Album
Slip of the Tongue
Slip of the Tongue is Whitesnake's eighth studio album, released in November 1989 on Geffen. It followed the multi-platinum success of their 1987 self-titled record, and it brought in guitarist Steve Vai, who played most of the parts after Adrian Vandenberg was sidelined by a wrist injury. Keith Olsen produced, with Mike Clink as co-producer. The result is glossier and more technically dazzling than the band's blues-based early work.
It reached number ten in both the US and the UK, and topped the chart in Finland. It went platinum in the US and gold in the UK. "Fool for Your Loving" is a re-recording of a 1980 hit, alongside "The Deeper the Love" and "Now You're Gone". Critics were split between admiration for Vai's playing and unease over the radio-friendly direction, a debate that still follows it.
Slip of the Tongue: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 46:59Tracklist
- 1Slip of the TongueDavid Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg5:21
- 2Cheap an' NastyDavid Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg3:29
- 3Fool for Your LovingCoverdale, Marsden, Moody4:12
- 4Now You're GoneDavid Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg4:12
- 5Kittens Got ClawsDavid Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg5:02
- 6Wings of the StormDavid Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg5:02
- 7The Deeper the LoveDavid Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg4:23
- 8Judgment DayDavid Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg5:17
- 9Slow Poke MusicDavid Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg3:59
- 10Sailing ShipsDavid Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg6:03
- Produced by
- Mike Clink, Keith Olsen
- Recorded at
- Record Plant (Los Angeles)
- Recorded
- August 1988–1989
- Mixed by
- Mike Clink, Keith Olsen
- Mixed at
- The Record Plant
- Engineered by
- Mike Clink, Keith Olsen
- Labels
- Geffen, EMI
- Length
- 46:59
Line-up
- Don Airey · keyboard · guest
- Tommy Aldridge · drums (drum set)
- Claude Gaudette · keyboard · guest
- David Rosenthal · keyboard · guest
- Rudy Sarzo · bass guitar
- Steve Vai · guitar
- David Coverdale · lead vocals
- Tommy Funderburk · background vocals · guest
- Glenn Hughes · background vocals · guest
- Richard Page · background vocals · guest
- Alan Pasqua · keyboard · guest
Singles
- “Fool for Your Loving '89” · 13 November 1989
- “The Deeper the Love” · 26 February 1990
- “Now You're Gone” · 13 August 1990
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1989–1990 | 10 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1989–1990 | 10 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1989–1990 | 1 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2019 | 7 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2019 | 9 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1989–1990 | 9 |
| Swedish Albums · 1989–1990 | 11 |
| Swiss Albums · 1989–1990 | 11 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1989–1990 | 12 |
| European Albums (Top 100) · 1989–1990 | 17 |
All 21 charts
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1989–1990 | 18 |
| German Albums · 1989–1990 | 19 |
| Austrian Albums · 1989–1990 | 29 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1989–1990 | 35 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1989–1990 | 39 |
| Dutch Albums · 1989–1990 | 43 |
| Scottish Albums · 2019 | 43 |
| Spanish Albums · 2019 | 50 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) · 2019 | 73 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2019 | 91 |
| French Albums (SNEP) · 2019 | 220 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Japan · 1992 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1989 | Gold |
| United States · 1989 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
67.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
2.2k
ListenBrainz listeners
80k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
7.0k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 7 November
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Full discography →
Snakebite
1978
Trouble
1978
Lovehunter
1979
Ready an’ Willing
1980
Live… In the Heart of the City
1980
Come an’ Get It
1981
Saints & Sinners
1982
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1984
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1987
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1987
1987 Versions
1987
Whitesnake’s Greatest Hits
1994
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1997
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1997
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Whitesnake
2000
The Silver Anniversary Collection
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The Early Years
2004
The Definitive Collection
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2006
Good to Be Bad
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30th Anniversary Collection
2008
Forevermore
2011
Live at Donington 1990
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2013
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2015
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2019
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The best of 1989
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1989-11-07 vs 1989-11-13 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 13 November 1989 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 7 November 1989 | |
| Wikidata | 1989 | |
| US release | 1989 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 13 November 1989 | earliest UK or European date |
16 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | CA | Geffen | 075992424929 | other |
| 1989 | US | Geffen | 0720642424926 | other |
| 1989 | GB | EMI | 077779353729 | other |
| 1989 | PT | EMI | 0077779353712 | other |
| 1989 | US | Geffen | 075992424929 | other |
| 13 November 1989 | GB | EMI | 077779353712 | original |
| 18 November 1989 | JP | CBS/Sony | 4988009500126 | other |
| 23 April 2008 | JP | Geffen | 4988005510822 | remaster |
| 5 June 2009 | XE | EMI | 5099969812422 | deluxe |
| 5 June 2009 | CA | Rhino | 190295737245 | deluxe |
| 5 June 2009 | AF | Parlophone | 5099969812453 | deluxe |
| 5 June 2009 | XE | EMI | 5099969812422 | deluxe |
| 4 October 2019 | XW | Rhino | 0190295409807 | remaster |
| 4 October 2019 | XE | Rhino | 0190295409814 | remaster |
| 4 October 2019 | XW | Rhino | 190295385088 | deluxe |
| 6 January 2026 | XW | Craft Recordings | 00190295385064 | remaster |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: major: best source 1363x1368, upscaled to 1500 (x1.10)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1363×1368 | upscaled: major: best source 1363x1368, upscaled to 1500 (x1.10) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |