Martin Popoff - Whitesnake's Fantastic Voyage  
Soundcheck Books
http://www.soundcheckbooks.co.uk/

Rating: B

Martin Popoff has made quite a name for himself in the world of Classic Rock Scribery!  The man cranks out books faster than the Beatles cranked out albums!  It is not the quantity of publications that makes Popoff standout from his peers, however, it’s his quality. 

Mighty Martin, as I have always referred to him, makes it interesting.  He writes objectively (most of the time), culls the best interviews with those who were there (most conducted by him) and, to be blunt, he knows his stuff.  A book by Popoff can be guaranteed to be a true snapshot of rock and roll history, often, as is the case with this Whitesnake book, many snapshots are from the bands incarnation to their worldwide success .

This one is obviously about the career of David Coverdale, who for all intents and purposes, is Whitesnake.  His voice, his good looks, his hair... that is what this band is about... oops, his music, almost forgot that key ingredient.  I should say his band's music, as Whitesnake has always been staffed with amazing top-notch musicians, especially guitarists... and for this book, Martin talked to damn near all of the axe wielders, as well as David C. himself, key producers and other band members.  As usual, this is a damn fine read, researched tirelessly by the author. 

Popoff tells the tale from Coverdale's time in Deep Purple, to his short solo career, to the formation of Whitesnake and beyond.  The reader sits spellbound by the tales of how the 'Snake went from blues band, to metal band, to hair band, to ruling the world. 

The interviews, as well as Popoff's own narratives, take the reader on a trip through time.  The details can't help but have one hearing every song inside one's head as they read along and, in fact, I highly recommend listening to each era of the band on the iPod as you read along with the book!

Just to show the authenticity of this book, and the work that went into it, I will list some of the cast of characters that Mighty Martin interviewed for this book: David Coverdale, Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray, Micky Moody, Adrian Vandenberg, Steve Vai, John Kalodner, Doug Aldrich, Keith Olsen and Ian Paice.  Realize that this a partial list, there are many others involved as well. You can see that, from the few names cited, Martin does indeed know his rock ‘n’ roll. 

So, for book number 45 (yes, that's 45 books Popoff has written, Martin is a very busy man)....all there is to say is this...here he went again on his own, writing the best Whitesnake book the world has ever known! 

Hats off to Martin Popoff, truly one of the leaders in rock and roll literature on planet Earth today!

For all things Popoff please visit www.martinpopoff.com

By Jeb Wright