Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Whitesnake
Label: EMI Records
Release: 1981
Length: 40:24
Rating: 4/5
»Come an’ Get It« was the fourth studio album from the legendary British hard rock flagbearers Whitesnake, and up to that point their biggest commercial hit on home turf. Coverdale’s bluesy rock crew of outstanding musical heavyweights, unchanged since the previous record, the excellent »Ready an’ Willing« (1980), managed to hold on to the stability that was so crucial at this stage of their career. On top of that, they shared an incredible chemistry that suffered none of the union-boss dictatorship Mr. Coverdale turned into later in his career, in his hunger to storm the top of the radio charts.
»Come an’ Get It«, once again made under the baton of cult producer Martin Birch (ex-Deep Purple, Blue Öyster Cult, Iron Maiden), is a worthy successor to »Ready an’ Willing«, built in a punchy hard rock manner with bluesy guitar phrasing playing a major role, courtesy of the guitar duo Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden, plus top-shelf keyboard authority in the shape of the legendary Jon Lord. The ridiculously dynamic and massive rhythm section, made up of bassist Neil Murray and cult drummer Ian Paice, Coverdale’s and Lord’s old pal from their Deep Purple days, was a real feast for the ears. David’s lyrics were the standard Whitesnake Achilles’ heel, with Coverdale’s sexual frustrations and romantic yearnings once again front and center. The guy was still getting over the split from his first wife, soothing the pain mostly in the arms of countless ‘fans’ who had come to Whitesnake gigs with a very specific purpose in mind. The cover, with a white snake trapped in a glass apple, stirred up quite a bit of controversy, since its tongue is shaped like a vulva.
»Come an’ Get It« opens with the title track, which is actually one of the less inspired moments on »Come an’ Get It« and a pretty big departure from Whitesnake’s traditionally energetic album openers. It’s all set to a mid-tempo, while the erotically spiced chorus, even under Coverdale’s usually excellent vocal command, is nothing special. Sophisticated Hammond organ lines and dynamic guitar passages bring in a touch of melancholic charm, though. »Hot Stuff«, on the other hand, is a sharp contrast: an energetic hard rocker with a racing, fast tempo that would have made a much better album opener than »Come an’ Get It«. Paice rules the roost here with his massive drum fills, while Lord thrills with unbridled organ improvisation. Coverdale’s vocals are totally unleashed, hitting a few notes that are unusually high for him.
Next up is the hit single and classic »Don’t Break My Heart Again«, probably the best-known song on the album, with its massive Hammond organ sound, decisive drum transitions and beefy guitar phrases that, riding on dramatic vocal harmonies, pave the way for a melancholic chorus with David at the peak of his emotional fervor. After »Fool For Your Loving«, this was another song inspired by his first divorce. »Lonely Days, Lonely Nights«, thanks to its raging organ passages and iconoclastic guitar phrasing, with a melancholic solo and the dramatic atmosphere that comes with it, peaking in a multi-voiced chorus, is likewise one of the album’s better moments.
The rhythm and blues party-starter »Wine, Women an’ Song«, carried by Lord’s piano and the hefty guitar passages of the Moody-Marsden duo, offers yet another vivid glimpse into Coverdale’s hedonistic philosophy and, fittingly, features yet another passionate vocal outburst. »Child of Babylon«, which opens with improvised howling wind, is another blues rocker that tickles the senses, full of dynamic finesse between the two guitarists and a melodramatic organ backdrop, while Coverdale is once again utterly convincing at delivering his deepest emotions. The erotomaniac »Would I Lie To You«, yet another passionate outpouring of David’s sexual fantasies, dominated by a full-fat layer of organ with angry guitar passages and a galloping rhythm in support, was the album’s second single and, alongside »Don’t Break My Heart Again«, its most recognizable track. Here Mr. Coverdale, with deep sighs thrown in, seriously puts his belly muscles and lungs to work, while delivering one of the dirtiest, most sexual sets of lyrics of his entire career.
»Girl«, which falls into the category of mildly interesting stuff, is a potent hard rocker with beefy guitar phrases and yet another thoroughly clichéd lyric, while the chorus, in which Coverdale professes his strong fondness for a pair of white-skinned female legs, is hard to accuse of racism, since everyone has their own taste. »Hit an’ Run« is an energetic, straight-ahead hard rock bomb that mostly showcases the Moody-Marsden duo’s incredible knack for coming up with inventive, punchy guitar phrases. The closing »Till the Day I Die«, where Coverdale’s wounded heart is accompanied by a very pleasant acoustic guitar melody and rich symphonic keyboard arrangements, is the only ballad on »Come an’ Get It«, and even that, after a calm intro, turns in the second half into an energetic rocker, like a white snake that has just slipped out of its old skin, with ruffled organ improvisation, wild drum swings, potent bass lines and angry guitar passages. In the end, every member of the band squeezes out the best of what they’ve got.
»Come an’ Get It« was a tight blues/hard rock gem that isn’t without a few less inspired moments, but all in all it ranks among the better achievements in the career of the singing snake charmer and his technically gifted buddies, who still had a pretty democratic thing going at the time. Despite encouraging sales and a high placing on the British charts at home, a broader response on the other side of the Atlantic, where »Come an’ Get It« more or less flopped commercially, remained nothing more than wishful thinking.
Lineup
David Coverdale – vocals
Micky Moody – guitar, backing vocals
Bernie Marsden – guitar, backing vocals
Jon Lord – keyboards
Neil Murray – bass guitar
Ian Paice – drums
Production
Martin Birch
Tracklist
1. Come an’ Get It
2. Hot Stuff
3. Don’t Break My Heart Again
4. Lonely Days, Lonely Nights
5. Wine, Women an’ Song
6. Child of Babylon
7. Would I Lie to You
8. Girl
9. Hit an’ Run
10. Till the Day I Die
