Bernie Marsden - Blues’n’Scales: A Snakeman’s Odyssey

Life of Mars…

Though he made his name with Whitesnake in their blues heyday, renowned six-stringer Marsden cut his teeth with various artists, giving this anthology a wide scope. For rarity value, it kicks off with his lesser known career associations with the likes of Skinny Cat, Wild Turkey, the funkier Babe Ruth outfit and Cozy Powell’s Hammer hit, Na Na Na (in itself a rarity on CD, the version here is an alternative take). Solo tracks from And About Time Too and Look At Me Now hold their own with some classic Whitesnake material, and there are also four tracks from Marsden’s first post-Whitesnake project, the more AOR-oriented Alaska, whose two mid-80s albums went sadly and undeservedly overlooked. Disc Two features a selection of Moody Marsden Band studio tracks, a lengthy live rendition of Whitesnake’s Belgium Tom’s Hat Trick (showing just how well Marsden mixes rock and blues) and six tracks from the more recent Big Boy Blue sessions. Given that Marsden’s solo output isn’t common on CD, the hits, misses, album tracks and one or two rarities, this is a good all-rounder.

Sanctuary | CMEDD 1193 (2-CD)

Reviewed by Joe Geesin
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