Whitesnake 1987 – The Global Rock Phenomenon Returns On Vinyl

September 15, 2026

Whitesnake 1987 returns on stunning vinyl through Craft Recordings on 18 September 2026.

If Slide It In would open the possibilities of Whitesnake hitting America, the self-titled album commonly known as 1987, the second of three albums re-released by Craft Recordings on stunning vinyl on 18 September 2026, would blow the bloody doors off.

After the success of Slide It In, there were struggles to keep Whitesnake lineups together. Jon Lord would leave for a returning Deep Purple. Cozy Powell would depart too, though he would have fit in perfectly with the image upgrade that was in the air, driven by Geffen Records and John Kalodner.

David Coverdale was aware a new record was due. There were tensions with John Sykes, but the pair went to the South of France to write some future classics. Neil Murray joined them in mid-’85, before all three moved to Los Angeles and, after auditioning a large number of drummers, ended up with 39-year-old Aynsley Dunbar. This was maybe a strange choice considering the ‘image upgrade’ that was in place from Kalodner.

Late in ’85, the new Whitesnake lineup then moved to Little Mountain in Vancouver to record the album. Coverdale had vocal problems, while Sykes would layer guitar over guitar over guitar, and with much reworking going on, a colossal wall of guitars and a big production was underway.

Mike Stone was brought on board. Sykes’ guitar track count was in the 30s, and with all the effects going on, it was felt that this made the guitars out of tune and gave Coverdale problems singing the new songs.

Kalodner would pull the album from Mike Stone, who was having a difficult time on the project and bring back Keith Olsen, telling him to “fix this record.” The results were outstanding.

Olsen would end up getting Dann Huff in for some guitar parts. They were working on a new version of Here I Go Again. As Keith Olsen said, they needed eighth notes in the verses, and Sykes was proving difficult in wanting his whole rig. Huff was there for less than an hour, with his guitar plugged into the studio amp and the job was done.

With Huff and Adrian Vandenberg playing rhythm guitar on the radio version of Here I Go Again, as well as Bill Cuomo redoing around 50% of the bass electronically across the album. 1987 was proving a difficult operation.

Kalodner had thought that Here I Go Again would be a smash hit if recorded properly. He was not happy with the version recorded, hence the existence of the single version, or US remix as it is more commonly known.

The problem is, it is a re-recording, featuring drummer Denny Carmassi, Dann Huff on guitars, Mark Andes on bass and Alan Pasqua on keyboards. The album would also feature Richard Page, of Mr Mister fame, but this was all married together with Coverdale’s new stunning vocals.

Kalodner said that Geffen were stunned by this version of Here I Go Again, but with 1987 in production and two years late, the decision was made to release it as a single. But this was a single was not on the album.

When Sykes and Coverdale parted company, Vivian Campbell was brought in, and then Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge joined for some video work in what was called Kalodner’s “fantasy lineup.”

If the Still Of The Night video would announce the band on a global superstar stage, then the reworking of the older tracks Here I Go Again and Crying In The Rain, alongside Is This Love, would cement this position.

As with the US version of Slide It In, I am not an expert in album tracklisting order, but I did love the immediacy of the UK version of 1987 having Still Of The Night in the opening slot. But you cannot argue with the impact of Crying In The Rain opening the US version, as with this new vinyl reissue.

Children Of The Night was epic, while Straight For The Heart’s keyboard always made me wonder what Jon Lord would have made with this track.

Don’t Turn Away, near the back of both versions, was a favourite at the time and teased what may come next. Even now, you can feel it would fit prominently with any of those early Bon Jovi album songs.

As with Slide It In, it is such a joy to revisit these albums on brand new vinyl. The new Craft Recordings reissues are such a thrill to hold and play. 1987 was such a fantastic record. You could hear it in most pubs as the ’80s wore on, and songs from it still hit radio stations worldwide today.

Coverdale would say he had been dreaming about playing in America again, having spent so little time over there with Whitesnake prior to 1987. With this new album, he was convinced that they would instantly fall in love with Whitesnake.

John Sykes would form Blue Murder, the Whitesnake fantasy lineup would complete one tour, and for some time, it felt like everyone was buying 1987. As Coverdale said, on this record, “We made more money than God.”

Whitesnake returns to vinyl in its original US 1-LP configuration, alongside the wide release on standard black vinyl and exclusive colour pressings. Released on 18 September 2026, visit craftrecordings.com/whitesnake-lps to pre-order all three albums.