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| German Picture Cover of "Look Wot You Dun". |
Supplied to those lucky people across the globe in countless picture sleeves. In the UK we got the standard red Polydor envelope. This one (courtesy of Dragula) is the German sleeve.
Look wot Slade's dun!
Slade: Look Wot You Dun; Candidate (Polydor 2058 195)
Quite definitely, they've done it again. Apart from incuring the wrath of education authorities over title-phrase spelling, Slade are directly into at least a top five mood with this one. It's a sturdily staccato sort of theme, right into the commercial 'feel,' group vocal, touches of guitar. The whole thing is complete; everything falls into place. No doubts here. CHART CERT.
Record Mirror: 29th February 1972
"It's a sad sight seeing 'Look Wot You Dun' going slowly down the charts, but it was a great feeling when it shot up to the top. Thanks to all you great fans for helping it on it's way. For promotion we did a lot of TV, including a film for "Top Of The Pops". This was taken at Chessington Zoo, and half way through the film Don was seen to have a fish in his mouth. This, I assure all the fans who wrote in, was a dead fish, ready to be fed to the seals, but the keeper, being a bit short-sighted, mistook Don for one. POOR DON!"
Noddy: April/May 1972 Fan Club Newsletter
During recording, Slade's guitarist Dave Hill borrowed Peter Frampton's guitar as his own had been left at home and was inaccessible due to inclement weather during the Christmas holiday.
"I believe the band were already in the studio and it had been raining heavily. The truck carrying some of their gear - specifically Dave's guitar - became bogged down and couldn't make it.
The anecdote is reported, a quarter of a century later, in the sleeve notes of the remastered Greatest Hits CD collection, "Feel The Noize".Peter Frampton, who was in an adjoining studio at the time, loaned Dave a guitar which he used on Look Wot You Dun."Steve 'Don't Quote Me' Cross: Slade Archive Forum 2010
For many, this single was treasured for it's B-side. As with the previous two releases, the B-side tracks would not get an album release on vinyl. Candidate is, once again, Jimmy Lea and Don Powell writing together, without Noddy's inclusion this time. It is not poppy but powerful and infectious. It has harmonies and a loose political theme with a solid pounding bottom end foundation in a key that shrieks of seriousness. The bass climbs up and around the chorus, down the other side before bottoming out on that chord again. As with Holder's composition on the flipside of Coz I Love You, and the tracks on the back of Get Down & Get With It , there are no happy, pop song chords here. In this way, fans were pulled in to the band via the pop songs but equally, anybody interested in listening, got grown up stuff with emotional content.
The single entered the UK Singles Chart and peaked at #4 on the 26th February prompting Dave Hill's famous quote "Piano equals failure."
"We were unsure about it. We thought it was too keyboards based and not in our usual stomp and roll style, which suited the stage, but it did have that Beatles feel, which Chas liked."It also entered at #6 in Ireland, #19 in Germany, #22 in New Zealand and #2 in Netherlands. I'm told it was the highest charting single in the Netherlands throughout Slade's entire career. It was also released in the US on Cotillion Records 45-44150, where it received no interest, as usual, but makes an interesting collectable. It's Look Wot You Dun on both sides, one mono recording and one in stereo.
Noddy Holder: The Slade Box 2007
"It has been reported that 100,000 copies of 'Look Wot You Dun' were ordered before it was even released..."
NEWS IN BRIEF: Feb/March 1972 Fan Club Newsletter
"'Look Wot You Dun' has sparked off protests amongst the teaching profession. They are complaining about the mis-spelling of titles..."
NEWS IN BRIEF: April/May 1972 Fan Club Newsletter
- Look Wot You Dun
- Candidate
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| UK/European/Dutch Picture Cover of "Look Wot You Dun". |
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| Belgian Picture Cover of "Look Wot You Dun". |
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| Japanese Picture Cover of "Look Wot You Dun"/"Candidate" 7", Vinyl, Single. |
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| Norwegian Picture Cover of "Look Wot You Dun". |
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| Yugoslavian Radio-Televizija Beograd label Release Picture Cover of "Look Wot You Dun". |
Portugal "Look Wot You Dun" 1972.
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| France - Polydor - 1972. |
Here is a slower, heavier, bluesier version : -
A big thank you to Ralle for the German picture cover.
Look Wot You Dun
(Noddy Holder, Jimmy Lea & Don Powell)
I know just exactly where to be
You know what my freedom means to me
What it means, what it means to me
Just exactly what my freedom means to me
I say I know just what I want to be
You say what's it all supposed to mean
What's it mean. But we don't agree
Just exactly what it's all supposed to mean
Hey hey hey hey what you doin' to me
Hey hey hey look wot you dun
Hey hey hey hey what you doin' to me
Hey hey hey look wot you dun
I know what your mind is going through
You know my mind is going through it too
Through it too, going through it too
And you know my mind is going through it too
Hey hey hey hey what you doin' to me
Hey hey hey look wot you dun
Hey hey hey hey what you doin' to me
Hey hey hey look wot you dun
Candidate
(Jimmy Lea & Don Powell)
See him all alone,
No one seems to like him, he's uncool,
No one seems to like the way he rules,
See them all alone,
Talking of the secrets of the moon,
Spending hard-earned money they'll just lose.
What we really want is some way to adjust,
All the values that we have been left to trust,
I just can't believe they are real, very real,
Far from real
See them on their own,
See their cartoon faves in the news,
Storming from the house in ones and two's,
Can you hear them cry,
Making accustions to each other,
Campaigning for the mark of a young mother.
What we really want is some way to adjust,
All the values that we have been left to trust,
I just can't believe they are real, very real,
Far from real
What we really want is some way to adjust,
All the values that we have been left to trust,
I just can't believe
They're real, very real,
Far from real,
See them all alone
See them all alone.
Both tracks © Barn/Schroeder Music
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