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| UK / European / German / Turkish Picture Cover of "Take Me Bak 'Ome". |
Slade Alive! hit the streets in March 1972. For those that had only heard Slade's chart hits, it must have come as one heck of a surprise, especially if they hadn't heard Get Down & Get With It. Even then, the difference between studio and live performance was enormous, to the point of preposterous. The live album was representative of a serious rock band with an axe, well ground and ready to use. Yet the chart releases, and related media, displayed a colourful bunch of likeable lads with a 1. violin 2. piano 3. liking for glitter. Confusing signals for those young and easily led teenagers of the day.
To make things harder, certain journalists had declared war on Slade. Chas Chandler memorably sent an award to a music journalist who gave Slade a bad review. A mounted piece of fabric in the shape of an ear inscribed "Cloth Eared Shit Of The Year Award 1971". Amusing, true, but probably not his smartest move as Slade's manager. The New Musical Express had several journalists on it's staff that seemed to have taken exception to either 'Skinheads' or Chas Chandler. Whatever the reason, bad press did it's damnedest to stop the ride. Reports saying how good a gig was were casually accompanied by negative comments dressed so as to act subliminally.
Against the odds, Slade forged ahead. Coz I Luv You left a mammoth task of undertaking, the next hit! Despite Dave Hill's repetitive chant of "Piano equals failure.", Look Wot You Dun spent two of ten weeks at #4 despite being the accursed follow up. It was also held at bay by T. Rex who dominated the #1 spot with Telegram Sam. Nevertheless, the group managed to write the next hit, refine their sound and consolidate their image and Take Me Bak 'Ome became their second #1 single in May 1972.
Against the odds, Slade forged ahead. Coz I Luv You left a mammoth task of undertaking, the next hit! Despite Dave Hill's repetitive chant of "Piano equals failure.", Look Wot You Dun spent two of ten weeks at #4 despite being the accursed follow up. It was also held at bay by T. Rex who dominated the #1 spot with Telegram Sam. Nevertheless, the group managed to write the next hit, refine their sound and consolidate their image and Take Me Bak 'Ome became their second #1 single in May 1972.
"Take Me Bak 'Ome was an old song I'd had kicking around for ages. I re-vamped it a bit and nicked a phrase or two from The Beatles 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey'. Nobody ever noticed."Jim Lea: 'Feel The Noize' 1984
Graham Swinnerton recalls an early venture to a working man's club in Nottingham. The 'N Betweens managed to get through a few verses of 'My Girl' before they were booed off, essentially because of the volume. The club manager came on stage and announced morosely:
"Well, committee insisted on have a Wolverhampton group and we've had 'em - so now we can send 'em back 'ome."By this time the writing partnership of Lea & Holder had become established. Generally, Jim composed the music and Noddy the lyrics.
"I never felt any jealousy about it. It worked that way and I was content to take a back seat on that side of things. I didn't feel they were earning any more because they were writing but in fact they were earning stacks more.I was earning plenty though so why be concerned that they were earning double?"Dave Hill: 'Feel The Noize' 1984
Two days after the release of Take Me Bak 'Ome, Slade played the Great Western Express Spring Festival, a four day event of epic proportion. They were alongside many of the highly acclaimed rock acts of the moment but had recently been adopted by the Pop fraternity. This period is such an incredibly fine balance of good fortune and downright tenacity. The Lincoln show was an important breakthrough for Slade, who had averaged 250 live performances in one guise or another since 1966.
"We stole the show at the Lincoln Festival and 'Take Me Bak 'Ome' went straight to #1 that week. The Live album rocketed up the charts too."
Noddy Holder: 'Feel The Noize' 1984
Take Me Bak 'Ome treads a fine line between the live rock of Slade Alive! and the chart success of Coz I Luv You, retaining the finery and the stompiness but placing it firmly on a busy bed of, what Mr Holder liked to describe as, 'boogie'.
Slade appeared on '2Gs and the Pop People' ITV, 17th June 1972. Take Me Bak 'Ome was at #3 in the UK Top 40 at the time and it had been a slow climb. Released at the end of May, it reached #1 on the 1st July. This was not unusual for the charts and since Get Down & Get With It had spent 14 weeks in the chart, it is probably only in retrospect that the group feel that it took it's time getting to #1.
- Take Me Bak 'Ome
- Wonderin' Y
Acetate.
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| Belgium - Polydor - 1972. |
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| France - Polydor - 1972. |
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| Italy - Polydor - 1972. |
Italy "Take Me Bak 'Ome" (Jukebox Promo.) June,1972.
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| Netherlands - Polydor - 1972. |
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| Norway - Polydor - 1972. |
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| Portugal - Polydor - 1972. |
Spain - Polydor - 1972.
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| "Hit Come Back 83" - Germany - Polydor - 1987. |
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| U.S.A. "Take Me Bak 'Ome" (Promo.) 1972. |
Mexico "Take Me Bak 'Ome" 1972.
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| Israeli "Take Me Bak 'Ome" / "Look Wot You Dun" 1972. |
Take Me Bak 'Ome
(Noddy Holder & Jimmy Lea)
Came up to you one night
Noticed the look in your eye
Noticed the look in your eye
I saw you was on your own
And it was alright
Yeh it was alright
They said I could call you Sidney
Oh I couldn't make out why
Standing here on your own
An' it was alright
Yeh it was alright
So won't you take me back home
A take me back home
And if we can find plenty to do
And that will be alright yeh
It will be alright
You and your bottle of brandy
Both of you smell the same
You're still on your feet, still standing
So it was alright
Yeh it was alright
The superman comes to meet you
Looks twice the size of me
I didn't stay round to say goodnight
So it was alright
Yeh it was alright
So won't you take me back home
A take me back home
And if we can find plenty to do
And that will be alright yeh
It will be alright
So won't you take me back home my baby
Ah won't you take me back home yeh
I said take me, take me take, take me back home
Take me take me take
Take me back home oh won't you..
Wonderin' Y
(Jimmy Lea & Don Powell)
Here I am in the same old clothes
Looking back on my life
'cos I'm left alone
Left out here without a home
Take no chance, read between the lines
Don't accept a way
When she always cries
Just read between the lines
I tried to love you, now I'm here
Taking things as I find them
Now I'm here wasting time
Thinking of me
Looking back on my life
Wonderin' Y
It's hard to see and to understand
Just a what it's like
To be pushed around
Kicking stones along the ground
I don't think it will ever change
Can I find a way
To the front again
And have another chance to spend
My life with you and now I'm here
Taking things as I find them
Now I'm here wasting time
Thinking of me
Looking back on my life
Wonderin' y
Both tracks © Barn/Schroeder Music
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