BERNIE MARSDEN: 'Stage' Live Album To Be Released In August

The fifth and final album in Bernie Marsden's "Inspirations" series, "Stage", will be released on August 21, 2026 through Conquest Music.

Available in a limited-edition 2LP, gatefold sleeve set and 2CD deluxe digipack with a 16-page booklet, the album represents the arena where perhaps Bernie shone the brightest — on stage.

Marsden's charisma, warmth and, of course, beautiful playing and singing was best demonstrated with the input of an always appreciative audience.

"Stage" features four different concerts, with each dedicated a side of vinyl, so the listener can appreciate the different Bernie experiences which were on offer.

"The Radcliffe Centre, Buckingham 2008" illustrates a gentle acoustic presentation, complete with strings.

"Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea, 2019" has Bernie in full electric mode with a brass accompaniment that swings as the boat sways.

"Notodden Blues Festival, Norway, 1996" features a stellar lineup including Snowy White, Tony Ashton, David Levy and Henry Spinetti.

"Under The Bridge, London, 2020" sees a full six-piece band and very special guest Joe Bonamassa.

As a taster for "Stage", a digital EP is available now and is led by an amazing live version of "Walking By Myself" from the "Under The Bridge" show. Bernie's close friend and collaborator Joe Bonamassa joined him onstage and their guitar duel on this song was jaw dropping. The EP also contains four more live tracks that will not appear on "Stage".

EP track listing:

01. Walking By Myself
02. Wheels Within Wheels
03. Hold On (I Feel Our Love Is Changing)
04. Working For The CSA
05. Funny People

A crowd shot video was compiled to illustrate the electric performances on "Walking By Myself". Check it out below.

Bernie always wore his influences on his sleeve, whether through his live set or on his albums.

In addition to 2023's "Working Man", his latest album of original songs, Bernie also released four solo albums with Conquest Music since 2021 in "Kings", "Chess", "Trios" and "Icons" as part of his "Inspirations" series. In these albums, he paid tribute to the artists that helped shape his taste in music and distinctive guitar style.

Conquest Music's Alan Bambrough comments: "Bernie Marsden was such a charismatic and witty person. In his understated way, he would manage to have any audience engaged and involved within a couple of songs. We felt that his 'Inspirations' series would be incomplete without including a glimpse of that magic that he conjured up on stage. There were so many great live recordings in his archive that it was tough to limit the album to just two discs sampling four different shows."

The booklet with the CD includes some very moving sleeve notes from Steelhouse Festival founders Max Rhead and Mikey Evans.

The "Stage" album can be pre-ordered from the special Bernie Marsden shop. Each order will also include an exclusive free Collectors' Card. It is also available from your usual retail outlets and streamed on the digital platforms.

"Stage" album track listing:

LP Side A

1. Till The Day I Die
2. The Time Is Right For Love
3. Out On The Western Plains
4. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City

LP Side B

1. Boss Of The Blues
2. Reconsider Baby
3. Watch Out
4. Worried Life Blues

LP Side C

1. Down Home Blues
2. I'm Tore Down
3. Love That Burns
4. Oh Well

LP Side D

1. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues
2. I'll Play The Blues For You
3. Walking By Myself

Marsden was one of the U.K.'s foremost rock and blues guitarists, famous for his time in professional bands since 1972 and a founding member of one of the biggest rock acts of all time, the mighty WHITESNAKE.

But there was a lot more to this man, from his first band UFO to treading the boards of the National Theatre in London, on stage with Ringo Starr in Monaco, playing the Beacon Theatre in New York with THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, writing and playing with Joe Bonamassa and MOTÖRHEAD.

His long-term friendships with so many top names in the guitar business, Billy Gibbons, Steve Lukather, Warren Haynes, as well as rejoining the new WHITESNAKE lineup of recent years and a solo career kept him both on the road and in the studio. He became interested in guitars as a teenager watching THE BEATLES, his fascination continued to his final days. Bernie also developed one of the most unique and expansive private guitar collections in the world.

At a rough guesstimate, Marsden's name appears on a hundred albums — maybe more. In addition to a long-running solo career, the Buckinghamshire-born guitarist had been a recording musician since the early 1970s via membership of such groups as WHITESNAKE, UFO, WILD TURKEY, BABE RUTH, PAICE ASHTON & LORD, COZY POWELL'S HAMMER, ALASKA, M3 and many more. Though there's a tendency to pigeonhole him as a blues-rock guitarist, each of Marsden's acts had its own individual flavor.