On January 30, 1984, "Whitesnake's" sixth studio album "Slide It In", was released in England.
This album marks the beginning of a significant turning point for the band.
Why a turning point?
This album is the band's last in its classic era of the Blues-Hard Rock genre. It is also her last album with the famous "Whitesnake" logo. What comes next is a completely different band, both in terms of composition and musical style and in look and appearance.
During the recording of the album, David Coverdale become interested in the American market. This will affect the production and final mix of the album and will result in the album being released in two different versions, in terms of the song order, production and even the musicians.
The production of the album released in America goes more towards Metal, as during the mixes the guitar and drum channels were amplified at the expense of the keyboard and bass channels. In addition, in the American version, the bass roles by Colin Hodgkinson and guitar playing of Micky Moody, were re-recorded and replaced with a new recording made by Neil Murray and John Sykes respectively.
Drummer Cozy Powell replaced Ian Paice and brought a more powerful playing style with him, which dragged the band from the deep Blues-Rock towards Heavy Metal. Cozy also brought bassist Colin Hodgkinson with him. Colin had worked with him on the 1981 solo album "Octopuss".
What made it possible to re-record guitar and bass roles in favor of the American version of the album, was the retirement of guitarist Micky Moody and the dismissal of bassist Colin Hodgkinson. Mickey Moody, who was David Coverdale's partner from the beginning of his solo career in 1976, felt an increasing change in David Coverdale's behavior, during the album recordings, which he claimed had become increasingly arrogant and domineering. In later interviews, he noted that it was no longer the same Coverdale he knew in 1976 and that he could no longer bear his behavior. During the band's performance at a mini-festival in Germany, where "Thin Lizzy" also performed, the band members returned to the hotel and spent time with "Thin Lizzy" members, including guitarist John Sykes. David Coverdale insulted Mickey Moody and humiliated him before John Sykes. It was the straw that broke the camel's back for Moody and he simply left the band, in October 1983. Later, David Coverdale replaced bassist Colin Hodgkinson, after realizing that indeed his style did not suit the band, thus preparing the ground for a re-recording of the guitar and bass role, for the American version of the album.
Legendary producer Eddie Kramer began production of the album, but David Coverdale did not get along with him and he was replaced in the middle of the recording process of the album, by legendary producer - Martin Birch.
Despite the murky vibe described above, this is one of "Whitesnake's" greatest albums and is also their bestseller from that era.
The album in its American version opens up with the theme song "Slide it In", with an amazing hard rock riff that reminds us of "AC/DC". Cozy Powell's drumming is precise and powerful and David Coverdale's singing is amazing and sweeping.
Immediately after that comes the more bluesy "Slow An 'Easy". It's the only song on the album written by Coverdale in collaboration with Micky Moody, and is probably also the best on it. David Coverdale is at his peak here with powerful vocals and so precise singing that it blends in perfectly with the blues-rock style of the song. Cozy Powell's drumming in this song proves what a great drummer he is. Without a lot of sophistication or complicated techniques, but every snare blow is a kick in your belly, and every pause makes you want more and more of this song. The song reached number 17 on the US charts and finally gave "Whitesnake" its big hit in the US.
We continue with the hit sequence with "Love Ain't No Stranger", which opens quietly with Jon Lord's soft keyboards and David Coverdale's emotional vocals with the acoustic in the background. Then everything explodes powerfully, kicks hard and heavy, and blows up our speakers. This song continues on the dynamic line between soft and heavy, and is the second song to chart in the US. It reach number 34 and gave the band its second hit.
Another great track on the album is "Standing in the Shadow". A catchy and sweeping song that highlights the vocal abilities of David Coverdale, with a wonderfully catchy chorus.
You will not find fillers or bad songs in this album. "Gambler" who opens the British version of the album introduces us to Jon Lord in all his glory and the excellent work of Powell and Murray's rhythm section, that propels this song and pushes it forward towards the solo duel between Jon Lord and Mel Galley. "All or Nothing" will bring you strong riffs that will remind you of "Rainbow". The riff on "Give Me More Time" is sure to sound like "AC/DC". "Hungry for Love" will sound like a classic blues-rock track from "Bad Company" and it's "guilty" brother "Guilty of Love" can be used as a soundtrack to accompany you while driving on the highway. It is the only song produced by Eddie Kramer and is fundamentally different on the British version, which includes two solos, while the American version includes one solo played by John Sykes.
After the release of the album, the "disintegration" process of the band will be completed and "metamorphosis" will begin, which will turn "Whitesnake" into a completely different band.
Keyboardist Jon Lord will be called to the flag and leave the band in favor of "Deep Purple"'s MKII lineup reunion.
Guitarist Mel Galley will also find himself out of the band, after suffering a car accident that impaired his playing ability.
The last to leave was Cozy Powell. His relations with Coverdale became increasingly tense during the tour, and after the band's last gig in Brazil, he left "Whitesnake".
At this point, Coverdale considered disbanding "Whitesnake" and returning to his solo career, but a manager's persuasion campaign at Geffen Records led him to work with guitarist John Sykes on new songs for the band...
For Listening to the American version of the album: Spotify, Apple Music