Produced and Set by Dave Kemp
24 Ingham Road, West Hampstead, London NW6 1DE
Honorary readers:
Nod, Dave, Jim and Don
Mr. & Mrs. W. Powell
Mr. Jack Hill
Frank Lea
Graham Swinnerton
J.J. and Will (roadies)
John Blake (Evening News)
Alf Martin (Record Mirror)
"You are the eyes of the reader I am the hand of the writer Together we can fill a page."
Hello, welcome to issue 6. So much has been happening over the last few weeks I'm wondering if I'll be able to fit it all into this newsletter! Anyway here goes......
First, and most importantly, next year I have decided to close Slade News as it now stands, and open THE SLADE FAN CLUB! Several reasons have prompted this; namely everyone seems to refer to us as the "Fan Club", so why not call ourselves that?! And also I feel it would be better for everyone concerned if we became "official" and had subscription membership, as you wouldn't have to keep on applying for each newsletter, and paying the ludicrous charge of 8p for a 25p Postal Order (which most people seem to use as payment) every 2 months! Now you will only have to buy one which lasts for a whole year!
Membership will be £2.20 for a year, PLUS you must send 6 stamped addressed envelopes, sized at least 8" by 6" when applying, or membership is totally invalid. (Fans overseas just send a £2.75 Money Order, not SAEs needed).
Members will receive a membership card, a bumper "Slade News" issue every 2 months, plus several odds and ends throughout the year. NO profit will be made on the fan club - so you will get your money's worth, I promise you that!
Barn have given us approximately 100 Slade Biography books - we will send these out free to the first 100 applicants.
Slade News is (C) D. Kemp 1979
Memberships will be accepted from Jan 1st onwards, and the first newsletter will be distributed during February.
Frank Lea contacted me recently concerning the version of "When The Lights Are Out" that he and Jim have recorded. The record is being released on December 1st, and the "band" have called themselves "The Dummys". The consist of: Jim Lea (Vocals and Bass), Frank Lea (Drums) and Paul Faulkner (Lead Guitar).
The B Side is one of Frank's compositions, "She's The Only Woman". It is released on the Lea's own label, Cheapskate Records, catalogue number SWL 001, distributed by pinnacle. I have heard the Demo of it, and all I can say is that it's great - even better than the original Slade recording dare I say it! Frank has told me that you should be able to order it from your record shop but if not I have 300 copies of the single, which I am selling at the price of £1.05 plus 25p P. & P. So if you'd like a copy simply send me a Cheque/P.O. for £1.30 and I'll rush you one.
I advise you all to get a copy, because not only is it a bloody good single, but it is undoubtedly going to become a "rarity!" Frank told me that they recorded it as a joke at first but they soon became serious about it, thus it has been released.
Good news for Ossie Slade Fans, Richard, Lem, Paul and Rob, 4 Australian Sladists are setting up an "Australian Slade News" service, in which they will be using info from our first 6 issues, and hopefully this will lead them on to opening an Australian Fan Club!
Steffen Decker (German Slade Fan) has a father who writes a yearly English teaching book for the German Education Board. In the next book Steff's Dad is going to have a section on Slade! The several pages will be entitled "Wonderin' Y" and you will delve into all aspects of Slade's career. This book will be used in thousands of German schools, but I'll try to get hold of some copies to sell to English fans!
Lots of people have been writing, asking me to help them with problems about records, tour dates, etc.I like to help as far as I possibly can but only can do so if you enclose a S.A.E.
I met some fantastic people on the last Slade tour. At Nottingham I bumped into Johnny Ellis from Kirkby (who seems to get everywhere), he was telling me that his wife has just given birth to their son, who they have Christened "James Lea Ellis". I wonder how they decided on that strange combination of names!
"Return to Base" may be the title to the new Slade album but it also describes the band's recent actions. Jim and Dave used to live in Wolves, whilst Don and Nod had homes in London. Now both Don and Nod have moved back to Wolverhampton so you could say that they have "returned to base!"
Anyway, I must express my sincere thanks to everyone for their support in 1979 keep it up in 1980!
"So here it is, Merry Xmas, everybody's having fun, look to the future now - its only just begun".
Yours, Dave.
new SLADE FAN CLUB
: price £2.20 + six sae's
: you receive : member's card
bi~monthly news mags
: first 100 applicants received
will be sent Slade blog book
SLADE FAN CLUB,
24 Ingham Rd,
London, NW6 1DE,
England.
"WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE OUT" single
in your record shops on
Cheapskate SWL 001
or It can be obtained from us
price £1.05 plus 25p P&P
address as Fan Club's
cheques or POs payable to D.Kemp
allow 14 days for delivery
GET IT NOW!
NEW SINGLE ! NEW ALBUM ! TOUR !
Yes, it's all happening! Firstly, the new single. It's been out for some weeks now, - and it's entitled "Sign Of The Times" (B/W "Not Tonight Jospehine"). As most record shops do not stock Slade singles in advance now, you'll more than likely have to get them to order it for you. Thus please quote the catalogue number, BARN 010, and state that it is distributed by Pinnacle (and NOT Polydor as some shops still think!) Many people have been writing saying they have been waiting for ages for their order of the single to arrive in their record shop there's nothing that can be done expect for you to keep waiting I'm afraid. Your orders should arrive eventually, People ask if I can buy the single for them. Sorry but I can't as at the time of writing the copies of the single I have ordered haven't even arrived in my record shop!
The new album should be out at the end of November.. It's entitled "Return To Base" and having heard the rough copy of it, all I can say is that it's amazing, totally different to anything Slade have done before, you'll love it.
The track listings are as follows: (Side One) "The Wheels Aint' Coming Down", "Hold Onto Your Hats", "Chakeeta", "Dont' Waste Your Time (Back Seat Star)", "Sign Of The Times". (Side Two) "I'm A Rocker", "Nuts, Bolts and Screws", "My Baby's Got It". "I'm Mad", "Lemme Love Into Ya" (Let Me Give You Love - as we know it!), "Ginny Ginny".
The album is released on Barn Records, catalogue number NARB 003 (distributed by Pinnacle) - if you need to order from your record dealer.
The cover to "Return to Base" is different to what Dave Hill describes it in his interview, it is stunningly "basic" bright (and I mean BRIGHT) red, with "RETURN TO BASE SLADE" typed at the top!
Also, it looks like Slade will be back on the road in December for some Xmas dates (at last they might play "Merry Xmas Everybody" eh?!). So watch the papers for full details or send a S.A.E. to me, and I'll quote them, when confirmed"
QUESTIONS and ANSWERS
Q. In the old Slade Fan Club they once started to serialise a book written by Don Powell called "Bibble Brick" - did Don Actually write this (as I think that it might of been a hoax), and if so was it ever printed? (Mike O'Sullivan, Dewsbury)
A. Yes, Don assures me that he did actually write this book - although he admits he must have been drunk when he did it! He gave the manuscript to Chas Chandler, who decided to print it in the Fan Club - it was never issued in "book" form.
Q. Do you have any addresses of places where I can obtain: posters, T-shirts, badges, press cuttings or pictures of Slade. Also how do I best go about getting the "Beginnings" album. (Mary Janowska, Highgate)
A. Afraid that no recent firms have designed Slade T-Shirts or Posters, and all the places that sold the old merchandise are no longer in existence. Slade badges can be bought from Nomis (86 Bentley Lane, Meanwood, Leeds - send S.A.E. for details). But as you live in London you should pop along to The Vintage Magazine Shop (2-4 Earlham Street, Cambridge Circus, W.2.), as they have a music basement in which they sell all the music papers from the 1950's onwards - and they will have all the press cuttings you will ever need. Also they sometimes stock new Slade badges, and occasionally get Slade photos in (they recently had stills from "Flame" for sale). The best way to get hold of "Beginnings" is to put a "Records Wanted" ad in one of the music papers - as this usually works.
Q. Whatever happened to Geordie (the Slade copyists of the early 1970's) ? (D. Moore, Glasgow)
A. They did split up - but last year I was told they had reformed - without their Noddy-type vocalist Brian Johnson though - and that they were playing the Tyneside Club circuit.
WOLVERHAMPTON FEVER!
Slade played the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on October 4th, their eigth ever headlining concert there. In front of the "Home" crowd, the group went down a storm! Not all of the audience were Wolverhampton inhabitants though, for even I had heard of fans travelling from placed such as leeds, Nottingham, Gloucester, Dundee and even West Germany, to see the show! Thus it served the purpose of being the greatest fan gathering of 1979!
Even before Slade came on an extatic atmosphere was created by the crowd bellowing "You'll Never Walk Alone".
When they walked on stage the place erupted.
The show opened, as usual, with "Hear Me Calling", followed by other regular standards "My Baby Left Me" and "Take Me Back Ome"
Tracks from the new album "Return To Base" were then played, these being "Let Me Give You Love" and "The Wheels Aint't Coming Down" - possibly the highlight of the show with it's un flappable lighting effects. Most new numbers in any band's act, if not known by the audience, usually are only meagrely received - but this went down as well as all the old favourites, proving it to be a great song.
"Gudbuy T'Jane", "Dizzy Mama", "Cum On Feel The Noize" and all the other Slade "regulars" were then added. The biggest surprise of the evening came when Slade played an amazing new version of "Look Wot You Dun" though. So different was it that at first
I thought it was another song from the new album!
All through the show scores of fans clambered onstage to kiss Noddy Holder, which became all a bit tedious as poor ol' Nod couldn't even get to sing into his microphone half the time!
But when he sang the line "I've had a Redlight off the wrist, without me even getting kissed...." (Far Far Away) and a fan jumped up and gave Nod a smacker on the side of the face, it seemed to sum things up perfectly. Wolverhampton Fever (as Jim Lea once described it to me) lives on, and forever will do as long as Slare are around.
By John Ogden.
Eighteen months is a long time in the 1ife of a rock group. In fact it's sometimes longer than the life of some of them.
Yet that's how long it's been since Wolverhampton's most famous rockers Slade played in their home town.
Did it make any difference? Not the slightest. It seemed as though those heady days when they were never out of the charts was just yesterday, for the band have lost none of their magic or attraction.
If they've been out of the charts for a time they have not been idle. Slade are still an "on the road" band. and playing live is what they do best.
Audience
As usual the audience is an integral part of a Slade show. In all the many concerts I have seen I have never come across' audiences so merry and good natured as those who attend Slade gigs.
Though a lot of their act is tried and tested they did include some new songs and some old rock and roll ones - last night.
On this showing it needs only one hit record to put them right back on top of the heap again.
Due to the success of the "Your Top Ten" feature in S.N.5., results to be printed in our next issue, I have decided to conduct a poll to find out what YOU think about Slade. It is important for everyone to vote, so please do so if you can. All votes must be in by January lOth, so that they can be printed in S.N.7.
To enter simply write on a peice of paper your name and address, with the following category numbers and choice, e.g. (1) Slade Alive, (2) Hear He Calling, etc.
The categories are as follows:-
(1) Best Slade album. (2) Best album track. (3) Best album cover. (4) Best picture sleeve single. (5) Best single B-side. (6) Best live Slade song. (7) Song you'd most like to hear live that isn't in the current stage act.
(8) Best ever concert, e.g. Earl's Court 1973, wembley 1978, etc. (9) Best 1979 concert. (10) Best Slade actor in "Flame". (11) Best sequence from "Flame". e.g. Noddy in coffin, Don's riverbank scene. (12) Best early Slade single (You Better Run - Know Who You Are) (13) Favourite Import album. (14) Most Interesting Slade member to talk to. (15) Best Slade promo film, e.g. "Give Us A Goal" film (Saturday Scene), "My Baby Left Me" film (Tiswas). (16) Best Slade photo.
FLINDERS' FOTOS
Send a sae to Steve at 5 Main St, Stanton - By - Dale, Ilkeston, Derby., for new photos for sale details.
Title: "The Story of Slade" (Double Album)
Country: West Germany
Label: Barn 2689 001
Date: 1977
Cover: picture of Slade live at Wembley - the inside of the gatefold sleeve contains a short summary of Slade's career up till 1977.
Tracks: (1) Coz I Luv You, Gudbuy T'Jane, Keep On Rocking, Good Time Gals, Nobody's Fools, Look Wot You Dun.
(2) Mama Weer All Crazee Now, When The Lights Are Out, Miles Out To Sea, The Bangin' Man, My Town, Lay It Down.
(3) Cum On Feel The Noize, Far Far Away, Everyday, Skweeze Me Pleeze He, Don't Blame Me, Summer Song (Wishing You Were Here)
(4) Get Down And Get with It, In For A Penny, Just Want A Little Bit, I'm Mee, I'm Now An' That's Orl, Get On Up, How Does It Feel.
Single: "Coz I Luv You" b/w "Know Who You Are".
Country:Spain
Label Polydor 2058 186 1971
Date 1971 (Picture cover with Slade as Skinheads, 1971) .
Single: "Let The Goodtimes Roll" blw "I Don't Mind".
Country: U.S.A.
Label: Polydor PD 15080
Date: 1972
Title: "Coz I Luv You"
Country: West Germany (THE original C.I.L.Y. LP)
Label: Polydor 2383 100
Date: 1971
Cover: Early promotional photo.
Tracks: (1) Coz I Luv You, Dapple Rose, Sweet Box, Gospel According to Rasputin, My Life Is Natural, The Shape of 'I'hings To Come.
(2) Get Down And Get With It, One Way Hotel, Raven, Do You Want Me, See Us Here, Know Who You Are.
Lots of people have written to us regarding the pricing of old Slade singles, wanting to know approximately how much they should pay for the rarities. Thus as a guideeline I have compiled the price list below:-
YOU BETTER RUN £35
GENESIS £25
WILD WINDS ARE BLOWING £15
SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME £10
KNOW WHO YOU ARE £10
GET DOWN & GET WITH IT £3
BEGINNINGS (Fontana) £30
BEGINNINGS (Contour) £5
BALLZY (Import) £20
1972 Music Scene Flexi £1
1973 Melanie Flexi 50p
1974 19 F1exi 50p
1975 Double-backed Flexi £1
1975 Smiths Crisps Flexi £1
BURNING IN THE HEAT £2.50
ALL IMPORT ALBUHS £6
ALL IMPORT SINGLES £2.50
AMERICAN SINGLES £3
All Polydor singles, apart from GET DOWN AND GET WITH IT, are not worth more than the original face-value, due to the thousands of them sold. BURNING IN THE HEAT OF LOVE, although only released 2 years ago, is worth £2.50 due to it being deleted (like all the Barn singles), and the fact that so many fans didn't even know it had been released until it was too late for them to order it.
BALLZY (the American import version of BEGINNINGS) is worth less than the British version, due to the high number of copies of it being imported in the early 1970's being greater than the British pressing.
The Flexi-discs listed are not worth much to collectors at the moment, but due to them being so delicate, they wear out easily, they will increase in value in the future due to the imminence of their declining in number.
As I said though, my prices are only a guideline - rarities are worth only what you are prepared to pay.
SLADE ACTION ....
SLADE PETITION Mike and Lihda McKillop are getting up a petition for mor~ Slade airplay on Radio One. Anybody wanting td include their name on the list should drop a line to Mike at: 58 Ashgrove Caravan Site, Elgin, Morayshire, Scotland.
TAPE SWAPS Jan Van de Dever of Van Galenstraat
21, 1971 Dz Ymuiden, Holland, wants tapes of English Slade concerts, for which he will swap his tapes of Dutch Slade gigs.
RECORD SWAPS Glasgow Slade fan Steve Tennie is offering to swap his singles "Let The Good Times Roll" and "Gypsy Roadhog" for a copy of the "Give Us A Goal" import with picture sleeve. His address: 46/75 Kirkton Ave, Glasgow, Gl3 3EG, Scotland.
"SLADE CIRCLE" Slade fans everywhere that are interested getting together with fans abroad to swap records, and to help each other to get hold of various material available, and thus form a circle of friends, should write to Steve Bray, 13 Bradlesmere Close, Ashford, kent, and enclose a S.A.E.
SLADE PHOTOS Trev West of 59 Skipton Circus, Sneinton
Dale, Nottingham, NG3 7DR, has a set of 10 excellent Slade pies for sale, taken at the Coventry City Centre Club earlier this year. They're 5" x 3l.:!" colour pies, price £3.00
PEN FAN Stu Rutter would like a Pen Friend. He wrote in his letter to us: "I am 18, and studying for A levels so I can't follow the Slade Tours around like a lot of the Slade freaks are doing these days, but when I get a job in about another year they'll be no stopping me!".
If you would like to write to Stu, address your letter to: 62 Grimshaw St., Great Harwood, Blackburn, Lancs.. BB6 7AP.
ANY OFFERS? - Andy from Sheffield can get hold of Slade's American LP "Stomp Your Hands And Clap Your Feet" (the price will be approx. £4 - £5), but he needs to ensure a minimum order of 25 copies. If you'd like a copy, write now to Andy pledging that you will buy one if over 25 fans are interested Andy will order them and write back telling you the exact price per copy. So send a S.A.E. now to: Andy, 20 Ringinglow Rd., Ecclesall, Sheffield, S11 7PP.
SWAPS - Serge Vechoeven, Scheihagestraat 27, B-2550 Kontich, Belgium, will swap Dutch/BeJgian posters of Slade for live tapes of Slade's gigs.
"SIX DAYS ON THE ROAD" (Holder/lea 1975)
Theme to Radio One's Insight Slade Special
We're gonna race up the motorway
And Rock n Roll the night away
In every town
You'd better lock up your daughters
Because they'll do what they oughta
When we hit the town.
If you want to feel the noize
From your head to your feet
Mama mama weer all crazee now
So get off your seats
The ceiling's gonna fall
When we start to shake the walls
And watch us bring them down
Six days on the road
six days on the road
We're getting Fish n Chips for dinner
Every day we're getting thinner
On the road
Six days on the road
Six days on the road
Can you fell it getting to ya
Is the music going through ya
On the road
You've gotta really feel the noize
And all the girls can grab the boys
On the road
We're a Rock n Rollin' band
And we're the best band in the land
On the road.
(Original version of "when the Chips are Down", B side of Let's Call It Quits)
THE UNRELEASED SONGWORDS PAGE
SLADE ALMANAC (Nov / Dee)
Nov 1970 "Play It Loud" album released
Nov 6 1972 Wolverhampton Civic Hall Concert
Nov 12 1973 (to Nov 20) West German Tour
Nov 17 1972 "Gudbuy T'Jane" released
Nov 18 1972 Dave Hill breaks ankle at Liverpool Stadium Concert.
Nov 22 1974 "Slade In Flame" album released
Dec 1 1972 "Slayed" album released
Dec 7 1973 "Merry Xmas Everybody" released
Dec 11 1973 "Merry Xmas Everybody" No. I in charts
Dec 14 1978 Bonny born to Jimmy and Louise Lea
Dec 24 1971 London Marquee Xmas Party Concert
PHOTO FANS
"ROCKIN' OKEY COKEY"
I have just heard from the offices that Slade have another new single ready for release on Barn on December 3rd. It's a "party type song" - which is very fitting, seeing that Christmas is right on the doorstep Ðand is entitled "Rockin' Okey Cokey". It is a track that is not on the new album "Return to Base". I suggest you order your copy now!
Also don't forget that "Merry Xmas Everybody" is released once more again on Polydor 2058 422 this December. Plans were afoot last year to release a "Xmas EP" of Slade's greatest hits, including "Merry Xmas Everybody", but they were dropped. The plans have been shelved this year too.
DAVE HILL INTERVIEW
We talked to Dave before Slade's concert at the Top Rank Suite in Sheffield - the last date of their last tour.
S.N.: Dave, you say that the new album "Return To Base" will be out soon, do you have any definate release date?
Dave: Not yet, it should be out before Christmas though. We thought that we would release the single first though and see what happens with that.
S.N.: How long in all did it take to get the album recorded?
Dave (Consulting Nod) It must have taken about six weeks, on and off.
S.N.: Did anyone member (io the bulk of the work on the proc1uction side.
Dave : No, we each took it in turn to produce certain parts ourselves - which makes it the first album we have solely produced ourselves.
S.N.: The title "Return To Base" - how did this come about?
Dave: Well, we had a whole list of suggestions for the title, and "Return To Base" is the one we eventually decided upon. "Return To Base" is from one of the lines of "'Sign Of The Times".
S.N.: On to the cover - has it been designed yet?
Dave : It's still being done, but I understand that it is going to have a photo of a ticker-tape message on the front saying "Return To Base" in computer-like lettering. But it should
be a very basic cover - so that it ties in with the "basic" reference in the title.
Dave: Yes, I'm verY satisfied with it. It's got a mixture of different types of songs on it, all of which adds up to it being a good album!
S.N.: What's your own favourite track on the record then?
Dave : Mv favourites are the Rock n Roll one (I'm A Rocker) and the instrumental one (Let Me Love Into Ya) - probably because of the way that they come over on stage more than anything else.
S.N.: On to the new stage-act, how did the new version of "Look Wot You Dun" get back into the act - as you haven't played it live since I973!
Dave : What happened was that we were doing a session and we just suddenly started jamming it, and we took the song from there. We changed it from the original because we thought that it would have sounded a bit weak - so we made it a bit more heavy for the current show.
We are planning to get some more tracks from the next albUm into the show, but we want to have the record released first - so at least the audience have an inkling as to what the songs are before we start playing all these new numbers onstage!
S.N.: Will you be adding some more old ones, like "Look Wot You Dun" to the set?
Dave: We've all agreed that there are no more oldies that we can re-do. We've got to go forward, not backnard. For
example we've been doing a new "The Wheels Ain't Coming Down" - and that's been getting a fantastic reaction, and nobody's heard it before! We've got to get new numbers like that into the show.'
S.N.: Why haven't you been doing "Sign Of The Times" live?
Dave : The reason for that is that at the moment we feel the act is. just about right. We have added two numbers that have worked very well, and. we are now hoping to get "Sign Of The Times" in on the next stretch of dates. Also at the moment we've got one slow ballad in the act, and on this tour we didn't want to have two.
S.N.: I've seen the new stage outfits of yours, are they your own creations? (For those of YOu who didn't get to see Slade on the tour, they consist of a red silky Chinese style long-sleeve shirt, that alternates with a red and white bomber jacket, along with red PVC trousers and white boots)
Dave: In a wray I designed them myself. I came alone with the ideas, and I took them to a lady called Jean Seal, he made the clothes for me.
I've decided to return to wearing colourful stage outfits once again, rather than maintaining the Black and White look.
Watching the music scene at the moment, what with the flashiness of the Punks, and also taking the theory that the whole music business revolves in a circle, I see it as inevitable that the Glitter scene will come back again, and when it does I'll be top of the pile!
S.N.: You've always liked wearing flash clothes though, haven't you?
Dave: I like to get reactions by my clothes, I suppose it's a means of expressing myself. In many ways I felt like a punk in our early days dressing weirdly just for the hell of making people look! Even as a kid I can remember wearing a cap and long cape and walking through Woolworth's, so as to make everyone stop and stare!
S.N.: Will you be taking a treck abroad before the year's out?
Dave: We call always go abroad, but while we've got the single out over here, and while we are
trying to break back into the market again, we'd rather stay "at home". We might do the occassional stint on the Continent - but not at the moment.
S.N.: This is the last night of the tour - how do you feel that it has gone, well or badly?
Dave : It's gone well, even you have seen that, Look at the Music Machine gig - there was a far bigger croud there this year compared to last year's Gig. It was packed out. "
S.N.: One question that I've alwlays wanted to ask you; what's the favourite record you have ever recorded?
Dave : My favonrite of all-time? We haven't recorded it yet ....
XMAS COMPETITION
The first person to drop me a line stating the B-side of Merry Xmas Everybody" wins a copy of that very single - on which DON POWELL has written his Christmas message to the winner!
Many thanks to Stu Rutter for the hard copy! A full size scan of the complete mag will be available here:
It can be viewed on Dave Kemp's www.sladefanclub.com .
LATEST SLADE NEWS:
Slade's new single will be called just OKEY COKEY on December 8th. It's out on BARN 011
Tour Dates (so far):
Dec 7th London, Barts Hospital
Dec 8th London, Goldsmith College
Dec 13th London, Music Machine
