Talk:Into the Light: The Solo Albums

GA review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Into the Light: The Solo Albums/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: HereIGoAgain (talk · contribs) 10:49, 22 December 2024 (UTC)

Reviewer: LastJabberwocky (talk · contribs) 14:20, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

Hi, I'm picking up your nomination, hoping that your still up to the task after waiting in the queue for so long. Also, it's worth a note that at several points in this review I suggest removal of certain information because isn't really about the compilation, but about the particular albums. I think the compilation should denote the background, production, and release directly related to the compilation. LastJabberwocky (talk) 14:20, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

To reach a middle-ground between our visions on the background we can as for a third opinion. The downside is—it can take while for someone to pick the ask for a third opinion. LastJabberwocky (talk) 18:23, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

I got struck with another idea while reading the page about Natalia Grace. What if we hide SOME of the info I suggested for deletion into notes? For example, some of the information about the AI technology used in the Beatles remastering project isn't directly relevant to our page ("named after the Beatles' former road manager"; "..process was used to separate John Lennon's home-demo recording..."), but Wiki doesn't have an article for this technology, and it's nice bit of info I wanted to save. I'll edit in a sample of it, and we can come up with a best solution.

Good Article review progress box

Criteria: 1a. prose () 1b. MoS () 2a. ref layout () 2b. cites WP:RS () 2c. no WP:OR () 2d. no WP:CV () 3a. broadness () 3b. focus () 4. neutral () 5. stable () 6a. free or tagged images () 6b. pics relevant () Note: this represents where the article stands relative to the Good Article criteria. Criteria marked are unassessed

Background

In 1977 and 1978, after the dissolution of Deep Purple in 1976, vocalist David Coverdale released two solo albums: White Snake and Northwinds. → In 1977 and 1978, shortly before vocalist David Coverdale founded the Whitesnake group, he released two solo albums: White Snake and Northwinds. Reason: I don't think Deep Purple is relevant in this context; introducing the connection between Coverdale and Whitesnake, which would explain why he resumed his solo career after the disbandment of Whitesnake (for those like me completely unaware about Whitesnake story). Reason: For the time being, I have to re-write the background to clear up some confusion, so I guess it can make sense with the story, including the disbandment of Whitesnake. Done

He also released multiple compilation albums, including The Early Years (2003). Is it relevant to our album? Reason: At this point, I agree with your stance. This has to be removed!  Done

According to Coverdale, his early work, including his first two solo albums and material from Whitesnake, has been digitally archived and can be restored and remastered, but at that time, they could not be remixed due to the 2008 Universal Studios fire, which destroyed the band's material belonging to Geffen Records, although some of the masters were found safe at the Iron Mountain Storage Facility in Pennsylvania. → In late 2000s, Coverdale considered restoring and remastering his early work, including his first two solo albums and material from Whitesnake, but at that time they could not be remixed due to the 2008 Universal Studios fire, which destroyed the band's material belonging to Geffen Records, although some of the masters were found safe at the Iron Mountain Storage Facility in Pennsylvania.}}  Done

Purple Records, a sub-division of EMI at that time, retained the masters to Coverdale's first two solo albums, although they had long been out of print. Doesn't provide a source; I don't think the second part is relevant to the existence of this remix. Reason: As far as I can see that there aren't any reissues of the first two solo albums recently, the last ones were released in 2003, so it's possible they are out of print until 2021 (exception of Japanese pressings). I've tracked both those albums via Discogs, and according to this, they were being reissued by Universal Music Group in 2021 on a vinyl sleeves via Eagle Records and Cynjas Music (a company related to Whitesnake's catalogue). NOTE: David Coverdale did not sell his music (Whitesnake/Deep Purple) catalogue to a company named Round Hill Music, involving royalties, music rights and masters up till 2022. What we can say that they were since last reissued in 2021, if I can clarify that, or removing these will be possible.

History and production → Production

You should change the head to read "Production", since the previous section is responsible for the story behind the album before it goes into the production, while production goes into technical aspects of creating it.  Done

I looked at Michael Jackson's and Radiohead's compilations, and made a conclusion that we don't need the first three paragraphs from this section, detailing the production of the White Snake (1977), Northwinds (1978) and Into the Light (2000), since they have their own pages. If they doesn't have these albums doesn't have the info listed in these three paragraphs, it would be nice to transfer it there, instead of just deleting.  Done

After reading through the section, I noticed there are several repeated points the realigned timecodes are repeated two times, had problems with vocal remastering, and could've missed some other examples. They can be added into the first paragraph as general issues with all three records or at least 2/3 records, depending on the way the sources treat them.

The first paragraph:

• using advanced audio-separation software using Audioshake → using advanced audio-separation software, Audioshake,
• allowing them to be separated into their individual multi-track stems → which allowed them to separate the tracks into their individual multitrack stems
• The original master tapes were lost for two decades largely because both of those albums were out-of-print on the label EMI, alongside early Whitesnake material. The "Background" says some of the mastertapes survived? Also I think we should merge it into the "Background", since it comments on the situation preceding the production of the tapes.  Done
• Many of the out-takes from the album remain accessible.  Done
• "'Hook City Studios', named after Whitesnake"... Both the source and the Whitesnake page doesn't mention in what way the studio is named after Whitesnake. Reason: Removed the Whitesnake reference!  Done

The second and fifth paragraph:

• I think we can simplify this sentences: "Digital artefacts posed a challenge, which the team addressed by overlaying enhanced versions of individual stems to reinforce the overall sound." It seems to says: the team remastered individual parts, which naturally improved the records' quality. Also, this must be equally true for all three albums not only for White Snake.  Done
• "to ensure any new instruments were in tune with the rest of the record..." They added new instruments during the remastering process? The previous sentences doesn't introduce this information. Reason: According to the liner notes, there are paragraphs which Tom Gordon said about the remixing the album involving new instruments, as I can break it down for you.

- "We were able to separate enough to add modern triggers for kick and snare drums... re-amp the bass and guitar tracks through actual amplifiers to update them with more current tones."

- "We also discovered that the original tape speeds were slightly off. We had to digitally correct the pitch of the transfers in order for any new instrumentation to be in tune."

• "This restoration preserved the clarity of every multitrack stem.." Can you clarify this? The previous method used for the first record didn't preserve clarity, or only partially did so?  Done
• Tom Gordon and his crew can be introduced in the first paragraph, which details the general aspects about all three albums and their remastering.  Done

Release

Restless Heart (1997) was originally viewed as a solo album but was later grouped as a "David Coverdale & Whitesnake" album due to EMI's contract demands. Restless Heart and Into the Light were envisioned as "brother and sister albums", respectively, due to their similar sound in comparison to Whitesnake's other recordings. You should remove it. It's indirectly connected to the Into the Light and a perfectly nice sentence for either Into the Light or Restless Heart pages, but not compilation.  Done

Coverdale's first solo work within Whitesnake was on Snakebite, which is considered the band's first official release. It was initially issued as an extended play (EP) and was later expanded into a double EP, featuring four tracks from Northwinds: "Keep on Giving Me Love", "Queen of Hearts", "Only My Soul" and "Breakdown". Isn't about the compilation, but about the Snakebite and Northwinds. Reason: Those tracks were also on Snakebite, possibly for promotions since they first appear under the newly formed "Whitesnake", at that time. It's possible to leave them as is.

These songs don't seem to be from either of the three records; you can mention that in a separate paragraph: "Crazy 'Bout Cha" (Original version of "Whipping Boy Blues"), "If You Want Me", "Lay Your Love On Me" (Original version of "Lay Down Your Love"). Done

Links and sources

• All links are either working or archived. Y
• 34th source is a store page for the album, which isn't an ideal source. In the second instance you can substitute it with the liner notes citation.  Done
• Otherwise, other sources seem reliable per WP:A/S Y

Second look

I made a little pause to get another clear look through the article. I 100% agree we need a couple of introductory sentences for these albums before moving onto the compilation, plus it makes sense to mention the disbandment, I assume, to empathise the fact that: the album is published under Whitesnake name, BUT the band disbanded, and the album's creative direction navigated mostly by Coverdale. That's said, I still think we should trim "Background" more (meaning some of the info can be transferred to another page). I'll try explain my thought process below. LastJabberwocky (talk) 12:01, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

I'm somewhat confused on the way the compilations should be handled, because they are a separate album in a musician's discography, but also it's just a repeat of the past album(-s), so the first thought when editing a compilation page is also just to repeat the information about the past album(-s) since they are so important to the existence of the compilation. Let's take a look at Michael Jackson's compilation album King of Pop (it's a really old good article, so not necessary great for setting a high bar, but that's the most developed compilation I could find). The first paragraph in details (probably too much) the success of the previous compilation, which motivated the label to print another one, King of Pop. The second talks about the release. Doesn't dive into the songs or history of MJ. LastJabberwocky (talk) 12:01, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

If you want a third party opinion, here's an essay on the "focus criteria" in a good article. The quote that sticks out: "First, the article should avoid undue emphasis on tangents, such as coatracks, and trivia. The inclusion of details and minor aspects can contribute to good writing, but such details should not overwhelm the article." My feeling is when I reading the article—it's a touch underwhelming and not exactly what I was hoping from an article focused on Into the Light: The Solo Albums. I think a one medium (or two small) paragraphs in the "Background" would be perfectly nice to include "details and minor aspects [that] can contribute to good writing". LastJabberwocky (talk) 12:01, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

Background

Before I dive into the information that already exists in this section, are there any sources that explicitly say that this compilation was released because the Coverdale's solo albums has been out of print? The label then decided to re-release them in one pack, and Coverdale took this opportunity to also refine them. This could be a good introductory line, tying all the albums together and leading up to the compilation.

• I liked the ways we introduced all the albums at once: Into the Light: The Solo Albums features the David Coverdale's solo albums and demo recordings; including his albums, White Snake (1977) and Northwinds (1978), released in-between his work with Deep Purple and Whitesnake, as well as his third solo album, Into the Light (2000), released after the dissolution of Whitesnake.  Pending
• Then talk about the sources for demo recordings (whether they has been released beforehand as singles or appeared on albums).  Pending
• This can be merged with the producers in the "Production", prefacing it as "the original recordings featured on Into the Light: The Solo Albums were produced by these people... Then talk about the producers who worked on the remaster/remix versions: Both White Snake and Northwinds were produced by Roger Glover, while Into the Light was produced by Coverdale, and Doug Bossi, Bjorn Thorsrud, John X. Volaitis and Michael McIntyre were credited as associate producers.  Pending
• The second paragraph. I removed the masters being lost for decades, because it seems to contradict the fact that the engineers, who would remix the albums, needed AI help to pull-out the masters. Revert/clarify/reformat my changes if they are factually incorrect (also sorry if you already clarified the "Many of the out-takes from the album remain accessible" line): In late 2000s, Coverdale considered restoring and remastering his early work, including his first two solo albums and material from Whitesnake, but at that time they could not be remixed due to the 2008 Universal Studios fire, which reportedly destroyed majority of the band's material owned by Geffen Records. It was later revealed that some of the masters had been preserved at the Iron Mountain Storage Facility in Pennsylvania, but White Snake and Northwinds multi-track masters were eventually lost, largely because both of those albums has been out-of-print on the label Purple Records, a sub-division of EMI at that time. However, many of the out-takes from both of the albums remained intact and accessible to Coverdale. In 2017, Coverdale signed a re-issue distribution deal with Rhino Entertainment and Warner Music Group. As part of the agreement, Rhino acquired the rights to all of Coverdale's Whitesnake albums. This was later expanded to Coverdale's solo material and his Deep Purple catalogue when he sold all of his rights and royalties to Round Hill Music in 2022.  Pending

I REALLY think the rest of the sentences should be cut (the sentences I didn't quote or wrote down here).

Production

Around 2019, audio engineers at "Hook City Studios", started working on remastering Coverdale's first two solo albums. Of those involved were primarily, Tom Gordon. They experimented with the artificial intelligence (AI) audio-separation software, Audioshake, which separated the tracks into individual multitrack stems and prepared them for further alteration and remixing. → Around 2019, the audio engineers at "Hook City Studios" commissioned by Coverdale started working on remastering both his debut and sophomore albums, and soon brought in his third album, Into the Light. They experimented with the Audioshake, the artificial intelligence software that separated the tracks into individual multitrack stems and prepared them for further alteration and remixing. Tom Gordon was involved in the remixing process for all three albums, assisted by different personnel: Into the Light was co-remixed with Christopher Collier, who worked with the group since the late 2010s, while White Snake and Northwinds was co-remixed by Alex Breckenridge. Explanation: I'm introducing all three albums in the first paragraph and who worked on them before going into particular details on every one of them. Simplified "Audioshake" sentence.  Done

While remixing White Snake, the audio engineers selected the best-available mixes for the band's comparison and approval.[1] The presence of digital artifacts posed a challenge, which the team addressed by overlaying enhanced versions of individual stems to reinforce the overall sound. Despite this, whilst remixing, they had limited control over the volume and tone, particularly with the lead and background vocals, and the original track's reverb. The team mitigated these issues by incorporating modern remixes of the drums and revamping the guitars and bass through amplifiers to achieve an authentic, contemporary sound. The tape speed was slightly inaccurate but this was digitally corrected to ensure any new instruments were in tune with the rest of the record. → While working on the debut album, White Snake, the audio engineers has been challenged by the presence of digital artifacts, which they addressed by overlaying enhanced versions of individual stems to reinforce the overall sound. However, they had limited control over the volume and tone, particularly with the lead and background vocals and the original track's reverb, mitigating these issues by incorporating modern remixes of the drums and revamping the guitars and bass through amplifiers to achieve an authentic, contemporary sound. When integrating new instruments, the tape speed appeared to be slightly inaccurate, and the team digitally corrected it to attune with the rest of the record. Upon completion, the team selected the best-available mixes for the band's judgment and approval. Explanation: Put "..for the band's comparison and approval" sentence chronologically after the engineers finished remixing.  Done

For the song "Time & Again", Coverdale's vocals were recorded on the same multitrack as the Rhodes electric piano.[1] According to Gordon, Coverdale wanted to "ditch the Rhodes" and add string arrangements in the remix. Did he ditch the Rhodes? If it's just an idea he had, the sentence doesn't seem that notable.  Done

Release

Although Coverdale recorded White Snake, Northwinds and Into the Light as a solo artist, he has been regarding them as Whitesnake albums. He stated: "As I'm recognized as 'Mr. Whitesnake', I thought, Why not? They're all Whitesnake albums to me ... we've remixed them to stand proudly alongside any Whitesnake album." I think you should move this as the second paragraph; it's seems better to first introduce the release/promotion, and then explain why the compilation was released the way it did.  Done

Coverdale's first solo work within Whitesnake was on Snakebite, which is considered the band's first official release. It was initially issued as an extended play (EP) and was later expanded into a double EP, featuring four tracks from Northwinds: "Keep on Giving Me Love", "Queen of Hearts", "Only My Soul" and "Breakdown". Still isn't convinced these sentences. The songs were released almost 50 years ago on Snakebite, then appeared on Northwinds, and Northwinds as a whole gets remastered and re-released on this compilation. I don't think we need to specifically mention the re-release of these songs.

Proposal: How does this sentence sound: "Coverdale's first solo work within Whitesnake appears on the group's first release named Snakebite, as a double EP format, initially featuring four tracks from Coverdale's second solo album, Northwinds." Will this work in your opinion?

Well my concern wasn't about the phrasing, but (and I'm once again repeating myself) the information isn't directly or reasonably indirectly connected with the compilation. The EP has four original tracks none of which appear on the compilation. It has connection with Northwinds via the re-release of the Northwinds' tracks. I can imagine the notability, if Coverdale would say that these Northwinds tracks are special to him/commercially notable; and her is proof—he released them two times.I think you should remove this bunch :) Otherwise, this section is great, I'll scan the "Production" a little bit later. LastJabberwocky (talk) 11:45, 15 March 2025 (UTC)

Snippets of the remixed tracks "Lady" and "Northwinds" are included in their respective promotional videos. Can you clarify this one? Does it mean: Before the official release, the snippets of the remixed tracks "Lady" and "Northwinds" were teased on social media.  Done