Slide It In

Slide It In is Whitesnake's sixth studio album, released in January 1984 on Liberty. It arrived in two versions. The original mix was criticised for sounding flat, so the album was remixed and resequenced for North America, where Geffen, the label that had signed the band before release, put it out in April. The remix is the glossier of the two, in step with the American glam metal scene, and it blends blues rock with a more polished, accessible edge.

It sits at a turning point in the band's story. This was the record that gave Whitesnake their first real success in the United States and laid the ground for their breakthrough later in the decade. It was also the last album to carry the original snake logo. Line-ups shifted around it: Micky Moody left after the sessions and John Sykes took his place, Neil Murray returned on bass, and Jon Lord departed to rejoin Deep Purple. Hearing both mixes shows a band finding its voice.