Slow an' Easy

Last updated

"Slow an' Easy"
SlowAnEasy.jpg
Promotional single by Whitesnake
from the album Slide It In
ReleasedJune 1984 (US)
Recorded1983
Genre
Length6:08 (album version)
4:15 (radio edit)
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s) David Coverdale
Micky Moody
Producer(s) Martin Birch
Whitesnake singles chronology
"Love Ain't No Stranger"
(1984)
"Slow an' Easy"
(1984)
"Still of the Night"
(1987)
Music video
"Slow an' Easy" on YouTube

"Slow an' Easy" is a song by the English rock band Whitesnake from their 1984 album Slide It In . The album provided the group with a commercial breakthrough in the United States, and this specific song, which was released as a promo single, became a hit on rock radio. "Slow an' Easy" and "Love Ain't No Stranger" reached #17 and #34 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, respectively.

Contents

Background

The song was co-written by singer David Coverdale and guitarist Micky Moody, who was the only original member, besides Coverdale, left in the band. Moody was possibly the one that influenced the bluesy style of "Slow An' Easy"; most of the material on Slide It In took influence from contemporary glam metal in terms of sound, in contrast to the earlier, blues rock based albums of the band.

In 25th Anniversary Edition of Slide It In, Coverdale comments on the songs recording by saying:

"Slow & Easy was recorded at 4 in the morning in Munich after a serious night's partying...Most of the vocals is just a live 'jam' lyric I made up to inspire the band as we recorded...I played around with the lyric later to try and make some sense of it..."

Although Moody did co-write and play the song, he soon left the band after the album's release. When guitarist John Sykes joined the band, Moody's guitars were replaced by Sykes' (along with Colin Hodgkinson's bass tracks being replaced by Neil Murray's, and Jon Lord's keyboards by Bill Cuomo). The song also features drumming by Cozy Powell. Most of the song features him kicking the bass drum, with some fills thrown in between the verses. A more basic drum beat is only prominent in the chorus and during the guitar solo.

A music video was also made for the song, which also helped to expose American audiences to Whitesnake. The music video features the band performing the song on a stage, which is inter-cut with scenes of a car crash and a woman whose necklace is strangling her.

Track list

  1. Slow an' Easy (LP Version) - 6:08
  2. Slow an' Easy (Edit) - 4:12

Personnel

UK release

US release

Charts

Chart (1984)Peak
position
US Billboard Mainstream Rock [3] 17

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitesnake</span> British hard rock band

Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entity, Coverdale is the only constant member throughout their history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Coverdale</span> English rock singer (born 1951)

David Coverdale is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the founder and lead singer of the hard rock band Whitesnake. He was also the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, after which he released two solo studio albums, White Snake (1977) and Northwinds (1978), before forming Whitesnake in 1978.

<i>Snakebite</i> (album) 1978 EP by Whitesnake

Snakebite is the first official release by the British hard rock band Whitesnake. The original EP initially featured only four tracks and was released in the UK in June 1978 and never published in the US. Snakebite was re-released in September 1978 as a Double Extended Play containing four extra studio tracks taken from David Coverdale's second solo album Northwinds. The EP sleeve is entitled David Coverdale's Whitesnake and features photographs of the live band in concert. All tracks from the original EP also were used as bonus tracks on the 2006 remaster of Whitesnake's debut studio album Trouble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Murray (British musician)</span> Scottish bassist

Philip Neil Murray is a Scottish musician, best known as the former bassist of Whitesnake, the Brian May Band, Black Sabbath, and Gary Moore.

<i>Slide It In</i> 1984 studio album by Whitesnake

Slide It In is the sixth studio album by English rock band Whitesnake. Originally released on 30 January 1984 in Europe, by Liberty/EMI, it was remixed for the American market, later issued on 16 April 1984 in North America by Geffen. In Japan, it was issued a "European" Mix release date on 23 March 1984, and an "American" remix on 21 December 1984 by CBS/Sony. Widely regarded as a moderate success, it helped open the American market to the band's sound and breakthrough throughout the later 1980s. Historically, it was the final Whitesnake recording to use the band's original "snake" logo.

<i>Trouble</i> (Whitesnake album) 1978 studio album by Whitesnake

Trouble is the debut studio album from British hard rock band Whitesnake, led by former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale released in October 1978. It reached No. 50 on the UK Albums Chart. This followed the four-track Snakebite EP, later available in the US as an import album from continental Europe. The album later received a reissue by EMI/Parlophone in 2006, containing bonus tracks from their previous EP.

<i>Lovehunter</i> 1979 studio album by Whitesnake

Lovehunter is the second studio album by British band Whitesnake, released in 21 September 1979. It was the bands first UK Top 30 album, charting at No. 29 on the UK Albums Chart. "Long Way from Home", the leading track on the album reached No. 55 on the UK charts, while "Walking in the Shadow of the Blues" was one of the most popular and praised Whitesnake's songs in the beginning. The album became controversial because of its cover art.

<i>Saints & Sinners</i> (Whitesnake album) 1982 studio album by Whitesnake

Saints & Sinners is the fifth studio album by English hard rock band Whitesnake, released on 15 November 1982 by Liberty Records. The album was the last to be recorded by the Ready an' Willing line-up as the members had strained relations alongside the musical direction and the band's management despite commercial successes in their native. Guy Bidmead produced the album as Martin Birch's replacement at first, but Birch returned to finish the album during the recording.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micky Moody</span> English musician (born 1950)

Michael Joseph Moody is an English guitarist, and a former member of the rock bands Juicy Lucy and Whitesnake. He was also a founder-member of Snafu. Together with his former Whitesnake colleague Bernie Marsden he founded the Moody Marsden Band, and later, the Snakes, having previously collaborated with unofficial fifth Status Quo member Bob Young in Young & Moody. Along with Marsden and ex-Whitesnake bassist, Neil Murray, he formed the Company of Snakes and M3 Classic Whitesnake with which they mainly performed early Whitesnake songs. From 2011 to 2015, Moody toured and recorded with Snakecharmer, a band he co-formed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Marsden</span> British guitarist (1951–2023)

Bernard John Marsden was an English rock and blues guitarist. He is primarily known for his work with Whitesnake, having written or co-written with David Coverdale many of the group's hit songs, such as "Fool for Your Loving", "Walking in the Shadow of the Blues", "Ready an' Willing", "Lovehunter", "Trouble", and "Here I Go Again".

The Company of Snakes were an English rock band formed in 1998, by former members of the English rock band Whitesnake who were also members of The Snakes. They released two albums before morphing into M3 during 2004.

<i>Long Way from Home</i> (EP) 1979 EP by Whitesnake

Long Way from Home is a 1979 EP by British hard rock band Whitesnake. The titular song was written by lead singer David Coverdale, and "Trouble" and "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" are the B-side tracks. The song was taken from the band's album Lovehunter, and was the lead-off track. The song charted at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Break My Heart Again</span> 1981 single by Whitesnake

"Don't Break My Heart Again" is a song by the English rock band Whitesnake from their 1981 studio album Come an' Get It. Written by vocalist David Coverdale, the song was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage. The guitar solo performed by Bernie Marsden was recorded on the first take. Despite numerous attempts to top it, Marsden eventually conceded and agreed to use the first take. Guitarist Doug Aldrich later named "Don't Break My Heart Again" one of his favourite Whitesnake songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Ain't No Stranger</span> 1984 single by Whitesnake

"Love Ain't No Stranger" is a power ballad by the English hard rock/heavy metal group Whitesnake, and it is taken from the band's U.S.-breakthrough album Slide It In. One of the group's best known songs, it's been included in multiple multi-artist compilation albums as well as in various media from Whitesnake's own labels. Particularly well-received in the context of the 1980s heavy music boom in the Anglosphere, various music critics have praised its composition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crying in the Rain (Whitesnake song)</span>

"Crying in the Rain" is a song by the English hard rock band Whitesnake. The song was originally released on the group's 1982 album Saints & Sinners, but was re-recorded on the group's 1987 multi-platinum album Whitesnake. The song was inspired by singer David Coverdale's divorce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guilty of Love (song)</span> 1983 single by Whitesnake

"Guilty of Love" is a song by the English rock band Whitesnake from their 1984 album Slide It In. Written by vocalist David Coverdale, he described the track as a "very simple and honest love song". It has frequently been compared to Thin Lizzy for its dual lead guitars.

<i>Live... in the Still of the Night</i> 2006 live album by Whitesnake

Live... In the Still of the Night is a live concert DVD by the band Whitesnake. The concert was filmed on 20 October 2004 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. It was released regularly on 5 May 2006 featuring the recording of the live performance, behind-the-scene documentary and a photobook. The limited "special collector's" edition which was previously released on 7 February 2006 includes a bonus live album CD with ten selected songs from the same show.

"Give Me More Time" is a song by the English hard rock band Whitesnake from their 1984 album Slide It In. The single was released on 3 January 1984 in Europe and 9 January in Germany. The song was written by David Coverdale and Mel Galley. The song reached number 29 in the UK and number 27 in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standing in the Shadow</span> 1984 single by Whitesnake

"Standing in the Shadow" is a song by the English hard rock band Whitesnake from their 1984 album Slide It In. It was written by singer David Coverdale.

References

  1. Popoff, Martin (2014). The big book of hair metal : the illustrated oral history of heavy metal's debauched decade. Minneapolis, MN. p. 65. ISBN   978-1-62788-375-7. OCLC   891379313.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. Blabbermouth (24 January 2019). "WHITESNAKE's 'Slide It In' To Be Reissued As '35th Anniversary Edition' With Bonus Material". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  3. "Whitesnake Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart". Billboard . Retrieved 27 August 2021.