Coverdale–Page

Coverdale–Page (stylised as Coverdale • Page) is a collaborative studio album by English singer David Coverdale and guitarist Jimmy Page. It was released on 15 March 1993 by EMI in Europe, 16 March by Geffen Records in North America and 18 March by Sony Music Entertainment in Japan. The album's production was handled by Coverdale, Page and Mike Fraser. Following the disbandment of Coverdale's band Whitesnake and a failed reunion attempt by Page's band Led Zeppelin, John Kalodner proposed the idea to Page of the musicians working together. After meeting each other, they began writing songs, which were then recorded over the course of 1991 and 1992.

Critical reception towards Coverdale–Page was generally mixed; some music critics praised Coverdale and Page's partnership as a successful blend of both their respective bands. However, others viewed the collaboration as a second-rate Led Zeppelin, with many drawing unfavourable comparisons between Coverdale and Robert Plant. The album charted in 12 countries, including reaching number four in the UK and number five in the US. It was certified platinum in the US and Canada, respectively. Following a short Japanese tour in December 1993, Coverdale and Page parted ways. A reissue was considered in the works, while Coverdale and Page have also discussed a potential reunion. Coverdale eventually retired from music in 2025.

Background

After completing the Liquor & Poker World Tour in September 1990, vocalist David Coverdale decided to put his band Whitesnake on indefinite hold, wanting to take a break from the music industry. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, meanwhile, had been working on the Led Zeppelin Remasters, which led to discussion with singer Robert Plant and bassist John Paul Jones about a potential reunion. Page then began looking for a new collaborator. As both he and Coverdale were signed to Geffen Records, A&R executive John Kalodner suggested them working together. The idea was submitted to Coverdale and Page in January 1991. While the two had met many times in passing, they did not know each other well. Still, both parties were interested, thus a meeting was scheduled.

Coverdale and Page met at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York at the end of March 1991. The two got along well with one another and while on a walk in Manhattan, they apparently stopped traffic with onlookers asking if a collaboration was in the works. Coverdale and Page made their first public appearance together in May 1991, when they joined Poison onstage in Reno for a rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" (1971).

Production and composition

Recording for Coverdale–Page began at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, where all the rhythm tracks were recorded. From there, recording was moved to Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, where the vocals and overdubs were done. Coverdale and Page also employed several local session musicians while in Miami.

Music and lyrics

Coverdale and Page's music has generally been referred to by music publications and critics as blues rock and hard rock.

The opening riff of "Shake My Tree" dates back to Led Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through the Out Door. Page had played the riff during rehearsals, but it was left unused. He later presented the riff to Paul Rodgers while in the Firm, but it was again rejected. When Page presented the riff to Coverdale, he "immediately latched on to it".

The opening riff of "Pride and Joy" was written by Coverdale, which he presented to Page in Barbados. This led to the song's original working title of "Barbados Boogie". The introductory riff had been written by Coverdale many years earlier, but left unused until he presented it to Page. including one titled "Saccharine" and an alternative mix of "Shake My Tree".

Release and promotion

Before settling on Coverdale–Page, working titles for the record included Legends and North and South. The album was released on 15 March 1993 in Europe by EMI, 16 March in North America by Geffen and 18 March in Japan by Sony. and by April 1993, it had been certified silver by the BPI for sales of over 60,000 copies in the UK. and was certified gold by the RIAA in June for sales of 500,000 units in the country, before eventually being certified platinum in 1995. It was certified gold in Japan and platinum in Canada. Music videos were produced for "Pride and Joy" and "Take Me for a Little While", both directed by Andy Morahan. While "Pride and Joy" reportedly did well on MTV (also being featured on an episode of Beavis and Butt-Head), "Take Me for a Little While" received minimal airplay according to Coverdale, as the video was apparently deemed too gothic by the channel.

Touring

thumb|upright|A promotional poster for the Coverdale–Page Japanese tour.

In April 1993, auditions for Coverdale and Page's touring band were held in London. A North American and European tour was planned, but eventually cancelled. Due to the popularity of grunge, promoters were allegedly "skeptical of [Coverdale and Page's] pulling power in a poor market for traditional heavy rock". Thus, a "financially viable" tour was not possible. This was seconded by Pratt, who stated: "It was originally meant to be an American and European tour, but it was booked as arenas and the ticket sales just weren't there." Conversely, Coverdale stated: "The whole arrangement for the Coverdale–Page project was to go directly to the theatres, to the stage, and nothing, not even a whisper, came from Jimmy's manager when the album was released."

| rev2 = Chicago Tribune

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| rev3 = Classic Rock

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| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4score = D

| rev5 = Lincoln Journal Star

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| rev6 = Los Angeles Times

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| rev7 = Metal Hammer

| rev7score = 7/7

| rev8 = The Philadelphia Inquirer

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| rev9 = Rock Hard

| rev9score = 9/10

| rev10 = Rolling Stone

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Coverdale–Page was met with mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Rolling Stones J. D. Considine stated: "Coverdale–Page may not be the second coming of Led Zeppelin, but it's close enough that only the most curmudgeonly would deny the band its due." He gave kudos to Page's guitar playing and Coverdale's vocals, feeling the voice had "never been put to better use" than against the guitar. while Jörg Staude of Metal Hammer commended Coverdale for what he perceived as an improved performance compared to the previous two Whitesnake albums. which his website describes as a "bad record whose details rarely merit further thought". Entertainment Weeklys David Browne characterised the album as an "incredible, if pointless" Led Zeppelin imitation. L. Kent Wolgamott of the Lincoln Journal Star felt similarly, stating that the record "sounds like a good album from Whitesnake", but "Led Zeppelin it certainly is not". while AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine concluded his review by stating: "Coverdale–Page boils down to a guilty pleasure at its best moments, but never quite rivals the bold experimentation of Led Zeppelin." Ultimate Classic Rock included "Pride and Joy" on their list of Coverdale's top 10 songs. They also ranked it, along with "Easy Does It", among their top 10 Page songs released after his work with Led Zeppelin.

Robert Plant's commentary

The collaboration between Coverdale and Page also drew some negative comments from Plant. While Plant commented positively on Page's playing, he was critical of the pairing, stating: "I found it difficult to understand [Page's] choice of bedfellow. I just could not get it." Even before collaborating with Page, Coverdale had been accused of copying Plant, who had reportedly referred to him in interviews as "David Cover-version", among other taunts. Page called Plant's negative comments as "short-sighted [...] because David's employing so many different colours and textures to his voice", while Coverdale described them as a "stab in the back", having considered Plant a friend in the past whom respected as an artist. He also did not find their past works relevant to the collaboration, which he felt was born out of their mutual talents as musicians. Assessing the collaboration in retrospect, he stated: "There was no [bullshit] in any respect or in how we executed. I wanted to show that I was still alive and kicking, and in that regard it was a total success." In 2004, Page noted: "David was really good to work with. It was very short-lived, but I enjoyed working with him, believe it or not." Coverdale later commented in 2011: "If I got a call from [Page], asking if I'd work with him on a solo album or anything, I'd be there in a heartbeat."

In 2021, Coverdale revealed plans for a tentative reissue in 2023 to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary. Having procured the rights to the record from Universal, Coverdale told SiriusXM's Eddie Trunk that the reissue will potentially feature remastered and remixed versions of Coverdale–Page, four unreleased tracks, live material, as well as other bonus content. He also stated that he and Page had discussed the possibility of writing and recording together again, though their plans were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It eventually never materialised due to Coverdale's retirement in November 2025. On 22 November 2023, the album was reissued in Japan on analogue vinyl for the first time.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

|valign=top|

;Musicians

David Coverdale – lead vocals; acoustic guitar (4 and 7)
Jimmy Page – electric guitars; acoustic guitar (1, 3–5, 7–9 and 11), bass (3); harmonica, dulcimer (4)
Denny Carmassi – drums, percussion
Ricky Phillips – bass (7 and 10)
Jorge Casas – bass (except 7 and 10)
Lester Mendez – keyboards (3, 5 and 7–11), percussion (7)
Tommy Funderburk – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10 and 11)
John Sambataro – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10 and 11)
John Harris – acoustic harmonica (4)

|valign=top|

;Technical

David Coverdale – production
Jimmy Page – production
Michael Fraser – production, engineering, mixing
Michael McIntyre – engineering, production coordination
Keith Rose – assistant engineer
Delwyn Brooks – assistant engineer
Chris Brown – assistant engineer
George Marino – mastering
Jim Survis – guitar technician
Gary Clark – drum technician
Peter Mertens – personal assistant
Bev Bush – personal assistant
Chris Whitehouse – personal assistant

|valign=top|

;Design

Hugh Syme – art direction, design
Masa Ito – liner notes (Japanese release only)

;Management

Howard Kaufman – management
Brian Goode – management
John Kalodner – John Kalodner
Debra Shallman – A&R coordination

Charts

Album

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Chart performance for Coverdale–Page

!align="left"|Chart (1993)

!align="left"|Peak position

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)

|align="center"; rowspan="2"| UK Singles Chart

Release history

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+ Coverdale–Page release history

! scope="col" | Region

! scope="col" | Date

! scope="col" | Label

! scope="col" | Format

! scope="col" | Catalogue

! scope="col" | Notes

| scope="row" | Europe

| 15 March 1993

| CD, LP, cassette

| EMD-1041

| scope="row" | United States, Canada

| 16 March 1993

| CD, cassette

| GEFD-24487 (CD), GEFC-24487 (Cassette)

| rowspan="3"| Japan

| 18 March 1993

| rowspan="2"| Sony Music Entertainment Japan

| CD

| SRCS-6662, SRYS-1038 (MiniDisc)

| 30 November 2011

| Blu-spec CD

| SICP-20329

| 9 October 2013

| scope="row" |

| Blu-spec CD

| SICP-30391

| US, Europe

| 2014

| Streaming

| In the 2020s, Coverdale–Page was made unavailable for music streaming in the United States after Coverdale procured rights from Universal to Rhino. The album's streaming rights and properties only remained in Europe.

| scope="row" | Japan

| 22 November 2023

| scope="row" | Sony Music Entertainment Japan

| LP

| SIJP-1091-2

| First vinyl release in Japan