Best of Whitesnake in Bloomington, MN

As with any name band that has a sizable catalog on numerous labels,
Whitesnake
are no exception to the rule that "best-of" compilations are (a) usually incomplete, and (b) often fraught with representational problems due to licensing nonsense and laziness by the compilers. This 2003 collection, fine as it is, and chock-full of excellent tracks, is still rather incomplete because it begins with the band's tenure at
Virgin
, after three studio albums and a live set for
Geffen
-- a label they remained on in the United States while they were with
in the U.K. (Confused? That would be understandable.) The
best-of and this one are both woefully incomplete as single discs. Far better is
Gold
, the double-disc 33-song selection issued by
Universal
(which owns
) in the United States. It covers the label span and overlap completely and more -- there are a few rarities tossed in. Given that
were a real singles band -- especially during the 1980s -- the listener would seemingly want the one compilation that represents the band best. This isn't it. ~ Thom Jurek