From Roots To Boots!

Welcome!

2011-10-19T12:00:00.003+01:00

There are Pop bands, there are Rock bands and then there are musical institutions. All three of these descriptions apply to this four man, hit making machine from the West Midlands. With a string of misspelt chart toppers, an outlandish wardrobe and a killer, live act that was second to none. Slade's achievements during the 1970's were little short of phenomenal: their crunching rock 'n' roll and crazee antics would inspire acts such as Kiss, Kurt Cobain, Oasis, Twisted Sister, Alice Cooper, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Darkness and even comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, to pick up guitars. And what's more, the stunning re-birth from a career slump during the following decade revealed an enviable stubborn streak and tenacity worthy of only the rare few.

Slade were a top notch group that were dragged into the black hole of Glam Rock, a short lived fad that deflected from who they really were, one of the world's greatest Rock bands. Loud, gregarious and, above all, entertaining with an affable, rabble-rousing demagogue up front.

Here, we tell the story of one of the UK's most underated groups. This is the story of Slade, told in a genealogical manner with the factual evidence to back it up where possible. The main source information comes from:

Feel The Noize by Chris Charlesworth

Genesis Sleevenotes by John Howells

Who's Crazee Now? by Noddy Holder

Most of the 'new' info comes from the Wolverhampton (and surrounding areas) newspaper archives scoured by Chris Selby, without whom, this site would not be possible. Please bear in mind that local newspapers, like all newspapers, use artistic licence when reporting. For the purposes of this project, we are interested, first and foremost, in the date. The posts run chronologically, the early years listed under 1971 because that's the earliest date Blogger can handle. The story starts here.

Intro paragraph by Dave Ling. If any links do not work please let me know in the comments section.

Mickey P. ;-)

45 Years

2011-10-09T12:00:00.004+01:00

Walsall, October 9th 2011

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration of love for the history of our band.

Two score and five years ago, four members of a great band, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, joined together in ear’holy catastrophe. This momentous union came as a great beacon of hope to millions of fun loving rockers. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of dreary anticipation.

But forty five years later, the Slade fan still is not acknowledged. Forty five years later, the life of the Slade fan is still sadly crippled by the manacles of copyright and the chains of corporate oppression. Forty five years later, the Slade fan lives on a lonely island of obscurity in the midst of a vast ocean of commercial prosperity. Forty five years later, the Slade fan still languishes in the corner of the Pop music society and finds himself an exile in his own world. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our institution to cash a cheque. Be it Inspiration, Innovation, Outstanding Contribution or even Living Legend. It is obvious today, insofar as bands of colour are concerned, that Rock & Roll has defaulted on this promissory note. Instead of honouring this sacred obligation, Rock & Roll has given the Slade fan a bad cheque, a cheque which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the Bank of Rock & Roll is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this institution. And so, we've come to cash this cheque, a cheque that will give us upon demand, the riches of video and the security of acknowledgement.

We have also come to this hallowed forum to remind Rock & Roll of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of complacency or to take the tranquillising drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of induction. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of ridicule to the sunlit path of international recognition. Now is the time to lift our institution from the quicksand’s of apathy to the solid rock of unity. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of Rock Music's brethren.

It would be fatal for the institution to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Slade fan's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of recognition and equality. Two Thousand and Eleven is not an end, but a beginning. And those who think that the Slade fan needs to blow off steam and will now be content, will have a rude awakening if the institution returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor respite in Rock & Roll until the Slade fan is granted his honorary rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our institution until the bright day of homage emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold that leads into the Hall of Fame: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for recognition by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into verbal abuse. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting negativity with perseverance.

The marvellous new militancy which has engulfed the Slade fan community must not lead us to a distrust of all corporate people, for many of our corporate brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their recognition is inextricably bound to our recognition.

We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of Slade, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Slade fan is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of apathy and ridicule. We can never be satisfied as long as our band, laden with a vast catalogue of music, are remembered for just two songs. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Slade fan's basic novelty is moved from amusing sartorial elegance to a seasonal refrain.

We can never be satisfied as long as our band are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity because of mistakes made by the spin-doctors. We cannot be satisfied as long as our group are sullied by the media for the length of their hair or the cut of their clothes.

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until the world acknowledges, “Slade are for life NOT just for Xmas.”

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here today out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come from areas where your quest – a quest for recognition that left you battered by the storms of legal persecution. You have been the veterans of creative suffering.

Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Wolverhampton, go back to Birmingham, go back to Essex, go back to the archives and libraries of our Midland cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the Rock & Roll dream.

I have a dream that one day this institution will rise up and live out the true meaning of its criteria. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all groups are created equal.

I have a dream that, one day in the hallowed pages of Classic Rock magazine, the members of former inductees and the members of Slade will be able to sit down together at the table in agreement.

I have a dream that one day even the continent of America, a country basking in the glow of apathy, sweltering with the heat of cynicism, will be transformed into an oasis of recognition and acknowledgement.

I have a dream that our four band members will one day live in a institution where they will not be judged by the colour of their clothes but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Ohio, with its vacuous record company heads, with its vice-chairman having his head spinning with the words of "nomination" and "evaluation" -- one day right there in Cleveland glitter rock victims and glam rock veterans will be able to join hands with conformists and corporate suits as brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, Noddy Holder, Dave Hill, Jim Lea & Don Powell will be exalted, the glitter wiped away, the music appreciated, the faux pas’ forgotten and the glory of the band shall be revealed and all men shall see it together.

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go to the Midlands with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our institution into a beautiful symphony of agreement. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to play together, to struggle together, to stand up for recognition together, knowing that we will be acknowledged one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of Slade's fans will be able to sing with new meaning:

See us here
See us there
Pick us out anywhere
Take a look
We’re everywhere
So what makes you
Stop and stare

And if Rock & Roll is to be a great institution, this must become true.

And so, let recognition ring from the all the bands that were influenced by them.

Let recognition ring from New York’s Twisted Sister.

Let recognition ring from Detroit’s Alice Cooper.

Let recognition ring from Gene Simmons and Kiss.

Let recognition ring from Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne.

But not only that:

Let recognition ring from Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant.

Let recognition ring from Roger Daltrey, Paul McCartney and Bob Geldof.

Let recognition ring from Europe and Asia and Australia.

From every nation, let recognition ring.

And when this happens, when there is recognition, when we let it ring from every village and every city, from every country and every continent, we will be able to speed up that day when all of Rock's devotee’s, old men and young men, musicians, fans and critics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Slade fan spiritual:

Well all right everybody!
Let your hair down...."

9th October 1969 was the first reported incidence of 'Slade' in the Wolverhampton Express & Star.
To help Slade get the recognition they deserve click here

The latest release from the Salvo remastered catalogue is Sladest

Click here to read The Slade Story

With greatest respect to Dr. Martin Luther King and his 'men of colour' that stood fast to cast shame on 'segregation' and prick the conscience of an American society. I don't believe anybody out there is unaware that I have plagiarized this wonderful piece of history but, just in case, credit is due to Martin Luther King jr. who's inspirational speech has been altered to suit our cause. This is not meant to detract from the importance of the original speech in anyway.

Sladest 2011

2011-09-19T12:00:00.002+01:00

Salvo, September 19th, 2011

SALVOCD053

Originally released in the UK in September 1973, Sladest emulated recent Slade singles by going straight to the top of the charts. After relinquishing the summit and hovering around the Top Ten towards the end of the year, it climbed back up to the Number One spot in early 1974 in the wake of the huge success of their next single Merry Xmas Everybody.

That seasonal smash wasn’t included on the album, but Sladest did contain all of Slade’s hits up to that point, as well as several singles released prior to their chart breakthrough and a handful of tracks from their underrated second album (released late in 1970), Play It Loud.

37 years, 11 months and 19 days later, Salvo are releasing an expanded version which includes three further highlights from the period concerned - the No. 2 hit My Friend Stan, its no-nonsense, rocking B-side My Town and the ingenious Django Reinhardt / Stephane Grappelli pastiche Kill ‘Em At The Hot Club Tonite (the B-side of Skweeze Me Pleeze Me) - plus a previously unreleased version of Hear Me Calling, the track with which they opened their live show for many years. The latter recording, more tightly structured than the classic, build-to-a-roar Slade Alive version (though featuring an almost identical guitar solo from Dave Hill), lay entirely forgotten until recently discovered on a vinyl acetate – which was once the property of drummer Don Powell - and serves to further strengthen the appeal of what is, to many, Slade’s strongest album. Capturing the band at the height of the glam rock fame, it contains some of the very best pop songs of the seventies.

The original smash hit album, expanded with four extra tracks including a previously unreleased studio version of Hear Me Calling – with the original gatefold LP packaging carefully reproduced

Includes no less than five UK Number One hits

Remastered by Tim Turan at Turan Audio for the finest sound quality

16-page booklet includes new sleeve notes by respected scribe and Slade aficionado Chris Ingham incorporating new interviews with Dave Hill and Don Powell

Perhaps the group’s finest long player, a fantastic addition to Salvo’s celebrated Slade catalogue

The first appearance of Sladest on CD since 1997

01. Cum On Feel The Noize

02. Look Wot You Dun

03. Gudbuy T’Jane

04. One Way Hotel

05. Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me

06. Pouk Hill

07. The Shape Of Things To Come

08. Take Me Bak ‘Ome

09. Coz I Luv You

10. Wild Winds Are Blowin’

11. Know Who You Are

12. Get Down With It

13. Look At Last Nite

14. Mama Weer All Crazee Now

15. Hear Me Calling (studio version)

16. My Friend Stan

17. My Town

18. Kill ‘em At The Hot Club Tonite

COLLECTORS’ LABEL SALVO GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH AS IT CELEBRATES IT'S FIFTH BIRTHDAY

Noddy Holder has also done a sizeable interview with UNCUT magazine, which will be part of a six-page Slade feature out in October 2011 and there will be more press and media coverage around the release.

Like me, you have probably noticed that the October Uncut came out in September and features Marc Bolan. I therefore assume that the Slade Special will be in the November issue that comes out in October.... I hope?
+++Update+++
I'm told it will be in the next issue which will hit the stands at the end of October (with December on the cover I guess).

Salvo's Birthday

2011-08-31T16:35:00.001+01:00

COLLECTORS’ LABEL SALVO GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH AS IT CELEBRATES IT'S FIFTH BIRTHDAY

2 NEW RELEASES: THE PIRATES ‘SHAKIN WITH THE DEVIL’ & SLADE’S ‘SLADEST’ SET TO FURTHER ENHANCE LABEL’S REPUTATION FOR OUTSTANDING REISSUES

The downloading generation may have the gizmos, they may have the songs, thousands upon thousands of them at the touch of their fingertips. But what they don’t have is the history in their hands – the kind of history that Salvo excels in providing.

Union Square Music’s collectors’ label is five years old in September. It’s a birthday worth celebrating for two reasons. Firstly, for a specialist imprint like Salvo to achieve such a milestone at a time of enormous and unsettling change within the industry, much of it wrought by unprecedented technological advancement, is remarkable.

Secondly, it proves there remains a market among the serious, discerning fan for re-mastered classic album reissues, unique compilations and definitive artist and label box sets. In short, the kind of product that is lovingly packaged, expertly researched, compiled, annotated, tastefully designed and features rare or unreleased tracks.

Salvo is part of West London-based Union Square Music, one of the most successful independent catalogue labels in the UK. Established in 2000, its roster has grown to more than 850 titles, while a flourishing sub-licensing division controls more than 15,000 tracks from rock to classical, jazz to punk.

Salvo’s roster of over 100 bespoke titles includes the Madness and Slade back catalogues, as well as releases by Procol Harum, The Move, The Undertones, Nazareth, Roy Harper, Liza Minnelli, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Marmalade, Bob James, The Art Of Noise and Peter Green.

In 2007 Salvo won the Music Week Catalogue Marketing Award for the Slade ‘Feel the Noize’ campaign and the MOJO Magazine Vision Award for the ‘Slade In Flame’ DVD Collectors Edition, beating a host of major label projects in each case.

Salvo has a bumper crop of high profile new releases this Autumn, two of which are The Pirates’ ‘Shakin’ With The Devil: The Best Of The Pirates 1977-1979’ and Slade’s ‘Sladest’.

The Pirates collection is a two-disc, 52-track set from the legendary power trio that backed 60s superstar Johnny Kidd, whose ‘Shakin’ All Over’ ranks as possibly the most important English rock’n’roll single of all time. Their formidable lead guitarist Mick Green was cited as a major influence on The Who’s Pete Townshend, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, AC/DC, The Ramones and Wilko Johnson of Dr Feelgood. Reconvening in the mid-late 70s their swashbuckling approach also earned them significant kudos among the punk movement.

’Shakin’ With The Devil’ includes all three of The Pirates’ albums – the explosive ‘Out Of Their Skulls’ (1977), ‘Skull Wars’ (1978) and ‘Happy Birthday Rock’n’Roll’ (1979) - plus rare singles and unreleased tracks, completed by Salvo’s trademark informative booklet adorned with archive photographs.

Slade’s ‘Sladest’, originally released in 1973, captures the Black Country outfit at the very acme of their glam rock fame, featuring no less than five number one hits – ‘Cum On Feel The Noise’, ‘Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me’, ‘Take Me Bak ‘Ome’, ‘Coz I Luv You’ and ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’.

The Salvo version has been expanded by four tracks, among them ‘My Friend Stan’, a number two hit in 1973, ‘My Town’ and the Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grappeli pastiche, ‘Kill ‘Em At The Hot Club Tonite’, as well as a never-before-released take of ‘Hear Me Calling’, recently discovered on a vinyl acetate.

New sleeve notes by Slade aficionado Chris Ingham sit alongside new interviews with Slade guitarist Dave Hill and drummer Don Powell in an accompanying 16-page booklet.

Another brace of reissues then that not only affirm Salvo’s reputation as a specialist label par excellence, but celebrate its birthday in suitably rollicking fashion. Here’s to many more.

www.unionsquaremusic.co.uk

www.salvo-music.co.uk

For further information please contact Stuart Kirkham at 9PR on 07795 844611
stuart@9pr.co.uk
stuartkirkham@mac.com

Don Powell biography

2011-04-14T09:53:00.002+01:00

Don Powell biography: Don’s bio so far: "In 2006 Don Powell asked me to write his biography and back then I thought it would be a 2 year project like any other of my books. Today I’..."

It's great to know there will soon be something new to fill the void. Lise has been promising us this book for quite some time and there were times when it seemed like it would never happen. Now there is light at the end of the tunnel. This year, for the first time since childhood, I will look to Xmas with an air of optimism and excitement.

"Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall...."

Coz We Luv Them

2011-01-13T12:00:00.219Z

Black Country Bugle – Thursday, January 13, 2011

By Brian Nicholls

OK; so it's a bit of a play on words for determining an attention grabbing headline for this Bugle article, but .the title of Slade's 1971 number one single "Coz I Luv You" - written in just twenty minutes by Noddy Holder - was just that too good to resist!

Seriously though, the title sums up perfectly the dedication and contagious enthusiasm of fans Carole Williams and Chris Selby, who are keeping the flame alight for 1960's local Black Country pop groups The 'N Betweens, and then through their metamorphosis first into Ambrose Slade and finally, international recording and TV stars, Slade.

But the 'stars' of this article though are not the aforementioned groups, but Carole Williams and Chris Selby!

I met Carole at her home in Heath Hayes, near Cannock, along with Chris, from Aldridge, in July, for this story about the important role that a loyal fan base provides for both aspiring and successful local talent. In my quest as a local music historian I get to meet loads of musicians eager to tell a story (or a yarn), but rarely do I get the privilege to interview the most important element of those hedonistic days - the fans! It may sound like a cliché, but, without the relentless support of the fans like these who ventured out in all kinds of inclement weather and travelling on public transport or walking literally miles to see their favourite pop groups, there would have been no pop groups, venues or promoters!

I asked them both about where it all began.

Carole Williams, The ‘N Betweens fan club secretary, with some original flyers.

Carole: "I originate from Wolverhampton and I worked for Len Rowe and Stan Fielding (both former band leaders turned promoters) at the Astra Entertainment Agency in Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton. Stan offered me a job at Astra when he met me whilst I was attending a gig at The Woolpack Restaurant in Salop Street, Wolverhampton. Stan felt I would suit the Astra offices and so I jumped at the opportunity to work there.

The 'N Betweens outside The Tiger pub, Princess Street, Wolverhampton, in 1965.

During my very first week in the job, drummer Don Powell and lead guitarist Dave Hill from the 'N Betweens came in to the reception at the Astra office to pick up the group's wage cheque for that week. I'd seen them play at The Ship and Rainbow on the Dudley Road and also The Woolpack so obviously knew of them.

They asked me to say "Hello" next time I was at one of their gigs. I did just that and soon after, went on to become great friends and ultimately secretary of their busy fan club from 1965 through to late 1968, just as I'd met my future husband (whom I married in 1971), whereupon my fan club involvement naturally petered off.

… and beside the fountain in St Peter's Gardens.

My husband was a DJ and I remember Jimmy Lea knock king our door and saying "Carol, we need a copy of Get Down and Get With it - how quick can you get it on tape for me?" - I did the tape for him and, the rest as they say, is history".

I ran the UK-wide fan club from the time of the original line-up comprising Johnny Howells, lead vocal and harmonica, Cass Jones, Mick Marson, Dave Hill and Don Powell - through their first line-up change of Noddy Holder, Jimmy Lea, Dave Hill and Don Powell, who went on to become Ambrose Slade and then Slade. You just knew they were going to make good because they had a certain magic about them".

Chris Selby, Slade Historian, with just one of his many research volumes.

Chris: "I had no dealings with the 'N Betweens as I was still only 12 years of age when my Slade broke out on to the scene and that was at the time of their skinhead phase around October/November 1969. I actually lived on the Dudley Fields Estate in Bloxwich at the time and fell about laughing when my mates actually pointed out a guy who lived across the way from the Three Men in a Boat pub on the Beechdale Estate and said... "his name's Noddy"...

"That was the start of my fascination - I was, and still am, hooked!"

"I saw an Express and Star advert for Slade appearing at Aldridge Community Centre one Sunday evening in January so me and my mates walked all the way from Dudley Fields in Bloxwich to Aldridge to see them. We could only see part of the gig because we had to be back home early for school the next day which meant that we had to walk all the way back."

"My brothers grew up with music from The Shadows, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Moody Blues, David Whitfield and Les Paul and Mary Ford, but it was their music and not mine. The sight of Slade acting silly and dancing around the stage enjoying themselves made me real that, this was my music!"

Carole: "My influences from the age of 12 were Adam Faith & The Roulettes (who I later met a few times) and The Beatles who I saw at The Gaumont in Wolverhampton - and I say saw because the screaming was so loud none of us could actually hear them! I do have a much wider and modern taste as well though, as I particularly like Neil Diamond, Robbie Williams and Take That amongst many others."

"The 'N Betweens though were always my number one. They did lots of blues numbers and later, when Nod joined, they concentrated largely on Tamla Motown stuff at a time when all the other local groups were doing 'poppy' chart covers. I can still see them in my mind doing all those Four Tops and Temptations and Young Rascals songs. It was this that introduced me to Tamla Motown music. It was these boys that started my awareness and love of this type of music which continues to this day"

On the zebra crossing in Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton in 1965 (four years before The Beatles' famous Abbey Road cover with the Fab Four on a zebra crossing), The 'N Betweens, left to right, Dave Hill, Mick Marson, Johnny Howells, Don Powell, Cass Jones.

Chris: "My musical taste is so eclectic because there is a 10 year gap between me and the oldest of my brothers, so I was forced to and generally got to like everything from Kay Starr (Rock and Roll Waltz), Elvis Presley, Mario Lanza, Mothers of Invention, Janis Joplin and The Doors. In fact, I have a Mario Lanza CD on the player in the car as we speak"

I asked Carole and Chris (when I could get a word in!! such was their enthusiasm) "So what is it that still keeps the evident 'spark' alight after all these years?"

Carole: "Memories' Oh, memories of the immense fun we had in the 196O's and the seemingly endless great parties. I get quite emotional when I hear Gracie Fields because it reminds me of my grandparents' get-together's along with the 'swing' and wartime music that was a favourite of my mother who, incidentally, sang in an ATS band during her army days, Then there was the 'N Betweens who were genuinely my mates and because their 'music still stands up to this day".

"Their music still makes me feel like an 18 year old"

Carole: “Although the latest incarnation of Slade (Slade II) are different, apart from founder members Dave and Don, their music still makes me feel like an 18 year old. I saw them recently at a gig and we all got together afterwards for a nostalgic chat. Whenever I hear a Four Tops song such as I Can’t Help Myself the picture in my mind is of the original 'N Betweens line-up with Noddy standing there, knees turned slightly in, counting the rest of the group in and singing that song.

"I also remember Jimmy Lea singing Cherry, Cherry as his first song upon joining the 'N Betweens"

The 'N Betweens' new line-up in 1966, with Noddy Holder and Jimmy Lea.

Chris: “Slade start where other groups finish! I have seen all the other 'name' hands. but Slade are better. I did actually know of Nod in the early years because he was local to the Walsall area at the time and I kept on seeing him out and about but I didn't know of the rest of the group at all, although I have since met Don and Dave occasionally, but essentially. I am a fan of the music rather than a need to be a friend if you can understand that stance.

“I can still see them in my mind at The Civic Hall in Wolverhampton and I always remember how loud they were. My ears were still ‘ringing’ for 3 days after the show and. you could also 'feel' the music in your chest as you stood at the front of the stage. This was largely due to Jimmy Lea who actually played chords' on his bass - something I’ve not seen anyone else do since. They once replaced Black Sabbath as support group to Def Leppperd but on all accounts. Slade just blew them away and they made loads of new fans as a result. Some of the notable highlight venues of the era were Aldridge Community Centre. Walsall Baths. Wolverhampton Civic Hall and The Odeon in Birmingham”

Author

The shared enthusiasm of Carole and Chris arose out of the publication in 2001 of a book called 'N Between Times - An Oral History Of The Wolverhampton Group Scene Of The 1960's, by the late Keith Farley, a Wolverhampton author and historian.

Keith was also a local music fan. particularly of the blues and soul groups of the 1960’s but his book comprehensively covered every aspect of the West Midlands local music scene and was not about the 'N Betweens 'per se' even though they do get a good mention in it.

Carole's cousin Vicky enjoyed the book so much she wrote a letter to the Express & Star reflecting on the period it covered and also pointing out that her cousin (the here mentioned) Carole Williams was actually the former 'N Betweens fan club secretary.

“Chris had been trying to track me down for ages and I was just around the comer so to speak" mused Carole.

In turn, Chris, upon seeing the letter, contacted Carole via the paper, resulting in the information exchange that continues to this day.

'All of the local groups served their apprenticeships, unlike the manufactured people that we see on TV these days'

Of the two, it is Chris who is the ardent researcher and in his quest for Slade history has discovered links to the many formative groups that the boys played with pre 'N Betweens. These were. Steve Brett and The Mavericks. The Vendors, The Memphis Cutouts, and The Phantoms.

Chris: “There have been many books and articles written about Slade and the groups they evolved from but they did not tell the full and accurate story so I thought ‘this is rubbish' and, as a result became dedicated to rectify this and get the record straight. It is an obsession that I can’t switch off from.”

Fans

Carole: “I am still in touch with Danish author Lisa Falkenberg whom I met a few years ago at The Robin when drummer Don Powell introduced me to her. She is currently writing an autobiography about Don and at the time I did a "personal memories of young Don” piece for her book. In fact, as well as the UK, we had fans in France and Sweden and with some of whom I still correspond”

“I. like Chris. actually liked other local Astra groups such as The Californians, Lady Jane and The Rovaltee, The Montanas, Varsity Rag, Soul Seekers, Brad Ford and The Sundowners and Finders Keepers, but, in my opinion, none of them really matched the 'N Betweens who were the only local group for me.”

Overawed by the actual amount of research material that Chris had brought with him to the interview, I asked where all his work and dedication is taking him?

Chris: “Possibly, the madhouse! No seriously. I love doing the research and physically haunt the archives departments of Wolverhampton, Walsall and elsewhere in the West Midlands, tracking down snippets of information on Slade and their fore bears that the boys were members of. I have around 700 gig adverts and news items. There 'really needs to be a family tree of all the West Midlands groups as there are so many of them inter-linked"

Carole: "We didn't actually take loads of photos in those days - I now, on reflection, wish we had done so. Unlike today though, with digital cameras and camera phones being so prolific and cheap to use, all we had was a Kodak Instamatic and I remember it being very expensive to get films processed.”

Chris reflected on the demise of the local Black Country live music scene at the start of the 1970's, with the onset of progressive music which was for too loud for the average pub assembly rooms which made up the majority of the gigs.

Chris: “There was very, little going on locally from 1970 onwards - virtually nothing in fact! The small venues that were previously hives of musical activity had dried up resulting in only the larger concert venues' to choose from”.

Contracts

Carole once again reflected on her days at Astra. typing up the endless stream of gig contracts for the many groups to sign when they called in to her office every Friday for the next week's work (of typically seven to eight gigs).

A dream-like, almost psychedelic image of the group, taken from a flyer for the 'N Betweens fan club, in 1966.

Carole: “All of the local groups served their apprenticeships - unlike the manufactured people that we see on TV these days. The one thing that is still the same though, when Slade did become famous they all knocked four or five years off their actual ages and I rather liked that because I followed suit and became' one year younger than Dave Hill!''

Sincere thanks to Carole and Chris for providing such an interesting story.

Chris would like to talk or meet with Bugle readers who may have, or know of any memorabilia connected to "Slade" (pre-chart career), i.e. "The Phantoms''', "The Memphis Cutouts", "The Vendors", "Steve Brett and The Mavericks", "'N Betweens", "Nick and The Axemen", "Ambrose Slade".

Please contact the author via the Bugle editor.

(Keith Farley's book is now available on-line by going to:

http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/history/keithsbook/Keithsbook,htm)

This article appeared as a two page spread and a copy can be obtained at the Black Country Bugle website here.

A Message From The Slade Management Team

2010-12-07T21:30:00.034Z

"FOR THE ATTENTION OF SLADE FANS

Dear All,

I'm pretty sure we all agree that it would be nice to put together a DVD featuring the band’s audio/visual performances. The visuals and the sound quality need to be first class and the problem with much of the footage that’s been around is that the quality isn't up to standard.

So, in short, a professional compiler may be engaged to whom all proposals and suggestions can go, together with indications regarding available footage and its source, location and quality and then a decision will be made on which tracks can be included in the “Ultimate Videography”.

Bootlegs will not be tolerated as "Noddy, Jim and The Band" are the copyright owners.

A little bit of niceness between interested parties would not go amiss...

Kind regards,

Colin Newman"

Announced on The Slade Archive Forum, Colin Newman (the man in control of 'all things Slade'). are very interested in what we have to offer. This is a good opportunity to get a real lasting visual artefact of the band's legacy. USM/Salvo are not currently involved, this is literally Colin Newman showing interest in the 'possibility' of a project.

A USM Spokesman said:

"If it ever gets off the ground, it may well be something that we release but nothing has been decided as yet.

Mr Newman is determined that any such project should be of very high quality...

I think it’s a question of whether decent quality footage can be sourced at a realistic price because DVDs are usually expensive to put together and frequently those that control the footage (TV companies) have unrealistic financial expectations that can scupper the project. The footage almost always needs cleaning up, converting to new formats etc. anyway so that’s where more money goes

I do hope it goes ahead though and at least Mr Newman has gone public that he and the band are keen on the idea, which is a pre-requisite for anything to happen...."

Long lists of what we believe is hidden away are pointless, as are claims of 'conspiracy theories' and the like. The Slade/Colin Newman project team are interested in compiling a high quality video anthology, let's try to ensure they don't lose interest.

YouTube links are very useful in showing that the material exists, but a YouTube video isn't likely to make it to DVD. I think what we need is for people who have good quality videotape, film, etc. to contact Colin Newman with details of what they have and the source and quality of the material.

Colin Newman
Regent House
1 Pratt Mews
London
NW1 0AD

Slade Alive! 2009 Re-Issue

2009-09-28T20:00:00.004+01:00

Salvo SALVOLPV001

Originally released on the 24th March 1972, the group's critically acclaimed and most loved live album, instantly recognisable in it's bright red 'negative image', gatefold sleeve. This album became a Rock Icon almost overnight and 37 years later it still regularly turns up in 'All Time Greats' lists. Since there are still many audiophiles out there that still appreciate great rock music and the warmth of analogue sound, some wise man decided to push for a special vinyl release of Slade Alive! This 180 gram audiophile pressing in a replica gatefold sleeve has been skilfully remastered by Tim Turan at Turan Audio and released on Salvo Records. Salvo is Union Square Music's collector's label and they have had the job of remastering the Slade catalogue. In the collection Slade Alive! was bundled into the Live Anthology along with Slade Alive Volume 2 , Slade On Stage and the Reading EP's. Although it makes a good collection, Slade Alive! clocks in at just over thirty eight minutes and that may have tipped the scales for bundling the Live Anthology but this is iconic and the seven track album is a stand alone piece.

Hear Me Calling
In Like A Shot From My Gun
Darling Be Home Soon
Know Who You Are
Keep On Rocking
Get Down And Get With It
Born To Be Wild

The artwork is well presented, a good quality card, a high sheen finish replaces the matt, same bright red colour but this time the black is BLACK.

On the front, in the bottom right corner, a neat little Salvo logo replaces larger Polydor original. I have adjusted the contrast on my original cos its a bit blanched nowadays.

On the rear, the top right corner cat no is no longer required

and once again the original bottom left Polydor logo is replaced

but this time its accompanied by the ugly regulation bar-code.

Inside, all the original artwork remains, again it's all sharp as a pin. I won't reproduce the gatefold art because it is exactly the same as the original except for the credits below.

On the left hand side along the bottom we have extra credits. A small unobtrusive and neatly designed USM credit...

...and a larger, bolder, Newman & Co. address

The main visible difference on the cover is the spine info

It's strange seeing the Salvo Info instead of the familiar Polydor Super 2383 101

Removing the disc, the weight difference is considerable. The label has been designed to look familiar whilst being clearly different.

After the SALVO logo, the first thing you notice is the addition of 2009 Whild John Music above 1972 Whild John Music. The 1972 is no longer beneath the A for A side. The surrounding writing has some additional Re-Mastered info but otherwise, all looks very much the same.

If you click on the spine you'll notice that SLADE ALIVE! is all that is stated. On the original, SLADE was to the left, SLADE ALIVE! in the middle and POLYDOR SUPER 2383 101 to the right.

I guess the most important thing is, when placed on the turntable, to these 50 year old damaged ears, it sounds fresh and vibrant just the way it should. The high end heard on Tim Turan's CD re-mastering is not apparent here. On my average 'budget spec' turntable with a reasonable quality stylus, both copies of vinyl are the same except for a less muffled sound on this re-master. The tambourine is more apparent in the intro to Hear Me Calling and there is no sound sway when the track kicks in. It's a good, healthy, balanced sound and a very authentic package. It makes me want to buy a new turntable.

Officially released on April 13th but, due to delays, look for it as from 28th September.

The Myzsterious Myzster Lea

2007-12-15T12:00:00.001Z

Place August 15th, 1970

A portrait of the Myzsterious Myzster Lea

John Haxby interviews James Whild Lea

The cover drawing for Jim Lea’s new album ‘Therapy’ was madein 1976 by a Spanish artist while Slade were over in the States (the name ofthe creator eludes Jim). It may seem to be a strange choice for the cover of analbum that has been recorded some 31 years later and, I have to confess, I hadonly glanced at it. On closer inspection the eyes of Jim’s youthful (almostangelic) face seem to be windows into a troubled and introspective mind – theimage is both beautiful and menacing. In white Helvetica Bold the name ‘JamesWhild Lea’ strikes the same serious and confident tone that permeates his firstsolo album since the original Slade disbanded some 16 years ago.

SLADE : 1966-1991

The youngest member of Slade was born in 1949 and to thisday looks far younger than his years. “Myson and myself both had a problem with looking very young for our age… I usedto get thrown out of pubs – when I was 16 they thought I was 13… I had to joina band and be professional so I could get into gigs!!” His artistic andmusical talents were recognised at a very early age and he was soon playingviolin in the Staffordshire Youth Orchestra. “I am a creative person and I walk around with this creativity going onand often I don’t know what I’m doing! But I’ve always been like it… I was likeit when I was at school. Funnily enough my ex-art teacher came to my house andhe said to me “I’ve taught thousands of kids, some really great artists, but I’venever had anybody like you… you had an understanding of space and form when youwere 11 when I first saw you, and I thought ‘What on earth have we got here!’…and you didn’t do a thing with it!!’”Jim may have turned his back on beingan artist but he successfully used his creative talents to drive one ofBritain’s greatest rock bands on a journey that lasted 25 years.

Jim joined Slade (then known as the ‘N-Betweens’) in 1966. Iask him directly, Was Slade the rightband for your talents? His one-word answer is quick and assured “Absolutely.” “When I joined, particularlyNod was taking the piss out of me, y’know, but it took me two weeks to sortthat out! And I was telling them all what to play anyway, so… er… it was don’tplay that play this! I was immediately working out all the music and learningfrom the records.” Initially the N’Between’s played covers (arranged byJim) but their debut album ‘Beginnings’ (1969) (recorded under the name AmbroseSlade) contains the first Holder/Lea composition Pity the Mother which was composed in Nod’s kitchen (Jim’s thengirlfriend Louise – later to become Mrs Lea – was there and helped in thewriting). “Our arses were first kicked byJack Baverstock who signed us to Fontana for our first album. And then ourarses were kicked by Chas who split us off, and I wrote with Don and Nod wrotewith Dave… obviously Don and I were coming up with all the stuff… Don was deadkeen, y’know. But when we had ‘Get Down & Get With It’, Chas said ‘You’vegot to think of a follow-up’.” Jim teamed up with Noddy again to write thebands first No.1 single Coz I Luv You(October 1971) and with that the Slade songwriting hit-machine was born. Jimhappily acknowledges that the simple melody owes a large debt to StephaneGrappelli & Django Reinhardt. “I wentover to Nod’s with Lou’s (Louise’s) toy guitar – any ideas I’ve wanted totranslate or work-out have been on this toy-guitar – and we just cooked it-up…I write in my head, I don’t need gear… I remember talking to Andy Scott fromThe Sweet on Top Of The Pops, and he said “Well, I can’t write at the momentbecause my tape-recorder’s broken down.” I said “I don’t understand, why?” Hesaid “Because I can’t record it, DUMMY.” I felt like hitting him y’know. I justthought everyone was just like me and didn’t realise they needed to writethings down!”

The fame that came with chart-success proved to be apoison-chalice for Jim. “Fame? Well, Ihate fame. I don’t like it, I think it’s a mistake for people to seek itbecause they don’t realise that it’s a double-edged sword – then they get upsetwhen the darker side of it comes along. Certainly I wanted to be famous when Iwas a kid, then we had our first hit and it took me about a fortnight to decidethat this was bad. Dave picked-up a guitar because he wanted birds, y’know, andhe succeeded big time! That’s the normal drive with teenagers… if I’m in a bandI’ll get women… that’s how it used to be, but with me it was the opposite –women got in the way – I wanted to be with people who’d got record players andloved music.”

For the next five years, Slade were virtually unstoppablewith Jim and Nod churning out hit after hit. In terms of chart success, Slade’spopularity peaked in 1973 when they chalked-up three No.1’s and the ratherodd-ball No.2 hit My Friend Stan. Jimrelates that this single was chosen by Chas and that he would have preferred When The Lights Are Out, which laterappeared on the album Old New Borrowed& Blue – he also imparts that Chas was always worried that he wouldleave the band and want his own career, but he insists he would never have left.

By 1974 the songwriting duo were turning-in more wistfulsongs (How Does It Feel?, Far Far Away,So Far So Good, Heaven Knows) that became part of the soundtrack to theirhighly-respected film Flame. 1973 maywell have seen their biggest sales but 1974 was certainly a year when the groupreached its creative zenith. Jim agrees and wanted to go further in this newdirection – employing greater use of keyboards, orchestration and brass. “How Does It Feel? was the first song I everwrote – it was waiting for the right time to be used. Then the film came along– I wanted to make a serious film and though I was disappointed when it firstcame out – I like it now. About a month ago, 11 o’clock in the morning, we hadRadio 2 on… it was 5-to-11 and the DJ Ken Bruce said “Can we do Slade? Have wegot time?”He said “Yeah, we can. Go on, we’ve got time, come on let’s do it.Here we go.” ‘How Does It Feel?’ came on, and it was the album version and Istood there, (and I’m getting goosebumps now just thinking about it), and it’sthe first-time I’ve ever heard anything that I’ve ever done on the radio that’sstunned me. And I just stood there in front of the radio and the volume wentdown and down with the fade-out… and at the end he said… “Slade at the toweringmoment of their success.”and then he said “Excellent, excellent.” I wasknocked-out.”

But Dave wasn’t happy with this musical shift. “The more wistful thing wasn’t paying offin sales and popularity – we sold like 150,000 albums in England of Flamewhereas we would normally have done 250,000. Particularly Dave didn’t like it –‘No piano, we don’t want any keyboards – we want guitars and we want the rowbecause that’s what made us successful.’” After 1974 there came a period ofsearching that is evident as Slade’s style changed across Nobody’s Fools (76), Whatever Happened to Slade? (77) and Return to Base (79). “Chas’ thing was tokeep working and everything will be OK.”

Slade’s creative nadir came in December 1979 with therelease of Okey Cokey – I pull Jim’sleg about this one and he half-heartedly defends himself “The phone call was ‘If you don’t turn-up in the studio we’ll make itwithout you.

Q:“You didn’t want todo it then?

A:“God, you must bejokin’!!”

At the end 1979 through to 1981 Jim’s brother Frank cajoledJim into releasing three ‘solo’ singles under the moniker of The Dummies – andthen further singles under various pseudonyms (The Clout in 1990, Gang ofAngels and Jimbo in 1994 and finally Whild in 1999). “All that was my brother (Frank) kicking my butt to get into the studioto do something, that’s how it was – it was all dressed up NOT to be me. EvenThe Dummies was that. All the things you’ve just mentioned have not been drivenby ME at all, it was my brother kicking my backside. I don’t count any of thatstuff – they were just throwaway things.”

Slade’s performance at the 1980 Reading Festival became thespringboard to further success in the 1980s. A new ‘metal’ audience began towave the Slade banner and with it came higher and higher chart placingsculminating in My Oh My reaching No.2in 1983. Although Jim was happy to ride the wave and write to the ‘metal’ crowdhe, like Nod, wasn’t happy with the way production was taking over the creationof records – “The Americans in particularwanted production … it was the time of The Producer, and ‘rough’ was not thething, y’know, punk had gone.” Jim continues to be uncomfortable in thestudio enviroment – “I hate recordingstudios! I can’t plug anything in! Producers drive me mad – always messingaround with it, like rabbits going down holes! I’m a one-take wonder y’know…but they’ve gotta have a day fucking around with it. (They’re going to love meat the studio for saying that!). I was always frustrated in the recordingstudio – if I’m doing a vocal, often I’ll have never sung it before – it’s inmy head. I’m not really a singer, I just walk up to the microphone with theheadphones on – and you make friends with what you are doing and then you go‘OK, let’s roll it’ and it’s really pleasurable – and I start singing – reallyit’s the first take we use. I’m a first-take bloke.” Even today he remainsa self-confessed technophobe having no wish to carry a mobile phone, use e-mailor the access the internet – infact the best way to contact him is by sendinghis wife a SMS!

By the end of 1991 Slade finally fizzled out and, as Jimputs it, “I drifted into drifting.”

THERAPY : 1991-2007

Following the demise of Slade, Noddy chose to stay in thepublic eye evolving into a British institution annually wheeled-out as ‘MrChristmas’. Dave and Don formed Slade 2 in 1993 managing to produce only onederivative album in the past fourteen years and cashing-in with a ChristmasTour usually supported by tribute bands T-Rextasy and Mud. And Jim? Well, untilhis performance at the Robin, Bilston in 2002 it seemed as though Jim hadquietly slipped-out of the music business by the backdoor and retired to theseclusion of his home in Brewood away from fame and the glaring limelight thathe’d never felt happy or comfortable standing in. But those ensuing years actedas an important musical sabbatical that gave Jim both space and time for “… quite a bit of internal tinkering.”.Tinkering that, by 1997, had brought Jim to study psychology at RegentsCollege’s School of Psychotherapy, Regent’s Park, London. “I really enjoyed it but I didn’t go there to ‘learn’, I went there tobe ‘in’– if you like, I just went for a‘swim’ in it. People think I’m a psychotherapist but I’m not. I did the firstyear and then… um… the course leader, she said ‘Have you decided whether you’regoing to take the Psycho-Dynamic or the Existential route?’And I said ‘Afterthis year I’m gonna form a rock’n’roll band!! She was a bit shocked about that!!I said I would go back but I’ve never got round to it. I sort of fell throughthis self-journey that I’ve been on – it sounds selfish but it’s not. It’s… er…I’m extremely happy. Sometimes absolutely blissfully happy!”Jim elaboratesfurther on this new found passion for life –“It’s not in the obvious beautiful things in life, sunsets and all that, it’sjust in… Bloody hell, it’s amazing that everything exists… that I exist andthat one day I’ll have to go from this… and this is absolutely the most astonishingthing that one could ever contemplate. Maybe I’ve just woken from whatever crapI was in for the whole of my life.”

Through 1998 Jim was beginning to write and record again,but as the new millennium was ushered in he put everything on hold to help hismother care for his ailing father who passed away in November 2002. In the samemonth, Jim took to the stage for the first time since 1991 with a quicklyassembled band ‘Jim Jam’ (with Dave Catlin Birch on bass and Mike Tongue on drums)at the original Robin in Bilston for a one-off charity show. Referring to thefact that he was a shy man fronting a band composed of guys he didn’t reallyknow whilst playing lead guitar rather than his preferred bass, Jim comments “I wanted to jump off a cliff to find out ifI was existentially sound (laughs)! Am I going to be alive when I get to thebottom?… And of course I was! I tell you what, I was wishing I hadn’t done itbefore I went on but I’m glad I did it… and they keep asking me and asking meand asking me to do it again which I don’t want to.” The gig was recordedthough never released as a CD album (yet) though tracks from the performancecan be purchased as downloads from Jim’s website. He claims it to be one of theloudest gigs ever performed at the Robin and having heard the desk recordings Ican vouch for that – the whole show hits you like a Sherman tank!! “None of the audience could hear after that!We had amps plugged into amps! When we started up it scared the crap out of me!It was like World War III!”

And then there was Therapy…

“When I came to dothis, I’d looked after my dad for two years, helping my mother out… I gave upthe time to do it, then here I was sort of free of anything, and it was a bitlike rolling a dice. I should havemade a solo album years ago but I hadn’t found myself, although I didn’t knowthat that was the case at the time.” I ask Jim if he feels that with Therapy he has finally discovered thetrue voice of Mr Lea? “Absolutely.”

The first demos for Therapywere made around about the death of his father, which he believes contributedto the album’s ‘coming-of-age’ feel. He acknowledges that many of his peershave produced albums in a similar vain – Bob Dylan, Ray Davies, Robert Plant,Elton John and Lou Reed, to name but a few. As Jim honed down the tracks forthe album he realised that many, if not all, had a basis in psychology, thoughtand reflection. “I’d got so many tracks…hundreds of tracks… I said, ‘Look I’ve got to start honing these down’ and Ilooked at them and I said ‘Hang on, these are all sort of psychologicallybased, y’know, there’s something in there’… I hadn’t realised I’d been doingthis. Then the engineer said to me ‘Why don’t you call it ‘Therapy’?’”

The final thirteen tracks chosen for Therapy cover a myriad of emotions wrapped-up within Jim’s owndistinctive sound and style that happily acknowledges the influences of hismany musical heroes from The Beatles to Oasis and beyond… Content within hisown voice he reflects on fame (DeadrockUK, Go Out In Style, Your Cine World), insecurity (The Smile of Elvis),wisdom (Heaven Can Wait, Why is Youth Always Wasted on the Young?,Notice, Time & Emotion), women (CouldGod Be a Woman), domesticity (BigFamily) and relationships (Universe,Let Me Be Your Therapy). Powerful lyrics and strong melodies fuse with anintensity and a humour which successfully lighten an album that could have beenunbearably heavy. He deftly switches between ballad and rock compositions aseasily as an artist switches from pastel to paint. The only passing glance Jimgives to Slade is with the re-recording of the band’s very last single Universe (originally written by Leawithout Holder) which was only added to the album at the twelfth hour. Andfinally, as if to debunk the Jim Lea of old, and certainly to show that Therapy is a personal and confidentstatement, the album is attributed to James Whild Lea (his full name).

Jim was going to take Therapyto Polydor (the label Slade had been signed to in the early seventies) butbefore the arranged meeting could take place he realised that they would neverunderstand the project. “They were goingto want to know: what the hit was going to be, how do we market it, when areyou going to tour.” Uninterested in this rather archaic approach, hedecided to release the album on his own terms – by mail order and download. Tosome degree the technophobe has at last embraced technology and, by doing so,discovered a new creative freedom – “Recordshops are closing down big time. There is no music business anymore; it’sfalling to pieces. For me I’m doing something because I want to do it, it’s myart gallery if you like. If somebody wants to have a look – fine, if they don’t– it doesn’t matter.”

Sadly, Jim has no inclination to tour again as a solo artistor with a band. He doesn’t see the point of performing the songs from the albumlive – “I can’t see why anybody wouldwant to watch me doing it, y’know.” Jim sees Therapy as just that – therapy – and never envisaged the songsbeing taken on the road. He certainly has no need to tour as the twenty-five years he spent with Slade have lefthim financially secure giving him the enviable freedom to ride his new creativewave free of any monetary constraints. With a new found enthusiasm and afeeling that he is free of the many restrictions that the music industry onceimposed, Jim has already begun to assemble his second solo album under theworking title of ‘String Theory’. “Iwrite about just whatever comes into my head and I write really quickly… Ithink of the idea and I’m off, that’s it, it’s on the page and it’s done.”

Somehow I have the feeling that Therapy is more of a new beginning rather than a final postscript.The once shy boy in the red lame suit has finally emerged as the only originalmember of Slade still actively creating new music and pushing forward with anew voice. Welcome back Jim, you’ve been away for far, far too long.

Thanks again to John Haxby (Haxby.net) who carried out this interview (around December 2007) with Jim Lea intended for use, once again, in Rock 'n' Reel magazine but unfortunately it remains unpublished. John is also the man behind Kula Productions 'Bringing Live Music to North Yorkshire' among many other things. The shots of Mr. Lea were supplied by himself.

Looking at Last Nite

2007-09-26T12:00:00.006+01:00

Rock 'n' Reel, September/October 2007

An interview with Noddy Holder.

It’s strange to find myself sitting in the bar of the ManchesterMalmaison waiting to meet the man whose voice I first heard 34 years ago on Topof the Pops. Outside the steadily falling northern rain keeps me company as Ireflect on the 25-year career of Slade stretching from 1966 to 1991. Slade’sfirst chart run of seventeen consecutive hit singles (that included six numberones) began in May 1971 when Get Down andGet With It broke them into the Top 20 and ended in January 1976 with theappropriately titled Let’s Call It Quits.During this period they also had six hit albums (three of which went to numberone), made the highly-acclaimed film (‘Flame’), continually toured Europe andthe world and wrote one of the best loved Christmas pop records of all time.And then the fairytale ended… the hits dried up, America refused to beconquered and Punk exploded across the British music scene leaving Slade asyesterdays working-class heroes – it was all summed up by the title of their1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade?

By 1980 the group were on the very verge of splitting when a chanceoffer came to play at the Reading Festival. Slade’s legendary performance gavebirth to an amazing comeback that lasted until 1991 and a final chart single Radio Wall of Sound (No.21) – whichbecame their 34^th Top 100 single. And then Noddy Holder left theband along with his writing partner Jim Lea – since which time the originalSlade have never reunited on stage or performed together. Dave Hill and DonPowell went on to form Slade 2 and still tour to this day playing the Lea andHolder penned hits to an ever-ageing audience.

Noddy arrives on time sporting a mustard jacket and long paisleyscarf. We greet each other and settle into a corner with a pot of Earl Greytea. At 61 he looks dapper, cheery, relaxed and healthy – a man who seemscontent and settled in his years – a far cry from the rock icon of yesteryearwho strode the stage in tartan trousers, black mirrored top hat and redplatform boots.

For the past twelve months he has been giving interviews to promotethe reissue and remastering (by Tim Turan) of Slade’s entire back-catalogue(including B-sides and 12” versions) on CD by the Union Square label Salvo –who have done a wonderful job repackaging the albums with many rare photographsand extensive liner notes. Noddy begins by telling me that the releaseprogramme was timed to coincide with Slade’s 40^th Anniversary(1966-2006), and that he has overseen each stage although the track selectionwas left largely up to Union Square – “Ifwe’d done it we’d have all been squabbling over which ones to choose orwhatever! So we left it to the people who know and they obviously researchedwhat the fans wanted… We knew what we wanted on, I certainly wanted on stuffthat had never been on CD before – B-sides… various other stuff off ‘Return ToBase’. Fans had been squealing for years about having them… Everything prettymuch that we’ve ever had out on vinyl has now been released on CD. Union Squarehave done a fantastic job.”

I take this opportunity to raise a question concerning the mastertapes. Having detected that many of the tracks – particularly single A and Bsides – were lifted from vinyl (this has been confirmed to me by Salvo), I hadwrongly assumed that the original masters must have been lost. “We’ve still got the masters but we actuallyfound that on some of our records, especially in the old days, the way we useto mix them – we use to test them through little transistor sized radios to seehow they’d sound on radio… that’s the sort of sound we wanted… Oh yes, it was adeliberate policy to master off vinyl – we compared what we got off some of ourmaster tapes with what we got off our vinyl where they’d been compressed. Wewanted the sort of sound that we had in our old days.”

When the compilation album ‘Sladest’ was released in 1973 it pulledtogether all of Slade’s hit singles to date – it sold extremely well (No.1)because up until that point many of the 45s had not appeared on albums: Get Down & Get With It, Coz I Luv You,Look Wot You Dun, Take Me Bak ‘Ome, Cum On Feel The Noize and Squeeze Me Pleeze Me. Nod elaborates further: “We never had singles from albums… and if they were on albums thesingles had already been out. That was a deliberate thing… We had the best ofboth worlds… we sold tons of singles, we sold tons of albums… Now, we didn’twant to short-change the fans on records or on touring – if you look at some ofour old ticket prices we were really cheap to go and see! We purposely kept thecosts down, we subsidised it out of our own money (and our own royalties) – wekept the cost down of the tickets to see us live and you got twelve or so brandnew tracks on albums.”

Nod’s lyrics during this period were often misunderstood and areactually quite cutting and astutely observant of success and fame. “I’m not saying we didn’t change at all butwe certainly kept our feet on the ground probably more than a lot of peoplebecause we were still based in the Midlands, we still had a lot of our oldmates – but we saw a lot of our contempories totally changing. Fame changingthem, money changing them – I’ve seen it happen all through my career. I didn’twanna be them… People use to think the lyrics were flippant, but they’re notflippant – a lot of trouble was taken over the lyrics. It’s very hard to putacross in three minutes a good solid message in a song, and things thatprobably sound flippant on the surface are not flippant at all if you actuallylisten properly. I never do interviews where I discuss the lyrics of songs, Ithink it’s up to the listener to judge and get out of them what ever theywant.”

Throughout 1973 the Slade juggernaut seemed unstoppable – Cum On Feel The Noize and Skweeze Me Pleeze Me went straight toNo.1 and My Friend Stan made No.2. OnJuly 1^st they headlined the Earls Court Exhibition Centre for aconcert that was seen as a celebration of their success. The show was filmedfor prosperity but Noddy tells me “Wenever filmed and recorded it for public consumption, we did it for our ownkeepsake.” and, although the film is in good condition, the soundtrack isvery poor and not up to the standard required for a commercial release. Theyclosed a memorable year holding down the No.1 slot for four weeks with theirperennial Christmas hit Merry XmasEverybody – little realising that it would be their last chart-toppingsingle.

The ‘glam-rock’ tag pinned to Slade and their flambouyant stage attiremay have initially helped their success, but in the intervening years it hasgone a long way to detract from, and trivialise, their musical legacy. WhenUnion Square proposed the re-launching of the back-catalogue it was clearlywith the intention of establishing the credibility of the music – “I knew at some point the tide would turn inour favour. It started to happen a bit in the 90s when Vic & Bob did themickey-take of us ‘Slade In Residence’, Oasis covered ‘Cum On Feel the Noize’;things like that were happening. We were getting songs in movies, some of oursongs were used in adverts – the tide had started to turn and people started tolook into the back-catalogue. Union Square said to us “You’ve not got thecredibility you deserve from the music point of view.” Most people associated us with this wacky band they saw on Top of thePops every week – ‘Merry Xmas’ topping all that off – but it is also ‘MerryChristmas’ that has kept us in the frame for thirty-odd years.”– reflectsNod. “Me and Jimmy are not the first twoyou think of as us up there with the big songwriters… but we’ve written morethan forty-odd hits and over twenty-odd albums – it’s a big body of work.”

Therelease of ‘Old New Borrowed & Blue’ (1974) marked a distinct shift in thewriting style of Lea and Holder – a deliberate move away from the foot-stompingrockers of the previous three years. The disc opens with the superb-cover Just A Little Bit which Mr Holder tellsme he first heard in 1964 when The (Liverpool) Undertakers released it (TheUndertakers name was later used for one of the bands in ‘Flame’) and finisheswith the Stonesy Good Time Gals. Sandwichedin between are ten tracks that cover a pot-pourri of styles – the ballads Everyday and Miles Out to Sea; the honky-tonky Find Yourself a Rainbow; the pure-pop of When the Lights Are Out as well as the fearsome rockers We’re Really Gonna Raise the Roof, Do WeStill Do It and Don’t Blame Me.

Nodinsists it was important for the band not to get bored – “The fatal thing for a band is to tread water. We probably could havehad more number ones than we did – we got robbed on a couple of occasions!”He recognised that the groups desire for new artistic and creative challengeswould, to some degree, be at the expense of the 3-and-a-half-minute hit. “We knew we could not survive in terms oflongevity just churning out Slade anthems – and as writers we didn’t want tojust write Slade anthems, I didn’t as a singer. I knew I could sing all sortsof songs – ballads, country songs – I didn’t just wanna be a ‘shouter’ as I wascalled.”

Salvolabel manager Chas Chandler (no relation to Slade’s long-time manager!)believes that the movie ‘Slade In Flame’ is the jewel in the legacy. It has nowbeen released on DVD as a widescreen presentation – the new print is cleanerand brighter and the sound (although in mono) has been much improved. Shot andreleased in 1974 the film is now garnering praise and has been acclaimed as oneof the best of its genre. In a way it was the film Slade shouldn’t have made but fortunately did! This gritty motion picturetakes the varnish off the music industry and exposes its darker underbelly asit follows the fortunes of a fictional pop-group called Flame. Nod continues: “We could have done a slap-stick comedy, andpissed through that, and people would have loved it… We wanted to make aserious movie – none of us had ever acted but we knew the sort of movies weliked. What was the use of doing a movie we just fooled around in but we didn’tlike?”

Flame’sstyle harks back to the British ‘kitchen-sink’ dramas of the late fifties andearly sixties epitomised by (amongst others) A Kind of Loving, Saturday Night Sunday Morning and Room at the Top. It starred a young TomConti, the late Alan Lake and Johnny Shannon – quality British actors that gavethe film real backbone and much needed support to Nod, Dave, Don and Jim. “It would have been no good us doing anarty-farty film because we are not arty-farty type people – it sat perfectlywith our working-class background.” Unfortunately the hard-hittingstoryline left critics and fans less enthusiastic and somewhat baffled as itwas unexpected and didn’t sit well with the band’s goodtime ‘glam’ image. Inmany viewers eyes the identity of ‘Slade’ and ‘Flame’ became blurred and thisseems to have had a knock-on effect as Slade’s popularity began to wane through1975 and 76. I ask Nod if the response to the film had affected the group – “Dave and Jim certainly were deflated. Davemore so but Jim was as well (at the time) because it was a kick-in-the-teethreally because we knew it was good… Dave thought it was a mistake but he alwayssaid it; you gotta give Dave his due – he said it when we got the script, hesaid it when we were filming it and he said it when he saw it – so he didn’tchange his mind! He thought it was too near the mark, too near the knuckle ofexposing what goes on behind the rock industry – and he’s entitled to hisopinion. The teen audience didn’t get it – we half expected that to happen butit was no good us catering for that audience. Making a movie was a totally differentball game to anything we’d done before – we could not make a credible movie andexpect it to entertain that young market of ours.”

Theaccompanying soundtrack ‘Slade In Flame’ is arguably Slade’s finest 40 minutes.The record is tight and cohesive and filled with well-honed ballads and rockersfrom the exquisite How Does It Feel? (clockingin at just under six minutes), wistfulFar Far Away, reflective So Far So Good to the hard-pumping rockof Standing On The Corner, Them Kinda Monkeys Can’t Swing and OK Yesterday Was Yesterday. The album’sa corker – buy it!!

Nod’spersonal favourite the superb Far FarAway became the first hit single from the film but it galled him when itwas held off the top slot by crooner Charles Aznavour’s She – (at the time the theme song for the ITV series ‘Seven Facesof Woman’). The follow-up How Does ItFeel? stalled at number 15 – the first Slade 7” not to make the Top 10since 1971 – which was extremely disappointing as it is without doubt one ofJim and Nod’s most ambitious and finest compositions. It was also a portent ofthings to come.

Havingfirst visited the States at the end of 1972 Slade returned to tour in ’73 and’74 with little success. In 1975 they began the real American offensive byrelocating the band to New York – a base from which to work and tour thecontinent over the following two years. By neglecting the home market theyrisked losing popularity in the UK and this appeared to be happening when In For a Penny and Let’s Call It Quits both only managed No.11. The 1976 Nobody’s Fools album (which featuresNod’s favourite Slade sleeve) was clearly aimed at the American market and itwas the first Slade album since ‘Play It Loud’ (1970) not to get into the UKTop 10 (it made No.14). The third single off the album, the title track Nobody’s Fool was the last single to bereleased on Polydor before Slade moved to Chas Chandler’s newly formed Barnlabel. The single didn’t chart.

“We gave up two years from the rest of theworld to try and crack America because it was the only market, up until thatpoint, that hadn’t happened for us. We were getting stale we thought in Europeanyway… we’d done the movie… it was the only market left we hadn’t cracked. Weproved ourselves around America live on many tours, many times… New York wecould headline. LA, San Francisco we couldn’t headline – they didn’t get us… Inthe Midwest we were storming it… The acts that you mentioned earlier like BlackSabbath, Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, those ilk of acts were album acts inAmerica and considered so – but they worked America over and over. FleetwoodMac were there six years before they had a hit… now, we couldn’t afford tospend that amount of time there away from the rest of the world… Itwas crippling financially…” Without a big hit single stateside from Nobody’s Fools the album didn’t selleven though it was critically well-received. Noddy is more sanguine and likesto emphasise the achievements that Slade had in the States and lists manycities where they could sell-out 20,000 seater venues – Philadelphia, Chicago,Detroit, Kansas, Cleveland. “We had amass following over there but not enough to become massive. Quo toured Americaand couldn’t even catch a cold!” It is worth noting that many of Slade’speers also failed across the Pond – Bolan, The Sweet, Roxy Music and Thin Lizzyto mention just a few.

WhenSlade returned home in May 1977 to promote their new album Whatever Happened to Slade the musical landscape in the UK hadchanged considerably under the onslaught of Punk. Even though the band weretighter than ever and the album was a stunning return to form (often hailed astheir best), audiences and sales were moving in ever decreasing circles.Through ’78 and ’79 the group were kept afloat on publishing royalties andsales from the back-catalogue along with touring in Europe where they werestill successful. But by the end of 1979 Dave Hill had effectively left theband and Jim had started his own off-shoot with The Dummies. The decline wouldhave been complete had it not been for an offer to play the 1980 ReadingFestival as a replacement to Ozzy Osbourne. Dave didn’t want to play it andNoddy failed to talk him around – but Chas’ persuasive powers were too much andon the 31^st August Slade took to the stage for what was expected tobe the last time. Their storming performance that day has passed into rock-loreas they trounced the other acts and catapulted themselves back into the arms ofthe British public and back into the charts for a comeback that would last untilthe end of the decade.

Whenasked “If Reading had not happened, wasthere a game plan?” his answer is remarkably candid – “We would have finished. I would have carried on as a solo artist, madea solo album and got a little band and gone back on the road. I would haveprobably started accepting some of the work I was getting offered in TV andstuff like that, and I was also getting offered work from the West End stage.That’s what I would have had to have done.” I then seize the moment to askNod if he writes anymore – he frankly replies: “Occasionally when I get commissioned but not as a matter of course,no.”

AlthoughNoddy finally left Slade in 1991 the seeds to that decision were sown back to1984. “The point at which I knew I had toapproach things in a different manner – I didn’t want to leave the band – wecouldn’t just be doing album-tour-album-tour round and round and round andround was when we went out to America on the strength of ‘Run Runaway’. We’ddone six warm up shows on our own, top-of-the-bill, small venues – 5,000seaters – we’d sold them all out, we’d played great. Then we had to join theOzzy Osbourne tour and, um, Jim got hepatitis after the first show in SanFrancisco. We came of stage, Jim collapsed – so we obviously had to come home.We stayed on for another couple of weeks because he was too ill to travel andwe stayed in a Sunset Marquee in LA while I went out on the road doingpromotions for radio… On the way back the record company had set-up a showcasein Cleveland which was absolutely disastrous… and basically when we got on theplane to come home after that I thought I’m not going back and doing thisanymore. It’s not what I want to do anymore… I got home and my marriage waspretty much on the rocks because of the pressure – my Missus didn’t think I’dbe going back out to America and spending months there again which would havehappened, so she wanted to call it a day. All these things were spiralling allat the same time. My dad was very ill at the time as well – plus the fact thatI didn’t want to go back to being the opening act again in America after allthat time – I didn’t want to go back ten years and do the same thing all overagain… It didn’t feel right. Nor did I want to go out on the same treadmilldoing ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ for the next ten or twenty years.”

OnceSlade had stopped touring the band continued to record albums up until 1987 – Rogues Gallery, Crackers and You Boyz Make Big Noize – “I think we madesome great albums in the Eighties but it wasn’t what I was in a rock’n’rollband for. When we worked with Chas Chandler it was very much four blokes in astudio playing as a rock’n’roll band and bringing out records – very fast. Whenthe CD revolution came everything took forever – it took three days to get adrum sound, everything was done separately, in layers – we didn’t really playtogether in the studio… I used to call it “recording by numbers”… I have nointerest in sitting around in a studio for three days listening to Don gettinga snare drum sound! The essence of Slade to me was ‘feel’. I had been in theband at that point for twenty-two years, same four blokes… we were beginning toget stale…”

Towardsthe end of the interview Noddy added: “Itwould have been no good the four of us staying together anymore, we weren’tgetting on like we used to when we were a young gang – I’m glad I left and I’mglad I did it at the time I did it… if I had to be truthful I should probablyhave done it five years before, maybe even ten years before, because the offersI let go by I sometimes regret – I did have some very good offers fortelevision stuff and that, which I let go by-the-by. I never really saw myselfgoing past forty in rock’n’roll bands anyway… after twenty-five years I didn’twant to carry on working with the same four guys anymore. They got miffed whenI said I was finishing but I’m sure, if they’re truthful to themselves, theytoo wouldn’t have wanted to play for the rest of their lives as the same fourguys together… So Jim’s happy doing what he’s doing now and I’m sure Dave andDon are happy with what they’re doing.”

Unhappywith the drift of the band Noddy felt that it was time to investigate theoffers of work being made to him from out with the Slade bubble. He finally cutthe cord in 1991 after the single Universefailed to chart (though Nod liked it) – this was probably due to poor promotionand to the fact that it had already appeared on the 1991 Wall of Hits compilation some months earlier. “With the failure of ‘Universe’ I decided it was time to knock-it onthe head.”

Sixteenyears later Noddy appears to be a very relaxed and contented man. “If I had still been with Slade there’sno-way I would have done the stuff I’ve done since… which I think has been goodfor me and it’s been good for Slade. It was a great period of my life buttwenty-five years is a long time… I would never have had the chance to dothings like The Grimleys, I was in the live episode of Coronation Street (40^thAnniversay) and I’ve done about ten advert campaigns in the last ten years… Iget offered a lot of acting stuff – a lot of it is playing rock stars who topthemselves and I don’t wanna go down that route! I do enjoy acting but Iwouldn’t want to be a full-time actor – no way. I love doing radio ’cause I’vealways been a radio buff since I was a kid – radio is my first love really. AndI keep in touch with the music scene through working in radio as well. I’veprobably got to the stage in my life where stuff gets offered to me all thetime and I pick and choose which ones I wanna do and which ones I don’t wannado… I get offered all these reality shows but there’s no way I’m gonna do anyof them.” Nod tells me he’s been offered Big Brother and I’m ACelebrity, in fact he gets offered them every year! “Basically I’m still what I was when I was a seven year old kid – I’man entertainer. I don’t want my work load to be heavy anymore, I’ve got a younglad now that I want to see growing-up which I missed with my first two kids. Mylife is very, very balanced now.”

AsNoddy leaves I find myself shaking the hand of a man who rode the rock’n’rollrollercoaster for far longer than many but knew when to get off and choose anew direction – and I admire him for that. I do miss Slade though… and oftenhear the refrain of Cum On Feel The Noizeechoing down through the decades reminding me of a time when rock was awonderful cocktail of passion, energy… and, most importantly, fun.

©John Haxby 2007

Download Noddy Holder by John Haxby.pdf 1.37 MB

Many thanks to John Haxby at Haxby.net for this excellent interview (carried out around April 2007, originally published in Rock 'n' Reel magazine, Vol 2 No5, in September 2007) but most of for some great shots of Mr. Holder that capture the normal man at the heart of a mighty myth. John is also the man behind Kula Productions 'Bringing Live Music to North Yorkshire' among many other things.

Short Hair: BBC 1970 - 1973

1998-06-01T12:00:00.010+01:00

Germany 1998

Due to broadcast restrictions, the BBC made their own recordings for airplay. They would bring groups in to record a number of songs and press them onto vinyl for their own exclusive library. These songs were not made for official release but would be used by the BBC to overcome the airplay restrictions for officially released material.

Most of these recordings up to the mid 90's were only heard by a few radio listeners, most of who were probably not listening. Fortunately, somebody was interested enough to actually record the broadcasts on cassette tape and save the tapes. These tapes came to light in the 90's and were made available to a small number of people with the right contacts.

"Made By A Fan For A Fan"

Some were pressed to vinyl privately for distribution amongst fans and later with the advent of CD burning technology, new mass produced collections came to light such as this one dated 2003 which I believe was available earlier around 2000. On sale through Russian on-line shops, bootleggers filled the hole in the avid Slade fans collections. Those not fortunate enough to have the contacts at the time were charged full price for these collections. I don't think many would feel ripped off though, I certainly would have paid much more for these tracks.

The 'N Betweens had a couple of recording sessions in December 1968, one on the 8th was for radio broadcast. As from 1st January 1969 they would be known as Ambrose Slade. It's possible that this was a BBC recording session.

The following Slade session info is from a 1993 book called 'In Session Tonight - The Complete Radio One Recordings':

Broadcast date - 8/6/69 - Dave Symonds on Sunday Show - Recorded 2/6/69 as Ambrose Slade.

Everybody's Next One
C'mon, C'mon
Good Old Desk
The Raven (not Broadcast)
(I like seeing C'mon C'mon as an Ambrose Slade track nine months before it became a Slade recording and The Raven nearly a year and a half before it graced Play It Loud?)

Broadcast date - 28/4/70 - Mike Harding Show - Recorded 25/3/70 as Slade.

The Shape of Things To Come

Omaha

Sweet Box

I Remember

Broadcast date - 12/1/71 - Mike Harding Show - Recorded 11/1/71.

Man Who Speaks Evil

Dirty Joker

The Gospel According to Rasputin

Do You Want Me

Broadcast date - 13/5/71 - Stuart Henry Show - Recorded 5/5/71.

Get Down And Get With It

Man Who Speeks Evil

My Life Is Natural

In Like A Shot From My Gun

Broadcast date - 27/1/72 - Pete Drummond Show - Recorded 12/1/72.

In Like A Shot From My Gun

My Life Is Natural

The Shape of Things To Come

Look Wot You Dun

Broadcast date - 26/5/72 - John Peel Show - Recorded 9/5/72.

Move Over

Let The Good Times Roll

Gudbuy Gudbuy

Darling Be Home Soon

Keep On Rockin'

These sessions do not account for all the songs known to have been recorded at the BBC. Other songs have surfaced that are almost certainly from Slade's BBC sessions:

Nights In White Satin

Coloured Rain

Wild Winds Are Blowing

Know Who You Are

See Us Here

Getting Better

It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft

Coming Home

Gudbuy T' Jane

"They were taken from my collection some years back, or some of them were, definitely. They are not really Russian, Germany was the source, well known bootlegger.... you will often see Slade bootlegs supposedly from Russia and Poland.

About five years ago when SIE went live with just 10 mb of web space available, I stupidly sent a load of stuff to a bloke in Germany in good faith, he started producing the CD's shortly afterwards, at first a supposed Luxembourg pressing, then when it got too hot, a quick bit of cut and paste they were from Russia."
Dave Graham 2005

The advent of the internet and mp3 technology has made sharing exclusive material much easier but unfortunately, the downside is that it also makes it easier for certain people to make a quick profit from those 'not in the know'. Many have been charged exorbitant prices for 'rare' material only to find that it was freely available in the right circles.

As from October 2009, this rare collection of BBC Studio recordings will be made available officially by Salvo Records. This special release, an exclusive project championed by Chas Chandler (this is NOT Bryan "Chas" Chandler) of Union Square Music, comes in the advent of the Salvo Remastered Catalogue.

Slade: Live At The BBC 1969 - 1972 comes as a 2xCD release, alongside a live 1972 BBC performance recorded on 17th August 1972 at the Paris Studios and broadcast on BBC Radio One "In Concert" 30th September 1972.

On this release, the whole collection has been taken from the original BBC archive recordings. I believe, but am awaiting confirmation, that the project is also remastered by Tim Turan as was the rest of the Slade catalogue.

Night & Day - The Mail on Sunday Review supplement

1995-10-08T20:00:00.000+01:00

OCTOBER 8 1995

by D J Taylor

"I think we were before our time"
Noddy Holder, September 1995

Jim, Dave, Noddy & Don were once the clown princes of Seventies Glam. But where on earth are Slade now? Big in the Ukraine, apparently.

A balmy late summer evening finds me seated in the foyer of a plush-ish hotel 20 minutes or so as the taxi rides from Gatwick airport. Before long a blue estate car pulls into the forecourt, and a clutch of roguish-looking blokes - long hair, sawn-off jeans, cigarettes mandatory - jump out and start heaving guitar cases out of it. Supervising these endeavours is a smallish man in scarlet shorts and trainers, with an odd but faintly recognisable hairstyle: receding at the front, drooping into lanky fronds at the sides.

I do a double take. The hair. The toothy grin. The strains of a Wolverhampton acccent drifting through the open door. It is, indisputably, Mr Dave Hill. This, heaving its gear towards the reception desk, stretching its legs after a five-hour crawl from the Midlands, searching desperately for somewhere to extinguish its fag stubs, is the entity known as Slade.

Twenty-four years is a long time, especially in pop music. I discovered Slade on a Thursday evening in October 1971 when, sitting down to watch Top Of The Pops on my parents' black and white television set, I found them launching into Coz I Luv You, a classic piece of early Seventies stomp - bass drum thumping like a metronome, eldritch violin flourishes, a voice like a cut-throat razor bawling 'I won't laugh at you when you boo-hoo-hoo, coz I lurve you'.

Quite as extraordinary was the ensemble performing it. There were four of them: a cheery-looking, bug-eyed front man who seemed to have stepped from the pages of Oliver Twist, a boyish violinist, a solid drummer and an extrovert guitar-player who was teetering around the stage on four inch heels. Noddy, Jim, Don and Dave.

These outfits were all self-inflicted, 1973...

Prompted by the first ineluctable stirrings of what the New Musical Express used to call 'a pop sensibility', I decided to buy it. Was it going to be a hit? my mother wondered with suitable middle-class concern, as I plonked down the 50 pence piece on the counter of the record section in Jarrold's department store, Norwich.

Of course it was. Coz I Luv You stayed at Number One for four weeks, and was still hanging around the charts at Christmas. I started buying a pop paper called Disco 45 ~ which printed the lyrics and revealed, among other things, that Noddy's real name was Neville. A whole new way of life had begun.

Between 1971 and 1975 Slade were the biggest pop act in England. Sixteen of their singles made the top five. Their live album, a no-nonsense effort with the grounding title of Slade Alive, graced the Top 30 for 17 months. Three of its successors went to Number One. There was even a film, Flame, in which the boys starred as the pop group of the title.

And then, unaccountably, Slade blew it. They spent three years and several hundred concerts failing to conquer America, in the meantime releasing a series of steadily more inferior singles for the home audience. By the time they came back their original audience had vanished, and Top Of The Pops was full of spiky tops in leather jackets. Even so, Slade never quite disappeared.

...And so were these, 1974. The mirrored-covered hat is the only souvenir Noddy has kept from those days.

The re-releases of Merry Xmas Everybody, their yuletide smash from 1973, kept on coming. In the early Eighties they re-emerged as something very close to a heavy metal band and played the festival circuit. Even as recently as 1991, they made the Top 30 with a new number, Radio Wall Of Sound. And Merry Xmas returned in 1993.

Nothing special, perhaps, in the pop longevity stakes, as the career of Sir Cliff Richard reminds us, but not bad for a gang of early Sixties Wolverhampton teenagers fixated on The Beatles and Tamla Motown who even now, 30 years later, are checking into their hotel prior to the flight to Denmark and another European mini-tour.

Fifty per cent of them, that is. In fact, this is Slade II (a designation that concert bills and record sleeves are scrupulous in maintaining). Noddy Holder and Jim Lea are gone now. Noddy, who has houses in Cannock and Cheshire and whose 'hobby' is cooking, is pursuing a career playing Seventies music on Manchester's Piccadilly Radio. Jim, apparently, is training as a psychotherapist, though this is something he's muttered about all down the years - at least since he parted company with the bottle. 'I didn't exactly have a nervous breakdown,' he said in his last public statement, when Slade released a greatest hits album in 1991. 'I just began to feel a bit weird.'

Check-in conviviality notwithstanding, a certain amount of segregation seems to be in order with Slade II. S0 'Mr Hill' - somehow it seems unreasonably funny to hear Dave introducing himself thus at reception - dines in the restaurant, while the new, young members disappear for a bag of chips. Whatever the hierarchies thereby exposed, Dave and Don are anxious to commend the contributions of their new side-men. 'We had to look for them,' Dave reveals, 'use our experience.' This may mean that the selection process was unusually complex, requiring the reckoning up of all manner of talents and temperaments. Or it may just mean that nobody turned up for the audition.

And so, here we are in an all-but empty hotel restaurant, fussed over by a brace of teenage waitresses who have an idea they're in the presence of celebrity without quite knowing what that celebrity consists of. With all the abandon of the escaping family man (Mrs Hill and kids are back in Wolverhampton), Dave tucks into a gargantuan plate of steak and chips. Don, whose wife is elsewhere in the hotel, sticks to coffee.

But then, as a result of a car accident in 1973, which killed his fiancée, Don has no sense of smell or taste. 'I can't taste a thing, and eat purely out of necessity. I still don't eat the things I never used to like, but that's purely out of nostalgia. I can't taste them anyway.' Nor does he have much of a memory: he can only recall what happened yesterday by consulting his diary.

Twenty years on from their TOTP heyday ('They used to call us the house band') they look like ... Well, actually they look hugely like what they used to look like two decades back: Dave an amiable goblin, Don a more humane version of Alice Cooper.

Dave Hill, 1974. He later sold his guitar for £3,000

The departure of Messrs Holder and Lea, it transpires, simply returned the band to its antique state. Both nearing their half century (the reference book I consulted turns out to have taken six years off Dave's age and four off Don's), the boys started getting things together in 1962, back in a world made radiant by Hank Marvin's guitar.

Subsequently augmented by the song writing talents of Noddy and Jim, The In-Betweens (sic), as they were then known, started out playing the pubs of the West Midlands. At this point their repertoire consisted of Beatles covers, Motown approximations and early Holder-Lea originals. A three-and-a-half-month residency in the Bahamas ('It was supposed to be six weeks but the hotel bill hadn't been paid') exposed them to the kind of contemporary Americana being played by Steppenwolf and John Sebastian, tributes to whom appear on Slade Alive. An offer to audition at Fontana Records was accompanied by an order to change their name. In a competition organised by a more or less notional fan club, 'Ambrose Slade' won out. Their debut album, Beginnings, features one of those wonderful late Sixties covers - the boys, shirtless, weaving around in a kind of collective trance and looking desperately unhappy (the torment was physical rather than spiritual, the consequences of Arctic weather and an avant-garde photographer).

Beginnings failed to propel Slade - they'd dropped the 'Ambrose' early on - out of the Midlands four-ale bars and into the pop firmament. By this time, though, the boys had managed to hook up with a powerful mentor, Chas Chandler, formerly bass player with Sixties behemoths The Animals and subsequently Jimi Hendrix's manager.

Their manager told them to become skinheads, 1970.

He instructed them to change their image. Out went the hippie shirts and shoulder-length locks; in came hair cut to the regulation eighth of an inch, Sta-prest jeans and DM’s. Pictorial records of this period in the band's career are not prepossessing. I take it, I say, that the skinhead thing was contrived. Heads nod.

But promoting Slade as a bunch of raucous working-class hooligans (even the titles of the early singles were punctiliously misspelt) paid immediate dividends. A rabble-rousing version of the crowd-pleaser Get Down And Get With It, featuring a Holder vocal calculated to shatter glass, made the Top 20 in summer 1971. Shortly afterwards, the boys found themselves dropped on that loud, lonely planet of hit singles, endless tours and mental and physical exhaustion. 'The world we lived in wasn't real,' Noddy once said. 'I just got up, flew to the next gig, played, got drunk, slept and did it again.' Do you remember any of it? I ask Don. 'We never knew where we were,' he says.

Oddly, perhaps, Slade suddenly found themselves in the vanguard of a movement they knew next to nothing about - Glam Rock, that odd combination of high camp, eye-liner and Spandex trousers that somehow ganged up and captured British pop in the early Seventies.

Unlike the Sweets and the Mud’s, though, who were merely front men for conveyor belt song writing teams, Slade wrote (and played) their own material. More important, perhaps, unlike many a pop contender, they tried to retain a precarious hold on their own destiny. Noddy recalls meticulous career plans. 'Things didn't happen off the cuff for us. You know, we wanted a hit record, and when we got a hit record we wanted a Number One record, and then when we had a couple of Number Ones we wanted a record that would go straight in at Number One on the first day of release.'

The early singles were exemplary pieces of Seventies rock 'n' roll. Influential, too, as anyone who has ever played a Slade single side by side with the Rolling Stones' 1974 'comeback' It's Only Rock 'n' Roll will appreciate. Yet somehow, their appeal managed to encompass both the average (male) teenager who regarded them as guitar-ing football hooligans and the family audience without ever quite alienating the people who bought the records in the first place.

Noddy, 1995. He's a DJ, has two teenage daughters, two houses and his 'hobby' is cooking.

Watching Noddy Holder manipulate an audience, lemur eyes bulging out from beneath his flat cap and the explosion of foxy hair, you were conscious of a great many older, pre-pop personae coming together: the fairground barker, the vaudeville entertainer, the music hall comedian. (Noddy’s father had brought him up on a diet of Max Miller and Al Jolson.) Marc Bolan had designs on your daughter; Slade simply wanted you to have a jolly good knees-up. As Noddy cheerfully remarks, 'We couldn't be cool if we tried.' Regular blokes in fancy dress, in fact? 'Exactly.'

And then it all turned sour. By 1975 the singles were going Top 20 rather than Top Five;· America, mapped out in half-a-dozen gruelling coast-to-coast tours, remained resolutely un-crack-able. With hindsight they admit that the US was a mistake. 'I think we were before our time,' says Noddy.

Returning to England in 1977, they found themselves on a different musical planet. Watching The Jam play at a club in Wolverhampton, Don realised that the old order was in retreat. Slade singles stopped charting. Even Dave Hill's new get-up shaven head, Star of David earring, leather jacket - failed to halt the slide. Hammersmith Odeon rapidly gave way to Working Men's Clubs in the North of England.

There were personal consequences as well. While Noddy reckons that years on the road and the break-up of his first marriage are unconnected, the others are less sure. By August 1979 things were at a low ebb: the band had no record deal, hadn't played a concert in months and the finances were becoming a problem - the huge nest-egg of English royalties had gone in paying motel bills in Nowhere, Nebraska.

Then, in one of those magical transformations that occasionally enliven the average pop career, the organiser of the Reading festival called up. A fairly low spot on the bill, previously occupied by Ozzy Osbourne, had fallen vacant. Were Slade interested?

What followed has all the trappings of myth. Having rehearsed in a village hall, proceeded to Reading under their own steam and finessed their way past disbelieving security guards ('Noddy who?'), Slade blew every name band off the stage, played their greatest hits to the delight of an ecstatic crowd, and concluded the proceedings with a gang show version of ‘Merry Xmas’. As chance would have it, the gig was recorded by Radio One. A four-track EP of Reading selection’s put Slade back in the charts for the first time in two-and-a-half years.

After which, in a muted and slightly more low-key fashion, the whole business began again. With slight misgivings, Noddy and Jim sat down and started writing songs with titles like We'll Bring The House Down and Lock Up Your Daughters, interspersed with a nice line in Christmas sing-along’s. 'We resurged ourselves,' says Noddy. Back on TOTP, they seemed much the same: Noddy's mutton-chop whiskers, Dave's thigh boots, Don crouched mercilessly over his drums - elemental symbols to set against the New Romantic posturing of Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet.

Gradually, though, by the end of the Eighties things began to wind down again. Noddy was dabbling in radio; there was dark talk of 'other interests'. In the end, it all fell apart. Don: 'Noddy just dropped out.' Dave: 'I don't know what his current opinion is. I haven't spoken to him for a long, long time.' And Jim, the trainee psychotherapist? Don: 'He really left because Nod wouldn't do it.'

The Holder position is that 25 years is enough. 'I just thought, you know, enough is enough. I didn't want to be doing the same thing for the next 10 years. It's not to say I'd never go back on the road again, but I'd just had enough.' Now into his second marriage, with a nine-month-old baby boy to add to the two teenage daughters from the first, Noddy is broadly tolerant of youthful foibles. 'I don't take any notice of what they wear. Who am I to say, "You can't wear that"?'

The mirror-covered hat is Noddy's sole souvenir from these turbulent years. 'It’s just a bit of memory for me that. Everything else I gave away to charities to auction off. But it was a symbol of the time.'

Dave was a Jehovah's Witness and refused to sing Merry Xmas Everybody. Now he's with Don in Slade II.

All of which brings us to Slade II, and their whistle-stop rampage around Europe (festival in Denmark, Saturday, festival in Germany, Sunday, fly home Monday).

Noddy and Jim, the songwriters, are financially secure - no doubt doing rather well out of the back catalogue reissues and occasional cover versions. (Merry Xmas alone has sold three million and rising.) The situation of the other two is more precarious. Dave, for example, did at one time feel pushed to part with his star-shaped guitar (sale price £3,000) and YOB1 Roller (£16,000), though he was, at that time, a Jehovah's Witness and was even declining to perform Merry Xmas. 'It would have been hypocritical. '

So when Noddy and Jim opted to 'retire', that left Dave and Don in something of a position. 'Don and myself,' says Dave, 'we've put our lives into this band, and your lives can be so misshapen when somebody else in the band doesn't want to do it.'

Jim is now reportedly training as a therapist (if you've seen him please give us a call.)

Fortunately help was at hand. Len Tuckey, a name familiar to Seventies glam fans as the burly guitar-playing husband of Suzi Quatro, now detached from Ms Quatro and well into music management, put Slade out on the continental nostalgia circuit. They are, apparently, big in Germany (where 23,000 people turned out to see them in Berlin, along with Suzi Quatro and Shakin' Stevens) and huge in the Ukraine where, in the dark days of the Cold war, listening to Merry Xmas Everybody on pirate radio counted as the height of subversion. Do they enjoy it? Dave: 'For the last two-and-a-half years Don and I have been playing together, and I think we can both agree that it's never been better.' Don: 'I've always said that as soon as I stop enjoying it I'll pack it in.'

Two 49 year-olds who ought to be at home minding their children maundering on about bygone glory, a place on the Euro-Glam revival express with Suzi and Shaky, surreptitious continental recordings (at least I couldn't find anything by Slade II in the Virgin Megastore): it should all be unutterably hilarious. But somehow the sight of Dave and Don in the hotel restaurant (where Dave decides that, no, a single glass of wine will suffice) bears no relation to traditional framings of a pop career on the slide.

One reason for this is Messrs Hill and Powell's immense politeness, affability and lack of egotism, the feeling that they genuinely enjoy what they do, are pleased to have been allowed to go on doing it for so long, and take a pride in these labours.

A second reason is that the contract sealed between Slade and the Great British Public all those years ago remains unbroken. Reeves and Mortimer are still running off their 'Slade go Camping' spoofs (Dave and Don think these are 'brilliant'; Noddy reckons Reeves and Mortimer are 'good lads' and is appearing on their new quiz show). Noddy, who turned up not long ago in a Viz cartoon strip, has a caricature version of himself & starring in a. TV ad for Bank's beer. And now Dave is considering an offer to appear in a Barclay’s ad. Thirty-three years on from its forging in the Wolverhampton backstreet's, Slade has become an indestructible fragment of pop history. 'You see,' Dave Hill confides at one point, a look of transparent ingenuousness on his face, 'this has been our life!' Around them the tribulations of a third of a century on the road - all those identikit hotels, night-flights, bleary-eyed mornings after the gig, all the wreckage of the spent showbiz career - slide effortlessly away.

Big shout out to Stu Rutter for the hard copy. Great article but watch out for the errors. I have left it as is but since when did Dave Hill have a 'star shaped guitar' ? The Download Link is here: Download Filename: October 1995.rar Filesize: 25.36 MB

Radio Wall Of Sound

1991-10-07T12:00:00.007+01:00

October 7th. 1991

Polydor PO 180

Radio Wall of Sound became Slade's final UK hit, giving the band a hit within three whole decades, peaking at #21 in the UK. It was the band's 23rd top 30 hit but also their last with Universe failing to make a chart entry at all. Whilst becoming a solid UK hit, the song was also successful in Europe, peaking at #22 in The Netherlands, #30 in Ireland and #16 in Belgium.

The single was the band's first single of new material since 1987. After years of deciding what the new step for the band was, Polydor Records, who had the band during their 1970s heyday, decided it was time for a new Slade compilation. With hopes that Slade would promote it by releasing two brand new singles, the band happily agreed and on condition that the new singles were successful, a new studio album was due to be recorded.

"The track is about having a radio station in your head, music of the mind and this whole thing about the DJ all going on in your mind. You don't even need a radio, you can just imagine it."
Jim Lea: Ken Sharpe interview

Whilst there was probably many unreleased and unfinished Holder/Lea compositions, the band decided to use Radio Wall of Sound, a song solely written by Jim Lea, being his first solo credit since the b-side and Slayed? album track I Won't Let it 'Appen Agen, almost 20 years earlier. As the track was originally for a solo project of Lea, the recording of the track already existed, complete apart from lead vocals. As a result, the song was not in Holder's key and so his vocals were dubbed into the chorus, leaving Lea's lead vocal on the verses. - the first single to feature lead vocal from another Slade member rather than Holder. Lea had originally performed lead vocal on a small handful of Slade tracks such as 1974's When the Lights Are Out and 1987's Don't Talk to me About Love.

"I knew RWOS was more commercial, a good instant rock track."
Noddy Holder: Jan-March 1992 Fan Club Newsletter

"I had already done my demo of it and I was putting the band on top of my demo. During producing, Nod came to sing the verse and I said 'Nod, I feel really embarrassed to say this but I think my voice sounds better than yours, not because I'm a better singer, that's ludicrous, it's just that the key is ridiculously low for you.' And he said 'alright then...' cause Nod's very easy going."
Jim Lea: Ken Sharpe interview

Although there has never been an explanation of how the idea came about, the track also featured Radio One DJ Mike Read as 'the voice of radio'.

For years, Dave Hill had been forwarding his own demos to Lea, hoping that at least one track would make the album. It had never happened but this time, however, Hill was finally given the chance to record one of his own songs for the b-side of the new single. Lay Your Love on the Line was written by Hill and former Wizzard member Bill Hunt.

Whilst Radio Wall of Sound itself returned to a more rock-based sound and dropped the dominant synthesizers that appeared on the band's mid 80s material - it was the b-side that showed Slade were far from a spent force with a heavy guitar sound and blasting lead vocal.

It was released on 7" and as a cassette single (remember them?), the runout groove hand etched by the evergreen George 'Porky' Peckham with "A Porky Prime Cut - Fer the boys with the right noize." on Side A and "A Porky Prime Cut" on Side B. It was also released as a 3 track 12" single, Polydor PZ 180, and a 3 track CD single, Polydor PZCD180, with Cum On Feel The Noize added on.

A good promotional video (top) was created for the single which basically featured the band performing the song sporting long black coats and fedora hats.that gave them an element of 'cool' and even Dave Hill looked somewhat serious (for Dave Hill anyway).

"TOTP Radio Wall Of Sound
TX Date: 17-10-1991
Tap#: LLVQ469E
.....
Source: BBC Motion Gallery"

The track was mimed on UK TV including Motormouth (bottom), with Holder wearing 'Lennon style' glasses, and a live performance on Top of The Pops (above) - Slade's final appearance on the show. The band opened the show with their performance, the vocals were performed live where Lea used the opportunity to change the lyric. Instead of "So just play the radio loud", he sang "So just turn that T.V. up loud". (Trivia courtesy of Slade in England's fab and groovy archives.).

The song's popularity was further proven when it appeared on the various artists compilation Now That's What I Call Music! 20, released November 30, 1991. The song was covered by Mick White and today, the single peaked at #440 for 1991 on rateyourmusic.com.

Noddy Holder described his feelings of the song in early 1992.

"I think that everybody did a good job, we did a lot of TV, radio and press work around that period. We had loads of radio play for RWOS so we can’t really complain about the exposure with that one."
Slade International Fan Club Newsletter: Jan-March 1992

On being asked of the sales of the single and promotion Holder replied:

"Not a clue, we won’t know that for at least six months. It wouldn’t have needed that many sales to have reached that position, not a vast amount. The initial shipping out to the shops was around 30,000 copies, I think, which is a good pre-order figure, good enough to go Top 40 first week out. The problem was sustaining the momentum after using up all the available TV’s there was nowhere else to go. We couldn’t get on Wogan, which would have helped, so really that was all the TV possible. We did more press than ever before, in recent times at least, but there just aren’t that many rock records making the charts these days unless they happen to come from a film soundtrack. The charts have been very dance orientated of late and I can’t really think of any big rock records of 1991. If you look at the rock album charts from last year there are not that many that were really outstanding and had any long chart success."
Slade International Fan Club Newsletter: Jan-March 1992

He was also asked about costs, was making the single expensive?

"No, they weren’t, not by today’s standards. Recording in the Midlands is much cheaper than in London and we’ve learnt by experience not to waste time in studios because of the costs that can be incurred. A lot of new bands make successful albums but at the end of the day they don’t make any money."
Slade International Fan Club Newsletter: Jan-March 1992

"Children's Saturday morning magazine, variety and pop music programme. GB, TVS/TM-am - also billed as MOTORMOUTH 2, 3, etc, with the resuming of seasons.

MOTORMOUTH
TX Date: 19/10/91
.....
Music Performance: Slade Perform "Radio Wall Of Sound"
Channel: ITV"

The UK chart run for the single - a total of five weeks on the chart:

19/10/1991 - #33

26/10/1991 - #21
02/11/1991 - #23
09/11/1991 - #31
16/11/1991 - #53

Sadly, Mick's 45 came in a plain white bag with a boring silver label. It's etched in the runout groove with 'ANODSAZGUDAZAWINK' and 'GURLZGRABDABOYZ' accompanied by "A Porky Prime Cut" on both sides.

Many thanks to Stu Rutter for the scans and vinyl, also to Gary Jordan for tx info on the performance videos, both can be found on the Slade In Wales forum. Sorry AJ, I'll stop interfering in your posts.

Radio Wall of Sound
(Jim Lea)

This is rockin' radio, the wall of sound
This is your stereo so close to me
Citizen Kane rise again
Stay tuned to this frequency

This is rockin' radio, the wall of sound
The music that rocks, the music that shocks
The music that comes to you from everywhere
As listeners with music on the mind
I love that music, I love that sound
I love that record, I love that noise
You're tuned to radio WOS, the wall of sound

I'm in trouble, I'm in deep
I don't know why you can't sleep
I feel something in my brain
It's this sound that's keeping me sane
I love that music, I love that sound
I love this new channel I've found
I love that record, I love that noise
This frequencies my favourite toy

Radio wall of sound, coming up from my tower
Radio wall of sound, twenty four hours of power

My head's spinning around
An' if in stereo sound
It tells me just who I am
Who's that? Telegram Sam
I love that record, I love that noise
Now my girl rocks with the boys
I love that music, I love that sound
So just play the radio loud

Radio wall of sound, coming up from my tower
Radio wall of sound, WOS power
Radio wall of sound, coming up from my tower
Radio wall of sound, twenty four hours of power

This is rocking radio wall of sound
The music that rocks, the music that shocks
The music that comes to you from everywhere
'Cause this is the music of the mind
I love that record, I love that sound,
I love it, I love it, I love it
This is the big one
This is the wall of sound

I love that music, I love that sound

You're listening to radio loud
Wall to wall sound
The music comes to you from around your head
Look out!

I love that record, I love that noise

You think the music's here
It's not, it's inside your head
You are the wall of sound

Radio wall of sound, coming up from my tower
Radio wall of sound, twenty four hours of power
Radio wall of sound, coming up from my tower
Radio wall of sound, WOS power
Radio wall of sound

Stay tuned to this frequency
℗ 1991 Perseverance Ltd. (U.K)
© 1991 Polydore Ltd. (U.K)

Lay Your Love on the Line
(Dave Hill & Bill Hunt)

I hear the sound of rock'n'roll thunder
I think you know the spell that I'm under
I feel that something's playin' crazy with my heart

Up in the sky the heavens are fallin'
And all around the angels are callin'
You're movin' mountains slowly tearin' me apart

Lay your love on the line
Lay your love on the line
Lay your love on the line
Say you're gonna be mine

If I could be a man for all seasons
Give me your answer give me your reasons
I'd like to be a king if only for a day

I've seen the world and I know what I'm after
One look from you and my heart's a disaster
And every dream I've dreamed would take your breath away

Lay your love on the line
Lay your love on the line
Lay your love on the line
Say you're gonna be mine

Lay your love on the line
Lay your love on the line
Lay your love on the line
Say you're gonna be mine

Lay your love on the line
Lay your love on the line
Lay your love on the line
Say you're gonna be mine

FEEL THE NOIZE! Dave Hill

1989-01-01T20:00:00.000Z

Guitarist January 1989 (page 56)

Interview by Tony Hicks.

Dave reminded me that Slade and The Hollies did a gig or two together. .. I remember Nottingham, a ballroom where The Hollies were well known at the time, and it must have been very early days for Slade. But I do remember they went down ever so well- I also remember them being about three times as loud as we were!

IS THAT ABOUT RIGHT, Dave?

Yeah, and Allan Clarke came in and he was wearing a tassley ... did he used to wear a tassley coat?

Yeah, like a cowboy thing ...

Gosh, I do remember it, 'cos our drummer was laughing at him ...

That's nice!

Well Don's a bit like that, always throwing lines at you, and he said something like: "You'll never get anywhere looking like that!" And he'd got knee-length boots, like cowboy boots ... We were just happening, and you know how crucial fashion is then, when you're supposed to be carrying the fashion, so anybody that's like from a slightly older league ...

Right... we'll get off that subject... So when did Slade come about? Was it through Chas Chandler - formerly bass player with The Animals and discoverer of jimi Hendrix?

Well, he was important in shaping us, finding things in us. You see, some scout had been roving around up North, looking for groups to record for a strange French label, so we ended up being put in Philips studios, in London, to find out what we could do. There was this bloke named Jack Baverstock working at Philips at the time, and he said: "Whatever you do, you've got to get somebody down here to look after you". So he got Robert Stigwood who booked us to play the Rasputin Club, down New Bond Street. So we were playing this gig, and Chas, as he came down the stairs with his missus, said we sounded 'like a breath of fresh air'.
Now, we were doing what we'd always been doing - playing pubs and clubs, and just putting out our own personalities, not playing our own material, but not pop stuff - we never played the charts, it was always early soul stuff, you know.

Were you writing then?

No, I think we mucked around with a couple of ideas and stuck a few words on, but nobody got serious ... Anyway. Chas spotted something there and he told us: "Whatever you do, don't alter the way you look".

So what did you look like at that time - was there a distinct image?

Probably a slightly honed-down version of what we ended up looking like ...

... Not the skin-head thing?

No, that was probably more late '60s. We'd been through the hippie period - long hair. beads and earrings, and tight velvet trousers. We'd go to London and buy some gear to try and look like the London groups. Anybody from London looked great! Anybody from the Midlands didn't look right so you went to London and came back looking a bit more professional.

So, Chas thought you looked like a breath of fresh air.

Sounded like it and, I think, looked like it. There was nothing new happening to him and I suppose something was coming off us - Nod with the way he talked to the audience, me with the way I looked - grinning, and all the things I was good at - so he wanted to record us. But Chas' importance was to get us to write our own stuff. His point was: "All the things that have gone into your heads, through learning other people's material and doing it your own way, try and put that into your own songs."

Do you remember the first one you wrote that he was really impressed with?

Well, our first hit was Get Down And Get With It, which originally Little Richard recorded - it was one we did on stage, and which went down really well. So, strangely, the song which cracked it for us wasn't our song! The first original one to do it was Coz I Luv You, which was our first number one. Now presumably that really impressed him! But I remember when we completed it, we didn't want it out - we thought it was a bit wimpy in comparison to Get Down And Get With It - which was more Noddy's power.

I remember, it was a real stomper! Did the record turn out more or less as you'd intended it?

Yeah. We were trying to create the live thing of course, but we couldn't without the audience, so we were thumping on boards to make a noise onto the record - no technology, just grappling with what you've got around the studio. It's not like now, where we can just program it - we programmed it with our own inspiration, our own effort.

Was Chas very important on the production side - did he change things?

Well, it was like: "Let's not use the big stage gear, let's use a little amp." We used to go down to Olympic Studios in Barnes - and you'll know what I mean, being a lead player you've got a certain sound going for you, and although you could probably take in a small amp, I was starting to get the big gear going - double cabs and 200 watts - you took that in the studio and it never worked. So Chas was getting me to do that - and also to stop me from playing long lead breaks. His point was: "If you don't sound as good as Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton, don't play long solos!"

That's what I meant about his contribution, because exactly those words were said to me. Whenever I went into the studio I'd worked out a solo which I thought was really clever, and sure enough, Ron Richards, our producer would say: "That's fine, but if you cut three quarters of it out we might have something that's usable."

So I'm looking down the Guinness Book of Records here, and between October 71 and October 74 you had twelve top three records. That's a phenomenal success - if you we;e footballers you'd be playing for England. And they were all really good things, Coz I Luv You, number one, Look Wot You Dun was four, Mama Weer All Crazee Now - one - Gudbuy TJane, number two, then Cum On, Feel The Noize and Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me, both number one, My Frend Stan, two and Merry Xmas Everybody, of course, number one!

That was our last number one, I think ...

That's right, and then you had two at three, you poor old sods -Everyday and Bangin' Man - then Far Far Away was number two.

Number two ... that's when we were slipping .. !

Did the companies start throwing equipment at you when you became big?

No, we just found stuff. From Vox we went to Sound City or something - Nod and I both tried one ... But we'd seen Mott The Hoople, at the Civic Hall Wolverhampton, and we figured our sound was thin in comparison to theirs - even if one guitarist stopped playing they still sounded the same - still sounded thick. So we thought: "Oh dear", and the group had the meeting the next day round my house: "We've gotta change our sound - we've just seen Mott The Hoople".

The meeting'!! (laughs).

Yeah, 'the meeting'. So we all bought our piece of gear to thicken up our sound ... Eventually we ended up with Hi-Watt - I'm not quite sure how that came about, but I think it was because Townshend used it.

Obviously you were getting bigger, more boisterous crowds ... would you have been miked up in those days?

No, in fact we weren't miked up until we went to America, and when they miked us up we tried to take the mikes off. We said: "We just play, and it comes out that way", and the Americans were going: "Oh man, hey, you know - this lovely mike".

I saw a gig of yours, at Hammersmith Odeon. There was a very boisterous crowd, it was a great set, I enjoyed it a lot.

You just went there yourself?

Yeah.

I didn't know you were there ... you didn't make yourself known, did you?

Well no ...

Just nosey?

Yeah, just popped in. I remember you had a thing built out from the stage, that you used to wander along ...

Oh yeah, that was just a thing we used to climb up on, to do solos.

But, as well as playing well, you did have great songs, songs that you could sing. Now, generally if that's the case with a song, you hear it once and love it, and you hear it three times and can't stand it. But they were quality songs, and they keep coming back. Have they released the Christmas one again this year?

It will be - we don't tend to control it, it just comes out anyway ... We've actually recorded a version of Chris Montez' Let's Dance. We just did a rock version of it for a laugh, and thought we'd stick it out. But of course Merry Xmas is always in competition with whatever we bring out, so we're just doing that because we've got nothing better to do we're not performing or anything.

Not at all?

Not at all. I haven't been on stage for two or three years now.

How does that feel?

At times it feels terrible because I have to cope with what's happening. I've got a family, three kids, and things are important in my life, in respect of the home.

So, as a live performing band, is it finished?

No, it's not finished full-stop. Nod and I are venturing into a project together, but we said we'd like to shelve the band for a year - no silly going on 'Wogan' or something daft. We thought, if we're going to further our careers we need to look for something special.

We've been together 21, 22 years, as the same four, and I think back to the days in the van, and the purpose and the reason you did it all... But that goes, because you don't want to be in the back of the van any more, you're in a car, you're chauffeured, you've experienced success, you've been in nice hotels and you don't really want to go back to that to survive. We finished touring when we were number two with My Oh My, in 1983, but then we started to have a go at America, and we had our first hit there. We went over to the States and immediately started to go through what we'd done seven or eight years before, and we suddenly saw red lights. It was a bit like: "Hang on a minute, we've already done this", and it felt like we were going to go through the same stupidity again touring with the wrong people, who were trying to get on tours to be seen - a favour for Fred, so we can get on his show. Plus we weren't twenty years of age any more!

It's very hard to turn the clock back.

Yeah, all I'm getting at is that the casualty of rock and roll is age, and it happens to us all at some point. We can mature and weather well - some of us do and some don't - and when you're in the minds of kids who grew up with you, unless they've seen you frequently, they don't see that gap. Then when you suddenly appear on lV, ten years later, it's: "Cor blimey! He looks ancient!" It happens to everybody - Jagger, and people like that, looning around as if it was years ago.

But the audience has possibly gone past that -you know what it's like: "I was never into the Bay City Rollers; I'm into Pink Floyd" - until the nostalgia thing whips round and then they go, confidentially: "Do you know, I always thought they were great".

But I think we've got longevity - you lot, us lot - various groups from certain periods seem to have longevity because their stuff lasts. It was well written and it's still good, whereas now it's quick and disposable - 'How fast can we get a record out? Who's new and who's sixteen?' You notice how young people are now, and it's hard to actually grab hold of anybody who's going to stay.

They certainly don't seem to ...

But we do want to tour and I do want to play. When I walk on there it just hits me immediately, and I feel it. We've had so many incredible shows, and we never finished it on any low ¸we finished on a real buzz. We always had a standard and a reason, so we're trying to look for a way of moving forward. I've started to write tunes and Nod wants to try production, and we thought maybe we'd rejuvenate ourselves by doing these things. And if we're to come together to make another LP - if somebody said: "Look, lads, we really want you to come back together and tour" - we'd want a reason, a product. Then we'd feel fresh and want to do it - not like: "We've got one more record on the contract to go, we'd better go and to it 'cos there's an advance ... "

I've always said we all take second place to a great song. If people go out and buy a record, they're generally buying what they think is a great song, and it really excites them to hear it. So, with the right song you could be right back there, if you wanted, and then the stage gigs would fall into place. But it's hard rock and roll that you played, and the older you get the less likely you are to want to do that. In our case, our stage gigs evolved, and it isn't actually that much different to what we've always done. But it's amazing how the audience has matured, and sort of come along with us, and the success of He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother hasn't made as big a difference as people might tend to think.

Well people do tend to think things, and any success is good, and a number one is even better. In fact, if you look down the sales figures for this year, yours is the only single that's gone silver, if I remember rightly.

Well they do say the middle – of – the - road market is the biggest one ... I mean that song must have fallen into so many categories - people who heard it for the first time, people whose original copy was scratched, and of course it came out on CD, so there's another market. The funny thing was, Miller Light approached us recently and said: "We want to do another commercial, would you mind changing the lyrics slightly?" We said: "What are you thinking of?" and they said - wait for it: "How about - She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother?" So you can imagine that... they're going to have this great hunky guy carrying his mother out of the pub, or something. So, apart from the fact that we didn't have the right to allow them to do it anyway, I think the song's a little more important than that...

Do you remember your first guitar?

It was a Kay's catalogue job about £7-50

Electric or hole - in - the - middle?

Spanish, hole-in-the-middle, a terrible guitar. I spotted it in the catalogue, and there was a kid down the road playing Tell Laura I Love Her at the time ...

But I'd always had the desire for music - my grandfather was a keyboard player, but a church player - I never met him but he was a Doctor of Music, he had some diploma - and I've always had a kind of affection towards piano playing, although I've never actually played the piano. At school I attempted to get involved in a stupid recorder, but all I got was: "He's a fool, he won't learn to read", so the headmistress made sure I didn't play it. Mum tried to get me into a violin class and it was the same thing: "He's a clown, he won't learn". I was fiddling around a bit you see ...

But in those days you're not serious about anything. I could have just taken it up and dropped it - I'm quite favourite for going mad on something and eventually leaving it alone. I think Dad spotted that when I wanted a guitar - he said: "Well, you can have a cheap guitar and see how it goes", and he insisted that I had some lessons. I had a biology teacher, named Brian Close, who was giving lessons to this other kid, so I went to see him with the guitar, on my bicycle. I was left-handed, so I was trying to play it with the strings upside down and he made me change it round. He was trying to teach me a bit of music, but he would at least allow me to learn what I wanted to learn - he didn't make it like a studious programme of learning the guitar ... He was a jazz guitarist and it always sounded great when he was playing chords - it sounded real smooth, you know?

So then I started to think of forming a little group on the estate. We didn't have an electric guitar then, so after about a year it was: "Dad, I ought to get an electric guitar", and there was a shop in Wolverhampton and I bought a Burns – a Vista Sonic… or something Sonic. It had a knob on it that would click and it would make three strings play bass and three strings play treble ... it was either Bi-Sonic or Vista-Sonic - a funny name.

It must have sounded dreadful ...

Well I thought it was a whizz! If you played in octaves you could have one of your top strings and middle strings going and do a bit of a Wes Montgomery. So in a way it was quite technical, but it probably did sound horrible ... It was a poor man's Hank Marvin guitar really, I couldn't afford a Fender ...

You played Gibsons, what do you think of them?

I've got one; it's a special. Dad bought it for me in London before we made it. Chas thought the Burns was a lousy sound - too bassy - so Dad came down with me to Shaftsbury Avenue ... It was in the window and it was a funny looking thing - it's a Gibson neck fitted on a funny body.

I've seen it and I've often wondered what it is ...

It's a 345 stereo neck on some odd body - it's a one-off, built by a bloke called Sam Lee.

So it was a Gibson neck on a bastard body?

That's right. But that was to be the guitar on all the hits, 'cos it had a nice ringing sound. That was a lot of our sound, you see, ringing, odd chords and notes, a kind of big sound. That's what I used until I got into this Hi-Watt lark.

Then I got away from that Gibson and got into the thick sound, which was caused by a bloke called John Birch, who made guitars for Tony lommi of Black Sabbath. I mean it was a big, thick sound.

Did you buy yourself an echo unit!

Yeah, a Watkins Copycat. That was big news - telling Dad that other guitarists' lead breaks only sounded great because they were played through echo ... a big bluff.

Yes, one of my aunties took me to Manchester and bought me a Watkins Copycat - same thing, magic ...

Obviously you had the same buzz as me in those days. There was such a magic in being young then and just expressing yourself through the guitar.

You felt so good with it, because it wasn't so easily available. You can have anything you want now, and the price is fair. I remember when I was first buying guitars, you felt so proud walking out of the shop with it - you felt honoured that you had something like that. These days, if kids want a Fender, they'll buy a Fender!
I get the impression, from what you say, that you were one of the few bands that didn’t get ripped off?

I think Chas was always up front there. But I don't think it's good to sit down and work it all out, because when there's money coming in you're not too bothered about anything in particular - you've bought yourself a car and a house, so I never scrutinised anything much at the time. I enjoyed the period of success - because I'd worked for it - and those days will never come back to me, it'll never be the same. I've received success the second time round, in fact the third time round, really, because we've had two comebacks! But Chas has always come across as somebody decent to me.

He was a musician in a famous group, he handled a famous guitarist and he knew the pitfalls and problems in groups.

And I don't think it's any secret that The Animals were pretty much ripped off themselves, so it's all credit to him that he didn't think: "Right, now it's my turn!"

Tell us about when you went to the States.

We supported people like King Crimson, which was completely out of order. They were all like a bunch of 'public school wallahs' - sort of: "I say ... " and: "Everybody be quiet while we play our instrumentals". while the people are shouting:
"We want Slade!" It just wasn't fitting. We worked with The Strawbs - stupid, off-the-wall bills like that. In America we were being hailed as the 'new Beatles' - going to be as big as them - and that wasn't good at all. The reporters were slagging us off, expecting us to walk water ...

That's a shame, because the Moody Blues went over supporting various people, and it did work for them. They did it for years, until they turned up at some place and asked who was on that night and were told it was Van Morrison. They asked what time they would be on, supporting, and they were told: "You're not supporting, this is your audience - he's supporting you!" Did you know Justin Hayward?

Oh yes, well! We supported them before we made it - we supported everybody, including Spencer Davis. Stevie Winwood was another one of my heroes - great voice.

There was this place in Walsall, it was a casino. Almost everybody used to play it, and this guy was always favourite for getting groups just as they were making it - he got Herman's Hermits for £25 when they'd just cracked it.

How would you feel about starting all over again - I don't mean in Slade, but in the business in general?

I wouldn't! I like the technology - I pillock around with a little four-track at home, and it's useful for putting ideas down. I'm aware of sequencers, but I find them nauseating actually. I relate to physically playing the guitar.

There's a physical thing about what we did in Slade because it was that energy - plus the back-up of what we were as individuals.

What was it like on the road - roadies to tune your guitars and suchlike?

Yeah, we had a drum roadie and a roadie to tune our guitars, but I think at the end of the day Nod and I would go in and start re-tuning them - I mean, I didn't have somebody playing for me!

Did you realise, then, that the taxman was going to appear a few years later, for his cut?

With Labour in control we paid an awful lot of tax. It was in the hit period, you see; it was very heavy going with Labour in.

But you were aware of it, you didn't get lumbered.

Well, we did get lumbered, we had to pay - we weren't hiding it! We had Special Branch on to us, you know, checking us out ... and we paid up!

Well at least you were in a position to do so. An awful lot of bands who are enormous for a year or two, get the cheques in, go out and buy a Ferrari and totally ignore the fact that he'll eventually come knocking on the door.

I think we're all a little bit subject to going out and buying things, but I bought a house and so did the rest of the band. I bought a house down a posh road in Solihull.

... Not a farm or anything. You weren't drawn to the land?

I thought about it, but as I wasn't writing the hits, the money was less for me ... But nobody ever did have a mansion in our group. We all just had decent houses ... nothing ever super big.

But, as I see it, twenty odd years on, when it comes up to Christmas, Slade start coming into people's minds, and that's a hole that we dug ourselves. Our hits were during the year, not at Christmas, but people relate us, like mince pies, to Christmas. Nevertheless it's nice to be remembered, at any time, but I'm not one to go polishing my discs and looking at past glories.

Shout out to Stu Rutter for the hard copy. Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Slade.rar Filesize: 11.25 MB

An American In London

1986-06-17T12:00:00.000+01:00

London, June 17th, 1986

American SLADE FAN Matt Shaughnessy managed to grab a quick interview with Noddy Holder in mid 1986.

"....I visited London in June, 1986. Met Nod at Keith Altham's agency and went next door to the pub for the formal Q & A and then had a nice walk with him back to the parking lot. It is a day I will always look upon with fond memories."

"I did the interview on spec for a monthly music magazine in the Chicago area called The Illinois Entertainer. I made the interview fairly vanilla (about 3/4 of which Malc put in Percy) for a market not very familiar with the boyz. Off the record, so to speak, I asked more direct questions about things I was personally interested in like Whatever Happened To Slade period, thoughts on Standing On The Corner as a single (he said he was in favor but was outvoted) etc."

It was published in the July - September 1992 edition of Percy, the Slade Fan Club magazine,.

How has Slade lasted so long together?

"It's a long time, that's for sure, but we sorted things out in the first few years. Any differences we had, we took care of early on. As for 20, now 21 years together, we never thought that it would go on this long. One thing that has helpedis that we don't live in each other's back pockets anymore. We've realised that there is a life outside of Slade, so when we do get back together to write, record or perform, there's a lot of excitement."

How did the band originate?

"We came together in 1966 as the 'N Betweens and after Chas Chandler (ex Animals bassist and Jim Hendrix manager) began managing us, we changed to Slade."

What was it like for the band in the early 70's?

"It was fantastic. For a time we could do no wrong, what with the 6 number ones, we couldn't ask for much more. Of course we knew it would come to an end sooner or later, but we enjoyed it while we could."

Of course, what followed in the late seventies was your 'duff period'. How did Slade handle that?

"It was a very difficult time for us. We had pretty much saturated the UK and European markets, and for the life of us, we couldn't crack the American scene. This left us in a precarious position of having been huge for too long and from 1976 - 1980, we couldn't shake the apathy the British record buying public had toward us. Same with the radio stations - we couldn't get any airplay. It was a frustrating time and by early 1980, we came close to packing it in."

Bands such as Kiss, Twisted Sister, Billy Squier, U2 and Iron Maiden, to name a few, have acknowledged that Slade have had a profound influence on their music. Any thoughts on this?

"It came as a surprise to us. Since we were never a major factor in America our first time around, I guess we never
realised what a seed we'd sown over there. We quite like the idea that Quiet Riot went to number one with 'Cum on

feel the noize'. It shows that Slade's songs have stood the test of time. We really appreciate knowing we've helped

influence other bands. You know, we finally met up with Gene Simmons and he told us that 'Rock and Roll All Nite'
was Kiss' 'Mama Weer All Crazee Now'. We thought that was great.

Any special plans for your anniversary?

"We don't have any special plans, other than the new album. We've finally got it finished and feel we have some of the best songs we've ever written."

Speaking of songwriting, Slade has had 23 top 40 hits in the UK, second only to The Beatles. Who does the writing?

"Well, Jim writes the music and I write the lyrics. It's worked that way from the outset, and we used to kid within the band that me and Jim wrote 'em and Don and Dave sold 'em!"

Do you think Slade will be around in 2006?

"Bloody 'ell! I hope not! Like I said, I never thought it'd last this long. All I can say is that as long as we're having fun and people want to hear us we'll keep doing it!"

This issue of Percy ironically had the first actual mentions of Dave and Don carrying on (without Nod and Jim) under the Slade name, with an advert for a large gig in Germany. There was no announcement or anything that 'that was it'. Which makes the last question - even though it was from a few years before - just that little bit more poignant.

"What a thrill and pleasure it was to meet and chat with Nod. He was very accomodating, interesting, and generous. A great day and one I'm grateful to have had."
Matt Shaughnessy: The Slade Archive 2010

Many thanks to Matt 'MDS' Shaughnessy of the Slade Archive forum and for sharing his photos taken by Dave Kessler.

Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply 1984

1984-04-14T12:00:00.003+01:00

USA 1984

CBS Records FZ 39336

Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply is the alternate album of The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome which was released in the UK the preceding year.

This album proved to be Slade's most successful American album over the group's more than 20 years of releases in the States. Both Run Runaway and My Oh My continue to receive consistent radio airplay in the United States and are considered Slade's most recognizable songs amongst Americans.

The rock band Quiet Riot covered Slade's 1973 UK chart topper Cum On Feel The Noize. Although Slade's original had not been successful in the U.S., Quiet Riot's cover peaked at #5. The song helped Quiet Riot sell seven million copies of their album Metal Health. As a result of this success, Slade signed with CBS Records.

Run Runaway
My Oh My
High And Dry
Slam The Hammer Down
In The Doghouse
Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
Cheap N' Nasty Luv
Can't Tame A Hurricane
(And Now The Waltz) C'est La Vie
Ready To Explode

Produced by Jim Lea for Perseverance Ltd. except Run Runaway & My Oh My which were produced by John Punter. Manufactured and distributed by CBS Records Canada Ltd. Design by Jo Di Donato with artwork by Lou Brooks.

℗ 1982, 1983, 1984 CBS Inc.

"Run Runaway", a celtic-flavoured rock-jig featuring some elliptical lyrics and the return of Jim Lea's fiddle. RCA saw the potential of the track and appointed John Punter to work on the track. The album version is extended to give more time for the Linn drum gallop. This track became the first hit in the US for Slade after years of trying to crack the American market, peaking at #20. The track is also a recommended track by allmusic.

"My Oh My" came as Lea had always wanted to write a big, folksy ballad and when he presented his melody idea to Holder, the lyrics to My Oh My were created. The melody came from an idea that Lea had while listening to Hill and Holder tuning up in the dressing room before a gig at a University in Wales. This track became a huge hit in the UK, peaking at #2 and #37 in the US. The track is also a recommended track by allmusic.

"High and Dry" was originally covered by female rock band Girlschool which was produced by both Holder and Lea. Chris Ingham stated "High and Dry is known for showing notable Holder vocal, once memorably described by Melody Maker's Jim Arundel as "a blistering yell that's akin to Little Richard undergoing throat surgery by blowtorch without an anaesthetic". High And Dry is also for its unapologetic commemoration of insensitive womanising; "you want equality", goes the lyric, "you won't get none of that from me". How that fits with Slade's declaration in My Oh My that they "believe in woman" is difficult to say, but a politically correct Slade wouldn't be Slade at all."

"Slam the Hammer Down" opens the original album with a shouted soliloquy by Holder from a helicopter. Chris Ingham from Rock's Backpages stated "The track features an elaborately motor racing/sex metaphor." The track was issued as a promo in the US only.

"In The Doghouse" featured brass instruments for the first time in a Slade track for years. Chris Ingham stated "In The Doghouse celebrates the carefree indiscretions of youth." Noddy Holder later recalled "there was plenty of good stuff on that album...we could have, theoretically, had another single...it would have been a hit", Holder was probably talking about In The Doghouse.

"Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply" appeared as a b-side to Slade's 1983 hit My Oh My. The title was used for the American version of The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome. The song also appeared on the American release. Chris Ingham wrote "the track is a song about a drunk driver strongly advising his amorous passenger not to grope him while he's being followed by the police. The chorus is as fast as anything Slade ever recorded while the production typifies Slade's sound in the mid-80s." The track is also a recommended track by allmusic.

"Cheap 'n' Nasty Luv" is described by Chris Ingham as "another in the series of Slade songs which display an interest in the oldest profession (see also Standing On The Corner, When Fantasy Calls) though the usual lusty appreciation is set aside here and replaced with an empathetic view of a young lady unhappy in her situation." On the American release, Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply, the song is shorter than the European version which adds an extra synthesizer section.

"Can't Tame a Hurricane" was originally taken from the 12" version of My Oh My. The track featured on Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply but not The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome until the Salvo remaster in 2007. On the European release, the title was changed to "Don't Tame a Hurricane. Chris Ingham wrote "Don't Tame A Hurricane has a rocking terseness and directness that recalls Slade's '70s heyday while packing an '80s punch. The 'hurricane' of the song title refers to a larger than life character who won't be tied down and who's an "international cocktail who'll end up on the rocks".

"(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie", described by Chris Ingham as "a waltz-time anthem about the bittersweet feelings surrounding an end-of-affair tryst", was originally released in 1982 as a Christmas single. In November 2005 on one of his regular TV-reviewing slots on the Mark Radcliffe BBC Radio 2 show, Holder was asked to choose a track from the recently released Best of Slade. To Radcliffe's surprise Holder chose this flop single. Holder reasoned the track showed off his voice really well.

"Ready to Explode" is an eight-and-one-half-minute track that that opened side two of the original vinyl album. It is a multi-themed song suite about the excitement of motor racing, inspired in part by the Jim Steinman's work with Meat Loaf. Guitarist Dave Hill said "I seem to remember that he was hooked on the Bat Out of Hell album at the time, and he wanted to make a record about...being on the edge and all this type of thing". The track also featured Pete Drummond doing announcements on the track. The song was split into four different parts:

Part 1: The Warm Up
Part 2: The Grid
Part 3: The Race
Part 4: The Dream

The album's chart run in America for a total of 18 weeks:

05/05/1984 - #110
12/05/1984 - #92
19/05/1984 - #75
26/05/1984 - #51
02/06/1984 - #47
09/06/1984 - #42
16/06/1984 - #35
23/06/1984 - #34
30/06/1984 - #33
07/07/1984 - #33
14/07/1984 - #48
21/07/1984 - #48
28/07/1984 - #51
04/08/1984 - #52
11/08/1984 - #62
18/08/1984 - #77
08/09/1984 - #98
15/09/1984 - #111

Canada's CD release is manafactured in Japan?

The album's chart run in Canada totalled 30 weeks:

21/04/1984 - #93
28/04/1984 - #77
05/05/1984 - #69
12/05/1984 - #54
19/05/1984 - #42
26/05/1984 - #32
02/06/1984 - #28
09/06/1984 - #27
16/06/1984 - #26
23/06/1984 - #26
30/06/1984 - #27
07/07/1984 - #26
15/07/1984 - #26
21/07/1984 - #26
28/07/1984 - #27
04/08/1984 - #36
11/08/1984 - #36
18/08/1984 - #36
25/08/1984 - #36
01/09/1984 - #36
08/09/1984 - #39
15/09/1984 - #40
22/09/1984 - #43
29/09/1984 - #54
06/10/1984 - #54
13/10/1984 - #54
20/10/1984 - #54
27/10/1984 - #61
03/11/1984 - #68
10/11/1984 - #84

Many thanks to Gordon 'Rasputin' Kerr for supplying the Canadian cover art for this release, he may find his vinyl one day and then I'll get a decent scan of the rear cover. If you look carefully at the illegible credits on the vinyl rear cover, they don't seem to match the CD release? :-/

Run Runaway 1984

1984-01-27T12:00:00.008Z

January 27th. 1984

RCA RCA-385

In 1984, the song "Run Runaway" became the first single to be taken from their album 'The Amazing Kamikazee Syndrome'. It was actually the third since 'My Oh My' had been the showcase single for the album and their 1982 release, '(And Now - The Waltz) C'est La Vie', had been added to the album.

The album version features an extended drum gallop before blasting out the fantastic guitar riff. Most impressive is how the track truly kicks in with Noddy shrieking “Hold on!” and the most irresistible fiddle melody begins. Noddy’s lyrics are totally nonsensical and yet they work in every way possible. The fantastic backing vocals fit perfectly whilst the entire song is a showcase for the band‘s musical creativity. The entire song never fails to deliver everything Slade stand for.

Many people refer this song to an influence of Big Country where I must stress that at the time of release, Big Country had not created anything remotely similar to the Run Runaway sound. The melody is in fact inspired by the hymn "There Is a Happy Land". Holder himself perfectly summed the song up as "a rocky Scottish jig".

The song became the band's biggest American hit, benefitting from heavy play on MTV, peaking at #20 and spending a total of eight weeks in the Top 40. It was also number one for two weeks on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and proved to be the band's last top 10 hit in the UK.

Dave Thompson, from allmusic described the song as "building on the anthemic power of the earlier "My Oh My" - itself their biggest U.K. single in nine years - "Run Runaway" is raucous chanting, swirling guitars, wild violin, and even a taste of heavy metal bagpipes, helped along by a drum sound that is pure early '80s". The single peaked at #193 for 1984 on rateyourmusic.

A music video was created for the single, filmed at Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, Herefordshire, England. The track was also performed on many UK TV shows such as Hall of Fame as well as a few Top of The Pops performances. The track was also performed at Montreaux Festival in 1984 along with Slam The Hammer Down.

In February 1985 it was performed on ITV's 'Saturday Live' (with a different backing track) when the band were promoting the 7 Year Bitch single.

America got Run Runaway first and when it took off CBS put out My Oh My as the follow up. Run Runaway coupled with My Oh My promo'd in the US in 1984 on a CBS 12" (AS 1832) playing at 33rpm. I don't know if it came before the official release but Run Runaway promo'd in several guises. The blue promo has the Don't Tame A Hurricane B-side.

The white promo with exactly the same catalogue number has Run Runaway on both sides. Note the playing time clocks in at 3:42 as do the European 7". In the UK this edit can be found on 'Feel The Noize - Slade Greatest Hits' and should have been used as an album bonus track by Salvo in 2007 remaster catalogue.

Run Runaway
Two Track Stereo, One Track Mind

There's little obvious difference between the 7" and 12". The 12" run out groove is stamped with RCAT 385 A-1U-1-1-1 and engraved with a 'guiness harp' followed by the letters 'TOPIA'.

Visually, regarding info, it suggests that they both feature the same audio, no bonus track and no remix on the 12". This is not actually the case though, the 7" gives a time check of 4:59 but, although the label doesn't state as such, the 12" runs for 5:37. Had the 7" had been a Radio Edit then the album version and the 12" version would have been special. Sadly, the only real difference is an extended intro of drums and extra phased guitar intro causing the vocal to drop half a minute later at 1:30. Most people probably never even noticed.

It's interesting to note that Run Runaway is published in 1983 whilst Two Track Stereo, One Track Mind is 1984. Two Track Stereo was obviously recorded in January '84.

This beautiful Japanese 7" (courtesy of hawkheriberto on discogs)

The single's chart run in the UK for a total of 12 weeks:

04/02/1984 - #54
11/02/1984 - #40
18/02/1984 - #34
25/02/1984 - #19
03/03/1984 - #10
10/03/1984 - #7
17/03/1984 - #14
24/03/1984 - #20
31/03/1984 - #32
07/04/1984 - #53

The single was a huge hit worldwide:

Belgium - #27 for 1 week
Canada - #15 for 16 weeks
Germany - #19 for 12 weeks
Ireland - #8 for 4 weeks
New Zealand - #21 for 12 weeks
Norway - #7 for 5 weeks
Poland - #6 for 10 weeks
Sweden - #4 for 7 weeks

Slade's only top 20 hit in America lasted it's chart run for a total of 17 weeks:

07/04/1984 - #67
14/04/1984 - #56
21/04/1984 - #50
28/04/1984 - #44
05/05/1984 - #39
12/05/1984 - #34
19/05/1984 - #32
26/05/1984 - #27
02/06/1984 - #25
09/06/1984 - #23
16/06/1984 - #20
23/06/1984 - #27
30/06/1984 - #43
07/07/1984 - #65
14/07/1984 - #80
21/07/1984 - #84
28/07/1984 - #98

My thanks to Gordon Kerr for supplying the cover art. The track has been covered by Dominoo, Acid Drinkers, Great Big Sea, Bart Foley, Off Kilter, Rednex and Prydein.

Run Runaway

(Noddy Holder & Jim Lea)

I like black and white

Dreaming in black and white

You like black and white

Run Runaway

See chameleon

Lying there in the sun

All things to everyone

Run Runaway

If you're in the swing

Money ain't everything

If you're in the swing

Run Runaway

See chameleon

Lying there in the sun

All things to everyone

Run Runaway

If you gotta crush

Don't beat about the bush

When I gotta crush

Run Runaway

See chameleon

Lying there in the sun

All things to everyone

Run Runaway

Oh now can't you wait

Love don't come on a plate

Oh now can't you wait

Run Runaway

See the chameleon

Lying there in the sun

All things to everyone

Run Runaway

Two Track Stereo - One Track Mind

(Noddy Holder & Jim Lea)

With her one track mind

She was a hooked on two track stereo

With her one track mind

Woh-ho-oh

Well she always had lousy timing

But she'd like making love to music

Wearing headphones

Woh-ho-oh

Wearing headphones

Yeah-yeah-yeah

They get in the way of talking

And it don't sound the same

When you have to shout sweet nothing's

Woh-ho-oh

Through her headphones

Oh-ho-ho-ho

With her one track mind

Her brain in her behind

She was hooked on two track stereo

With her one track mind

Woh-ho-oh

Yeah-hey-hey

She'd be late for a date on purpose

Making sure that she keeps you waiting

And while she makes up

Woh-ho-oh

Another new face

Woh-ho-ho-ho

She was always forgetting something

And she'd easily lose her head

And there'd be nowhere woh--ho-oh

To hang her headphones yeah-yeah-yeah

With her one track mind

Her brain in her behind

She was hooked on two track stereo

With her one track mind

Woh-ho-oh

Yeah-hey-hey

Oh well she always had lousy timing

Wearing headphones while she's out eating

Or out walking

Like a zombie yeah

With her one track mind

Her brain in her behind

She was hooked on two track stereo

With her one track mind

Woh-ho-oh

One track mind

What's going through her mind

The Amazing Kami-Khazi Syndrome

1983-12-01T12:00:00.091Z

KERRANG! December 1983

MALCOLM DOME sits it out
with Slade's NODDY HOLDER

When St. Noddy the Holder, that renowned Bishop of Bludgeon, fmally elects to trade in his multi-storey, stackheeled pulpit for a slow-burning log fire, bungalow-level carpet slippers and a Barbara Cartland novel (ah. the quiet life!), hell doubtless snuggle under his duvet (complete with Wee Willie Winkle night cap) having first offered praise to his 'Lordy Lordy' for creating Quiet Riot ('And on the eighth day .. .')

Now, cum, on, the reason's obvious! The Los Angeles quartet recently blasted into the US Top Five with their version of that klassic, 'Cum On Feel The Noize' (or in Phil Mogg's case, 'Cum On Feel The Noze'), thereby awakening a whole generation of sibling Yanks to the pleasures of etymological contortion, and at the same time ensuring a steady flow of offshore bucks into the Slade reservoir. Bank managers, stockbrokers and hotel doormen now eagerly rush to call Holder 'sir', as they assiduously pump his flesh (to use a political hustings term) and feel his newly bulging wallet.

If the 'silent' hell raisers from LA are the fast-food 'rocky burger' taste of the moment then Slade have undoubtedly helped light the flame that makes 'em so hot! For not only have QR struck a rich precious Meta1 vein with 'Cum On Feel The Noize', they've done it in a manner so like the Wolverhampton wacky racers - a case of Mike Yarwood and Harold Wilson!

“It's a good version of the song. I don't think Quiet Riot have added anything to the original, but they've updated the sound."

Noddy Holder looks professionally relaxed (everything Slade do has that air of the old pro' about it) as he contemplates higher things (a full can of lager stuck on a very tall shelf) whilst lounging across his publicist's couch.

"The first Slade knew about Quiet Riot was when they approached our publisher for permission to do 'Cum On .. .'. We agreed, never believing something like this would happen. In fact, the record was out for some while in the States before becoming a big hit, wasn't it'? The really nice thing about the whole affair is that it proves how strong our songs are. After all; 'Cum On Feel The Noize' is now ten years old, so it's obviously stood the test of time rather well!

"We've actually been approached in the recent past by people wanting us to update one of our classics. But, not even seeing what a band like Quiet Riot have done so successfully with modern studio technology on an old Slade tune has persuaded us it's worth doing. There was a spontaneity and electricity about the numbers when we first did 'em that could never be recaptured now. There just wouldn't be the same feel so, no matter how much money is offered, we're not into prostituting our own heritage."

Of course, why should Slade bother revisiting past glories, when QR are doing it for them? Rumour (unsubstantiated at present) has it that 'Mama We're All Crazee Now' and/or 'Gudbye T’Jane’ might well crop up on the stripe-happy lads' next album. So, there's every possibility that the Slade back catalogue will become legitimate plunder fodder for a host of American hard rock pirates (possessed of a sheep mentality) looking for healthy chart pickings. The irony of it is that Holder's heroes are presently without a US recording deal ("we're hoping to clinch one soon") and have always been regarded as too parochially British to rock 'em dead on the transatlantic route.

But, in Britain during the early Seventies, Slade could boast more hits than any assassination squad. However, being in the pop business is rather like playing the fruit machines. You can get a run of luck when every coin triggers a jackpot, then inexplicably the winnings just dry up. There's no obvious logic to either streak and Slade have been stuck in the latter groove for some years, releasing a torrent of strong stuff that's scarcely dented the charts.

Until now, that is, cos it's 'flame-on' time again as 'My Oh My' has burnt a cinder trail up the Top 20. A ballad in the tradition of 'Everyday' and 'C'est La Vie', this song sways with an almost waltz-style rhythm (a case of 'We'll Bring The Strauss Down'?) yet retains a north-face- of-the-Eiger (i.e. very rocky) foundation - balls to the waltz??

What sets it up as different from anything Slade have ever attempted before is the neotechnological sound gained by producer John Punter.

''Yeah, it is slightly more modem than our previous stuff. But we didn't deliberately set out to get something like that. It was more a case of John Punter getting involved.

"It was RCA's idea to get him in. They asked us to write a couple of songs specifically for singles release. So we recorded demos of two numbers, 'My Oh My' and 'Run Runaway'. When the label heard them, they flipped and thought the songs were great, but ... they insisted we get in an outside producer to do the final versions. To be frank, we thought the demos themselves were good enough to put out, however the success of 'My Oh My' suggests RCA were right.

"Working with an outside producer for the first time in, well, years (all recent Slade vinyl has been self-produced) was certainly interesting. It provided us with a fifth pair of ears and a new outlook in the studio. John was easy to work with in the end cos he was prepared to work with us rather than trying to dictate to us. And it was enlightening to actually do things in a slightly different manner to our norm, We built the sound of each instrument layer by layer with Punter rather than just putting down all the basic tracks in one go and then overdubbing,"

The thought might traverse a few minds that Slade were almost pressurised into using an outside producer by RCA. Indeed, given the fact that there's been a virtual Stalin-style purge recently of the label's comradely heavy rock roster (R.I.P Hawkwind, Alkatrazz, Budgie among others), were Slade in any danger of a concrete handshake?

"No, I don't think that's really fair. We've always got on very well with everyone at RCA. Certainly, they didn't issue us with any ultimatum over John Punter. It was just felt that we needed him to give us a more out-and-out modem style. I admit I was against it at first, but events have proven them right. I don't believe RCA ever doubted we could have hits, cos our track record shows we can write the sort of tunes that have instant pop appeal and, once you've got that ability, it doesn't simply dissipate. Maybe the problem with those other bands like Hawkwind was that they'd no previous experience of having successful and regular chart entries."

Whether or not 'My Oh My' is the birth of something big, we'll be able to judge when 'Run Runaway' ("a heavy jig") comes out in January. And that might well be the final song Punter records with Slade.

"He was only brought in for those two singles. We'd already finished our new album (self produced) by then and, in fact, the LP versions of 'My Oh My' and 'Run Runaway' have been recorded without John. So people will be able to compare the two approaches and hear whether or not an outside producer made that much difference to 'em."

The album is strangely titled 'The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome'. Now, with some bands, a monicker like that would immediately throw up an explanatory comment like: 'Oh, it was inspired by an obscure Herman Hesse novel/a long-lost episode of 'The Prisoner”/a rare Salvador Dali portrait (delete where applicable). So, which is it, Nod?

"Well, I was reading the sports pages one day and there was an article on motor sport. It talked about the 'kamikaze complex' those guys who compete seem to have in putting their life on the line every time they go on the track. I think Barry Sheene was mentioned as a specific example. Anyway, it struck me that some of our songs fitted in with this idea, so the title seemed a logical choice. And let's face it, everyone has something of that complex in 'em, we all take gambles at some point in our lives."

Could it be that Noddy Holder is a budding Freudian figure in the rock hierarchy? Psychological woargh-fare lives, head for the couch! Still, at least the above explanation will allay lascivious rumours that 'The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome' is, in fact, a title inspired by a new type of Japanese outdoor super-loo!

As for the music, well, at the time of writing, I've heard not a screech or tweet from the album, so all I can do is refer you back to the Mayhem column in our last issue for track details and leave Holder to deliver just one comment ...

"I'd say 75 per cent of it is really out-and-out rock."

It's in the shops now so check it out for yourself.

And so, to a thorny subject - Girlschool. Since the release of the Holder/Lea produced 'Play Dirty', some rather silly comments have appeared in print concerning my supposed opinions on both the album and the band. So, let me briefly put the record straight. I still admire the gals. Furthermore, I applaud the direction they've attempted to take on 'Play Dirty'. I just think it's not quite come off. However, I'm most certainly not waging any vendetta against 'em and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be forced into eating a slice of home-grown humble pie as 'PD' becomes an international best-seller, but…

Not surprisingly, Noddy doesn't share my reservations.

"I think it turned out really well, especially after the problems we had. For example, they were so difficult to motivate. When the girls got down to playing, they were great, particularly Kelly who is an amazing guitarist. But for some reason, they couldn't perform at their best unless they really wanted to. It wasn't due to any laziness, just an inability to self-motivate. So, Jim and I had to capture them at just the right moments. On top of this, they were always arriving late and then slinking off to the pub. In the end we were forced to lock 'ern in the studio to ensure the deadline for delivery of the final product was met.

"Originally, we were approached just to do a single. Bronze Records were looking for a hit so we got together with Girlschool and recorded one of our songs, 'High 'N' Dry', plus one of their numbers. Anyway, things turned out so well that we were then asked to do the album. Spencer Proffer was being lined up for the LP and he even came over to meet the band. But in the end, it was decided to stick with Jim and me.

"To be honest, I can't really bear to contemplate what might have happened had they gone off to Los Angeles with Spencer. He seemed like a nice guy who knew what he was doing, but the girls actually went into the studio to record the album with one song fully written ('Breaking All The Rules'), one half-written and a collection of partially thought-out ideas. We had to help 'em get the numbers together so I can imagine what a state they'd have been in without Jim and me to pull things together.

"I was amazed how much time they wasted in the studio just writing. With the year gap between 'Screaming Blue Murder' and 'Play Dirty' I expected 'em to have ten strong songs fully written and arranged. In the event, a lot of expensive recording time was wasted on composing.

"With Slade I'm used to having things totally ready before going into a recording studio and once work begins on an album we simply slog at it until it's ready, rarely taking extensive pub breaks. But I was talking with Ozzy recently and he told me Sabbath used to do things like Girlschool and I've since learnt a lot of other famous bands work that way as well, so maybe we're in the minority.

"But, let me say this. Girlschool are potentially a great band and this album is very good. Certainly, everyone around 'em – management, record company - are convinced it'll sell exceptionally well. I just hope they're right."

I bet he does!

My Oh My 1983

1983-11-11T12:00:00.003Z

November 11th. 1983

RCA Records RCA-373
My Oh My evolved when Jim Lea decided he wanted to write a song in the vein of Rod Stewart's 'Sailing', that everybody could sing along with. The song appeared on both The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome and on the band's 1984 American counterpart release, Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. It reached number two in the UK chart by Christmas 1983 and a year later became the band's second US Top 40 hit, reaching number 37. The single was kept from the #1 spot in the UK by The Flying Pickets cover of Only You.

This was the first track that Lea and Holder had ever demoed because for the first time the group were working with an outside record producer John Punter. The raw demo of Holder singing over Lea's piano was received with wild enthusiasm by Slade's record label RCA.

"We learnt a lot from him... he spent a lot of time getting the right sounds and it was worth it."
Don Powell: Ken Sharp Interview

The song came from an idea that Jim had while listening to Dave and Noddy tuning up in the dressing room before a gig at a University in Wales.

"It reminded me of bagpipes, I wrote the melody in my head to the drone of the strings"
Jim Lea.

Don Powell wanted to keep the drums out until the end of the song.

"Do you remember a song by Billy Preston called That's The Way God Planned It? That's what I wanted to do at the end of My Oh My."
Don Powell: Ken Sharp Interview

My Oh My replaced C'est La Vie in the bands set list for the December '83 tour. RCA released the single in early November and by December it had entered the UK Top 20. The bands new album, The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome, was scheduled for release in February '84 but RCA decided to release it immediately (December 3rd) to cash in on the singles success. A February release may have produced a better album cover. They even cancelled one of Slade's concerts in order to promote the song on Top Of The Pops, much to the disdain of those fans with tickets. The group claimed that the venue had 10 days warning but continued to sell tickets.

The track was performed on many UK TV shows such as David Frost, Hall of Fame, Russell Harty Show, Saturday Superstore, Rock and Pop Awards and Saturday Show which featured a different backing track. It also featured on Top of The Pops on a number of occasions.

The B-side featured Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply, a previously unreleased track that would lend it's title to the groups US release. An unusual number that echoes some of (I assume) Jim Lea's earlier musical experimentation. An 'ostinato' medley over an atmospheric backdrop of 'program music' sets the scene for the song. Lyrics, revolving around drinking and driving with an amorous passenger, alongside abrupt crashing chords which build the mood until, almost half way through the song, a disappointingly basic chorus lets it down. A shame because it has great promise but clearly they succumbed to the bands new Heavy Metal association and threw it away.

My Oh My
Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
Don't Tame A Hurricane

The release was also put out in a My Oh My 12" format containing an Extended Version and an extra track. My Oh My is not titled or timed as extended but is actually 1:15 longer. It's essentially the same, the song is extended by doubling up on the chorus passages and extending the solo at the end. Far from dragging out the song, it actually makes it better.

The extra track, another previously unreleased song called Don't Tame A Hurricane, is another short piece with an urgent and abrupt melody featuring the usual Slade wall of sound and a refrain that echoes the groups mid 70's sound but with an edge that catered for the new rock crowd. Both B-side tracks featured on the groups American album release, Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply.

The single's chart run in the UK for a total of 12 weeks:

19/11/1983 - #73
26/11/1983 - #36
03/12/1983 - #15
10/12/1983 - #5
17/12/1983 - #3
24/12/1983 - #2
31/12/1983 - #2
07/01/1984 - #2
14/01/1984 - #11
21/01/1984 - #30
28/01/1984 - #55
03/03/1984 - #100

The last entry was a re-appearance in the chart and the single was certified UK Gold by BPI in January 1984. The single was a huge hit worldwide:

Austria - #5 for 10 weeks
Belgium - #4 for 8 weeks
Canada - #35 for 18 weeks
Germany - #4 for 18 weeks
Ireland - #3 for 7 weeks
Netherlands - #9 for 7 weeks
Noway - #1 for 13 weeks
Poland - #21 for 9 weeks
South Africa - #9 for 11 weeks
Sweden - #1 for 10 weeks
Switzerland - #2 for 13 weeks

Mrxican red vinyl 12" RCA TEC-145

After Slade's top 20 hit Run Runaway, the band/record label decided to release My Oh My on American soil. The single's chart run in the US lasted for a total of 11 weeks:

07/07/1984 - #80
14/07/1984 - #64
21/07/1984 - #50
28/07/1984 - #47
04/08/1984 - #42
11/08/1984 - #39
18/08/1984 - #37
25/08/1984 - #37
01/09/1984 - #49
08/09/1984 - #69
15/09/1984 - #93

A promo video was made for the single which was shown in the US but was never seen in the UK until 1991 on a video compilation titled Wall of Hits.

Many thanks to Gordon Kerr for supplying the 12" artwork. It's only right to mention that the pretentious musical twaddle was added by Mr. P. The single peaked at #305 for 1983 on rateyourmusic. The track is recommended by allmusic. Artists who covered this track were John Holt, Godsettre, Alex Rosen, Extrabreit, Kai Kill, K & K Studio Rock Set, Oxford United & Prism, Hurrah Torpedo, Combo Colossale, Hamburg Football Team, Frank Schöbel; Bodies Falling Downstairs, Southern Cross Ingemar Nordströms, SAPO and Dave Glover.

My Oh My
(Noddy Holder & Jim Lea)

I believe in woman My Oh My
I believe in lovin' My Oh My
Don't a woman need a man
Try and catch one if you can
I believe in woman My Oh My

We all need someone to talk to My Oh My
We all need someone to talk to My Oh My
You need a shoulder to cry on
Call me I'll be standing by
We all need someone to talk to My Oh My

We all need a lot of lovin' My Oh My
Yeah a whole lot of lovin' My Oh My
I can lend a helping hand
If you ain't got nothing planned
We all need some lovin' My Oh My

So lets all swing together My Oh My
We can all swing together My Oh My
You've got troubles of your own
No need to face them all alone
We can all swing together My Oh My

So lets all pull together My Oh My
Yeah lets all pull together My Oh My
We can ride the stormy weather
If we all get out and try
So lets all pull together My Oh My
Yeah lets all pull together My Oh My

Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
(Noddy Holder & Jim Lea)

The hero of the airtime at home and in no fit state
Cos we have when it's two O thirty eight
I need to relieve myself can't wait
Blue light flashing comin' up a-right behind
Get up Mary, hittin' the cats eyes
Trying hard to follow the white line
I aint ready to face the law
I ain't runnin' and that's for sure
Maybe they'll just want an autograph

So keep your hands off my power supply
There's no chance that we'll get away
So keep your hands to yourself my oh my
I guess it ain't our lucky day hey hey

A wine inceptor maybe they're flagging us down
Now the boys in blue have their nose to the ground
Watching over can I see your licence sir
I aint ready to blow in the bag
I ain't ready to lose my rag
Gotta work out what I'm gonna say

So keep your hands off my power supply
There's no chance that we'll get away
So keep your hands to yourself my oh my
I guess it ain't our lucky day, yay, yay
Gotta get away

I aint ready to face the law
I ain't runnin' and that's for sure
Better leave my gear stick alone

So keep your hands off my power supply
There's no chance that we'll get away
So keep your hands to yourself my oh my
I guess it ain't our lucky day, yay, yay
Gotta get away
Gotta get away

Don't Tame A Hurricane
(Noddy Holder & Jim Lea)

I wanna I wanna I wanna tell ya
He'll be sharper than any razor
With a phoney idea of life
He's got a hurdy-gurdy temper
To cut you like a knife hey hey hey

He's ever ready to catch the cheetah
You know the leopard don't change it's spots
He's the international cocktail
Who'll end up on the rocks woh oh oh

So don't try to tame a damn hurricane
A hurricane 'll backfire
Don't try to tame a damn hurricane
You can't hold on a live-wire

You need a five gear book on the good times
In the houses of ill refute
Different smokes for different folks
There ain't no substitute no oh oh

So don't try to tame a damn hurricane
A hurricane 'll backfire
Don't try to tame a damn hurricane
You can't hold on a live-wire

Woh oh oh oh oh
Hey hey hey hey
Woh oh oh oh oh
I wanna I wanna I wanna tell ya oh-oh oh-oh

The girlie's innocent airs took over
Her baby face did not engage
Don't need no firm and learn relations
He'll never change his ways no oh oh

So don't try to tame a damn hurricane
A hurricane 'll backfire
Don't try to tame a damn hurricane
You can't hold on a live-wire
Don't try to tame him blame him
The hurricane 'll backfire
Don't try to tame him blame him
You can't hold on a live-wire woh oh

Quiet Riot

1983-03-23T12:00:00.006Z

L.A. March 1983

The Los Angeles band Quiet Riot are commonly referred to in connection with Slade. The band took two Slade covers high up into the American charts in the early/mid 1980s.

Quiet Riot began in 1975, consisting of two notable members Kevin Dubrow and Randy Rhoads. The band was based in Los Angeles and despite making something of a reputation, the band couldn’t secure themselves a record contract. After two years, 1977 proved to be a turning point for the band. The band made a deal with Sony however the records would only be released in Japan.

A very quick-made album was released, conveniently titled Quiet Riot and a follow up in 1978 titled Quiet Riot II. Both made little impact overall in Japan. After the recording on the second album, bassist Kelly Garni left the band for good and so the replacement Rudy Sarzo was credited for Quiet Riot’s second album as well as being pictured on the front cover.

In 1979, guitarist Randy Rhoads auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne’s new band after the editors Slaughter bassist Dana Strum contacted Rhoads to see if he would be interested. Apparently, Osbourne himself stated that he hired Rhoads immediately. Kevin DuBrow and original Quiet Riot drummer Drew Forsyth tried to keep the band together following Rhoads' departure. From 1980 to 1982, the band changed its name to a simple DuBrow.

Randy Rhoads died in 1982 in a plane accident which sparked an interest in the young guitarist. This led to many fans to come across Quiet Riot’s first two albums. Somehow, DuBrow and his band bumped into producer Spencer Proffer which helped DuBrow’s band, now titled Quiet Riot once again, to signed to CBS Records in America that very year.

By this point, no original Quiet Riot members were interested except DuBrow so the line-up now included guitarist Carlos Cavazo, whom DuBrow had previously played with in a band called Snow, Rudy Sarzo re-joined the band on bass guitar, and his friend, drummer Frankie Banali, filled in the missing part.

Proffer told DuBrow that his vocals sounded a little like Slade’s vocalist Noddy Holder and so the suggestion of covering Cum On Feel The Noize came from Proffer. DuBrow and Banali were dead set on not covering the song, claiming that they hated it. They decided to try to cover the song badly in the studio believing the label would refuse to release it. As we know, their ruse did not work and on March 11, 1983, the album Metal Health was released.

By late August 1983, Quiet Riot's version of Cum On Feel the Noize was released as a single (even the Slade's trademark spelling was kept.) Their cover spent two weeks at #5 on the Billboard chart in November 1983. It was the first heavy metal song to make the Top 5 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. The success of the single helped carry Metal Health to the top of the charts. According to the official billboard site, Metal Health didn't chart until 23/04/1983, where it peaked at #183. By the 26/11/1983 the album hit the #1 spot for a week. The total weeks on the charts were 74, making it the first American heavy metal début album to ever reach #1 in the USA. Quiet Riot were also the first heavy metal band to have a top 5 hit and #1 album on the same week.

Cum On Feel The Noize’s role is clear in this whole history. Without the song, the band wouldn’t have had the same success. Ironic that the bands only real hit was not only a cover, but a cover of a song which half the band hated.

As the album started to decline after peaking, the single Bang Your Head (Metal Health) was released in mid-February 1984, a song written by the band themselves. The single peaked at #31 but it couldn’t save the album as every week from then on, the album was dropping.

U.S. record companies began searching for the band who wrote the hit. In 1984, Slade had managed to get a record deal with coincidently Quiet Riot’s label CBS. By mid-April 1984, their single Run Runaway was released, peaking at #20 on the billboard and lasting a healthy 17 weeks. The follow-up was another success, although not as successful, My Oh My came out on July 7, the same year peaking at #37.

Another surprising coincidence was Quiet Riot’s follow up single, Mama Weer All Crazee Now (another Lea & Holder composition), which came out the very same time, peaking at only #51. The Slade album Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply came out early May, peaking at #33 and staying on the charts for a total of 18 weeks.

Quiet Riot were quickly pressured with a follow-up. The group's follow-up, Condition Critical, was released on July 7, 1984 (yes, the same date again). Though successful – peaking at #15, it was a disappointment, critically and commercially, selling only 3 million copies. This album included Mama Weer All Crazee Now. Frustrated over the sophomore release's failure to duplicate the success of its predecessor, DuBrow outspokenly began expressing his opinion in the heavy metal press that many bands on the L.A. metal scene owed their success to what he saw as the doors opened for them by Quiet Riot. Of course without Slade’s Cum On Feel The Noize, Metal Health wouldn't have been the door opener so, in reality, the real thanks go to Slade and perhaps Spencer Proffer for recognising a good song.

Quiet Riot slipped off the charts quicker than anything whilst Slade did the same. No Quiet Riot singles charted after Mama Weer All Crazee Now. Slade released their last charting single in America, titled Little Sheila in May 1985. The track adopted the new synthesizer craze of the 1980s. It peaked at #86 and #13 on the mainstream rock charts.

QR III came along in 1986, again another commercial disappointment. The album peaked at #31 and adopted a heavy keyboard sound, much like Slade’s April 1985 follow up to Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply, Rogues Gallery (including Little Sheila) which only peaked at #132.

Fed up with DuBrow's antics, the rest of Quiet Riot fired him from his own band in February 1987 and replaced him with former Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino, leaving no original members. The only album with Shortino, titled Quiet Riot, perhaps for a new beginning, peaked at only #115 and Quiet Riot never bothered the charts again. DuBrow resurrected the band in the early 90s, with Carlos Cavazo and Frankie Banali.

An interesting add on is Dubrow stated that he believed it was a mistake to record Mama Weer All Crazee Now when he was interviewed in 1987, after being fired.
(http://www.classicbands.com/QuietRiotInterview.html)

In a 2007 interview, DuBrow states:

FIB MUSIC: I have read a lot of great comments about REHAB.....

Kevin: People really like it....the people who understand it, really like it. If you are expecting Metal Health Part II, you won't get it and you won't like it. There are hardly any background vocals, I mean, it's very similar to a 70's record in that way...it's very retro. It's not super dry, but it's not super wet in the echo either. It's like the records I grew up listening to, Humble Pie, Led Zeppelin, Spooky Tooth, Free, bands from the 70's, retro bands. Our original roots were more towards glam, Bowie, Sweet, Slade, things like that. (http://www.fullinbloommusic.com/kevin_dubrow.html)

Finally, in 2001, DuBrow answered questions from fans.

Coral Gables, Florida: Were you guys big fans of Slade?

Kevin DuBrow: We were not big fans of Slade although we respect what they did. I don't own any of their records. The reason we recorded the songs we did was that our producer felt there was some similarity between my voice and Slade's lead singer.
(http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20010403006/tscript.htm)

Another interesting note is Slade's influence on Quiet Riot dated back to the early 1970s, when Kevin DuBrow photographed Slade during their first Los Angeles appearances at the Whisky a Go Go.

A change of story each time for the band who gave Quiet Riot there success.

Glam Metal

1983-03-01T12:00:00.006Z

1980

For many, nothing was more exciting than the explosion of glam metal in the 1980s. Glam metal reached mainstream popularity by 1983 although it had been around since the late 1970s. Just short of a whole decade, glam rock was back in a new form, described as combining the flamboyant look of glam rock and playing a power-chord-based heavy metal musical style.

Slade were the most successful glam rock group, by far, in the United Kingdom during the 1970s. A total of 17 top 20 hits, 13 top 10 hits and 6 chart toppers ensured Slade's top rank of the period. Once Glam Rock died, it took a few years for glam to once again make a mark, this time on American soil.

By this point Slade had got back on solid ground after years of performing in small clubs around the UK since the punk uprising.

The first part of the true glam metal explosion was down to Quiet Riot or more so their producer Spencer Proffer who believed lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow sounded a little like Noddy Holder. This led to Proffer getting the band to record Slade's UK chart topper Cum On Feel The Noize. The classic Slade track helped make Quiet Riot's Metal Health album (dedicated to the memory of Randy Rhoads) a number-one hit in the US. The song's success drew huge nationwide attention. Metal Health, released state-side in March 1983, with the help of the popular lead off single (...Noize) sold more than 6 million copies. It could be argued that without Slade, Quiet Riot would never have made it. Two albums were released before Metal Health, although only in Japan.

But it wasn't just Quiet Riot that the song helped, it was the entire glam metal scene. Metal Health is said to have paved the way for a new, stronger commercial viability for heavy metal. Before this explosion, glam metal bands were already releasing albums to only small success.

Mötley Crüe (amidst rumours of being pre-fabricated) released their debut in 1982 which only peaked at #77. Their next album Shout At The Devil, which came, September 26th 1983, a few months after Metal Health, peaked at #17. Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe stated:

"Slade was pretty much the only thing metal about glam rock in the 70s."

Twisted Sister released their debut Under The Blade in 1982 which peaked at #125, their 1984 album Stay Hungry peaked at #15. KISS were suffering by 1981 when their album Music From "The Elder" only peaked at #75, unusual since they became popular in 1975. Their follow up in 1982 titled Creatures of The Night only hit #45. By 1983, the album Lick It Up came out, again months after Metal Health and peaked at#24. The next 3 Kiss albums also peaked in the top 20.

With this evidence, Metal Health started glam metal's 15 minutes of fame. Allmusic cites numerous bands that were heavily influenced by Slade, many from the glam metal background. Bands such as Kiss, Poison, Mötley Crüe, Wonderboy, Lizzie Grey, Hanoi Rocks, Queen, Quiet Riot, Orbit, Holy Ghost Revival, Kirka, Condo Fucks, Hot Leg, Def Leppard, Mozart, Dokken, Noel Gallagher, Rose Tattoo, The Clash and The New Electrics.

Although Twisted Sister isn't listed, an interesting observation was comparing Slade's final studio album You Boyz Make Big Noize with Twisted Sister's final studio album Love Is For Suckers. Both were released in 1987, Boyz in April and Suckers in August. Twisted Sister's songwriter and lead vocalist Dee Snider makes numerous lines relating to Slade. Firstly, both albums have the same titled track Me and The Boys, although both are different. Secondly, in Twisted Sister's Me and The Boys, there is a particular line: "me and the boys, we make a big noise". The closing track titled Yeah Right has the line: "so stomp your hands and clap your feet". This line is clearly from Slade's 1974 album Old New Borrowed and Blue which was retitled "Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet" in America.

Alice Cooper once stated:

"Slade was the coolest band in England. They were the kind of guys that would push your car out of a ditch."

High praise I'm sure from the Coop but I think we know what he means? Kiss, on the other hand, were more likely to push your tour bus into the ditch and set the thing on fire. Kiss were selling platinum albums by the late 70's but Simmons and Stanley sacked the original drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Freahley which lost them a lot of fans. Kiss member's Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley stated Slade as a clear influence. They also stated they simply took the Slade sound and took it to the farthest extreme.

To add to that there are a further two quotes from Simmons:

"Slade was certainly our greatest influence; not only in the crafting of rock songs but also as performers. Before Slade, no one really knew shit about how to make an audience riot. We really got off on that. There would probably never have been us without them and when I look at the greatest hits section by Sweet, or Slade, or any other of my favourite bands, there are TONS of compilation records."

(Interview, Utopia Records website.)

David Coverdale (Whitesnake) spoke of Slade in an interview:

"...whatever happened to bands that rocked liked Slade? Y'know, that no-bullshit, fuck you, in your face, we're bad-as-hell-and-we-know-it kind of band?"

Even when grunge became popular and glam metal died, Slade were still respected.

"...absolutely. Slade! A band that would never bend over."

Kurt Cobain: Nirvana

By the time glam metal exploded, Slade began being shown interest by American labels. Just Slade. No other glam rock bands but Slade. This proved to be a success as Slade scored their first hit in America shortly after with Run Runaway, peaking at #20 whilst the follow up My Oh My peaked at #37. Slade would eventually begin to tour with Ozzy Osbourne around this time until Jim Lea fell ill to Hepatitis and so the tour was cancelled.

Despite the large amount of evidence, Slade are not mentioned when it comes down to this musical event. Who knows if glam metal would have fully surfaced without Quiet Riot's cover of a Slade track? Regardless, there is no doubt that the most successful glam metal bands were influenced by the "God's of glam rock".

The Bishop Of Bludgeon

1982-12-01T12:00:00.003Z

KERRANG! December 1982

Slade's Noddy Holder gives an SOS call to
MALCOLM DOME

"Slade are like heroes to us" - Steve Zodiac (Vardis)

NOW HEAR this Slade are most definitely NOT a bunch of dry rot-infested bozos. As the above 'Zod' quote hints, Jim Lea, Dave Hill, Noddy Holder/Don Powell have had as much influence on today's Metal scene as the likes of Purple, Zeppelin, or Sabbath.

How, and why, did this happen? I've a theory about it which I shall expound for your delectation, o lucky people. You see, in the early seventies, when many modern HM stars were just beginning to take an active interest in music, who did they have to copy? Very little Metal was heard on the radio. or seen on 'Top Of The Pops', whilst music from 'hip' supergroups such as Genesis, Yes. or ELP probably went over most of their heads. So, where did they turn for inspiration? To the stomping few whose brand of high-energy tunefulness regularly hit the charts- Sweet. Glitter. T. Rex, and Slade. And. since the earliest influence on any muso tends to be the most important, it's these outfits who've subsequently etched their mark all over eighties Heavy Metal.

"Yeah, a lot of bands come up to us and say how much Slade has guided 'em," agreed St Noddy, the Bishop of Bludgeon, during a recent pre-tour chinwag. "I suppose we've also had a lasting effect on the kids who follow HM today. You see, about 10 years ago when we were having all those hits, these people would only have been eight or nine years old. They've obviously picked up on the band from all the exposure we had back then, and the songs have stayed with 'em. We certainly attract a very young audience nowadays- fans who just couldn't have been old enough to see us live when we first happened."

But there's more to Slade than those golden days of yore. For, at a time when the FUN has virtually gone from music, these veterans are again on a one-band crusade to bring the glam back to metal, and put the smile back on the face of rock 'n' roll. It's incredible, yet undoubtedly true, that more than 10 years since they originally hit the top, Slade are still untouchable on-stage. They’re the unequalled gift to make each and everyone at a gig feel SPECIAL. Whether up in front of a huge festival audience, or playing the Allied Breweries' Workingmen's Club in Burton, they create an intimate atmosphere and are the ultimate good time rock 'n' roll stage act.

A host of eager novices from Rox to Silverwing have tried in vain over the past couple of years to imitate the Wolverhampton quartet's style, but none has managed to come close.

"We've always been the way we are now. A lot of bands these days think it's uncool to have a show like ours that just keeps on moving. But we plan our gigs to go from A·Z, with something happening all the time to keep the fans' attention from wandering. It’s professionalism to us, and I suppose in a way we have our roots more in traditional music hall than anything else. Everything might look off-the-cuff but in fact the shows are worked out in detail.

"Of course, there's still room for spontaneity. We're always picking up on things at gigs, and incorporating 'em on the spot into the act. We've been known to have one gag running throughout an entire show - it helps to create a rapport with the kids. We've never been any different; Slade is a band that relies on audience feedback to really make for a good concert, In fact it was this element that got us discovered in the first place. In the late sixties, we did a club in New Bond Street (London), and only had about 20 people in. Those fans were really going crazy, though, and Chas Chandler came down, saw us working the audience, and signed us up"

"I honestly believe that the way we perform means we can get away with lots or things others can't. I remember in our earliest days, there was one fella at a particular gig we used to do who turned up every time we played there. He was always the same - totally drunk, with two pints of beer in his hands and covered in dirt, I think he was a foundryman. But each time, without fail, he'd come up onstage with us and sing 'Skippy, The Bush Kangaroo', whilst we'd play a rock beat behind him. The audience loved it. In fact, they expected it to happen when Slade appeared there. Now, most bands would nave got bottled off for something like that. But, we did this sort of thing all over the place - if a guy wanted to come up and sing with us for a bit, we'd encourage it!"

Indeed, even the most mega of bands can learn from Slade's relaxed attitude. For, as their new, absolutely incredibly live LP 'Slade On Stage' shows this lot begin a gig at the sort of level most hands would be happy to finish on! And, if you're at all sceptical of their prowess, then 'SOS' is guaranteed to change your mind.

Forget about the occasional studio overdubs, they're irrelevant. What matters is the remarkable way da boyzz have captured their stage set on vinyl. With most live albums one ends up feeling like an uneasy eavesdropper on an historical event. But this one makes the listener feel a part of the whole show from the off. If ever a piece of plastic actually sweated itself into a state or frenzied exhaustion, then 'SOS' is it.

"I think we've managed to keep the excitement of the gig virtually intact. It's true we had to do a few studio bits to tart it up, but these have been kept to a minimum. However, I've got to be honest and say that I'm not one of these people who believes a live LP should go out as it was recorded - whatever the quality. You've always got to remember that somebody is gonna pay hard earned cash for this record. And, whilst every effort should be made to preserve the atmosphere of a thing, if adding a few touches to it can enhance the final sound, then I think you owe it to the punter to do just that.

"With 'SOS', though, all we've done is to make up for bits where, for example, a guitar string broke or something. Oh yeah, and we had to cut out part of the audience as well, 'cos one of the microphones in the auditorium at Newcastle City Hall {the only gig to be recorded~ was set up next to a loony. He kept on shouting into it "bastard!" at the top of his voice, so obviously that had to go. But, apart from those things, everything is faithful to the show.

The LP was mixed by the band at London's Portland Studios. And, typical of their workaholic attitude, they recorded a new album while they were there, for which the current single '{And Now - The Waltz} C'est La Vie' is an excellent taster.

"It's an album that's bound to surprise people. A lot of different styles have been incorporated, which perhaps aren't usually associated with Slade.

''It's funny, you know, in our early days we always found working in a studio very hard. We'd forever wanna do songs as we did 'em live, and just couldn't get to grips with studio requirements. But now we produce ourselves, things work out far better. We're more at home recording these days than ever we were in our big hit era. And, because of that we're making out best-ever music'"

All of which brings me to a final point. It seems that the art of penning good, three-minute foot-stompers is fast being lost. Modern bands just don't seem to have the ability or inclination to write instantly memorable numbers in the classic mould of 'Goodbye T’ Jane' or 'Get Down & Get With it', Slade via such modem marvels as ‘When I'm Dancin', I Ain't Fightin' and 'Lock Up Your Daughters' are out on their own in this respect. So, are the band really the last of the great rock songsters?

"It’s probably the most difficult thing in music to write a simple, good, three minute rock song. Certainly, it's far easier to pen a three-minute ballad. But, it saddens me that there seems to be no bands around who are even trying to do this. The trend towards cover versions obviously hasn't helped; I feel too many good groups see the cover as an easy option and a quick route to the charts.

"I can't believe there is no new talent capable of writing three minute, catchy rock numbers. There are loads of truly excellent Metal bands around with great technical abilities. I m sure many of them could write great songs. Perhaps they lack the perseverance to keep on battling away until they have a hit, or else maybe no-one has given 'em the encouragement to go out and have a bash at it.

“If I had the time, I’d love to take hold of a good group, and given 'em some guidance in this respect. What some of these young bands need is to spend a little less time on image and a bit more on material. Slade have always had an image, but we've never let it take precedence over the music. And if, as has happened, we release a single which flops, then we just take that failure in our stride and write some new, hopefully better songs. The great secret is never to let anything get you down – don’t panic and always have faith in your ability:'

This is clearly a philosophy that's served Slade well for they've now been together 17 years- without a change of line-up. And, it's a measure of the high esteem in which they're held that rock 'n' roll minus these chaps is as unthinkable as your average semi-detached suburban house without electricity. Roll on 1985, and the 20th anniversary celebrations.

(Typed out, as is, all errors included!)

Ipswich, Gaumont

1982-04-01T12:00:00.025+01:00

KONCERTS

ROCK AND ROLL
PREACHERS

SLADE/SPIDER
Ipswich, Gaumont (21st March 1982)

Well this is Sunday so that guy centre stage with the white collar must be a preacher but, hang on, that's no bible in his hands - that's a guitar! But of course, this is Ipswich and this is Slade! You will be forgiven for the mistake though - Noddy Holder delivered his sermon over taped church organ and a raging thunderstorm. The Hammer Horror effect was completed by billowing smoke and a backdrop of stained glass windows!

After 'Rock And Roll Preacher' the set was much the same as the December tour, although it was strengthened by the inclusion of 'Ruby Red' the rabble-rousing new single. A surefire hit. A lot of nonsense has been written about singles being 'sell-outs', Slade live have proved that it's the quality of the music not the width of the vinyl that matters and nobody in the sold-out Gaumont doubted it. One of the highlights (as ever), was Jimmy Lea's bass and fiddle solo spot, sandwiched between 'A Night To Remember' and 'Lock Up Your Daughters' - a chance for a breather - no way! By sheer enthusiasm the energy level is kept up way above the sound threshold.

Fun really is the key word where Slade are concerned, whether it's Noddy's incredible rapport with the crowd or ace guitarist Dave Hill's bum wiggling from the riser by his PA. They've been in the game so long now that they can probably do this in their sleep yet they will convince you that they enjoy it as much as you do. Even machine gun drummer Don Powell, that look on his face is concentration not boredom!

This gig was postponed from the earlier tour so the second encore was extra special. Not only did we get a rock and roll medley but a brief snatch of ZZ Top's 'Waiting For The Bus', the complete rendition of 'Merry Christmas', a rarity out of season. And the old standard 'Born To Be Wild' Impossible to follow probably - but just wait until next tour.

Finally, a word of praise for support band Spider. This eight-legged beasty was plucked 'For One Night Only' from the studio for this slot. Rusty? I didn't notice. Dedicated? - certainly. The rhythm guitarist played on despite two broken strings, that's what I call attitude. Forget everything, just boogie! The crowd appreciated it too.

Neil Jeffries

Published in Kerrand around April 1982

"Back From The Dead"

1980-11-15T12:00:00.004Z

Sounds, 15th November 1980

Back From The Dead

Steve Keaton meets Noddy Holder and Jim Lea of Slade

Thankfully people just don't know when to give up. More six foot under than down and out, Slade have clawed their way back from death's dark chart-file to currently stomp about town (platform boots a-glinting) with alarming vigour. The band that time forgot.

Oh Nod, forgive me for I have sinned, carelessly packing you off to has-been limbo. Flail me and be done.

Their legacy of course is considerable. Arguably the finest singles band of the early seventies, certainly one of the most influential, they gave birth to a rowdy brood of classic tracks. Each and every one complemented by memorable telly spots.

How I remember teetering about like an idiot to 'Mamma Weer All Crazee Now', 'Cum On Feel The Noize' and 'Gudbye T' Jane' to name but three. Oh, for the days when a mirrored top hat was the height of street level elegance...

Eventually conquered peaks began to crumble under the weight of ambitions. movie, 'Slade In Flame' was released - maybe the Scala will dig it out and refresh our memories? - and the decision to invade America taken. Like a row of teeth at a Rejects' gig, they flew out of our lives. The end of an era. Supersonic died and Top Of The Pops was never the same again. Pause to wipe away the tears.

Meanwhile back in the States, Slade were working their loons off. Two years of hard graft reaped precious few rewards. They came home in seventy seven just as the punk rebellion gobbed to it's heights. The boys disembarked at Heathrow as an anachronism, no heroe's welcome, just more hard graft.

Then bingo! A triumph at the Reading Festival and the consequent release of the Live At Reading EP featuring the smashing 'When I'm Dancing I Ain't Fighting' - sledgehammer pop in the grand old tradition. A sparkling gig at the Lyceum was all I needed to be convinced that Slade were very much alive and well and on top form. So much for the potted history.

Wrapped in a decidedly dodgy old blue duffel coat, his golfball peepers swivelling above equally blue bags, Noddy Holder ain't quite the hero I'd imagined. I was kinda hoping he'd greet me in all his silly stage togs, so to be confronted with this duffel coat...a bit of a downer as you can imagine.

Still, the man himself was bright and cheery as was the wiry Jim Lea. Unfortunately drummer Don Powelland ace guitarist Dave Hill couldn't make the trip, intrigues up Wolverhampton way and all that, so I was denied the chance to ask really important stuff like 'Why does Dave persist with that truly hideous hair style?' and other burning issues. Thus limited I asked Nod (Neville really, amazing eh?) if they were getting a trifle desperate before the Reading break?

"No, it wasn't a matter of desperation," he declares, finally shedding said duffel coat, much to my relief.

"When we came back from the States the whole music scene had changed. It was a case of starting on the bottom rung of the ladder and working our way up again, which is what we set about to do really. Just slumming it around, doing gigs everywhere and anywhere. Not only in Britain but in Europe as well, making people aware that we hadn't split up and weren't sunning ourselves in the Bahamas. We've been working solid since the hit records stopped, always on the road.

"When we returned we were in a heavy vein, the album released then 'Whatever Happened To Slade' was a heavy album, and it didn't mean anything then. It was totally Americanised. Totally out of context to what was going on at the time. If it was released now it would be in vogue because it's a heavy metal orientated LP."

Were you completely unaware of the development over here then?

"No, not really. We knew that there had been changes over here - we'd read the papers. But you'd never hear any of the music on American radio. We were thinking, 'Who are these bands? What sort of music is it?' We got back and turned on the radio and it was like a revelation to us. Good God, what's happening?! It was a totally different feeling. We might as well have been in Japan."

The band took a year off then, to assess their own situation, finally lured back to the boards for a gig in Germany. That was quickly followed by one at Reading University.

"When we did that - Fantastic! We thought, 'Crike' if we can go down like that, let's do more gigs. And that's what we've been doing ever since."

Things weren't that simple though. It was hardly hip to be a Slade booster then. It seemed people just didn't want to know.

"The radio at the time just wouldn't play us. Now Nod and I can write some good tunes, but whatever went they wouldn't touch us. It was all to do with fashion. You can't be bitter about it, we understand it. We realised that the name Slade was uncool; we knew we had to overcome our own name and people's preconceived ideas as to what the band was about.

"It's taken us two years to overcome that hurdle...But we had to do that the first time round as well. People then used to associate the name Slade with the skinhead image. But we did it then and we'll do it now."

It was in fact a lucky fluke that won the group the Reading spot. If it wasn't for a certain ex-Sab, Noddy and the rest might still be slogging around the country unnoticed, as the singer explains.

"Well, Ozzy Osbourne's band pulled out three days before the show and so they asked us to do it. We weren't on any of the billings or anything, we just stepped into Ozzy's place. We hadn't been on the road for two months. We just got a quick rehearsal together and went on. It hasn't changed to us since then but it certainly opened people's eyes. They're aware of us again."

"It was rather funny really," continues Jim. "We rolled up to Reading in our Ford Granada, we got sent to the public car park. We got all our guitars and cases and that out of the car and off we went struggling through the crowd. When we got to the artists enclosure we found that we didn't have our backstage passes, so there we were asking if we could come in. And stretching off behind us was a whole line of Rolls Royces.

"Now Whitesnake rolling up in a Rolls Royce you expect, being top of the bill. But everyone had one, the whole bill! And there's us with twenty hit records under our belt struggling through the dust.

"That's the way it's always been with us. The story of our lives, everything around us always falls apart. We've never been able to be cool. God, we've tried, I'm afraid we'll always be uncool. We felt like the outsiders going to Reading, but when we got backstage everyone started asking us for our autographs. We felt good then, that's when we knew we were in with a bloody good chance. We never die on stage either. Been around too long. We knew exactly what we were going to do, never had any problems with audiences."

The entire show was recorded by the BBC for broadcasting on the Friday Rock Show. Forty-five minutes of Slade's set was aired. "We just had to release something from it, we had so many requests."

'When I'm Dancing' and 'Born To Be Wild' were the selected songs, an arrangement was struck with the Beeb and the EP appeared on Jim Lea's own Cheapskate Records label. It's currenly jostling around the top forty as well as making a fleeting though high appearance in our own HM chart. It deserves your attention.

Meanwhile Polydor are releasing a 'Slade Smashes' compilation invaluable for wretches like me who no longer possess the originals. I asked Nod if he was at all depressed at this preoccupation with past glories?

"Depressed? No. This compilation will be great for the fans, a chance to get all the hits on one record. But we don't relate to them in the same way anymore, the way we play them now is bugger all like the records anyway."

Jim : "I didn't even like some of those old ones. We all hated 'Gudbye T' Jane' when we made it, it was knocked up in half an hour at the end of one of our studio sessions. The same for our second single, 'Coz I Luv You'. It was namby-pamby to us, a throwaway for an album. It shot to number on in two weeks and we thought, 'What a pile of shit!' It was so wet.

"But they were good times. The success never changed us, because this band just doesn't have an ego - except for Dave. I remember there was this great rivalry between us and Bolan. We used to sit in the TOTP dressing room getting powdered up, with the Osmonds waiting behind us, and everyone was taking the piss out of one another. We would come out of the Beeb and there would be all these fans after autographs and stuff. Chicks would come up to Marc and say, 'Are you Marc Bolan? Ain't you fat.'

The duo chuckle happily at the memory.

"And now we're having to live down our success. Y'know it's much harder to make it the second time around. We've never, ever considered splitting up because we know that at the end of the day we can walk on stage and blow any fucker off - and that's what it all comes down to in the end.

"And that goes right back to the beginning. Like when we were skins we were outlawed. It was really bad then. No gigs, no radioplay, nothing. But we survived because we went to places like universities and that and tore the joints apart; not a skinhead in sight in the audience, it was all long haired hippies in those days.

"We just need people to see us at face value, see? Exactly the same as they did at Lincoln or Reading. They didn't fork out their ticket money to see us at those gigs, but once they did see us they accepted us for what we were and enjoyed it...and that's all we've ever been here for."