Come an' Get It

Come an' Get It's cover art was designed and created by British artist Malcolm Horton. Horton had been contacted by an old friend John Ward, who was at the time road manager for Whitesnake. He explained that the band did not like any of the ideas for the album cover their record label EMI had come up with, so he suggested getting Horton involved. The final artwork shows a white snake trapped inside a glass apple on the front cover; on the reverse, the glass apple is shown shattered, which represents the power of seduction/temptation becoming too strong. The snake's open mouth shows its tongue, which is painted to look like a vulva.{{Cite web |last=DiVita |first=Joe |date=10 July 2023 |title=50 Most Controversial Hard Rock + Metal Album Covers (NSFW) |url=https://loudwire.com/most-controversial-hard-rock-metal-album-covers/ |access-date=13 July 2023 |website=Loudwire}} Horton has addressed the album's "explicit" cover, saying:{{cite web |last1=Horton |first1=Malcolm |title=Painting Whitesnake’s Come An’ Get It album cover – 40 years on |url=https://www.malcolmhorton.co.uk/blog/painting-whitesnakes-come-an-get-it-album-cover-40-years-on/ |website=Malcolm Horton: artist portfolio, photos and blog |access-date=19 July 2024 |date=6 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204044156/https://www.malcolmhorton.co.uk/blog/painting-whitesnakes-come-an-get-it-album-cover-40-years-on/ |archive-date=4 December 2023 |url-status=live}}

{{blockquote|One thing I always get asked about is the snake's mouth. At the time it just felt right to give it, how should I say, “a sexual element”. I felt some apprehension at first to how it would be received and if it would be acceptable. I felt that in the context of all the elements “Come An' Get It," apple, temptation, seduction it all seemed to work. Thankfully it worked and gave the piece an edge. The American market though thought differently and apparently, the mouth was airbrushed out!!}}

However, it did not stir as much controversy as the infamous cover of the band's second album, Lovehunter (1979).{{cite magazine |last=Ling |first=Dave |date=29 October 2023 |title="We are bathing in innuendo": Whitesnake's Lovehunter artwork was knee-jerk response to their critics, but the album itself was a game-changer |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/whitesnake-lovehunter |magazine=Classic Rock |access-date=17 November 2023}} The 2007 EMI reissue redesigned the mouth to more closely resemble a regular snake's tongue.

At its debut, Come an' Get It debuted at No. 2 in the UK chart, the highest debut in the band's discography ever in their native country, but was prevented from the top spot over Adam and the Ants' Kings of the Wild Frontier. It eventually stayed 23 weeks up in the charts. The album charted on 7 countries, with Finland charting on No. 3, Germany on No. 20, Japan on No. 41, Norway on No. 26, and Sweden on No. 24. In the US, it only debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at No. 151 and kept showing for 6 weeks, unlike the moderate successes of their previous album 'Ready an' Willing' that formerly stayed for a total of 16 weeks at that time in 1980.

The album was certified by BPI within silver status on 27 April 1981, then gold on 16 September 1981, eventually reaching platinum (300,000 copies).{{cite web |title=WHITESNAKE/TRIPLE PLATINUM ALBUM DISPLAY/LOVE HUNTER + READY AN' WILLING + COME AN' GET IT/COA |url=https://www.everythingcollectible.com/item-24618-WHITESNAKETRIPLEPLATINUMALBUMDISPLAYLOVEHUNTERREADYANWILLINGCOMEANGETITCOA.php|website=Everything Collectible |access-date=24 May 2024}} The album also received a gold award by RIAJ in 1981.

The band first embarked on a promotional supporting tour on 14 April 1981.{{Cite book |last=Popoff |first=Martin |author-link1=Martin Popoff |title=Sail Away: Whitesnake's Fantastic Voyage |page=86 |publisher=Soundcheck Books LLP |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-9575-7008-5}} The act headlined Billy Squier's 1981 "Don't Say No" album at that time. They were then joined by headlining British heavy metal band Judas Priest, "World Wide Blitz Tour" alongside other acts with Iron Maiden and Foghat in July through August, respectively.{{cite magazine |date=September 1981 |title= Year of the Snake |magazine=Kerrang! |issue=3 |pages=10{{ndash}}11 |first=Robbi |last=Millar | publisher=United Newspapers | location=London, England}} The tour also included their very first appearance in Monsters of Rock performance at Castle Donington on 22 August 1981 headlined by AC/DC. The tour would come to an end on 12 December 1981 at Stadthalle Freiburg located at Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, lasting for an approximate five months.{{Cite AV media notes |title=Saints & Sinners |title-link=Saints & Sinners (Whitesnake album) |others=Whitesnake |date=2007 |first=Geoff |last=Barton |author-link=Geoff Barton |pages=4{{ndash}}11 |type=booklet |publisher=EMI |id=0946 381961 2 9}}

{{track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Come an' Get It

| writer1 = David Coverdale

| length1 = 3:59

| title2 = Hot Stuff

| writer2 = Coverdale, Micky Moody

| length2 = 3:22

| title3 = Don't Break My Heart Again

| writer3 = Coverdale

| length3 = 4:03

| title4 = Lonely Days, Lonely Nights

| writer4 = Coverdale

| length4 = 4:16

| title5 = Wine, Women an' Song

| writer5 = Coverdale, Moody, Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray, Jon Lord, Ian Paice

| length5 = 3:45

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Side two

| title6 = Child of Babylon

| writer6 = Coverdale, Marsden

| length6 = 4:48

| title7 = Would I Lie to You

| writer7 = Coverdale, Moody, Marsden

| length7 = 4:29

| title8 = Girl

| writer8 = Coverdale, Marsden, Murray

| length8 = 3:55

| title9 = Hit an' Run

| writer9 = Coverdale, Moody, Marsden

| length9 = 3:23

| title10 = Till the Day I Die

| writer10 = Coverdale

| length10 = 4:23

}}

{{track listing

| headline = 2007 remastered bonus tracks

| title11 = Child of Babylon

| note11 = Alternate rough mix

| writer11 = Coverdale, Marsden

| length11 = 4:28

| title12 = Girl

| note12 = Alternate version/rough mix

| writer12 = Coverdale, Marsden, Murray

| length12 = 4:07

| title13 = Come an' Get It

| note13 = Rough mix

| writer13 = Coverdale

| length13 = 3:59

| title14 = Lonely Days, Lonely Nights

| note14 = Alternate version/rough mix

| writer14 = Coverdale

| length14 = 4:13

| title15 = Till the Day I Die

| note15 = Rough mix

| writer15 = Coverdale

| length15 = 4:44

| title16 = Hit an' Run

| note16 = Backing track

| writer16 = Coverdale, Moody, Marsden

| length16 = 3:18

}}

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.{{Cite AV media notes |title=Come An' Get It |others=Whitesnake|date=1981|type=booklet |publisher=Liberty|id=LBG 30327}}{{Cite AV media notes |title=Come An' Get It|others=Whitesnake|date=2007 |type=booklet |publisher=EMI|id=0946 381958 2 5}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1981|region=Japan|artist=Whitesnake|title=Come an' Get It|certyear=1981|award=Gold|certref={{cite web |url=https://musicgoldmine.com/products/whitesnake-come-an-get-it-1981-polydor-japan-label-award?variant=44500900118760|date=September 9, 2023|title=1981 Polydor Japan label award for Whitesnake album Come an' Get It}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=United Kingdom |artist=Whitesnake|title=Come And Get It

|award=Gold|type=album |relyear=1981|certyear=1981|id=1456-540-2|access-date=May 25, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Bottom |nosales=true}}

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Category:Whitesnake albums

Category:1981 albums

Category:Albums produced by Martin Birch

Category:Liberty Records albums

Category:Polydor Records albums

Category:Mirage Records albums

Category:Atlantic Records albums