"Slip of the Tongue" was released on 7 November 1989 in the US, followed by a worldwide release on 13 November. It reached number ten on the UK Albums Chart, as well as the "Billboard" 200. The record also charted in twelve additional countries. The lead single was a re-recorded version of "Fool for Your Loving", originally found on 1980's "Ready an' Willing". Coverdale had been reluctant to re-record the song, let alone release it as the first single, but Geffen Records hoped to repeat the success of "Here I Go Again" with another older track. Coverdale later admitted it to regretting the decision. "Fool for Your Loving" only peaked at number 37 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. It faired better on the Album Rock Tracks chart, where it peaked at number two. The second single "The Deeper the Love" also stalled at number 28 on the Hot 100, while on the Album Rock Tracks chart it reached number four. Reviewing "Slip of the Tongue", Malcolm Dome, writing for "Raw", described it as "an album full of generally good songs that rarely sinks below the level of adequacy, but only occasionally explodes". The combination of Whitesnake and Steve Vai was also met with some criticism, with Thom Jurek, in a retrospective review for AllMusic, describing the pairing as "questionable". Coverdale himself would later admit to having mixed feelings about the record, though he's since learned to enjoy and accept it as a part of Whitesnake's catalogue. "Slip of the Tongue" sold approximately four million copies worldwide. As the previous record sold more than twice that in the US alone, "Slip of the Tongue" was considered a commercial disappointment.