Slide It In

In typical style, Whitesnake released an album with a title that was more than a bit "oo-er, missus". This was again an album I saw toured at the Aberdeen Capitol. More of that later.

This was the one where Coverdale decided to make things a bit more accessible for the American market. Well, eventually he did. You see the original was recorded with a different line-up to the tour and hence the U.S. Remix. By the time the US came calling, the band was shorn of Jon Lord, Micky Moody, Mel Galley and Colin Hodgkinson, which left Coverdale and Cozy Powell to link up with a returning Neil Murray and the entrance of the highly talented, fresh from Thin Lizzy, John Sykes. A stripped down line up, which was reflected in the new, raw sound of a ROCK band rather than a Blues-Rock band. Keyboards are at a minimum on the remix and to be honest, I think this benefits the songs, which for me always needed a bit more bite. If we cast our minds back to "Here I Go Again" and compare with the re-booted version you will understand what I mean. A lovely song which became a bit of an anthem after the addition of hair!

So, Slide the original as a collection of songs is a very good indication of what Whitesnake were about. Great songs with tidy guitar work, embellished by colourful keyboards. They gave plenty room for the voice that was Coverdale to shine out. Even if the lyrics were a bit dodgy - "I'm gonna slide it in, right to the top". I doubt there were many PhDs written on the subject matter of Whitesnake songs. I once heard a quote from a radio DJ along the lines of "If sex and relationships were not allowed as song subjects, 95% of Whitesnake would be instrumentals!"

That said, there is no doubt that David Coverdale was one of the voices of rock. He had a terrific range and great power, shown off to great effect in Slow & Easy. He was a great frontman too. And he had to be. He always assembled top class musicians of the time around him. Throughout the history of the band, there have been more than 50 other credited artists either recording or performing alongside (or maybe behind) Coverdale. Interesting that despite the personal differences he had with Richie Blackmore, both had the same view of dealing with band members.

So, to the music. As I've said the remix had a bit more grit. This was due to John Sykes overdubbing existing parts already played by Moody. The keyboards were lower in the sound, more of a background rather than a whole part of the songs. To be honest, all the songs sound better. This is a surprising point as the original was produced by none other than Martin Birch. A legend of the desk. The re-mix was handled by Keith Olsen. He was no stranger to hit albums in the US, so would have been chosen for his knowledge of the sound required.

The show in Aberdeen.

At this point, Mel Galley and Jon Lord were still part of the team. Sykes was just a fizzle of sound and sight, he having picked up where he left off with Lizzy. Cozy Powell nearly burned the building down during his "drum solo". I put it in inverted commas as I'm really not the biggest fan of his. Aye, he made a lot of noise but he was very samey. Played every song in the same way. No frills. He'd have been a real change to the band from Ian Paice. Anyways, it was a great show. I attended with one of my mates and we sat in the front row of the balcony. A great view of a sound performance. Coverdale swore quite a bit. It was almost as if he had just discovered the word "f**k". But of course he hadn't, given that every other song was written about it! Support for the tour was American band Great White. I didn't think much of them.

I have both copies of Slide It In. The original and the US re-mix. the US version is a picture disc and was well worth the money I spent on it (can't remember how much - honest!). Both are a good spin, with the re-mix being out in front for me. So, if you want to Slide It In, just lie back and enjoy it!

Track Listing (Original / Re-mix):

Gambler / Slide It In

Slide It In / Slow An Easy

Standing In the Shadow / Love Ain't No Stranger

Give Me More Time / All Or Nothing

Love Ain't No Stranger / Gambler

Slow An Easy / Guilty Of Love

Spit It Out / Hungry For Love

All Or Nothing / Give Me More Time

Hungry For Love / Spit It Out

Guilty Of Love / Standing In The Shadow

David Coverdale - Vocals

Jon Lord - Keyboards

Mel Galley - Guitars & B Vocals

Mickey Moody - Guitars

Colin Hodgkinson - Bass Guitar

Cozy Powell Drums

John Sykes - Guitars on the remix