Bernie Marsden

Maybe best known for his time with Whitesnake (as well as UFO and Paice Ashton Lord and Cozy Powell and many others), at his heart Bernie Marsden loves to play Blues and he is one of the best.

This 4 CD box covers solo releases from 1995 – 2005, starting with ‘Green And Blues’, his tribute to Peter Green, then to ‘Big Boy Blues’ which has some Marsden originals as well as covers of numbers by Junior Parker, Sonny Boy Williamson and Peter Green and finally to ‘Big Boy Blue Live’ which was recorded in a tiny pub in front of around 200 people.

It is clear, from ‘Hideaway’ onward, that Bernie Marsden loves to play Blues. Even more, he is really good at it. He seems equally capable of playing hot and sassy or soulful and dark and equally comfortable with traditional Blues, modern electric Blues or R&B. He soloes with the best of them but he pays homage to the greats as well. The only thing missing is something that states “Bernie Marsden” in the same way that songs like ‘Man Of The World’ or ‘Love That Burns’ immediately say “Peter Green was here” but considering the sheer quality of Marsden’s playing, that’s alright.

This is a box of music that really is for Blues lovers. For the kind of people who can lose themselves in a long slow solo or appreciate the finer details of a finely turned lick. The quality of the playing is superb – not just Marsden but all his accompanying musicians also – the track selection works on many levels and the production really puts you in a dark and smoky Chicago Blues club while you listen to the man ‘moan’.

Excellent stuff