What do you rate this album out of ten? Do you consider this a Dark Horse Album? Support us on Patreon or Ko-Fi: www.patreon.com/contrarians ko-fi.com/thecontrarians

Thanks for doing this video! The 1987 album is probably my favorite album of all time. Slip of the Tongue came out when I was in high school and I loved it (still do). I think it’s completely underrated. Vai was an odd choice, but I think it works for that album oddly enough. If 1987 is a 10 then I give Slip of the Tongue an 8.5.

This album has always been a childhood favorite for me, I remember being 4 or 5 years old and hearing this on cassette in the car. That's not the only reason though. I enjoy Steve Vai's bombastic playing, imaginative and full of detail. Kind of EVH type shenanigans, but there's neoclassical bits like on Judgment Day, the title track, etc. Wings of the Storm is a blast, my favorite. All due respect to Whitesnake's blues rock legacy (which I'm also a huge fan of) but I don't see why Steve Vai can't get away with the stuff he does. Same critics- mostly 70's fanatics, have no problem if a keyboard player shreds on a prog rock track for 17 minutes. Or a bass player for that matter. Guitarists get unfair heat for doing too much of a good job. I think it's brilliant that Vai mimics cat noises on the guitar at the beginning of Kitten's Got Claws. I wouldn't bash the songwriting either- it's not as if something like Cheap n' Nasty couldn't pass as a Mick Moody era song if only it had some hammond organ and more swing on the drums.

For me Whitesnake is Marsden+Moody..My favorite album is Come an' get it.

I really didn't listen to this album much when it came out as there were so many great heavy metal and thrash albums I was listening to in 1989-90. In fact it wasn't until 1994 I got this album, was tired of the constant bombardment of alternative rock at the time so I went back and got several albums I missed out on in the late 80s / early 90s and Slip Of The Tongue was one of them. I enjoyed most of it, Judgement Day and Wings Of The Storm are powerful rockers, Sailing Ships is a good dark bluesy song that recalls Coverdales Deep Purple era and I really enjoy the remake of Fool For Your Loving. I don't agree that there is no emotion to this remake, it's a different approach than the original but I think it works here and Vai does some great solos. As far as the ballads, Now You're Gone is ok but I really like Deeper The Love and prefer it to Is This Love. The only song I never cared for on this album is Slow Poke Music. I give this a 7 / 10.

Great discussion! Count me among those who prefer the Vai version of "Fool for your Lovin' "... the rhythm guitar sounds so great, with (I think?) the rectified amp. The squeals and fills are *de rigueur* for the era, and upon another listen, are actually restrained compared to, say, DLR. Though I agree that parts of the solo are shrill (possibly from mixing standpoint).

It's a really good album, I was 15 when it came out, so I had already heard the '87 album and loved it. When this came out I appreciated what Vai was doing, they hadn't been a blues band for a while so I hadn't gone back yet and discovered those early albums, which I also like. This album gets more hate than it deserves, Slip of the Tongue, Sailing Ships, Wings of the Storm, Judgement Day, Now You're Gone, Fool For Your Loving ( I too love both versions but prefer this one ), were all solid tracks. Good show guys.

Omg I just listened to this yesterday and was thinking “this would be a good contrarians episode” 😂

Great episode! Loved Slip of the Tongue and it still continues to deliver. Slip really was an album of its time and agree with David regards it being a time of innocence which the album truly captured. Good points by Tim, always believed they should've swapped Fool out for Burning Heart and also believe Adrian's bed tracks rhythms should have been included. Always preferred Vai in a band format and loved what he did here he really was the big push for the record following 87, although do agree with Peter that the results were somewhat 'Corporate' albeit the songwriting was actually better than the presentation might've had us believe ;) Personal highlights are Slip, Wings Of The Storm, Judgment Day, Deeper The Love, Now You're Gone and Sailing Ships (Cheap And Nasty is a ton of fun too). A Darkhorse album yes and Rating 8.5 Cheers \m/

I am glad that Pontus mentioned the Glenn Hughes component in this Slip of the Tongue conversation. You can hear Glenn in the chorus of "Now Your Gone" where he sings the line "This heart of mine"

I total understand all of the complaints for "Slip of the Tongue." I don't think Steve Vai was the best fit for Whitesnake, but he did a good job. I still enjoy this album as a follow up to the '87 album though. Also, I prefer this album's version of "Fool for Your Loving" over the original.

Absolute brilliant discussion on an underrated album. Excellent points made by all. This was fantastic!! 🔥

For me "Slip of the Tongue" would have been a great album with different guitar tracks. I always felt like they should have done an alternate version with Vandenberg re-recording all the guitar tracks after he was fine again. The writing of the songs was great, the guitars however sounded all wrong to me for a Whitesnake album. I loved Vai in combination with David Lee Roth, but not in the context of Whitesnake/Coverdale.

I've always preferred the british blues era of Whitesnake to the glossy American version, but I'm still a fan of both. Also, I prefer SOTT to the blockbuster 1987. I feel that SOTT was in the shadow of 1987 and probably would have been the bigger album if released first.

I love what David said about the 80’s and synthesizers getting the last laugh.

David botas needs his own podcast. Case closed.... The plane that this guy operates on thought wise is second to none... Especially for a younger man who wasn't even around during this genres heyday.. David do you have your own podcast or website by any chance?

i have tried and tried to like this but there is something with this album that wont click..I will watch this episode and give it another go! Love whitesnake!

Judgement day is one of my favorite Whitesnake songs

What pisses me off is people who think the ballads here are too syrupy but is this love is great.

Though Mel Galley,Micky Moody & Bernie Marsden weren’t MTV fodder. I do think that those guys should have stayed on as Staff Writers & perhaps the compositional integrity of the earlier band could have been maintained in a round about way.

This is an album that hasn't aged well for me. Whereas I still love the '87 album, this album is easier to pick apart. I think Vai is an exceptional guitarist, but I've never really cared for his tone. I really wish we could have had a situation where Vandenberg was on this album and Vivian Campbell gotten along with David Coverdale. Had this happened, I can only imagine what this album would have sounded like. Having said that, I still think there are some songs that I really enjoy. Those being, "Now You're Gone", the title track and the atmospheric sounding "Judgement Day" I would probably give this album a 6.5 out o 10.

I have to say I agree with just about everything Tim says. I especially agree with his comments on the production. 1987 is just so HEAVY and the sound too compressed. Slip... is much lighter and there is air to breathe productionwise. It's a much better listen sonically. Slip... is not Whitesnake's best album by a long way; but it is the Whitesnake album I have listened to the most. I saw this line up at Donington 1990. Most of the press slaughtered their performance that day, but I enjoyed them alot.

That's fantastic, Martin Popoff! I wasn't aware of this program, just subscribed and will need to listen to the previous 28, as well as and the forthcoming episodes, for sure! And I couldn't agre more with: - Saints & Sinners, Come and Get It, Ready and Willing and Slide It In above all others; - This version of Fool For Your Loving having taken the soul out from the original that I always loved so much. I just could never listen to it.

This was the first concert I ever saw. Steve Vai guitar solo was great. Kix opened up and they were really good too. I was 17 almost 18 and my parents only took us to the free “concerts” ( Italian American night, German night, Polka night -at Eisenhower park or make us watch the shows instead of going on rides at Disney…) I made up for lost time though and saw about 500 concerts over the next 30 years finishing up with ZZTop right before covid.

Slip of the Tongue is one of my least fav Whitesnake album but it's still a 7.5 to me because it's got incredible songs: Judgment Day, Sailing Ships, Now You're Gone, Wings of the Storm, but it also has some fillers (Kittens Got Claws, Cheap N' Nasty). I wish Adrian could have recorded his material. Steve still could have added some mayo on top... I agree with Tim on that one! Cheers.

Huge WS fan. Love the entire catalog. Idk why this album gets so much flack. I enjoy it. Some good stuff on it. Like most (especially in the U.S.) I knew WS from the 3 Geffen albums. And after becoming more of a fan, discovered the earlier stuff. I like it all. But I like the high energy stuff

I am with Tim about the first Blue Murder album being superior to SOTT, and dare I say the 1987 album too !

I had heard for years that the hand injury story was a smokescreen. I like this album, saw the tour twice.

slip of the tongue is my best whitesnake album

I remember Peter doing a show declaring Slide It the best Whitesnake album. I happened to agree. I also remember Martin doing declaring Saints 'N Sinners the best Whitesnake album. I argued that Slide It In and '87 were the best in my opinion. I'm still sticking with that opinion. I bought Slip of the Tongue when I was in high school because I expected to be the similar to the '87 by being a cut above the standard hair metal album. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It's not the worst album ever heard but it's a step down from the '87 album. The first mistake was trying to make it a carbon copy of the '87 album. They reworked Fool For Your Loving trying to repeat the success of Here I Go Again. I've not heard the original version of Fool For Your Loving. I have heard the original of Here I Go Again and the '87 version, for me, was better than the original. The Deeper The Love was trying to be another This Love. I like This Love a lot more. Also, the deep tracks on the '87 album, Still of the Night, Give Me All Your Love and Crying In The Rain were as memorable as the hits. The only song on Slip the Tongue I found remotely interesting, aside from the hits, was Judgment Day. It could've also easily found a spot on the Coverdale-Page album. And Steve Vai was NOT a good fit for Whitesnake. I think his style and type of playing fit better w/ David Lee Roth. So, if I had to rate this album, I'd give it a five. It's not horrible but it's a severe let down compared to the '87 album and Slide It In.

I love the early Whitesnake albums, but the 1987 album was the nail in the coffin for me. I would give this album a 5/10.

I absolutely loved Slide It In and the 1987 Album, so I was very excited when Slip of the Tongue was released back in the day, listened to it a couple times, didn’t like it, and forgot about it. At that point I would have rated it a 3 out of 10; songs were weak to me, didn’t like Steve Vai in this band, and felt there were just better albums out there at the time. Returned to the album in 1996 when I was sick to death of grunge and alternative and was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed Slip of the Tongue much more, felt that about half the album was very good, raising my rating to 7 out of 10. Album has stayed pretty steady in my mind since then; several songs on Slip are still in my Whitesnake playlist and don’t get skipped. Steve Vai still seems out of place here though.

Agree 100% with what Tim said. I waited for this one and liked it when it came out even more than 1987 because I considered it a bit more classic "Whitesnake"-ish. In hindsight of course 1987 is definitely the better album, anyway - I'll always prefer the old albums.

I think "Slip of the tongue" pisses off lots of Whitesnake fans because Steve Vai showed them how it's done. It's a brilliant album among many rather mediocre ones.

Cheap An Nasty could've been a single instead of Fool for your loving. Not saying that would've made a difference. And who knows what it would've sounded like if Adrian did the guitars. 🤷‍♂️ It is what it is.

i never have understood and i never will understand how people let greed and ego control their lives. SO many great bands have been ruined by greed and ego, i have NEVER understood these situations where bands kick out their primary song writer and it has happened with many bands. i will never understand this thing where bands suddenly blow up huge from one album then they kick out a person that was very influential on that album and are surprised when the follow up fails. i just do not understand people like that, i played in bands when i was young i dreamed of being a rock star, i would have been thrilled if i ever hooked up with someone that clearly had a gift and i would have been overjoyed to get to go along for the ride and not be an asshole or get jelouse they were getting the attention etc... its something i never get with bands where the singer and guitarist or whomever write all the songs, but they refuse to even let the other members of the band pitch songs. dont get it, im just thinking if i am in a band i want everyone involved to contribute if they have something decent, i dont want ALL the pressure on me, expecting me to come up with all the songs. if the drummer pulls a song out of the blue and it is actually a good song i am going to be thrilled by that because it means at least one more good song on the album and not just a bunch of filler BS. that greed to only have your name on the writing credit is just so baffling to me, and the way this band wrote songs then brought other people in to play the part someone else worte and things like that i just dont understand the motivations for all this stuff. it seems like this album kind of bombed because David and perhaps the other guys as well sabotaged their own careers by being greedy selfish assholes.

Dang, I was really expecting more from the solo from Burning Heart after his ringing endorsement. lol It was ok, but certainly not a favorite or a standout for me. Though I'm sure my adoration of the Zakk's solo in Fire in the Sky by Ozzy is a contrarian opinion. I really enjoy this album I think it has some great songs. 8/10 for me. 100% they should have tuned down or changed the key to preserve David's voice. Blue Murder would be 7/10. It actually seemed very self-indulgent. It hasn't aged terribly well for me and I loved it when it came out.

The thing about Slip of the Tongue is, my 2 favorite tracks of all time are on it. Judgement Day and Wings of the Storm. The Rest of it is OK. With the Terrible ballad. 7.5 out of 10. Slide it in is a 10 to me and 1987 is a 9. All the early albums are all solid 8 to me.

Nice pick, interesting points. My opinion on this album has been there since the day it came out and i'm pretty sure it will never ever change. "Slip of the Tongue" is a prime example of a Dark Horse album in a thoroughly negative sense. There's a reason why "1987" is not only the best Glam Metal/Hard Rock album of all time - by a country mile - and at the same time one of the most important and monumental in all of Rock history, but also why everything that makes this masterpiece that ferociously awesome is not even remotely present on "Slip of the Tongue": John Sykes! He's the one who made "1987" such a stunning album that easily blows anything else in that style out of the water - and not just for guitar nerds. "Slip of the Tongue" is a half-hearted album packed with mediocre and forgettable songs, definitely featuring a completely misplaced studio guitarist with no fire, passion and sense of adequate songwriting and arrangement concerning this band. With Sykes, Whitesnake not only lost a brilliant guitarist, but also a creative visionary who took the band to a next level.

Was never a fan of this album. Songwriting is key. If you look what Sykes did with his Blue Murder project and transfer some of that material over to Coverdale, you have a pretty interesting follow up to the "Whitesnake" album. With Vandenberg as his songwriting partner...well the proof is in the pudding.

Not my favorite by far. I hardly ever play this CD and when I do I play 3 songs and move on to something else. I like Cheap and Nasty, Judgement Day and Sailing Ships. The rest of it is just kinda boring to me. There are 10 songs, I like 3 so I’ll rate it a 3 out of 10. If I want to jam on Whitesnake this is definitely NOT the album I go to. Good show guys

Track by track: Slip of the Tongue 7/10 Cheap an' Nasty 5/10 Fool for Your Loving 4/10 Now You're Gone 4/10 Kittens Got Claws 5/10 Wings of the Storm 8/10 The Deeper the Love 5/10 Judgment Day 7/10 Slow Poke Music 6/10 Sailing Ships 8/10 Total: 6/10 which makes it an okay-ish record for me

It is unfair to blame Steve Vai for this album. Adrian Vandenburg wrote the songs on this album. Believe me, if Vai had written the songs for this album it would have been much better.

Whitesnake............................ Rules

No better than 6/10 and as a follow up to 87… it is a letdown and close to a flop… 6 is being really generous, as half the times it appears on my random, i push ‘next’

The most predominant issues is the song writing and Steve Via. Song writing is so cookie cutter-seems to have lost the hunger that the previous albums had. Steve Via is a fantastic guitar talent but a Whitesnake song needs power and soul not noodling and acrobatics. I always ask my self-if a no-name band put this out would it have sold as many albums... 5 out of 10 for Whitesnake 3 out of 10 if it's a obscure band.

when i was growing up at the time this came out i already sort of disliked Steve Vai, he was just one of those really hyped guys i was always hearing about. i was never really big on that whole guitar instrumental album scene and though i liked some of that stuff Vais albums never did anything for me, i love a good badass guitar solo but i was also never that big on the whole pointless non stop shredding thing which was what Steve Vai was into so none of that stuff by him impressed me. at the end of the day i was always impressed by riffs not shredding and for a song to be good it needed a good basic riff and some rhythm not pointless show off soloing, this is one of the few things that the whole 90s scene which i hated got right, solos can be cool but are not necessary. this is why i have always maintained a Keith Richards or Jimmy Page or Tony Iommi are better guitarists than Steve Vai or any of those famous shredder guys, because you dont write a song around a guy just soloing non stop. so when this album came out i already didnt like Steve Vai and i rolled my eyes when i found out they had brought him in, to this day i have NEVER heard one single riff by Steve Vai that i was impressed with, i have NEVER listened to a song with Steve Vai and thought damn that was a cool riff. when David Lee Roth put his first solo stuff out he had Steve Vai and i liked a few of those songs but i still never thought there were any riffs on there, certainly nothing that could compare to Eddie Van Halen. and every time i would hear "Yankee Rose" or see the video for it i just always felt like it was blatantly trying to be "Panama" part two, but its not even close, because Steve Vai cant come up with just a simple good riff. then at some point around the late 80s or maybe it was the early 90s i dont now but there was this thing going around where i was always hearing people repeating this story about Steve Vai holding some official record now for the fastest guitar solo ever or some shit and im like who the f*** cares!? he cant come up with a god damn riff. so yeah then this Whitesnake album comes out and im like oh Jesus they got Vai now. at this point in time i had no idea about the whole situation with the massive previous album and Coverdale sacking and replacing the entire band and John Sykes being screwed over, i just though Adrian Vandenberg was the guitarist on that big hit album so im like why the hell did they hire Vai instead of Adrian Vandenberg who they had this big hit album with. so i have no idea who actually wrote or recorded the guitar for this album, i just remember listening to the album and never being nearly as impressed with it as i was with the 87 album and honestly i laid a lot of that fairly or unfairly at the feet of getting Vai in the band. you dont bring in shredder to write good hit songs and yeah none of the songs on this album ever stood out to me.

Very hard to follow whitesnake 1987. Some of the songs are great and others average. A step down after two excellent albums. 6/10

to me this album was a massive disappointment. You can really hear how disjointed the band was at this time.... Fool For Your Loving as the 1st single was a huge mistake, if anything Judgment Day should have been single #1 and in my opinion it's the strongest track on this album by a mile. Steve Vai is a terrible fit, I don't like his tone on this record at all. I agree with Martin on the Whitesnake ballads , they just don't work at all and Now You're Gone is great example of this. I rarely go back to this album.... 3/10

I really like Whitesnake and Steve Vai. I saw this tour back in the day. I liked the album back then but don't feel like it has aged that well. It is a little over the top and feels forced. They seem to be straying real close to hair metal here. I would give it a 7.

very average album,,,screach hscreach screach

This is an over bloated, over produced piece of crap. Vai was a horrible fit, Coverdale's lyrics are childish, and does scream throughout the entire album. The "'87" album loaded the chamber and "Slip of the Tongue" pulled the trigger. Dreadful, awful and checks all the boxes for what was wrong with hair metal and why it needed to just go away!!!

Godawful album. The Fool for Your Lovin'-cover is sacrilege, Now You're Gone is one of the worst power ballads of the era. The production of the album represents everything that was wrong with late 80s hardrock/heavy metal and why the genre had to change.

The band fell off the cliff after Slide It In. The downslide gets worse with this weak album. 3/10. I feel bad for Tim if that Purple album show comes out. Looks like the rest of the panel is out for blood.

David's comment is simply excellent 👌