Whitesnake - Slide It In

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Slide It In, the sixth studio album from the British rock band Whitesnake. It was released in Canada and the UK in January of 1984, where it number 9 on the latter charts. The remixed US debut would come in April, where it would peak at number 40. It also charted at number 46 in New Zealand, number 12 in both Sweden and Switzerland, and number 11 in Norway.


The line-up for the band included David Coverdale (lead vocals), John Sykes (guitar), Mel Galley (guitar and backing vocals), Neil Murray (bass), Jon Lord (keyboards), and Cozy Powell (drums). The original release featured a different order of tracks, as did the 25th anniversary edition in 2009. I am going to review the tracks in the order of the US vinyl release of the album.

Side one begins with “Slide It In”, a high-energy, sexually-charged rocker.

“Slow an’ Easy” charted at number 17 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. Its opening has a bit of a blues-rock sound to it that reminds me quite a bit of Led Zeppelin. At six minutes in length, it is the longest track on the album.

“Love Ain’t No Stranger”, the mid-tempo fourth single, hit number 44 in the UK and number 34 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. I like how it changes up its rhythm a bit, especially adding a slower ballad-like bridge.

“All or Nothing” has a very fitting, balls-to-the-wall tempo to it; the drumbeats drive the guitars along nicely.

I like the build of the instrumental opening of “Gambler”; that really did make sense as a side-one start on the UK release. The song was used as the B-side to the first single.

Side two starts with “Guilty of Love”; as the first single, it went to number 31 in the UK in late 1983. It has a nice, catchy hook to it musically that takes the listener along for a good ride.

“Hungry For Love” keeps the momentum going. The lyrics tell of a guy with an insatiable sexual appetite.

The third single “Give Me More Time” went to number 29 in the UK.

“Spit It Out” is a very thinly veiled rocker about oral sex.

The closing track “Standing in the Shadow”, the second single, shot to number 62 on the UK charts.

I did not discover Whitesnake until 1987 when they had hits all over MTV. Slide It In, which falls well into the early part of their career, was a definite surprise for me. I certainly enjoyed listening to this one; it has those strong rocking melodies that I enjoyed in my “arena rock” music genre. I can see myself picking this one up at some point in the future.