ISSUE 2 MARCH/APRIL 1979
EDITORS : Dave Kemp Alison Hillmen Kevin Massey
ADDRESS : 24 Ingham Road, West Hampstead, London, NW6 1DE.
HUNDREDS of thanks for your support with the first issue of SLADE NEWS. The response was so tremendous that we ran out of copies three times, and had to have more reprinted. Sorry about the delay caused to some of you receiving the magazine due to that.
Many of you sent cash to us for the magazine. Some of these letters were opened in the post, and the money "lost". Please in future only send us Postal Orders or cheques, made payable to “David Kemp" once again, as we cannot accept any responsibility for people not getting their mag when their remittances didn't reach us. Also try to remember to include your name and address when writing as it was surprising how many people forgot to give us this vital piece of information.
Many of you sent cash to us for the magazine. Some of these letters were opened in the post, and the money "lost". Please in future only send us Postal Orders or cheques, made payable to “David Kemp" once again, as we cannot accept any responsibility for people not getting their mag when their remittances didn't reach us. Also try to remember to include your name and address when writing as it was surprising how many people forgot to give us this vital piece of information.
Also we received heaps of correspondence letters from you. Due to the large amount involved we couldn't reply to them all - but if you include a SAE when writing we will make sure that we reply. Otherwise we simply can’t afford to:
SLADE PHOTO SETS
Steve Flinders (address :- 5 Main Street, Stanton-By-Dale, Ilketon, Derbys) has some superb sets of Slade photographs for sale at very reasonable prices. The sets available consist of the following ;
“U.K. Tour 1978" 20 5" x 3" photos - price £5.20All the photos are printed out in glorious colour. A new set of pictures from the recent U.K. tour will be available soon, so look out for those too!
“Hammersmith 1978lt 15 5" x 3" photos - price £4.00
"Cleethorpes 1978" 10 5" x 3" photos - price £2.80
RARE RECORDS
There seems to be no shop where the early Ambrose Slade recordings can be obtained from. But it is useful to note that the album "Beginnings" was re-released again a few years back on the Contour label (record no. 6870 678), and titled "Beginnings Of Slade" by Ambrose Slade. It contains all the tracks as on the original album, except that they are in a different running order. This album seems quite readily available, especially if you advertise for it in the music papers. We reckon that it is a very good second best to buying the actual album.
SLADE IN FLAME FILM - BACK AGAIN!
Slade's film "Slade In Flame" has a special one day showing at the ABC cinema in Leeming St, Mansfield, on Wednesday April 11th. It is shown along with Marc Bolan' s "Born To Boogie" movie, which should prove a great double bill. "Slade In Flame” is being shown again due to a petition sent to the cinema by local fans. Hope that you can travel up there to see it!
SLADE SNIPPETS
£600 worth of damage caused at the Saturday Blackburn gig ... Have you noticed that Noddy & Don appear in the final opening shot of the Swap Shop TV programme each week? … Remember all the Get-Well cards sent to Don after his accident? His parents have kept most of them, they fill up half a room! Their prize possessions are a card signed by hundreds of local school students, and also a triple gold disc for “Slade Alive” sales in Australia, given to them by Don…There's only one country in the world that Jim Lea now wants to still play in – Israel!… Slade voted the second best group to appear at Bradford University last year…We now hear that it was Dave Hill who acted as Best Man at Johnny Jones’s wedding…The highest number of Slade fans seem to be in the Leeds area…Slade’s return visit to Poland in February was cancelled.
SLADE AT LEICESTER BAILEYS
Saturday nights at Leicester Baileys are never really special, but when Slade played there recently things were different.
The audience were not the usual Slade crowd, they were older than the usual fans, and dressed for a night out at a cabaret show - but little did they know!
Slade walked on stage to a fantastic response from the crowd. They started the show with their regular opener "Hear Me Calling”, played at the usual high standard, no, even better than normal, as it had an additional sound, Don's new electric drums!
The song worked well, encouraging some of the audience to rush to the front of the stage, only to be pushed away.
The second song “My Baby Left Me" also went down well, causing such a stir that you could actually feel that the Baileys crowd wanted to get up and Rock n Roll.
"The next number may be our next single” shouts Nod, and the group blast into "Ginny Come And Get It While You Can", a true traditional Slade type of song, but with up to date features. Jim's harmonies really show, and Dave's guitar work is another highlight. The, audience reaction was what could have been expected. As more people managed to work their way to the front, the bouncers became despondent with forcing people to sit down, only to see them stand up again when they move away, so they gave in. A gathering formed in front of the stage.
The next couple of numbers needed no introduction - "Take Me Bak Ome" and the best sing-along tune of all time, "Everyday". Everyone in the hall was in full voice, Slade scarves seemed to appear from nowhere, and they swayed from side to side in unison.
Slade then performed a very interesting song. It opened with some eerie pre-recorded music, with smoke flowing on stage. Then a slow, precise, drum beat was added. Next the spotlight beamed on Dave, as he climbed his own mini staircase and elevated the song with a magnificent solo piece. Later Noddy and Jim joined in with the vocals. All this went into making "Let Me Give You Love" one of the most impressive numbers Slade have ever performed live on stage.
Noddy introduces the next song "Something Else" - the old Eddie Cochran number revitalised in true Slade style. This leads into Jim's superb solo, incorporating violin and bass. He jumps from one end of the stage to the other, really showing how he is a master of his talents.
When Nod returns to the stage he jokes about Jim's playing, then the band continue to finish the song by using the same guitar riff as in "Them Kinda Monkees Can't Swing".
"Gudbuy T' Jane" and “Get Down And Get With It" follow, then the group leave the stage. The crowd bang the tables with their hands, relentlessly blow their whistles, and shout for more.
The audience are left in anticipation for a few minutes, then Slade return and do Mama Weer All Crazee Now". From behind the speakers bundles of toilet rolls are thrown into the masses.
Dancing Dave Hill (who's changed his image new trousers, shirt, and even hair!) shows the audience what it's all about, he laughs, makes faces and poses - he's the perfect showman.
Slade leave the stage once again, but come back to play "Cum On Feel The Noize" and a rock medley which includes "Rockin and Rollin" and "Boney Moronie:'.
The group exit once more, but the devastated crowd shout loud enough to get Slade to return once more. This time they perform “Born To Be Wild". By now sweat is pouring off the group like water would be if they were having a shower. But they seem to put more into "Born To Be Wild" than the other songs.
This classic Slade theme-tune rounded off a perfect evening. As the group left the stage the old Gene Kelly song "Singing In The Rain" came over the FA system. One point about this, we feel that that tune should be replaced with "Happy Days Are Here Again", because with the way Slade are playing at the moment Happy Days are most certainly back again!
Slade added some extra dates to their tour, they visited Birkenhead, Hull, Sheffield, Stockport and Birmingham, going down a storm every night. They could be on the road again once they return from Europe.
THE NEW SLADE SINGLE
Slade's new single looks like being "Ginny Come And Get It While You Can", as played on the recent tour. We are told though it might be titled just "Ginny, Ginny”. Either case make sure that you buy it. If your record shop doesn't stock it immediatly, get them to place an order on it for you.
Also you can help to promote it by sending in requests to your local radio stations for it. You would be suprised how many of these requests are played, and they often cause the initial airplay that get records onto a station's playlist.
The new studio album won't be out for some time yet. The group are spending the few weeks before they leave for Europe working on it.
SLADE BADGES
A Slade badge, with a picture of the group on it, and the words : "Slade U.K. Tour 1978" printed, can be bought for 25p (price includes postage) from; The Badge Co, 59 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AQ.
THANKS to Susie and John from the offices, Steve Rhodes for the adverts, Sue and Sharon our tour companions, Mary and Ric for the hospitality, Julie Adams (Hull) and Stan Hiil (Heron Park) for the info, Mandy for the type-writer, Patsy - the Marge Proops of the Slade fans, and to everyone for supporting us once again! See you in May’s issue no. 3!
We made our way backstage before the Friday Watford concert with the promise of an interview with Dave Hill. Dave arrived to the gig late, and ha had to tune his guitar. As we waited Jim Lea offered to do the interview instead, we gladly accepted and entered the dressing room. After we found some seats in the corner we asked our first question ...
S.N. : Jim, you've played three tours in the last year, hm'j do J"ou rate this one, as compared to the others?
Jim : We were offered to come back to do these Baileys clubs. We didn't want to do them in the first place, but we've returned and drawn twice as many people than the first time we appeared here. Playing here for a week, in Watford alone, means we are going to play to 14,000 people. Whereas if we did a one-nighter at the college we would only play to 1,000, even if it was sold out!
S.N. : What has the reaction been like on the tour?
Jim : You can't really count the reaction in this type of place, because the idea is to get over to people who wouldn't see us normally. So if they are sitting in the audience, they don't know anything about Rock n Roll concerts - and we're just using this gig as a gig, we're not trying to be The Three Degrees. So we bring all our PA and amplifiers in, and do our show. People can walk out and say that it was too loud and they hated it, or they can sit there and enjoy us, and hopefully get off on it at the end, and go and tell their mates : "I had a great time last night, I went to see Slade.” This is obviously what has been happening, as the attendance is so much up on last time - the managers are really freaking out!
S.N. : Is it going to be a regular thing, playing the Baileys clubs on every tour?
Jim : I don't think so. But what ever way you look at it you're playing to people. If you wanted to be a martyr to yourself you can go and play at the regular concert gig up the road, and play to only a thousand people, or how ever many turn up.
S.N. : What's the best club that you've played on this tour?
Jim : It depends. At Blackburn they reckoned that there were a hundred tables smashed or damaged. I mean that was a good night!
S.N. : On to the new album. What kind of songs will be on it?
Jim : It's a mixture. It's nothing like “Whatever Happened To Slade”. I can't really say yet though, as we went into the studios for 11 days and did 12 tracks. {The group plan to record about 20 songs in all, then choose the best 10 or 11 to put on the album)
S.N. : You seem to have returned to the old style type Slade music, rather than stay “heavy” as you were with “Whatever Happened To Slade”. Do you think that this has worked well?
Jim : Yeah. The releases after “W.H.T.S." are the songs that got played on the radio. Like “My Baby Left Me”, which was a near miss. But it got played on the radio - which is better than it being completely obscure isn't it?
S.N. : "Rock n Roll Bolero", which was a really catchy song, didn't do so well. Why not?
Jim : The comment on "Rock n Roll Bolero" is that it was different for Slade, but it was ordinary compared to everything else that was going around at the time. But I really dig the record myself!
S.N. : With singles do you intend to make better B sides, as have been on the last couple of records, rather than use the “Don't Blame Me" type time-filler kind of song?
Jim : When we come to the B sides, we don't particularly think that we have got to make a strong B side. It's just the case of using whatever tracks are going. But we’re lucky in the way that every song we write has got something going for it. You could say that “Don’t Blame Me” was a time-filler, I think that it was created as that. When it was used as a B side we didn't even know it was being used, it was chosen by the offices. We were in America recording the Christmas single, there was a rush to choose what to put on the back of it, and that track happened to be used.
S.N. : What's the reaction of the press like towards Slade now?
Jim : Well a guy came in here, after last night's show, who was from one of the music papers, and he said that he really enjoyed the show, and that our old numbers sounded really fresh and that they could have been written yesterday. ~e sat there not knowing whether to believe him, because the press always tend to put barriers up against us because we haven't had a hit record for three years. If we get another couple of hits under our belts though that will all change.
S.N. : Sheila Prophet was different though, she liked the group.
Jim : But like you said, we have gone back to doing more of the old sort of thing, and she's into that.
You see, when we walk on stage we can rip the arse off straight rock, but we can't do the same with "Rock n Roll Bolero". It's great on record, but it's us thinking, it's not us being ourselves. I was talking to this bloke the other day that saw us in 1967, and he said we were different to other groups even then. I asked him what he meant by "different", and he said that we would play a Tamla Motown number, and it wouldn't be like the Four Tops, or whoever, doing it. He said other bands would play this stuff and try to get it to sound like the actual record, but we were never like that. But the thing is we were always trying to sound like the records but when we played it never came out like that. He said our music came out like a ton of bricks, but we never intended that.
It's just this thing we've got between us in the group. We were onstage during a sound-check and Frank (Jim's brother) thought that we were rehearsing but we were only mucking around, and he was really getting off on it.
S.N. : Do you think that you're going to make it with your next single “Ginny Come And Get It While You Can”?
Jim : It's very catchy, and we're going to make it, yeah. Our writing is returning to a more concise format. I mean songs like "Be" are hardly concise, they're clever, but hardly the sing-along down at the pub type song.
S.N. : Why do you tend to have more male, rather than female, fans?
Jim : We've always had more male fans. Even during the height people would say we were a teeny-bop band, and also that the Rollers and Marc Bolan were teeny-bop artists. Well it was all birds going to see the Rollers, and it was all birds going to see Marc - but it was all mad headed blokes coming to see us, ripping the halls up!
At this point a jovial Dave Hill entered the room, making a quip that Slade had so many male fans because they are all queer. Jim had to leave to tune his bass guitar, so Dave sat down and gave us an extensive interview that we will print in the next issue.
SO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET SLADE NEWS NO.3 OUT IN MAY!
-2-
GERMAN TOUR SPRING 1979
March
SLADE PEN PALS 28 Roes Club, Lintig.April
29 Marlborough Club, Rheindalen.
30 Dancing Light Club, Wetzlar.
31 Diet Hmarscher Hof, Pahlude.
1 Mick Mack, Baden.
2/3 Love Story, Cologne.
4 Floh Circus, Hanover.
5 Metropole, Berlin.
6 To Act, Weissenhoe.
7 Wartburg, Weisbaden.
8 Morgens Au Aiden, Hamm.
10 Hyde Park, Csnabruck.
11 Star Club, Hamburg.
15/23 YUGOSLAVIA.
26 Vienna, AUSTRIA.
27 Lintz, AUSTRIA.
Only enough space to print a couple of pen-pal addresses this issue.
Sue O'Leary, 4 Gathorne Rd, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire. Age 18.
Ossie Crabbe, 24 Tardree Grove, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, X. Ireland. Age 20.
Sue O'Leary, 4 Gathorne Rd, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire. Age 18.
Ossie Crabbe, 24 Tardree Grove, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, X. Ireland. Age 20.
Saturday nights at Leicester Baileys are never really special, but when Slade played there recently things were different.
The audience were not the usual Slade crowd, they were older than the usual fans, and dressed for a night out at a cabaret show - but little did they know!
Slade walked on stage to a fantastic response from the crowd. They started the show with their regular opener "Hear Me Calling”, played at the usual high standard, no, even better than normal, as it had an additional sound, Don's new electric drums!
The song worked well, encouraging some of the audience to rush to the front of the stage, only to be pushed away.
The second song “My Baby Left Me" also went down well, causing such a stir that you could actually feel that the Baileys crowd wanted to get up and Rock n Roll.
"The next number may be our next single” shouts Nod, and the group blast into "Ginny Come And Get It While You Can", a true traditional Slade type of song, but with up to date features. Jim's harmonies really show, and Dave's guitar work is another highlight. The, audience reaction was what could have been expected. As more people managed to work their way to the front, the bouncers became despondent with forcing people to sit down, only to see them stand up again when they move away, so they gave in. A gathering formed in front of the stage.
The next couple of numbers needed no introduction - "Take Me Bak Ome" and the best sing-along tune of all time, "Everyday". Everyone in the hall was in full voice, Slade scarves seemed to appear from nowhere, and they swayed from side to side in unison.
Slade then performed a very interesting song. It opened with some eerie pre-recorded music, with smoke flowing on stage. Then a slow, precise, drum beat was added. Next the spotlight beamed on Dave, as he climbed his own mini staircase and elevated the song with a magnificent solo piece. Later Noddy and Jim joined in with the vocals. All this went into making "Let Me Give You Love" one of the most impressive numbers Slade have ever performed live on stage.
Noddy introduces the next song "Something Else" - the old Eddie Cochran number revitalised in true Slade style. This leads into Jim's superb solo, incorporating violin and bass. He jumps from one end of the stage to the other, really showing how he is a master of his talents.
When Nod returns to the stage he jokes about Jim's playing, then the band continue to finish the song by using the same guitar riff as in "Them Kinda Monkees Can't Swing".
-3-
"Gudbuy T' Jane" and “Get Down And Get With It" follow, then the group leave the stage. The crowd bang the tables with their hands, relentlessly blow their whistles, and shout for more.
The audience are left in anticipation for a few minutes, then Slade return and do Mama Weer All Crazee Now". From behind the speakers bundles of toilet rolls are thrown into the masses.
Dancing Dave Hill (who's changed his image new trousers, shirt, and even hair!) shows the audience what it's all about, he laughs, makes faces and poses - he's the perfect showman.
Slade leave the stage once again, but come back to play "Cum On Feel The Noize" and a rock medley which includes "Rockin and Rollin" and "Boney Moronie:'.
The group exit once more, but the devastated crowd shout loud enough to get Slade to return once more. This time they perform “Born To Be Wild". By now sweat is pouring off the group like water would be if they were having a shower. But they seem to put more into "Born To Be Wild" than the other songs.
This classic Slade theme-tune rounded off a perfect evening. As the group left the stage the old Gene Kelly song "Singing In The Rain" came over the FA system. One point about this, we feel that that tune should be replaced with "Happy Days Are Here Again", because with the way Slade are playing at the moment Happy Days are most certainly back again!
Slade added some extra dates to their tour, they visited Birkenhead, Hull, Sheffield, Stockport and Birmingham, going down a storm every night. They could be on the road again once they return from Europe.
THE NEW SLADE SINGLE
Slade's new single looks like being "Ginny Come And Get It While You Can", as played on the recent tour. We are told though it might be titled just "Ginny, Ginny”. Either case make sure that you buy it. If your record shop doesn't stock it immediatly, get them to place an order on it for you.
Also you can help to promote it by sending in requests to your local radio stations for it. You would be suprised how many of these requests are played, and they often cause the initial airplay that get records onto a station's playlist.
The new studio album won't be out for some time yet. The group are spending the few weeks before they leave for Europe working on it.
SLADE BADGES
A Slade badge, with a picture of the group on it, and the words : "Slade U.K. Tour 1978" printed, can be bought for 25p (price includes postage) from; The Badge Co, 59 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AQ.
THANKS to Susie and John from the offices, Steve Rhodes for the adverts, Sue and Sharon our tour companions, Mary and Ric for the hospitality, Julie Adams (Hull) and Stan Hiil (Heron Park) for the info, Mandy for the type-writer, Patsy - the Marge Proops of the Slade fans, and to everyone for supporting us once again! See you in May’s issue no. 3!
-4-
THE SLADE INTERVIEW: JIMMY LEA We made our way backstage before the Friday Watford concert with the promise of an interview with Dave Hill. Dave arrived to the gig late, and ha had to tune his guitar. As we waited Jim Lea offered to do the interview instead, we gladly accepted and entered the dressing room. After we found some seats in the corner we asked our first question ...
S.N. : Jim, you've played three tours in the last year, hm'j do J"ou rate this one, as compared to the others?
Jim : We were offered to come back to do these Baileys clubs. We didn't want to do them in the first place, but we've returned and drawn twice as many people than the first time we appeared here. Playing here for a week, in Watford alone, means we are going to play to 14,000 people. Whereas if we did a one-nighter at the college we would only play to 1,000, even if it was sold out!
S.N. : What has the reaction been like on the tour?
Jim : You can't really count the reaction in this type of place, because the idea is to get over to people who wouldn't see us normally. So if they are sitting in the audience, they don't know anything about Rock n Roll concerts - and we're just using this gig as a gig, we're not trying to be The Three Degrees. So we bring all our PA and amplifiers in, and do our show. People can walk out and say that it was too loud and they hated it, or they can sit there and enjoy us, and hopefully get off on it at the end, and go and tell their mates : "I had a great time last night, I went to see Slade.” This is obviously what has been happening, as the attendance is so much up on last time - the managers are really freaking out!
S.N. : Is it going to be a regular thing, playing the Baileys clubs on every tour?
Jim : I don't think so. But what ever way you look at it you're playing to people. If you wanted to be a martyr to yourself you can go and play at the regular concert gig up the road, and play to only a thousand people, or how ever many turn up.
S.N. : What's the best club that you've played on this tour?
Jim : It depends. At Blackburn they reckoned that there were a hundred tables smashed or damaged. I mean that was a good night!
S.N. : On to the new album. What kind of songs will be on it?
Jim : It's a mixture. It's nothing like “Whatever Happened To Slade”. I can't really say yet though, as we went into the studios for 11 days and did 12 tracks. {The group plan to record about 20 songs in all, then choose the best 10 or 11 to put on the album)
S.N. : You seem to have returned to the old style type Slade music, rather than stay “heavy” as you were with “Whatever Happened To Slade”. Do you think that this has worked well?
Jim : Yeah. The releases after “W.H.T.S." are the songs that got played on the radio. Like “My Baby Left Me”, which was a near miss. But it got played on the radio - which is better than it being completely obscure isn't it?
S.N. : "Rock n Roll Bolero", which was a really catchy song, didn't do so well. Why not?
Jim : The comment on "Rock n Roll Bolero" is that it was different for Slade, but it was ordinary compared to everything else that was going around at the time. But I really dig the record myself!
-5-
S.N. : With singles do you intend to make better B sides, as have been on the last couple of records, rather than use the “Don't Blame Me" type time-filler kind of song?
Jim : When we come to the B sides, we don't particularly think that we have got to make a strong B side. It's just the case of using whatever tracks are going. But we’re lucky in the way that every song we write has got something going for it. You could say that “Don’t Blame Me” was a time-filler, I think that it was created as that. When it was used as a B side we didn't even know it was being used, it was chosen by the offices. We were in America recording the Christmas single, there was a rush to choose what to put on the back of it, and that track happened to be used.
S.N. : What's the reaction of the press like towards Slade now?
Jim : Well a guy came in here, after last night's show, who was from one of the music papers, and he said that he really enjoyed the show, and that our old numbers sounded really fresh and that they could have been written yesterday. ~e sat there not knowing whether to believe him, because the press always tend to put barriers up against us because we haven't had a hit record for three years. If we get another couple of hits under our belts though that will all change.
S.N. : Sheila Prophet was different though, she liked the group.
Jim : But like you said, we have gone back to doing more of the old sort of thing, and she's into that.
You see, when we walk on stage we can rip the arse off straight rock, but we can't do the same with "Rock n Roll Bolero". It's great on record, but it's us thinking, it's not us being ourselves. I was talking to this bloke the other day that saw us in 1967, and he said we were different to other groups even then. I asked him what he meant by "different", and he said that we would play a Tamla Motown number, and it wouldn't be like the Four Tops, or whoever, doing it. He said other bands would play this stuff and try to get it to sound like the actual record, but we were never like that. But the thing is we were always trying to sound like the records but when we played it never came out like that. He said our music came out like a ton of bricks, but we never intended that.
It's just this thing we've got between us in the group. We were onstage during a sound-check and Frank (Jim's brother) thought that we were rehearsing but we were only mucking around, and he was really getting off on it.
S.N. : Do you think that you're going to make it with your next single “Ginny Come And Get It While You Can”?
Jim : It's very catchy, and we're going to make it, yeah. Our writing is returning to a more concise format. I mean songs like "Be" are hardly concise, they're clever, but hardly the sing-along down at the pub type song.
S.N. : Why do you tend to have more male, rather than female, fans?
Jim : We've always had more male fans. Even during the height people would say we were a teeny-bop band, and also that the Rollers and Marc Bolan were teeny-bop artists. Well it was all birds going to see the Rollers, and it was all birds going to see Marc - but it was all mad headed blokes coming to see us, ripping the halls up!
At this point a jovial Dave Hill entered the room, making a quip that Slade had so many male fans because they are all queer. Jim had to leave to tune his bass guitar, so Dave sat down and gave us an extensive interview that we will print in the next issue.
SO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET SLADE NEWS NO.3 OUT IN MAY!
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