John Sykes - In The Still of the Night
By Brian Tarquin
Guitar Icons Around the World Mourn!
I was on a tour with John, Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy one summer, we had a great time. He was a superstar on stage and a fantastic musician too.
Joe Satriani
Such a phenomenal rock guitar player. He really captured that audio real estate with such a guitar tone and a playing style that created like a fever.
Steve Vai
The friendship I shared with John was as powerful as the music we made together. I’ll miss him terribly!
Tony Franklin (Blue Murder, The Firm
John Sykes was one of the greatest guitarists of the 80s. He had one of the best vibratos in the business. His songwriting, guitar playing, and vocals made him a triple threat. RIP legend!
Gary Hoey
Like most rockers, I was a big fan of John’s work with Whitesnake and also his work with Thin Lizzy and Blue Murder. He played from the heart and had tremendous prowess both as a guitarist and vocalist. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet him, but had always tried to pass along my admiration and respect for him through mutual friends. My condolences to John’s family, friends and his many fans.
Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake)
John was a personable man, and a wonderful musician. He had a way of adding a little touch to his guitar playing that made it easy to listen to, and he always phrased very well. I felt that his writing was very smooth and well done.
Steve Morse (Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs)
John Sykes a young lad from Reading, England changed the map of rock with his massive guitar sound on the well-received 1987 Whitesnake album. He has been quoted saying that he began playing guitar as a teenager learning Eric Clapton riffs from his uncle. He joined a local band Streetfighter recording the song "She's No Angel" which appeared on the 1980 compilation entitled New Electric Warriors, spotlighting the new British heavy metal scene. He then went on to join the band Tygers of Pan Tang from Whitley Bay, England. He got his big break by hooking up with Thin Lizzy bassist and frontman Phil Lynott through the producer of Tygers of Pan Tang, Chris Tsangarides. In 1982 John and Phil wrote and recorded the song "Please Don't Leave Me”. This led Sykes to join Thin Lizzy and to be featured on the 1983 album Thunder and Lightning. He also co-wrote the song “Cold Sweat” with Lynott, which has become a classic metal anthem. The album did a lot to introduce Thin Lizzy to a brand-new generation of wild teenagers and asserted their legacy as metal pioneers. In my opinion in America Thin Lizzy unfortunately never reach their proper peak of fame for their talent. “Cold Sweat” alone is a killer song, “Stone cold sober and stone cold sweat, Running down the back of my neck, To lose means trouble, to win pays double, And I got me a heavy bet”. In a just world they should have been as large as The Rolling Stones for the metal scene!
The next stage in Sykes career would solidify his legacy for the rest of his life. Coverdale credits Geffen A&R legend John Kalodner for convincing him to hire Sykes, stating Whitesnake needed a "guitar hero that could match Coverdale as a frontman”. So, after an injury to guitarist Mel Galley John Sykes replaced him in the band. Sykes joined Whitesnake and toured in support of their 1984 album Slide It In. However, John did re-record guitar parts on the title track for the American market, which reached top 40 on the Billboard 200 charts. Hence, the stage was set for what would become the groundbreaking self-titled Whitesnake album. It began with a writing retreat in France between Coverdale, Sykes and bassist Neil Murray. Afterwards joined by drummer Aynsley Dunbar they flew to Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada to work with producer Bob Rock. Again, with the intercession and influence of John Kalodner Coverdale re-recorded songs from a previous album Saints & Sinners, “Here I Go Again” and “Crying In The Rain”. Which turned out to be a golden idea! After all the American market was not that familiar with that particular album and had never heard of these songs. I must point out that a lot of credit for the overall sound and guitar tone of the 1987 album must be given to the magic ears and production techniques of Bob Rock. Not to take anything away from the obvious talent of John Sykes, but clearly there is a huge production improvement from previous Whitesnake albums to the 1987 Whitesnake album. There are certain miking techniques in the studio that Bob employed as well as mixing skills. This is an album where everything was aligned correctly, and everyone came of age. But like all things in Sykes life, it was short lived, and he was sacked along with the whole band after recording the 1987 release. Funny I remember seeing the tour back in the day, up against the stage smack dab in front of Vivian Campbell’s Marshall stacks, in which I lost partial hearing in my left ear that night. Also, on the opposite side of the stage was Adrian Vandenberg as the second guitarist. I distinctly remember thinking that it took two guitarists to replace Sykes and it still didn’t have his massive full sound on stage. Just listen to the studio recording of “In The Still of the Night” which is a testament to his sound, writing and force. In addition, the album became number one around the world at the time.
However, with a stiff upper lip and perseverance Sykes helped to form the band Blue Murder, which teamed him up once again with Little Mountain Sound Studios and Bob Rock. The band also featured legendary drummer Carmine Appice and bass phenomena Tony Franklin, who is no stranger to playing with guitar heroes as he was in The Firm featuring Jimmy Page. Flash back to 1989 - I was in Crazy Eddie’s (remember them?) in my upper eastside NYC neighborhood. I’m in the music section hearing what I think is the new Whitesnake album, only to find out it was a band called Blue Murder headed by X-Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes. Needless to say, I bought the record right on the spot, took it home and was blown away on many levels. First by the obvious, how great it sounded. Secondly, how similar John’s vocals sounded to Coverdale at times. Thirdly the production was exactly like 1987 Whitesnake album, and no wonder it was recorded by Bob Rock. In fact, to this day, I think it sounds more like a Whitesnake album than any of the other Coverdale albums since then. Listen to tracks “Billy”, “Black-Hearted Woman” and “Out Of Love”, come on - my god that is like an extension of the hit “Is This Love” by Whitesnake. Blue Murder’s follow up album in 1993 Nothin' But Trouble was another winner featuring the remake of The Small Faces song “Itchycoo Park”. But unfortunately, by the early 90’s heavy metal fell out of grace with the public and was replaced by an alternative rock scene. In later years he went on to release solo albums like Nuclear Cowboy (2003) and Bad Boy Live! (2004) and most recently singles as “Dawning of a Brand New Day” (2021) and "Gates Of Hell” (2021).
I never believed that music had an expiration date and should be enjoyed by any generation - even 100 years from now. But as rockers around the world mourn the sudden passing of the guitar giant John Sykes, there is solstice in knowing he leaves behind a legacy of music that will live on forever. The sound derived from a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom with two Mesa/Boogie Coliseum heads, tore our ears off in 1987 and forever changed the sound of heavy guitar rhythms. Setting a whole new standard for generations to come.
John Sykes Tribute Show
Podcast Episode · Brian Tarquins Guitar Trax Show
