Top 10: David Coverdale Albums

As the old saying goes, “Time waits for no one.”, and that even applies for our beloved metal gods. Having been sidelined with health issues for the better part of the past half decade, legendary singer David Coverdale officially announced his retirement this week via a YouTube video. Granted, we’ve seen the charade time and time again. A legendary artist announces their farewell and embarks upon a massive multi-year spectacle, only to return sooner than later. Considering Coverdale’s announcement does not come with such a fanfare, it’s safe to say that this decision is quite permanent. In honor of over half a century of big-haired, big-riffed, heavy rockin’, we’re paying tribute to DC with our top 10 albums to feature his incredible vocal talents. Happy retirement, Dave! You earned it!

10. Whitesnake – Forevermore (2011)

Of all the classic acts who came back strong this century, I’m shocked more don’t talk about the latter day output of Whitesnake. Sure, at this point in the game, the band had more than embraced their nostalgia act status, endlessly touring the open air festivals of Europe and casinos of America with their nightly hit parade. However, David Coverdale still had something to prove: Not only that he was still one of the world’s premiere hard rock voices, but this current iteration of Whitesnake could hold their own against past incarnations. With 2011’s Forevermore, the band fused the swaggering blues metal fever of the early ’80s with the pop metal sheen of the late ’80s, and a hefty production to drive it all home. Of their 21st century efforts, Forevermore remains the strongest, now and, well, forevermore!

9. Coverdale / Page – Coverdale / Page (1993)

One of the biggest criticisms levied against Coverdale, especially during the Whitesnake years, was that he was nothing more than a “Robert Plant clone”. I couldn’t disagree with this more. Were there similarities between Plant and Coverdale? Sure. Both sang for heavy blues acts and grew up inspired by the American R&B greats of the ’60s. However, to call Coverdale a mere clone isn’t just disrespectful, but incorrect. That said, Plant’s former compadre, Jimmy Page, took notice, and when the time was right, asked Coverdale to collaborate. The result was 1993’s eponymous Coverdale / Page, which ended up sounding more Zeppelin than any album bearing the Zeppelin moniker since 1971. Slick end stage arena rock production aside, the songs themselves are heavy, bluesy, and full of soul: A fitting entry for both artists’ canons.

8. Deep Purple – Come Taste the Band (1975)

It’s a sentiment I’ve heard echoed far more in 2025 than I ever would’ve in 2015. “I don’t care what anyone says; Come Taste the Band is a great album!” Indeed, it is! I’ve always felt the biggest issue people have with this album exists solely in their heads, and honestly, I get it. Come Taste the Band does not sound like Purple, at least by conventional standards. Yet if you listen to it without those parameters in mind, solely for the musical aspect, one can’t deny that this is the sound of a band absolutely locked in. Guitarist Tommy Bolin fit the funkier direction of the short-lived Mk. IV Purple like a glove. It’s nothing short of tragic that this lineup didn’t stick around for a follow up, not to mention, Bolan’s subsequent demise come the end of ’76.

7. Whitesnake – Come an’ Get It (1981)

It’s 1981 and the NWOBHM is in full swing. Although Whitesnake aren’t part of this burgeoning wave, nor are they as heavy as its staples (i.e. Iron Maiden, Saxon, Tygers of Pan Tang, etc.), they’re sure riding it out, gladly sharing space on Kerrang! pages, festival bills, and denim jackets with these acts. Eager to strike while the iron is hot, and right off the tremendous success of 1980’s Ready an’ Willing, Come an’ Get It boasts a barrage of soulful blues metal (i.e. “Come an’ Get It”, “Lonely Days, Lonely Nights”, “Would I Lie to You”), as well as the usual post-Purple ragers (i.e. “Hot Stuff”, “Hit an’ Run”) that got young headbangers shaking their long locks in approval. Criminally ignored by American audiences, it is a worthy successor to Mk. III Purple’s throne, as are a quite a few other entries on this list.

6. Whitesnake – Saints & Sinners (1982)

If Come an’ Get It was an acknowledgement of the NWOBHM scene, Saints & Sinners was an open arms embrace! The riffs, production, and attitude of the band’s fifth album saw them at their most metallic to date, albeit without sacrificing that sweaty blues rock swagger and R&B power that had since become their signature. Explosive cuts like “Young Blood”, “Bloody Luxury”, and “Love an’ Affection” remain as headbang n’ air guitar-friendly today as they were over 40 years ago. If anything, Saints & Sinners was a turning point for Whitesnake, combining the Mk. III Purple stylings of their early days with the incoming arena metal that’d make them a household name across the Atlantic.

5. Deep Purple – Stormbringer (1974)

Who’s got the funk?! Come the end of ’74, Deep Purple sure did. The R&B influence of newcomers Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale became more than evident by the release of the band’s ninth album, Stormbringer. While curmudgeon guitarist Ritchie Blackmore would go onto dismiss the album as “shoeshine crap music”, we’re here to tell you it’s anything but. Despite its hard-grooving, Stevie Wonder-flavored disposition, there are some PRIME Purple cuts on here. The title track is heavy and brooding, “The Gypsy” is beautifully esoteric, and “Lady Double Dealer” serves as the obligatory high speed headbanger. Sure, it might not be as well constructed as Burn, but it’s damn close.

4. Whitesnake – Ready an’ Willing (1980)

The late ’70s saw Whitesnake finding their way as both a studio and live act. Sure, both Trouble (1978) and Lovehunter (1979) are great albums in their own right, but both showcase the sound of a band who’d go onto accomplish far much more. That “more” arrived in the form of 1980’s Ready an’ Willing. With former Purple drummer, Ian Paice, joining his old bandmates Coverdale and Jon Lord for this venture, it was essentially the resurrection of Mk. III Purple, under a different moniker. Without the creative dictatorship of Ritchie Blackmore hovering over their heads, the three, alongside guitarists Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody, as well as bassist Neil Murray, put together an album that may as well have been Burn 2: Heavy and forceful in delivery, but soulful and cool underneath. The songs smoke, the musicianship is off the charts, Coverdale’s vocals are the cherry on top…what more can one ask for?!

3. Whitesnake – Slide It In (1984)

It always astounded me how, for a band who were one of the biggest live draws of their era, American success eluded the acts that formed from the ashes of Purple for quite sometime, and in some cases, altogether (i.e. Gillan). In the case of Whitesnake, it wasn’t until the 1984 arrival of hotshot guitarist John Sykes and the release of Slide It In that American headbangers, preoccupied with Mötley Crüe, Ratt, and other hyper-visual acts, finally took notice en masse. Fueled with soon-to-be rock radio staples like the title track, “Slow an’ Easy”, and “Love Ain’t No Stranger”, Slide It In was the sound of a band chomping at the bit for greater glory, yet again, still retaining their musical integrity. If this album was a “sellout”, Whitesnake were one of the best do do it.

2. Deep Purple – Burn (1974)

In hindsight, it was one of the biggest gambles in rock history. Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice had been through the rodeo of losing a bassist and singer before. Only this time around, that bassist was Roger Glover and that singer was fucking Ian Gillan. How on earth do you replace the irreplaceable? Against all odds, Purple did so, enlisting Trapeze bassist/singer Glenn Hughes and unknown singer David Coverdale to fill the vacant spots. The rest, as they say, is history. When Deep Purple’s Burn it hit the scene in 1974, it was as if the lackluster Who Do We Think We Are? (1973) had never happened. The band picked up right where 1972’s landmark Machine Head left off, walloping the masses with their signature brand of early metal mania, as well as incorporating new musical flavors. To this day, it’s a behemoth of an album, only to be eclipsed by…

1. Whitesnake – Whitesnake (1987)

Behold: The apex of the arena metal era. My love of this album has been espoused a million times over. If you care to read in greater detail, click here. For this paragraph, however, I will do my absolute darndest to keep it short and sweet. Whitesnake ’87 showcases the peak of every artist involved in its creation. David Coverdale’s vocals are at their peak. John Sykes’ riffs and solos are at their peak. The melodies, pure Aqua Net-laced musical crack, are peak. The songwriting is peak. The production is peak. Am I missing anything? Man, even the bandmembers who didn’t get their due, namely bassists Neil Murray and drummer Aynsley Dunbar, go OFF on this album (“Still of the Night” anyone?). When people think of David Coverdale, they think of Whitesnake ’87, and for that synonymity alone, it tops this here list.