WHITESNAKE - COME AN' GET IT 12" Vinyl LP Album

- 1981 French Release on Carrere Records

Whitesnake Come An' Get It album cover features a coiled silver-white snake baring its fangs inside a translucent, glowing blue apple, set against a black background. Drops of moisture add a surreal, glossy texture, and the band's name appears in white script in the top left corner.

Whitesnake's Come An' Get It 1981 French release stands out with its Carrere Records label and original custom inner sleeve featuring complete lyrics and exclusive artwork. Recorded at Ringo Starr’s Startling Studios and produced by Martin Birch, this LP captures the band's transition from bluesy hard rock to a slicker, glam-tinged sound. Featuring hits like "Don't Break My Heart Again," it's both a fan favorite and a collector's item. The French edition differs from others by its label design and distribution, making it a unique piece in Whitesnake's vinyl discography.

Whitesnake's "Come an' Get It": The Slippery Slope of '80s Hard Rock
Album Description:

In the world of hard rock history, few bands embody the excesses and contradictions of the early '80s quite like Whitesnake. Emerging from the ashes of Deep Purple's Mark III and IV lineups, guitarist David Coverdale had already established himself as a bluesy powerhouse vocalist. But with Whitesnake, he sought to capture the zeitgeist of a new era: one where MTV ruled the airwaves and arena-sized anthems reigned supreme.

"Come an' Get It," released in 1981, marked a turning point for Whitesnake. It was their fourth studio album, and it arrived hot on the heels of the commercially successful "Ready an' Willing." The band's lineup was in flux, but Coverdale's vision remained steadfast: a blend of blues-infused hard rock with a dash of glam swagger.

Recorded at Ringo Starr's Startling Studios, "Come an' Get It" saw Whitesnake working with producer Martin Birch, a veteran of Deep Purple and Iron Maiden fame. Birch's polished production style was a perfect fit for the band's increasingly commercial sound. The album's lead single, "Don't Break My Heart Again," became a staple on rock radio, its soaring chorus and slick guitar solos epitomizing the era's bombastic aesthetic.

But beneath the surface sheen, "Come an' Get It" revealed a band grappling with its own identity. Coverdale's lyrics oscillated between heartfelt ballads and raucous party anthems, reflecting the internal tensions of a band straddling the line between artistic integrity and commercial success. The album's cover art, featuring a scantily clad model, further fueled the controversy surrounding Whitesnake's image. Were they serious musicians or just another glam metal act cashing in on the MTV craze?

The musical landscape of the early '80s was a complex one. Punk had exploded onto the scene a few years earlier, challenging the status quo and railing against the bloated excesses of arena rock. But as the decade wore on, a new generation of bands emerged, blending the raw energy of punk with the melodic sensibilities of classic rock. This hybrid sound, often labeled "hair metal" or "glam metal," was both commercially successful and critically reviled.

Whitesnake found themselves caught in the crossfire. Their music was undeniably catchy and well-crafted, but it also lacked the edge and grit of their earlier work. Critics accused them of selling out, of sacrificing their blues roots for a shot at mainstream success. But for fans of the band, "Come an' Get It" was a guilty pleasure, a collection of hook-laden anthems that perfectly captured the spirit of the times.

In retrospect, "Come an' Get It" represents a pivotal moment in Whitesnake's evolution. It was the album that solidified their commercial success, but it also marked the beginning of their descent into self-parody. The band's subsequent albums would embrace the glam metal aesthetic even further, culminating in the multi-platinum success of 1987's self-titled album. But for those who remember Whitesnake's early days, "Come an' Get It" remains a bittersweet reminder of a band caught between two worlds.

Music Genre:

Hard Rock / Heavy Metal 

Album Production information:

The album: "WHITESNAKE - Come An' Get It" was produced by: Martin "Sir Larry" Birch for Sunburst Records

  • Martin Birch – Producer, Sound Engineer

    I first noticed Martin Birch on those early Iron Maiden sleeves—the ones with the typography that felt like a threat. At twelve, I didn’t care about "production value"; I just liked that the guitars didn't sound like mud. He was the man behind the sound mixer, the one who made the snare snap like a dry branch in a cold forest. He was "The Headmaster," and we were all just students of his high-voltage curriculum.

    Birch didn’t just record noise; he organized aggression. By 1972, he was already wrangling the messy brilliance of Deep Purple’s Machine Head, turning Ian Gillan’s banshee wails into something that didn't just clip the tape but lived inside it. In 1980, he pulled off the ultimate renovation, giving Black Sabbath a much-needed shower and a new spine. Heaven and Hell shouldn't have worked, but Martin polished that Birmingham sludge into something operatic and gleaming. It was a pivot that felt like fate, mostly because he refused to let the mid-range get lazy.

    Then came the long, obsessive stretch with Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1992. It was a twelve-year marriage to the fader. From the moment Killers (EMC 3357, for those who care) hit the shelves, the sound was physical. He knew how to let Steve Harris’s bass clatter like a machine gun without drowning out the melody—a sonic miracle that still feels fresh. You can almost smell the ozone and the dust on the Marshall stacks when the needle drops on The Number of the Beast. He stayed until Fear of the Dark, then simply walked away. No victory lap, no bloated memoir. He preferred the hum of the desk to the noise of the crowd, leaving us with nothing but the records and a slight sense of abandonment. But then, when you’ve already captured lightning on tape for twenty years, why bother hanging around for the rain?

    Martin Birch Wiki

    • This album was recorded at: Startling Studios, Tittenhurst Park, Ascot, England, July 1980 , September 1980, January 1981

    Album cover design: Malcolm Horton

    Album photography: Fin Costello

  • Fin Costello – Art Direction, Photography

    Fin Costello is the guy behind the lens who made loud bands look even louder—caught mid-stride, mid-sweat, mid-myth. I always pay extra attention when his photos are printed on album covers and inner sleeves.

    Fin Costello hit my radar the way the best photographers do: not with a signature, but with a feeling. You’re staring at a sleeve and suddenly you can hear the room. Hot lights. Hair stuck to foreheads. That thin layer of sweat that says the set is only halfway done.

    He comes out of late-1960s London photojournalism—learn the craft fast, get close, don’t ask the moment to repeat itself. And when the rock caravan starts dragging its cables across Europe, he’s already in the right place. Deep Purple (1972–1975) looks like volume you could measure with a broken window. Rainbow (1975–1977) looks sharper, richer, a little more dangerous in the fantasy costume. Then Ozzy Osbourne (1980–1983) arrives like a headline that won’t calm down.

    The thing I like is that Costello doesn’t “capture legends.” He catches people working. There’s a difference. Legends pose. Working musicians forget you’re there—until the flash reminds them, and even then he’s already moved on.

    •  

    Record Label & Catalognr:

    Carrere Distribution Underdog 67.697

    Album Packaging:

    This album "WHITESNAKE - Come An' Get It" includes the original custom inner sleeve with album details, complete lyrics of all songs by and artwork/photos

    Media Format:

    12" LP Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
    Total Album (Cover+Record) weight: 230 gram 

    Year & Country:

    1981 Made in France
    Personnel/Band Members and Musicians on: WHITESNAKE - Come An' Get It
      Band-members, Musicians and Performers
    • David Coverdale - vocals
    • David Coverdale – Vocals

      My shelves have plenty of loudmouths, but few singers can swing from blues grit to arena-sized drama as naturally as Coverdale.

      David Coverdale, the kind of frontman who makes a chorus feel like a marching order, first sharpened his pipes in local outfits like Vintage 67 (1966–1968), The Government (1968–1972), and the Fabulosa Brothers (1972–1973) before stepping into the big-league furnace as Deep Purple’s lead singer (1973–1976). After Purple imploded, the story didn’t get smaller—it got craftier: two solo moves (1977–1978) to keep the blues-blood flowing, then the real flag-plant with Whitesnake (founded 1978), where that husky, soul-soaked roar turned into a signature brand of hard rock theatre. Later, during Whitesnake’s early-90s break, the plot swerved into supergroup territory with Coverdale•Page (1990–1993), proving he could still pick a fresh fight with the gods of volume without losing his melodic nerve.

      David Coverdale Wiki
    • Micky Moody - guitar
    • Micky Moody – Guitar, slide guitar

      My kind of guitarist: the slide sings, the rhythm bites, and the notes smell faintly of backstage smoke and bad decisions.

      Micky Moody never struck me as a “guitar hero” in the mirror-polish sense—more like the guy who actually knows where the blues is buried, and keeps a shovel in the van. The early graft runs through Juicy Lucy in the early 1970s (those records from 1970–1972 tell the story), then into Snafu (1973–1975) where the groove got funkier and the guitar got meaner without losing its human pulse. By 1977–1978 he’s right there on David Coverdale’s solo run (White Snake and Northwinds), and when Whitesnake properly unfurls in 1978, the slide work becomes part of the band’s DNA—blue-collar riffing with enough grit to sand down the shiny bits of hard rock. Later chapters keep him busy and stubbornly alive in the scene: The Snakes (formed 1997) and, decades on, Snakecharmer (2011–2015), because some players don’t “retire”—they just keep turning up with a guitar case and a look that says, “Yeah, this’ll do.”

      Micky Moody Wiki
    • Bernie Marsden - guitar
    • Bernie Marsden – Guitarist, Songwriter, Producer

      Whitesnake’s blues-rock secret weapon: a British guitarist/songwriter who helped shape late-’70s/early-’80s hard rock and co-wrote “Here I Go Again”.

      Bernie Marsden was a legendary British guitarist, songwriter, and producer best known for his iconic work with Whitesnake. His bluesy riffs and songwriting chops helped define hard rock in the late ’70s and early ’80s, including co-writing the smash hit “Here I Go Again.” Bernie Marsden Wiki.

    • Jon Lord - keyboards
    • Jon Lord – Keyboards

      On my best days, that Hammond roar still sounds like cathedral pipes hijacked by a Marshall stack—and Jon Lord is the reason.

      Jon Lord, British keyboardist, composer, and co-founder of Deep Purple, never played “background” the way polite musicians do—he attacked the keys like they owed him money, then turned around and wrote with the discipline of a trained composer. The story starts in the R&B trenches with The Artwoods (1964–1967), then detonates when he helps launch Deep Purple (1968–1976; 1984–2002), where that distorted Hammond became a lead instrument with teeth. After Purple’s first collapse, the road briefly rerouted through Paice Ashton Lord (1976–1978), and then straight into David Coverdale’s orbit with Whitesnake (1978–1984), adding class, weight, and that unmistakable “burning organ” halo to bluesy hard rock. Underneath all the volume, the man kept one foot in the concert hall—because some people can shred and still hear the orchestra in their heads.

      Jon Lord Wiki
    • Neil Murray - bass guitar
    • Neil Murray – Bass

      Some bass players politely “support” a band; Neil Murray locks in like a steel beam and dares the whole song to collapse without him.

      Neil Murray, bass guitar player and best known for holding down the low end in the British hard rock machine called "Whitesnake" (1978–1986), is the sort of musician collectors like me quietly obsess over because the evidence is on the record: tight, musical, never flashy for the sake of it, and always moving the song forward. Before that Whitesnake era properly caught fire, the man earned his stripes in the mid-70s heavy-progressive circuit with the Ian Gillan Band (1975–1978) and Colosseum II (1975–1977), where the playing demanded brains, stamina, and a strong back. Post-Whitesnake, the resume keeps getting weirder in the best way—stints with "Black Sabbath" around 1989–1991, then later the Brian May Band (1998), and other hard-rock projects that prove one thing: when you need a bassist who can make big guitars feel even bigger, Murray tends to be the name that shows up on the call sheet.

      Neil Murray Wiki
    • Ian Paice - drums
      Ian Paice is a legendary British drummer best known as the only constant member of Deep Purple, contributing to every lineup and album since 1968. His dynamic, powerful drumming shaped classics like Smoke on the Water and Highway Star. Beyond Deep Purple, he played with Whitesnake and Jon Lord. His influence on rock drumming is undeniable. Read his biography
    Complete Track-listing of the album "WHITESNAKE - Come An' Get It"

    The Song/tracks on "Come and Get it" are

    • Come an' Get It (David Coverdale) 3:58
    • Hot Stuff (Coverdale, Micky Moody) 3:22
    • Don't Break My Heart Again (Coverdale) 4:01
    • Lonely Days, Lonely Nights (Coverdale) 4:14
    • Wine, Women An' Song (Coverdale, Moody, Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray, Jon Lord, Ian Paice) 3:43
    • Child of Babylon (Coverdale, Marsden) 4:50
    • Would I Lie to You (Coverdale, Moody, Marsden) 4:30
    • Girl (Coverdale, Marsden, Murray) 3:54
    • Hit an' Run (Coverdale, Marsden, Moody) 3:21
    • Till the Day I Die (Coverdale) 4:27

     

    Whitesnake Come An' Get It album cover features a coiled silver-white snake baring its fangs inside a translucent, glowing blue apple, set against a black background. Drops of moisture add a surreal, glossy texture, and the band's name appears in white script in the top left corner.

    Album Cover Artwork: The image is the striking front cover of Whitesnake's 1981 album Come An' Get It. Dominating the center is a highly stylized, glowing blue apple. Encased within the semi-transparent apple is a coiled, silver-white snake with its mouth agape, fangs bared, and tongue curled—evoking menace and intensity. The snake’s muscular body coils intricately, suggesting tension and readiness to strike.

    The apple itself glows with an ethereal blue aura and is crowned by two sharply detailed leaves, one of which emits a radiant star-like gleam. Numerous water droplets cling to the apple’s surface and to the snake, adding a surreal, slick texture that amplifies the image’s sensual and dangerous tone.

    The background is pitch black, which makes the glowing apple and snake stand out dramatically. At the top left, the band's name Whitesnake appears in bold white script with a stylized snake forming the “W”. On the top right, the album title COME AN’ GET IT is printed in uppercase white letters. The illustration combines fantasy, danger, and allure—perfectly encapsulating the glam metal era’s theatrical visual style.

    Album Back Cover  Photo of "WHITESNAKE - Come An' Get It"
    Back cover of Whitesnake Come An Get It French 1981 LP featuring shattered glass apple artwork with tracklist, band member portraits, and production credits on a black background.

    Back Cover Artwork: The reverse side of Whitesnake’s 1981 French LP Come An’ Get It features a visually dramatic continuation of the front cover motif. A glowing, transparent blue apple—similar in form to the one on the front—is shown violently shattered, its glass-like fragments scattered across a dark, void-like surface. The broken apple imagery symbolizes rupture or impact, evoking themes of power and destruction.

    The band’s name Whitesnake appears centered at the top in white, flanked by six black-and-white portrait photos of the band members: David Coverdale (vocals), Jon Lord (keyboards), Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody (guitars), Neil Murray (bass), and Ian Paice (drums). Each name and instrument is printed in white capital letters beneath their respective image.

    The track listings for Side One and Side Two are printed in bold white text on the left and right of the apple, respectively. At the bottom, detailed liner notes credit Malcolm Horton for the illustration and Fin Costello for photography. The album was produced, engineered, and mixed by Martin “Sir Larry” Birch at Startling Studios, Tittenhurst Park, Ascot, England. Distribution is marked by the French label Carrere, and a small “Underdog” logo appears in the lower-right corner.

    Inner Sleeve   of "WHITESNAKE - Come An' Get It" Album
    Inner sleeve of Whitesnake Come An Get It French LP showing printed lyrics of five tracks from Side One and black-and-white live photo of band with David Coverdale at the mic.

    Inner Sleeve – Side One Lyrics: This side of the inner sleeve from the French edition of Whitesnake's 1981 album Come An’ Get It features printed lyrics for the first five tracks of the LP’s Side One: “Come An’ Get It,” “Hot Stuff,” “Don’t Break My Heart Again,” “Lonely Days, Lonely Nights,” and “Wine, Women An’ Song.”

    Each song’s lyrics are laid out in clear white font against a solid black background, organized in five vertical columns. At the bottom of each set of lyrics is a credit for the respective guitar or keyboard soloist, including Bernie Marsden, Jon Lord, and Micky Moody.

    Occupying the bottom portion of the sleeve is a vivid high-contrast black-and-white live photo of three band members in performance. Centered is lead singer David Coverdale, gripping a microphone mid-song, with dramatic curls flowing and stage jewelry glinting. To his left, Bernie Marsden plays an electric guitar with focused intensity, while to the right, Jon Lord reaches across his keyboard setup. The lighting and grain add a raw, energetic feel to the moment, capturing the band’s classic hard rock stage presence.

    Photo of "WHITESNAKE - Come An' Get It" Album's Inner Sleeve  
    Inner sleeve of Whitesnake Come An Get It French 1981 LP showing lyrics for Side Two tracks with black-and-white photo of band members Neil Murray, Bernie Marsden, and Ian Paice performing.

    Inner Sleeve – Side Two Lyrics: This inner sleeve from the 1981 French release of Whitesnake’s Come An’ Get It features the printed lyrics for the final five tracks of the album: “Child of Babylon,” “Would I Lie to You,” “Girl,” “Hit An’ Run,” and “Till the Day I Die.”

    The lyrics are arranged in five evenly spaced vertical columns in white text on a solid black background. As with Side One, individual instrumental solos are credited beneath several songs, including solos by Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, and Jon Lord. A note on the right margin confirms rights and credits for music and lyrics.

    Beneath the text is a high-contrast black-and-white live photograph of three band members in mid-performance. At left, bassist Neil Murray plays with a grin, while center-stage guitarist Bernie Marsden delivers lead vocals and fingerpicks a double-neck guitar. To the right, drummer Ian Paice appears bare-chested behind his drum kit, wearing a bucket hat and caught mid-stroke, embodying the band’s live rock energy and grit.

    Close-up Photo of "WHITESNAKE - Come An' Get It" Record Label 
    Record label of Whitesnake Come An Get It French LP showing Underdog logo with cat artwork, Carrere distribution mark, SACEM rights stamp, and Side One tracklisting with credits.

    Record Label – Side One: This close-up image displays the Side One center label of the French vinyl pressing of Whitesnake’s 1981 album Come An’ Get It. The label features the iconic Underdog logo artwork—an illustration of a white and black cat being held in a human hand, set against a pastel blue and violet background with a stylized yellow sun behind the “Underdog” name written in loose, black brushstroke lettering.

    The Distribution Carrere logo is printed prominently in the upper left along with the publishing year © 1981 and the label name Underdog. The SACEM stamp confirms French performance rights licensing. Just below this, the catalog numbers 67.697 and 67.697/1 are clearly visible, specific to this pressing.

    The tracklist includes all five songs from Side One: “Come An’ Get It,” “Hot Stuff,” “Don’t Break My Heart Again,” “Lonely Days, Lonely Nights,” and “Wine, Women An’ Song.” Each track is followed by its duration and songwriter credits, notably featuring David Coverdale along with bandmates Micky Moody, Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray, Ian Paice, and Jon Lord.

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