Food For Thought?

Does anybody know the full set list of the three sessions at Command Theatre Studios, I would be very interested to know what else was recorded over those 3 nights. Somewhere out there, there's a few hours worth of Slade Alive! excess recording. It could even contain the mysterious Louisiana Rag Blues?

On the other hand, we know Hear Me Calling exists as a studio recording so why not In Like A Shot From My Gun and the rest of the Slade Alive tracks. I would suggest Chas got them to record their "live" act for a studio release but for some reason decided to go with the Live album instead.



We know Slade Alive didn't contain all the tracks that were recorded so why shouldn't other studio versions exist. Don Powell is actually quite sure that they made a studio recording of In Like A Shot along with other things of the time but he believes that the tapes were probably wiped.



Listening to the Hear Me Calling studio take, it is quite apparent what Chas was struggling with, it lacks guts. Assuming In Like A Shot sounded similar then you can see the choice facing the big man. Coz I Luv You was meant to sound a bit limp before it builds and if you listen to the difference between Look What You Dun studio and live recordings.

Hear Me Calling (the live version) did actually get released as a Promo single though, with the live version of Get Down (And Get) With It  on the B-side.  Both tracks were taken from Slade Alive!





I suspect Chas was reluctant to put out a studio album that did not represent what he wanted the group to become and instead went with the live album in an attempt to get the group across as a strong act. In doing so he showed them to be a tour de force but while that was happening..... whoops, they became Top Of The Pops darlings.

Next thing you know, they're a teeny bopper group!

Meanwhile back in the studio.... Chas perfects his mock live recording technique and gets a tough sound but now the old set is not appropriate so its out with the old and in with the new.

Maybe?

divider



1 comment:

John Pitt said...

There may have even been enough studio takes of songs from their live sets to fill a "lost album"?