It was confirmed that the remastered edition of ‘Coverdale/Page’ has been shelved, for now, contrary to previous hopes. In a recent interaction with Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz, David Coverdale shed light on the reason behind the halted collaboration with Jimmy Page.
Following the cancellation of the anticipated reissue of the 1993 album to celebrate its 30th Anniversary, fans found themselves confronting a cocktail of disappointment and surprise. The sudden bump in the road for the project wasn’t welcomed by Coverdale either. According to the singer, the premature disruption was attributed to a string of unforeseen issues.
In the interview, the Whitesnake vocalist revealed the initial plans by saying:
“My lawyers and I were negotiating with Universal Music Group. We found some unpleasant aspects. So, we were looking at how we would dissolve this agreeably. I went, ‘F–ck it.’ You know, ‘They’re not doing anything with it. Ask for the ‘Coverdale/Page’ record.’ So, they threw it in. I called Jimmy and went, ‘You’re not gonna f–cking believe this. I’ve got the rights to the ‘Coverdale/Page’ record. We could do whatever we want.’
So, my idea at that time, which was completely exciting to me, and because I was fully cognizant of the 30th Anniversary, mind-blown, of course, because 30th Anniversary, come on! But this was – I said, ‘Jimmy, okay. You do the Jimmy Page mix; I’ll do the David Coverdale mix. I think the fans would love it.'”
Unraveling further details, the musician pointed out how the pandemic interfered with the process:
“So, I’d sent him all the stuff that we do, all the elements that we do in the Whitesnake box sets. Because we’ve got bootleg video, we have rehearsal stuff, you know, the original Primitives. I’ve got a boom box that’s forty dollars from Radio Shack. I had my housekeeper by the day before Jimmy came up to Lake Tahoe just to have a little recording device.
It sounded like somebody was frying bacon, for Christ’s sake. Well, at least, the idea was good. So, all of these things for fans to go exactly what I’m doing with it, which is a really successful project. We could do a ‘Coverdale/Page,’ and then Covid… As you know, not only was I busy doing that, Jimmy wouldn’t go into a studio, understandably. He took it very seriously, as I did. So by the time we get out of that, I’m going ‘I was hoping to retire at 69,’ which I thought was the appropriate age for the singer of Whitesnake, which was in 2020.”
David concluded by adding that he’d love to release the remastered version:
“I’d sit there and just glow in the dark if Jimmy went in and did this project. I really would. I just don’t have time, which is so heartbreaking to say, but it’s huge.”
With the 30th Anniversary long gone, it is not definite what the album’s fate will be. However, Coverdale keeps revisiting his old catalog with reissues like Whitesnake’s ‘Still Good To Be Bad,’ which was released on April 28.