This album gave Whitesnake their big break in the U.S., and a successful tour helped elevate their stature to where their self-titled 1987 album made them megastars.
Written by: Jeffrey343
ARTIST: Whitesnake
ALBUM: Slide It In
LABEL: Geffen
SERIAL: GHS 4018
YEAR: 1984
CD REISSUE: Reissue list..
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LINEUP: David Coverdale – lead vocals * John Sykes – guitars * Mel Galley – guitars, backing vocals * Micky Moody – guitars * Neil Murray – bass * Jon Lord – keyboards * Bill Cuomo – keyboards * Cozy Powell – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Slide It In * 02 Slow An’ Easy * 03 Love Ain’t No Stranger * 04 All Or Nothing * 05 Gambler * 06 Guilty Of Love * 07 Hungry For Love * 08 Give Me More Time * 09 Spit It Out * 10 Standing In The Shadows
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
As a resident of the U.S., I had not heard of Whitesnake before this album hit the shores in 1984. I was surprised to find out shortly after that they had been rather prolific in the U.K. for the past several years.
As for the band itself during the time of this album, well, it’s safe to say that there was a fair amount of drama. This album was recorded and released in the U.K. in 1983.
The band signed a deal with Geffen Records, who insisted on some changes for the U.S. release. Some re-recording took place with new guitarist John Sykes and bassist Neil Murray. The new album and lineup proved to be a big hit in the U.S.
The Songs
Since I never have become over familiar with what they did before this album, I can’t offer much personal comparison on how they evolved. But I do know for sure I really liked what they were doing on here.
This is just good ol’ hard melodic rock, the kind of stuff that was insanely popular at this time. And these guys did it as well as anyone. The big hit, and my personal introduction to the band, was the brooding ‘Slow An’ Easy’.
I became a big fan of Cozy Powell’s drumming because of this song, his trademark double 16th-note snare pattern on the last upbeat of many measures being like his signature. This was the longest song, with the other nine all being in that 3:30 – 4:30 range.
Lots of very enjoyable songs that flowed nicely, ending up in an album that got a lot of play from me and many others.
In Summary
This album gave Whitesnake their big break in the U.S., and a successful tour helped elevate their stature to where their self-titled 1987 album made them megastars. This one has aged very well for me and still gets several plays each year. It’s 1984 & 1985 all over again each time I play it.
Whitesnake on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
