wish anyone bad things but Coverdale; had it coming ; for firing John Sykes. he is the one that gave the 87 album the sales it needed. then came along; Vivian Campbell, Adrian Vandenberg and that wasn't a good lineup. i can't imagine Craig goldy in Whitesnake. he was loyal to Ronnie James Dio until his last days.
Your correct Vivian and Adrain didn’t vibe well I saw them opening for Motley I told my friend Vivian not going to be in this band long 😂
Sykes signed his firing when too cocky and impatient wanted to force Coverdale get the vocals, to the point, with one of sound guy inge, think about getting another singer on the album..
David couldn't sing, he had a serious sinus infection and surgery on chords.
He had to shut up and rest for 6 months.
Another comment about the DLR impression! Spot on haha
Saw in interview with John Sykes back in '89, as the first Blue Murder album was released, and according to Sykes, he said he didn't want to sing lead but all the good singers were taken.
We never got to see the ultimate Whitesnake line up live, with just John Sykes on guitar in 87 thanks to the egomaniac in Coverdale.
Sykes was too impatient.
His mistake was with the ingeneer to replace David in studio while he was recovering his surgery and couldn't sing.
John disgrace on that one is only his fault.
The only thing Sykes was right was publishing credits sharing.
@@Nissardpertugiu His lone guitar sound on that 87 album is literally the best best heavy rock guitar sound period, esides Van Halen 1 of course.
There is some pretty cool footage out there of John playing with the classic mk II line up coming off the Slide It In album. Really showed a spotlight on how smooth of a player he is. It's pretty cool to sit back after all these years and to be able to appreciate all of these great musicians for their personal styles. We really had it made as fans in the 80s and early 90s with so much talent on the rock/metal scene. So glad so many are still out playing and doing interviews. A lot of things to fill in the spaces between Circus and Creem magazine articles.
@Apocalypse2031I don’t disagree with you on any of this except Sykes being a great singer. His vocals ruined the “Thin Lizzy” tribute he was doing for years. If he and Coverdale could’ve worked it out, Whitesnake would’ve had a much longer run. Instead they had one massive album and most people don’t even know who John Sykes is
I know C.Goldy from the group DIO - he played there 3 times. He looked a lot like Rudy Sarzo when he was young. They played together in the last line-up of Dio. But today Goldy looks different. Even though Rudy is 11 years older - he looks great.
I love hearing how all of these things are interconnected.
Blue Murder wanted a true lead singer. I never realized David Glen Eisner was in the mix. At one point, they cut some demos with Ray Gillen (of Badlands, and brief stint in Black Sabbath), but John Kalodner didn't like them. Then, Tony Martin was the guy (helped write Valley Of The Kings, which totally sounds like his kind of song), but he eventually bailed. Finally, they decided to go with John Sykes. The Blue Murder wikipedia page goes into much more detail.
Honestly I can't imagine that. If you had Ray Gillen available you wouldn't even give DGE the time of day. And then Craig saying Kalodner didn't want Sykes to sing is just nonsense, it was Kalodner that told Sykes to quit fucking around with Gillen and Tony Martin and whoever else and just sing the songs himself, which turned out to be a great move as John sang the shit out of those tracks.
Saying John Sykes left Whitesnake is one way to say it.
Another way to say it would be he got unceremoniously fired. Shit canned. Out on his ass.
Yeah….I’d say it one of those ways….but “he left” works too.
Totally crazy that any Music Producer wouldn't want John Sykes as a Singer / Guitar Player in a Band like Blue Murder .John Could Sing "Bad Boys" by Whitesnake and play those Fierce Riffs / Solos perfectly together on Stage . He sang that song just as Good as David Coverdale . John ended up singing a lot of the Blue Murder songs anyway , so it all worked out . David Coverdale was a Fool to part with John Sykes in Whitesnake .
@Apocalypse2031
I was sitting right next to Carmine at his house playing me the "Blue Murder" demos!
That's how I found out first that Koladner didn't want John to be the lead Singer!
Yes, John can sing and write like no one else....but Sykes is not a singer! He can sing but he is not the top grade of lead singers! John Sykes didn't want to battle lead singers anymore just to get his amazing ideas out there!
It's the age old story.....guitarists fight with singers.....to get their guitar parts in as amazing as they currently are !
But that makes it harder for amazing singers to do what they do best!
But most guitarists......don't sing as well as John Sykes!
But John Sykes is not among the world's best singers or front men.....period.....but John Sykes earned his place in the sun!
But as a result of that.... "Blue Murder" did not set the world on fire!
I have worked one on one with both Carmine and Tony Franklin.....and they have never tried to correct me!
Mainly because.....I learned all this from them.....and not just Koladner!!
@Apocalypse2031 he wasn't trying to lie ffs..he's been around so long and involved with so many acts and musicians that for recollections to become a little muddied or confused can happen. One thing for sure is that you'll never hear Craig talking shit about somebody. He always takes the high road in those situations
@Apocalypse2031 what tf does that have to do with anything?
@Apocalypse2031 You are absolutely killing us. Just reading Craig's answer comparing it
@Apocalypse2031 with your response completely shines a light on his class and your angst. Frankly, it's a little puzzling why you're taking souch a strong tone with a legend. Mean, give you credit for having a conversation, but heck, dude. Craig was on stage, doing the demos, writing the songs, and in the studios for all of it. Those of us who were probably should show some respect, no? Mean, he spent a lot of days away from family and friends, nights on tour busses, spent a lot of time chatting with us fans. That's a lot of work. If you don't love what you do, it's hard to see anyone pulling that off for long periods of time, let alone decades. Jus sayin. It's hard to watch Craig feel disrespected. He deserves better than that from us. Mean, if you want to pay for the domain name and start a let's argue about metal heros website, hope it's successful, but to do it under an interview with the hero himself? Some say legend to those who really looked up to him? Kind of backwards to take such a strong and disrespectful tone, don't you think?
I love Craig, but he’s off the track here. He made a lot of confusion with the events happening. Anyway, i think he was the perfect man for Dio. Dream Evil sounds like an evil version of Blackmore🤘🏻
Saw WS with Adrian & Vivian… they couldn’t replicate Sykes’ beastial tone and the show really fell flat. I went it assuming that and accepting it for what it was, but the mood of the crowd was pretty careless with people just kind of wandering around. Dave was pissed af, even making comments. But no one seemed to care. Weirdest vibe ever at a concert. What made it arguably worse was white lion I believe was the opener and Vito was completely on fire. And the audience was really revved, esp on Lady of the Valley.
I saw WS in 1987 with Vandenberg/Campbell, and Anthrax opened. I'm a big Anthrax fan, but they sounded horrible that night. Could barely tell what song they were playing, the sound was so muddy. And you are correct, Whitesnake sounded flat and uninspiring. Their sound was much clearer than Anthrax's though, so I'm not sure what happened while Anthrax was playing. 🤷♂️
Might be wrong, but thought we heard back in the day, only Sykes, Gary Moore and Z Wylde were using active pick ups in their Les Pauls. Made sense because all three players definitely brought a monster wall of rhythm and soloing on command.
Meanwhile, Adrian Vandenberg & Vivian Campbell, were in Whitesnake for years... before Vai did his time in WS.
John Sykes was fired by David Coverdale. It doesn’t matter, because he laughs all the way to the bank. Since he owns part of the publishing to all the music on the Whitesnake slide it in, and the 87 album. 😊
Best version we heard was David's mom pulled him aside and asked him what he thought he was doing. With John's looks he was going to get all the attention from the ladies. Can't remember if that was David telling that story in a video or who we saw recounting it, want to say it was David in an interview back closer to when it happened. However it went down, it was pretty dang funny. Had to have been David that was telling the story/joke. Otherwise it wouldn't have had the same punch. lol
You cannot compare players like this or guys in Warrant ect. to Vai & Satch they can adapt to whatever style while adding their signature stuff . I been a Guitarist for 40 yrs. or so and have heard and seen both of them several times , live through the years .
Craig seems like the kind of guy who ALMOST had every gig............................
Tell me about it…. 😒
Go watch live videos of him playing the solo for dont talk to strangers with dio and it will show you why everyone would want to us him
@@isaiahmarquez9717 Any knowledgeable fan of 80s metal who lived and was neck deep back during that time and hearing the player's stories comparing notes knows that guys and gals were bouncing around a lot. Same as LA Guns and Guns and Roses became separate bands when the guys split from the original band. Questioning the people who were there is kind of like insisting there were shadow painters on the most famous works of art in museums. Easy to say, but...
Craig does a great DLR impersonation! But I think Goldy has the wrong Bob. Ezrin didn't work on A Little Ain't Enough, it was Bob Rock. I love Lady Luck!
I thought that too.
@Homeschool Adventure
Bob Ezerin was his producer at the time during the songwriting portion....once I was done I later heard about Bob RockI. Said "Ezerin was the producer at the tine"!
What DLR song did Craig Goldy co-write?
"Lady Luck" from A Little Ain't Enough album.
@@TheLydian23 thanks!! 😁
HELP: I recently went through all my concert tickets during the 80s and remembered that I saw Whitesnake 3 times. The Texas Jam in 87, March of 88 and March of 90(Reunion Area). My recollection is that Vivian Campbell played the Texas Jam but now I'm starting to question it. My favorite guitarists at the time were EVH, George Lynch and Campbell until Nuno showed up. PLEASE FORGIVE ME but I didn't know who John Sykes was at the time. Since then I've become a HUGE Sykes and Doug Aldrich fan. Anyways, does anybody know the lineup of those three concerts, it's really bugging me now.
I saw Whitesnake in 88 and 90. The lineup in 1990 was Vai, Vandenberg, Aldridge, and Sarzo. The 1988 lineup was Campbell, Vandenberg, Aldridge, and Sarzo. I looked at the Wiki page of Whitesnake and it says that Texas Jam 87 was the first show of the lineup with Campbell, Vandernberg, Aldridge, and Sarzo. Hope this helps.
So if I understand Goldy correctly, DLR picked only one song of the several (?) that they wrote together. Were these songs recorded? Will we ever get to hear them?
Lady Luck, Jason Becker played the guitar on the studio track, written by Goldy and DLR wrote lyrics.
@@captainflamson -- Thanks, I know about Lady Luck and Jason Becker. I'm asking about other songs. DLR and Goldy wrote multiple songs according to Goldy.
Craig Goldy played with David Lee Roth? What album or song was that?
What coverdale did in 87 is really weird. The album was created by those guys. It is their child.
Someone tried to replace David vocals awaiting his recovery on vocal surgery with another singer.
No wonder why David did a cleaning to potentials traitor in his team trying to take advantage of him...
@@Nissardpertugiu Was it voice surgery? Thought it was a sinus infection that took David over 3 months to recover from. Sykes thought David was avoiding recording because in his mind it only takes 2 to 3 weeks to recover from a sinus infection, which is true when it's a bacterial infection.
A fungal infection can take up to 3 months and longer. Some people never recover.
The surgery may have been on his sinus cavity. Sometimes for a fungal infection they have to go into the sinus cavity to scrape the infection off, which in the process injures the sinus cavity to the point where it will change the sound of the singer's voice.
Fungal infections are a bitch to get rid of because they thrive off of sugar and other carbohydrates, and in many cases, antibiotics not only doesn't kill it, for some fungal infections the antibiotics feeds the fungal infection.
I know from personal experience, I almost died 3 times from 3 different respiratory tract infections where my doctors had to take me off the antibiotics because in there words, the antibiotics was feeding the infection.
In all three situations, it was extreme natural medicine remedies that cured me, and is the only reason I'm alive today
Sounds like he s got his stories confused...it wasn't til the interviewer corrected him about Vai joining Whitesnake 2 years later, after Sykes left WS.
@Joe Joe
The time line is scondary....all I know is that the record company didn't want Sykes to be the lead vocalist for Blue Murder.....He wanted David Glenn Eisley.... and he wanted me in Whitesnake.....and all I remember was that I wasn't a good fit and I had heard it was Vai they went for....I'm not a Whitesnake exclusive journalist.....sorry!! The timeline for guitarists is not the key element to this story! I didn't call this guy up for the interview.....he called me years after the whoke thing went down! !
@Apocalypse2031
And you read this where???
I lived it!
Ask Carmine, Tony, Sykes or Kalodner who was personally responsible for breathing life back into Aerosmith and Whitesnake! This is well documented! You just heard it or read it from someone or somewhere.....I LIVED IT!!
You can say whatever you want! And believe whatever you want! But IT DOESN'T TAKE AWAY THAT MESSAGE ON MY PHONE MACHINE FROM KOLADNER!! PERIOD!!
@Apocalypse2031
BTW.....I have worked with Tony Franklin and Carmine on several projects one on one and in a group of musicians for the final outcome....and NOT ONE OF THEM......NOT ONE OF THEM HAVE TRIED TO CORRECT ME!!
SO WHO ARE YOU TO DO SO?????
@Apocalypse2031
I wish you well also!
Thank you!
@Apocalypse2031
Just out of curiosity......how did you "Live This"?
Worked with a lot of these guys.... "How"?
"A lot of these guys" is actually quite non-specific!
Were you a roadie?
Were you a secretary?
Were you right in the mix as a colleague?
Were you friends with someone's wife? Got invited to a party?
What position did you "Actually" occupy?
Worked at Geffen?
If so....personally knowing who?
Being given such information you claim to have....... must've come from somewhere on the inside!!
What "Inside Information" person did you know? What "Inside Information" position did you "Actually" occupy?
And can it be verified??????
What the hell is David Coverdale's major malfunction?
He had a vision to change Whitesnake from its blues rock roots into a metal band leader of the times. Right, wrong or otherwise, have to give him credit for accomplishing what he set out to. Personally, we are HUGE John Sykes and Viv Campbell fans. They both went on to do (and continue to do) great things, so it worked out. And, watching John and the 2 guys in Blue Murder play Still Of The Night as a 3 piece from 10 feet away with John singing on a triple bill King's X, Blue Murder, Billy Squier concert was just plain cool. Gotta give him credit. Taking a metal classic from a 5 piece down to a 3 piece and bringing down the house is no small thing.
The original composers and songwriters on that Whitesnake album with “Still of the Night” was the sh-t. ... The followup albums didn’t touch that album.
It was Sykes fault he got canned.
Coverdale had a sinus infection that lasted 3 to 6 months, and therefore, Coverdale did not want to record until his sinuses were clear, becaues it was messing up his voice.
Sykes thought that no one could have a sinus infection that long, and he thought Coverdale was blowing smoke and avoiding the project, when in fact, some sinus infections, especially fungal infections of the sinus cavity can take 6 months to recover from.
Coverdale said that what cured him was they went in and did some sinus scrapes in the sinus cavity, to remove the infected tissue. This is usually what they have to do to remove fungal infections of the sinus cavity.
Because Sykes was playing doctor when he wasn’t one, he kept pushing at Coverdale until Coverdale had enough and wanted Sykes out of the band.
Who knows if there was more to the story.
But the Sykes version of Whitesnake in that time period was the shit.
Well… I’m confused. Was it Viv or Steve that got the job??
Viv got the gig in '87. Vai got the gig in late '88 or early '89.
@@homeschooladventure5687 sorry, i meant instead of Craig
John Sykes helps Whitesnake to go multi platinum the USA and he gets fired for his efforts. One of the worst decisions in rock
Yep, I always saw Coverdale’s firing of John Sykes as loosely comparable to an act of musical Scorched-Earth.
Nothing Whitesnake ever put out came remotely close to Sykes work on that 87 album. It stands heads above the rest! Coverdale was a f'g fool for letting him go! He was jealous AF of him!!
Hi I'm John Kalodner ... John Kalodner.
Hope this is authentic. The more artists and producers, label folks that get involved the better! Makes the conversations much more entertaining!
Sounds like he's making up the story as he goes along and being led by the interviewer. I met Goldy once in a club near Atlanta when he was playing in a band called Giuffria, and he was kind of a snob. I was also in a band and friends with a lot of local musicians who didn't really care for him either. To hear him talk smack about other famous and much more talented musicians makes me laugh, like anyone really knows who the hell he is anyway. 😄
@RussUlmer
@Apaclypse2031
I was sitting right next to Carmine at his house playing me the "Blue Murder" demos!
That's how I found out first that Koladner didn't want John to be the lead Singer!
Yes, John can sing and write like no one else....but Sykes is not a singer! He can sing but he is not the top grade of lead singers! John Sykes didn't want to battle lead singers anymore just to get his amazing ideas out there!
It's the age old story.....guitarists fight with singers.....to get their guitar parts in as amazing as they currently are !
But that makes it harder for amazing singers to do what they do best!
But most guitarists......don't sing as well as John Sykes!
But John Sykes is not among the world's best singers or front men.....period.....but John Sykes earned his place in the sun!
But as a result of that.... "Blue Murder" did not set the world on fire!
I have worked one on one with both Carmine and Tony Franklin.....and they have never tried to correct me!
Mainly because.....I learned all this from them.....and not just Koladner!!
We absolutely love
@Apocalypse2031 that Craig is
@@TCraigGoldy responding to you guys personally.
We're going to put in a plug again that somehow Mick Brown sees this and Craig, Mick and some others find a way to monetize this. Cuz watching these guys hand your a.. umm keyboards/phones to you is absolutely hilarious. "No, no, no. He can't be right. I have my phone right here. Doesn't matter if he was there. I'm right because I got 3 thumbs up from random strangers on the internet that are probably hairy overweight men in their underwear posing as real heavy metal fans. I know I'm right. Harry metal balls agreed with me!" You guys are better than cable. Soooooo glad Craig is taking time to respond to this stuff. It is just plain awesome. If it didn't prove he was the man before, well this sure does. Wouldn't blame him at all if he started every response with "Hey numbnuts, ...."
Coverdale could sense another Blackmore rift only now with Sykes and cut it before it spread
It's a shame because Sykes was the best guitarist of the 80s, no one came close
Sykes was great, hell yeah. In the top 20. IMO Randy Rhoads was the best the 80's had to offer, and still, much better than most today. Then there was Eddie, Slash, Dimebag, Glen Tipton, KK Downing, Kirk Hammett and a ton of unknowns that never made it.
@@ThisUnderWorldOfDarkness Jake E Lee and Doug Aldrich go into the unknowns
@@ThisUnderWorldOfDarkness You're leaving out Reb Beach, who has tore it up in all of his playing, and George Lynch, which as just about every live performance video out on yt right now, is shredding and blowing the doors off more than ever. There's even a few of him playing Still Of The Night with a couple of bands. It is so cool to see a legend put their own stamp on another classic. No complaints here. What's the alternative? They read yt comments and hang it up? No thanks. We'll take every last performance they want to give us fans.
This dude doesn't possess John Syke's Bluesy prowess to replace him in anything! 😏
@U I U
That's why I said that I wasn't a good fit! It's not my fault thexrecird company guy wanted me at one point....but I knew deep down I wasn't the right fit....not sure why you need to point something out as if I didn't say it?
Maybe Coverdale wanted Steve Vai when Sykes left and he had to settle on Campbell.....when Vandenberg got hurt he contacted Vai again......
vai is the greatest electric guitar player on the planet imho,but he was wrong for whitesnake ,
@Apocalypse2031 Craig cruises these comments. Might want to strap in. Only a matter time before he sees yours. And we are going to enjoy, every, last, minute, of it. ;)
@Apocalypse2031 Trying to see how that's an accomplishment...
I don't know, this story doesn't make sense, he says he was going to replace sykes and then he says that they called steve vai and vivian was the one who replaced sykes, maybe craig in this interview was a little drunk.
He airbrushes history a lot. The idea of him replacing Sykes is a joke. He couldn't even replace Viv properly in Dio and Sykes beats Viv hands down.
@Jorge Paul
The time line is scondary....all I know is that the record company didn't want Sykes to be the lead vocalist for Blue Murder.....He wanted David Glenn Eisley.... and he wanted me in Whitesnake.....and all I remember was that I wasn't a good fit and I had heard it was Vai they went for....I'm not a Whitesnake exclusive journalist.....sorry!! The timeline for guitarists is not the key element to this story! I didn't call this guy up for the interview.....he called me years after the whoke thing went down! !
You guys
@@jayrusnak are
@@TCraigGoldy killing us. lol
Steve Vai cannot play like Sykes or anyone else idc what this guy says.
vai is probably the best living electric player ,however he was never ever the man for snake .neither was viv Adrien or any other player they had after sykes ,and David had a few amazing players.
its clear dave never new about guitarists and thought he could draft any half decent player in and it would work out . like dio ,like ozzy ,ozzy got lucky btw .
horses for courses,sykes would have sounded as out of place on a Dave lee roth album as vai did on slip .
Sykes is a guitar bad ass!
Worse part, Hasnt David Coverdale been retiring for like 15 years. Heard his voice is bad
He's never been that good live, since the 80's...
Yeah...both Coverdale and Sykes have been
Retired since 1990...RIP Tawny
@@tangerinerose3724 That good ?
I disagree with this.
People also don't realize how physically challenging are his lines to do.
People talk shit..
Real musicians that done many shows in a row know.
@Guillaume Joan Pépin Viano ya he's been singing for too long. He was great in the seventies but by the mid eighties with his excess of drugs and booze it took its toll, hence his continued procrastination with the singing part of the 1987 album.
@@tangerinerose3724 It was touring and he sang a lot higher all the time by late 80's.
1987? The guy had sinus infection contamination to vocal chords and surgery in 1986.
What he was supposed to do to recover ?
Confusing interview.
@Full in Bloom
To those who doubt me and think I'm full of crap:
I was sitting right next to Carmine at his house playing me the "Blue Murder" demos!
That's how I found out first that Koladner didn't want John to be the lead Singer!
Yes, John can sing and write like no one else....but Sykes is not a singer! He can sing but he is not the top grade of lead singers! John Sykes didn't want to battle lead singers anymore just to get his amazing ideas out there!
It's the age old story.....guitarists fight with singers.....to get their guitar parts in as amazing as they currently are !
But that makes it harder for amazing singers to do what they do best!
But most guitarists......don't sing as well as John Sykes!
But John Sykes is not among the world's best singers or front men.....period.....but John Sykes earned his place in the sun!
But as a result of that.... "Blue Murder" did not set the world on fire!
I have worked one on one with both Carmine and Tony Franklin.....and they have never tried to correct me!
Mainly because.....I learned all this from them.....and not just Koladner!!
I never once thought I was right for Whitesnake nor did I try to make it sound like that....if you listen....I say quite the opposite!!
For those who met me and think I'm a "snob"....I'm the very last person to think highly of myself!!
So if you had a bad interaction with me......you need to look in the mirror!!
Period
Totally agree. The only thing cooler than Craig's playing is the man himself. He was a total pleasure to talk to. Anyone whining about something better step forward with proof they've never had a bad day in their life. Cuz whoever is tempted to complain about meeting a rock star is kind of missing the point. You met a rock star. Next question. lol
Other than eatem and Smile, what has Vai done that really matters? These instrumentals? Sykes is much better.
Sure Goldy. As if he wouldn't have taken the Whitesnake gig if offered to him. Is he forgetting he was playing in a b-grade generic "hair-metal" 80's hard rock band GIUFFRIA at the time? Steve Vai didn't suit WHITESNAKE at all. Sounds like Goldy's timeline is way out anyway, Campbell was in WHITESNAKE during the same time that Goldy was in DIO during his first stint, hell he was Viv's replacement in DIO. So he should really know better or maybe he is just ignorant to his peers
Who you callin B grade? Giuffria was a great group. Both of their albums and the House Of Lords stuff that followed stand up to this day. Craig's work on it helped solidify the s/t album in rock history with all of us metal heads in the 80s and early 90s. Not many players were pulling off solos like what Craig did in Don't Tear Me Down and the Hear N Aid sessions. They were just plain awesome. And, a word of warning, if you haven't noticed.. Craig is personally responding to a lot of these comments. lol Love that guy. He's just such a fun soul. We don't care if he was drunk, high, spun in three circles and reciting Randy Rhoads history backwards. We'd be laughing all the way right there with him and still think the world of him. He was great to meet and he pulled off some of the most iconic playing in Giuffria, Dio, and his other projects. The only people that don't think so just haven't taken the time to seek them out and listen. Simply put, Craig's not your average player. He's got a style all his own, just like other greats. Otherwise, there would be 10,000 Craig Goldies, and well, there just isn't. The proof is in the pudding... And besides, everyone's kind of missing the entire point. Just the fact that so many people were talking with Craig about different projects and there were demos floating around, well, that kind of says it all. Rock on brother!
Vai is a great guitarist, but I don’t think he ever sounded right in WS.
We struggled with it too, until we saw the Donnington performance. We never, never saw someone glide over the strings like Vai did. Everything made sense after that. It was really something to watch.
Yeah … I don’t think anyone can play what Ritchie Blackmore plays….. nobody
I hate Richie as a person always have but have to agree man nobody can play what Ritchie plays.
Nowhere near as hard as people think!
All irrelevant ….John was gone and I don’t think Whitesnake really ever excelled after that.
Exactly what I said
@@tangerinerose3724 Pretty much yes !!
Steve Vai can play but he did not fit Whitesnake one bit. He actually made them sound crappy. Songs weren't that good when Vai was in the band but Whitesnake's bluesy rock with Vai's guitar sound did not fit together
I don't doubt Craig's story; but his timeline is way, way off.
@pfdad1.....I'm not a rock journalist....all I know is that when Sykes started Blue Murder the record company didn't want Sykes to sing....they wanted David Glenn Eisley.....and around that same time I got a call to hold off on anything cause the record company wanted me to be the next guitarist in Whitesnake and I just assumed I got beat out by Vai.....who cares....I wasn't the right fit for that band! That's all I was trying to get across!!
@@RockDawg77uh oh here comes the White Knight Nut Hugger
@@TCraigGoldymuch respect
@@elitecombatfitnesscentral6170
Thank you! Much appreciated!!
Steve Vai can play anything.....except Whitesnake. Saw him with them 3 times and it was just awful. Everything was great, but this guy is trying to do that bizarre solo style of his to classic bluesy Whitesnake. Vai is a gimmick, not even remotely a blues guy, like a Sykes. With Roth doing his thing it was great. It matches Roth's flamboyant style. In Whitesnake he was just awful
Craig goldiy in white snake? Heck no!
I didn’t like the Slip of the Tongue songs.
Craig Goldy is a mediocre lead guitarist at best. Probably a great song writer and great rhythm player but no guitar hero.
John is a creepy looking J
Sykes or Kalodner?
He must mean Kolodner.
didnt he cameo as a transvestite in Dude looks like a lady?
Steve Vai can do what anyone does! 🤘🏻🤣