Snakebite

Snakebite is an Extended Play and the first release by Whitesnake which was mid-1978. This EP unto itself would not be released in the U.S. The four tracks on this release would end up being included on a Double Extended Play containing the four tracks from Snakebite EP plus four extra studio tracks from David Coverdale’s second solo LP Northwinds all under the title Snakebite. This Double Extended Play would often be perceived as an LP but this was because there was no explanation of it being otherwise to those who did not know the history of Whitesnake’s catalog worldwide until the age of the internet. The original UK EP sleeve is entitled David Coverdale’s Whitesnake and features photographs of the live band in concert. All tracks from this EP also were used as bonus tracks on the 2006 remaster of Whitesnake’s Trouble album.


Background and writing
Shortly after producing and then touring Northwinds, Coverdale found his new band was already producing and testing new material. Thus they returned to the studio to capture this new found energy.

The resulting mini-album (Snakebite EP) features the cover song “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City”, originally performed by Bobby Bland. Although it is now considered a classic Whitesnake song, according to Coverdale it wasn’t planned that way: “Originally I had no plans to actually record ‘Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City’…if you can you believe it…a song that connects so deeply with so many that I still play it today, 25 years later.”