Things I did NOT know about Bernie Marsden, the band UFO, OR Whitesnake.

[topekatj]

I just finished listening to Joe Bona-Mastuh’s  Live From Nerdsville podcast interview with Bernie Marsden and have to admit to knowing very little about the guy beforehand.

I like to say “I run the risk of learning something every day “. I thought I knew something about most of the late ‘60’s/ early ‘70’s British guitar players, but not Bernie.

Consider:

In 1974 Bernie bought his esteemed ‘59 Burst (The Beast) from Free’s Paul Kossoff, who got it in a prior trade with Eric Clapton.

Bernie was a guitarist for UFO from Nov. ‘72 to June ‘73. When Bernie forgot his passport and couldn’t enter the country for a 1973 UFO gig in Germany in support of the Scorpions, UFO tapped then-Scorpion Michael Schenker to play the gig with them that night. And the rest, as they say, is History!

When Deep Purple disintegrated in 1976, Bernie cofounded “PAL” with Ian Paige, Jon Lord and Tony Ashton (I need to check them out).

In 1978 Bernie cofounded Whitesnake with David Coverdale. Together they co-wrote the global Whitesnake hit “Here I Go”. Two versions of the song were released on separate Whitesnake albums. The first version (That Bernie played on) appears on the ‘82 album “Saints and Sinners”, but at David Geffen’s urging, Coverdale recorded a second version (the HIT version for the ‘87 album “1987”. This version ( the MTV version) Features Adrian Vadenterd on lead guitar.

see below for photos of THE BEAST and a very happy Bernie (guess I’d be happy too if I had a burst and #1 hit!
 

Bernie wrote a biography (Where’s my guitar).which I’ve just received but haven’t started. There were some inexpensive like-new copies are available on eBay for @ $15- delivered. But they now appear to be sold out.

You’re welcome.

[donner]

+1 for "Where's my Guitar?"

Very well & entertainingly written, astonishing facts and details about a very humble man amidst one of the most exciting times of musical history in his own words.

Also, watch these 2 Anderton's interviews with Bernie

 

[RobB]

On 9/1/2026 at 10:32 AM, topekatj said:

Together they co-wrote the global Whitesnake hit “Here I Go”. Two versions of the song were released on separate Whitesnake albums. The first version (That Bernie played on) appears on the ‘82 album “Saints and Sinners”, but at David Geffen’s urging, Coverdale recorded a second version (the HIT version for the ‘87 album “1987”. This version ( the MTV version) Features Adrian Vadenterd on lead guitar.

Dan Huff is rumored to have played the outro solo. 

Edited Wednesday at 06:08 PM by RobB
The '87 WAS Vandenberg. My bust, @topkatj

[Disturber]

Bernie was great. I always loved Whitesnake. The real Whitesnake from 1977 to 1982 (1984).

Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody was a classic 70's guitar duo.

Bernie left before the band recorded Slide it in. But Micky Moody and replacement Mel Galey did a great job on that album too. Geffen demanded a re-recording with flashy John Sykes. But, just as with Lizzy, he ruined the band more than adding anything worth talking about. (Hair metal fans peed their pants with joy though.)

Seek out the original Slide it in version of the album. It's a lot better. After that Whitesnake became an MTV money maker. But it was not Whitesnake anymore. It was Coverdale solo, with guests, adapting to the times.

[RobB]

7 hours ago, Disturber said:

Geffen demanded a re-recording with flashy John Sykes. But, just as with Lizzy, he ruined the band more than adding anything worth talking about. (Hair metal fans peed their pants with joy though.)

Yeah, that's true, unfortunately. Lizzy definitely went out with a fart.

Ironically, Marsden would have made an excellent pairing with Scott Gorham. Maybe they would have had one last, killer hard-rock album to release?

[RobB]

Even this old dog has new tricks to learn, assuming that the veracity of Wikipedia is unassailable:

 

 

In the Wiki article, Coverdale referred to the Whitesnake's hair-metal replacements as, "The Vid Kids." Ah, them cheeky Brits. Ya gotta love 'em!

Edited Wednesday at 06:28 PM by RobB

[scottcald]

15 hours ago, RobB said:

Dan Huff is rumored to have played the outro solo. 

Saw a more recent interview with Huff and he said he played on the radio edit version. 

[veatch]

16 hours ago, Disturber said:

Seek out the original Slide it in version of the album. It's a lot better. After that Whitesnake became an MTV money maker. But it was not Whitesnake anymore. It was Coverdale solo, with guests, adapting to the times.

This?  I like it. 

 

 

[veatch]

 

 

[Disturber]

4 hours ago, veatch said:

This?  I like it. 

 

 

have the European original release on vinyl. Without Sykes.

Perhaps it's hard to find thar LP in the US. But the 25th anniversary release has both the US and UK mixes of the album. 

It's on Tidal  

https://tidal.com/album/2890847/u

And on Spotify 

 

"The 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition of Slide It In (released in 2009) includes both the US mix and the UK mix.

Track Breakdown:

• US Mix (Tracks 1–10): Remixed by Keith Olsen. Features guitar work by John Sykes, bass by Neil Murray, and a polished, aggressive "American" hard rock sound.
• UK Mix (Tracks 12–19, bonus tracks): Original mix by Martin Birch. Features guitars by Micky Moody and Mel Galley, bass by Colin Hodgkinson, and the band's traditional bluesy British tone.

This edition also includes the single B-side "Need Your Love So Bad" and a bonus DVD with music videos and live performances.

"

[veatch]

Ok, so all you mixer/producer/engineer master minds out there...

How do you get a kick to sound this good? (Besides having Cozy play it : )

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 02:18 AM by veatch

[RobB]

1 hour ago, veatch said:

How do you get a kick to sound this good? (Besides having Cozy play it : )

Dude’s an animal. His stint in Rainbow kind of made that band. 

Ya gotta love Coverdale, though. He doesn’t ask much from his audience, and the audience doesn’t ask much from him.
 

 

[veatch]

4 hours ago, RobB said:

Dude’s an animal. His stint in Rainbow kind of made that band. 

Agreed!  But the mix has something to do with it as the difference between the UK and US mix shows. How to get that punch?  Less compression and more highs?