For my second entry into the “Old Glory” write-off, my choice is an relatively unknown album by the band Whitesnake, called Slide It In. For those who may not recall, Whitesnake was a band that achieved a large degree of fame in the late 80s for having a packed line-up of superstar musicians. This album however, was slightly before this time, when the band had a more anonymous membership list.

Tracks:
1. Slide It In
2. Slow ‘N’ Easy
3. Love Ain’t No Stranger
4. All Or Nothing
5. Gambler
6. Guilty Of Love
7. Hungry For Love
8. Give Me More Time
9. Spit It Out
10. Standing In The Shadows

Producer: Martin Burch

Musicians:
David Coverdale – Vocals
John Sykes – Guitar
Neil Murray – Bass
Cozy Powell – Drums

Breakdown:
Whitesnake’s climb to fame was a slow crawl, before suddenly exploding. The first time I had heard of this band was as a teenager watching MTV, and seeing the video for the song Still Of The Night. I remember thinking, the singer is a bit too Led Zeppelin for my tastes (at the time), but the video was pretty freakin’ cool. The same video featured the appearances of such renowned musicians like Adrian Vandenberg, (founder of the band bearing his name), Vivian Campbell, (formerly of Dio, and future Def Leppard guitarist), Rudy Sarzo, (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot), and Tommy Aldridge, (Ozzy Osbourne). The band eventually went on to tour with this line-up, even though none of them played on the any Whitesnake albums, with the exception of one guest-guitar solo by Vandenberg.

Before this assembly of mega-talented, journeyman musicians, the band spent years building its name. Formed by ex-Deep Purple frontman, David Coverdale, the band also went through a multitude of line-up changes, often changing entirely from one album to the next. Through the years, Coverdale was the only mainstay of the band. In 1984, Coverdale and Whitesnake released the album Slide It In. Unlike the Who’s Who roster above, this album had a less star-studded cast. The only name that jumps out, is drummer Cozy Powell who was a well-respected studio musician, who played with many different rock bands over the years. Guitarist John Sykes, would eventually form the band Blue Murder (write-off anyone?) after leaving Whitesnake. In fact, he would be on the album that eventually led to Whitesnake's superstardom, but would never receive any credit for it. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This album is a very listenable rock album, with mature songwriting. On the whole, I would describe it as having strong 70’s style guitar riffs, with 80’s production sensibilities. (Make sense?). Coverdale was always big on writing good songs, and what is displayed on Slide It In, definitely shows that Coverdale is writing for a radio appeal. Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a pop album. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite of a pop album. This album would be better compared to bands like Night Ranger, and such. In many parts, especially the guitar parts, I thought the band had some strong Kiss elements.

Hot Spots:
Slow ‘n Easy - This song has a very bluesy intro, opening with a quiet organ part, which builds dramatically as Coverdale deals out some heart-wrenching emotion in a blues style. Anyone familiar with the song Still Of The Night, might recognize similar styling in the breakdown middle section of that song.

Guilty Of Love - This song could have been lifted right off of a Night Ranger album. It has some keyboards in it, but they are only for flavoring. Like all the other songs on this album, it is mostly guitar music.

Love Ain’t No Stranger - This song makes you think it first its going to be a ballad, but it picks up and turns into a rocker.

Slide It In - The title track is a great opener. It has a simple riff that kind of reminds me of Should I Stay Or Should I Go, only with a different rhythm. This one really sounds like a Kiss song, only without a ripping Ace Frehley lead break.

Overall:
This is a very good album that deserves more respect than it had gotten. Every song on this album could be played on your average rock music radio station. Although there aren’t many that would hit the top of the charts, the average song on this album would beat most of what passes for music these days. In fact, that is probably what this album really lacks, is that one smash hit. Had Whitesnake written and recorded Still Of The Night for this album, history would have dramatically changed. I would recommend this album for anyone who likes good rock music that is accessible and mature.

**
This review is part one of the “Old Glory” Write-off, which each participant has been charged with writing a review of something connected to each of the colors red, white, and blue. Read the next installment to the series: Blue

Please see the following reviewers for their contributions:

Dedemw
Hawgwyld
Donnie013
jeff_wilder78
Tom Barnes
Beckish
SusiDee34
Aerocat
Ned1
Bryan_carey
Jay1051971 (host)
ariel10575 (co-host)

Or you can see all the contributions in one place by going to:
http://www.geocities.com/ariel10575/epinions/oldglory.html



Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Exercising

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