Showing posts with label Disc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disc. Show all posts

3rd US Tour (Don's Recovery)

The USA, September 1973
They had previously spent May in the US and the groups 3nd tour of the States was set for the Autumn of 1973. They went this time armed with a brand new Warner Brothers recording contract, the ink still wet.
"Before we went last time Gudbuy T'Jane had been in the fifty....  we’re not panicking about not having any record success over there... I don't think enough people have seen us live yet to know what we’re all about. I mean, I think you have to see us live to understand what the records are about in the first place because basically we’re an audience participation band.
The people who have seen us are going out and buying the records. As far as I can see the Americans haven’t got a band like us. It’s a load of rubbish people saying we’ve been dying a death over there because we haven't."
Noddy Holder: DISC 8th September 1973
Slade had risen to dizzy new heights in the summer, moving from the unstoppable steamroller of 1972, to the Superstars of 1973, climaxing at Earls Court and popping like a giant balloon the day after with the fatal car crash that left Angela Morris dead and Don Powell in critical condition in a Wolverhampton Hospital.

Meanwhile, Billboard were reporting on the UK phenomenon that was due to arrive in the US

.

"Other Silver Singles go to Polydor for Slade's "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me" on the Polydor label.... a Silver Single represents sales of 250,000 copies."

"He also revealed that Warner is close to the signing of still another British hard-rock group which has until now been more successful at home than here, Slade." 
"SLADE: British super group fostered by Polydor London. Records have emulated the Beatles' by going straight to the top of the pop charts immediately they are released."

"Slade: All action British group revelling in colour and noise and storming their way to the top of the world's hit parades with every new disc."
The group's American tour had been set for July but was postponed until October because of the accident. Slade made good their Isle of Man, Lido, gig by bringing in Jimmy's brother Frank on drums. In the 8th September issue of DISC music newspaper, Holder says 'in 5 weeks time' but they actually 'flew out from London's Heathrow airport on the 18th September for a month long coast to coast US tour.'  for 28 dates beginning on 21st. This meant that they couldn't play their scheduled open air appearance in New York's Central Park on 5th. September. They did get a press reception at the Gramercy Park Hotel on Lexington Avenue on the Saturday, the day after their opening gig.

DOING FINE
We're really delighted to hear that Don Powell is making such good progress in the Wolverhampton Royal hospital. Poor Don's memory is still a bit foggy, but he's coming along really well. And he does appreciate all the cards and get well wishes that everyone has sent to him... you are a fantastic lot! And we know you'll be really pleased to hear that Slade are already making plans for Don to get back to touring with them. His doctors say he should be back in action once more in October.

Well, Don, I'm sure we don't need to say it... but all of us at It's Here and our great readers are with you all the way!
It's Here & Now: August 1973
Against all the odds, Don Powell made an incredible recovery and found himself back behind a drum kit.
"Officially I should've taken another couple of weeks convalescence, but the Doctor reckoned I would improve quicker if I got back with the others and start circulating again. I still use a stick to help cure a limp."
Don Powell: Oct/Nov 1973 Newsletter
"In the autumn, we were due to be back in the States... Six weeks after the accident, on his doctor's advice, we took Don back in the studio. We were told that would be the best thing for him. We wanted to see how Don would cope with recording...
We had been warned that it would be months before he could play properly again, but he proved everyone wrong... He was desperate to play again, even though he could only walk with sticks and his head was still shaved.
The few weeks we had in the studio in London really strengthened Don up. We thought, 'If he can play as well as this already, we should try taking him to the States to see how he copes with a tour.' We went over for four weeks. Don coped brilliantly. By the end of it, his playing was more or less back to its best, although we still had to coax him through all the shows. While I was announcing a song, Jim would have to walk over to Don and tell him how the tune started...
When we came back from America, we went straight out on a European tour. Don was almost back to full strength by then...
It wasn't until after the European tour that we decided, for definite, to carry on. After six months or so, things were almost back to normal, although they'd never be quite the same again."
Noddy Holder: Who's Crazee Now
Capitol Theatre, New Jersey 21st. September 1973

Dan Nooger clearly did not care about the bands trials and tribulations nor was he sympathetic to their US plight. In fact, he didn't like them at all and made it quite obvious in his review of their tour opening gig at the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey:
"CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC: Saw Slade and the Blue Oyster Cult a couple of weeks ago at the Capitol Theatre. Passaic’s answer to the Academy of Music. The Cult blew Slade, the headliners, right off the stage. After they’d ripped through “The Red and the Black,” “Seven Screaming Diz Busters,” “Buck’s Boogie” (incidentally, the long rumoured live version is now available on a Columbia sampler titled “the Guitars that Destroyed the World"), and “It's Not Easy," the audience nearly tore the place down until the BOC encored with that great '60s punk anthem, “Born to Be Wild.”

After that Slade didn't have a chance and they blew whatever momentum they 'might have built up with absurd audience participation interludes in every song. It may work in England, where they’re so idolized, they usually can't hear themselves.for all the screaming, but when the audience isn’t as fanatically inclined, it sounds as silly and lame as it looks."
Dan Nooger: The Village Voice - 4th October 1973

The Village Voice: 4th. October 1973

That was one man’s opinion. If you were there, you would have had the time of your life, like we did. Robert Christgau, the main music critic for The Village Voice, liked Slade. He has said that when he looks at books or documentaries about Rock; he judges there validity by whether Slade are included. In fairness to Dan Nooger, who wrote that review, he probably didn't know that the group were helping Powell take baby-steps through their first gig of the tour. For instance, Don's accident wasn't reported until the October publication of Circus magazine. 

Being one of a small army of New York Slade fans, we knew Slade were worth travelling for. Slade gigs were not a regular thing in America and I'd been too drunk at my 1972 gig so I was looking forward to Slade's opening night at the Capitol Theatre .

After gig crowd on Monroe Street. Photo by Kevin R Papa
"The Capitol Theatre Passaic, New Jersey, where John Scher was the promoter and folks worked hard to provide concert going fans and the artists that came to play with a warm, safe and fun environment."
Ahh, Passaic, New Jersey: 'the armpit of the Universe', where the Passaic river once caught on fire, I kid you not!

This brings back a lot of memories. For this show we had our usual Slade Crew: Me, Harry, his sister Paula (now my wife), Bill aka “Dollar Bill” (we called him this because he was always “borrowing” a dollar) and one of the infamous Hayes Brothers: Steve, because Joe was in Juvenile lock up for stealing bicycles.

At the turn of the 20th Century, Passaic had been a big textile producing town, but by 1973 the textile industry had moved elsewhere, and the town was a dump. The Capitol Theatre was also a dump, which showed XXX movies during the day, and held concerts by night. To get to Passaic from Brooklyn, we had to take two subway trains, a bus, and then a mile and a half walk. It only took forever. First stop in Passaic: The liquor store! Having attained the proper frame of mind, we entered The Capitol Theatre.

I've never really been a fan of BOC, but they played a decent set. There was a very long delay between BOC and Slade, but after an hour or so the lights went down and The Boyz hit the stage, what the critic didn’t say was that the audience was on its feet from start to finish.

Also I should point out, because everybody was there to see Slade, no one had any kind of problem, clapping and singing along with Noddy, who had the entire room eating out of his hand. Everyone was there to have fun, and we had it in spades!
"It was a classic Slade show! Slade sounded tight, loud and kicked ass. Slade was having fun, we were having fun. What more could Slade fans ask for?"
Harry Canyon
After the show we were walking back to the bus stop, and we could see the last bus to Manhattan pulling out, so we had to chase it for two blocks. Luckily it stopped at a red light."




SUNY, Geneseo, New York 22nd September 1973

Geneseo Lamron: 22nd September 1973

"GENESEO GETS SLADE AND ELF 
Slade, England's number one group, is coming to Geneseo. They have enjoyed great success in their own country and are now making their first American tour, on which Geneseo is one of their first stops. Although they are not as well known in America as they are in England, their popularity is rapidly catching on and they have been referred to as "the new Beatles." 
Slade will be performing in the new gym (in the ice arena) at 8:15 on Saturday night.

Beginning the evening's entertainment will be the group Elf. 
Tickets are now on sale at the College Union Information desk."
The State University of New York (SUNY) was excited at the prospect of Slade playing in their gym and clearly they were not aware that Slade had toured the US twice before in the last year and again, that awful 'New Beatles' tag line ruins any prospect of an unbiased evaluation of their performance. American Slade fans like Kevin Patrick were far more reliable.

"I’d seen Slade one rainy night in fall ’73 at SUNY Fredonia. Corinne and I braved the back woods road to get to the gymnasium which I recall being pretty full. We elbowed our way right up front. Hey, we considered ourselves UK band fan royalty. I’d just come back from London, and fresh from my job of picking up empty pint glasses at the Marquee. So there. 

Well Slade were way more powerful than ever expected. We loved the singles a lot, and the look – glam in general, but holy shit – this was ridiculous. The whole place went beserk. I mean, this had to have happened everywhere. Why didn’t they take off across the country? Baffling. 

We left jaws dragging. Well, we didn't exactly leave – we went to the only motel in town – and in the bar, there was Slade with their manager Chas Chandler. Now this was an unexpected treat. We had pot, they had stories. The next few hours were spent in Noddy’s room, talking to him and Chas (he had been in The Animals and brought Jimi Hendrix to England). All very recounted now, but not then. There was much I wanted him to tell, and he was only too happy in exchange for the good quality joints she was rolling. After a few hours, they were very stoned guys in a two horse town and the only female in sight was my girlfriend. So I figured – time to leave. Nice fellows though and a night to remember forever and ever and ever."

Kevin Patrick: So Many Records... January 21st, 2009
Worth mentioning for those not familiar with rock history, Elf was a rock band founded in 1967 by a certain Ronnie James Dio. No... try Google?

A night in Asbury Park at the Sunshine In was advertised for 25th September but never happened. It was advertised in the Village Voice on the 13th and the tour started on 21st. I'd like to know why this gig never happened but at present it's a mystery?
The Warner Brothers signing went ahead and the record company wasted no time releasing their latest album. Only a fortnight behind the global Polydor release, Sladest finds itself relieved of six tracks, sporting two new ones and a Reprise label for the USA.  I hope it kept the gatefold and booklet?
 Reprise MS 2173

Reprise dumped all the non-hit material, added the brand new single, My Friend Stan and it's flipside, My Town, and subsequently turned it into a 10-track Greatests Hits album, something that it never was anywhere else in the world. It's interesting to note that Reprise also used the 7" single recording of Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me, a track that has been omitted from every Slade collection compiled since.

The Village Voice: 4th October 1973 page 41
The rest of the tour went well, except for the critics, of course, who seem to enjoy knocking Slade whether they enjoyed the show or not. Even local promotion seemed to suggest Slade were up for sacrifice, not unlike the UK really?

The group were back in New York in October for two nights at The Academy Of Music. It's often stated that Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley of KISS, saw Slade at the Academy and took notes. In fact they went to most of the Manhattan Slade gigs, as did The Ramones and others.
"The Ramones loved Slade, and I know for a fact they saw every Manhattan Slade gig. The Hayes Brothers knew The Ramones before they had a recording contract; The Brooklyn Slade Crew saw The Ramones play numerous times before they became famous and The Hayes brothers introduced me to Dee Dee, who I became friends with. The Ramones loved Slade Alive, and used to play it in their dressing room before gigs. When we told Joey about meeting Slade, he looked stunned, and disappointed." 
“You guys got high with fucking Slade?.......and I fucking missed it!”
Harry Canyon


"Despite it's grandiose title, the Academy of Music is a sort of punk haven. The ambience is determinedly scruffy. the tone set by a hideous and blindingly lit popcorn stand at the main doors. Traces of art deco engravings adorn the ceilings and ihe whole threatre resembles the Rainbow a few degrees under, Walking along the corridors. one's feet scuff up trash and bottles and the occasional semi inert bodv. while in the men's room there's constantly a crowd of kids wheeling, dealing and scoring. . "The Academy is the tickiest of the tack. You should see the girls that goes there," commented a laconic beauty at the reception. who, like half the New York rock scene. claimed she was on first name terms with good old Salvador (Dali), Andy Warhol and Candy Darrling. "Candy's dying, y'know. It's sad." Although the theatre is only a short stumble from the famed Max's, rhinestones and make-up are conspicious by their absence. Ill fitting jeans and those old lumberjack check shirts still seem more de rigeur. It's a working, hard-headed sort of crowd. Slade's kind of people.  
First on stage come the Blue Oyster Cult, advertised ominously in the Village Voice as the forerunners of heavy metal or somethmg. But it turns out they're fresher and more vigorous than that would suggest, partly thanks to a fine, fluid lead guitarist. While Slade tune up and change backstage, the Oyster Cult encore with the ideal kind of number for their style "Born To Be Wild." Eventually Slade tumble on stage, a bunch of clowns in a way, led by Holder malevolently comic, with a top hat shoved over his eyes and the usual tartan trousers cut four inches short at the ankles. They look more wild and ridiculous out of context in the States than they do in Britain. 
 "At some towns we haven't played before, they just fall about laughin' when we walk on Slage," said Holder earlier. "It's good though 'cos it means they understand the humour." 
At the Academy though, everybody knows about Slade. In terms of their welcome - as they shatter into "Take Me Bak 'Ome" - they might just as well have walked on stage at the Empire Pool. Maybe is's coming on after the occasional complexity of the Blue Oyster Cult, but Slade seem to sound more basic and straight-ahead than ever. They make a virtue out of simplicity. Even Dave Hill rarely takes a solo, and when he does it's hardly complex. Overall the routine is much the same as ever, if a little shortened. Although Noddy Holder restricts his comments between numbers, he still keeps everybody well posted on developments: "We're goona do a mover now . . . a bit of a mover for 'Gudbye T' Jane'." or "Now this is a bIt slower. . . a bit slower this one" to introduce "Darlin' Be Home Soon". However it's about halfway through with "Cum On Feel The Noize", that the feeling in the theatre suddenly comes together in an orgasmic rush of concerted energy. At this particular heady moment it seems inconceivable that Slade are not destined to become as popular in' the States as they are in Britain. Naturally this feeling subsides later, on reflection, as Slade's audience is still not clearly defined. One wonders whether the hard rock Academy audience are attracted to Slade at present simply on their novelty value. Probably though, it's unlikely. For their final encore number the band tore into the standard show closer, a rock medley conglomeration of "Blue Suede Shoes""Whole Lotta Shakin' " and "Roll Over Beethoven". Only an exceptionnal band could make a string of cliched numbers like that sound fun. While chaos and mayhem engulfed the theatre, even the taciturn Chas Chandler could be observed ever-so-slightly, gently tapping a foot."
New Musical Express: 13th October 1973

The Village Voice also carried a second ad for Asbury Park, 8th October which states:
"Due to overwhelming requests, the September 25 Show rescheduled to October 8th. Tickets for September 25th will be honored October 8th."

It's good to see that, despite all the negativity there were overwhelming requests from the people that mattered, the public. The Village Voice was full of Slade (including the Dan Nooger article from earlier) much of it derogatory. It would appear that they had taken a disliking to the group.

"Blue Oyster Cult and Brats: It's going to be a great weekend for rock 'n' roll.... Saturday it's down to the Academy of Music for an evening with those five screaming diz busters the Blue Oyster Cult. After they stomp Slade you can make it back out to Queens for the Brats midnight set...."
Billboard also seemed to ignore Slade's live appearances, listing Blue Oyster Cult for 6th October, among other dates, with no mention of the head lining act, Slade.

"For American Slade fans the chance to see Slade twice in four days was quite an event. The concert was at The Sunshine Inn, where they turned the hotel’s parking garage into a concert hall. We had seen a few other shows here, most notably Bruce Springsteen. Normally we took the subway to Manhattan, and then a bus to Asbury Park. Steve and Joe Hayes told us they could borrow a car from a friend, and not have to deal with the subway and the bus. At the time we thought this was a good idea, what could possibly go wrong?
Martin, Paula and I were in the kitchen talking with my (and Paula’s) Mom, when we heard the beeping of a car horn. We took a look out side, and there was “Dollar” Bill and the Hayes Brothers in a white 1967 Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertible. It had two very wide bench seats; basically it was two couches on a 429 cubic inch V8 engine with an added cassette player. We all jumped in, with Joe driving, Steve and “Dollar” Bill next to him in the front seat, Martin, Paula and I was in the back. “Dollar” Bill passed a bottle of Southern Comfort around, and Martin lit one up. Steve popped “Slayed?” into the cassette player as we drove to New Jersey.
We decided to stop and eat at a Diner; we were in a town called Hazlet about thirty miles from Asbury Park. As we entered the Diner, two Police Officers were leaving, they sized us up, and gave us the “stink eye” and left. So there we were sitting in booth, when Steve looked out the window and said “Oh shit!” We all looked out the window, and the two cops were checking out the Cadillac. A few minutes later our burgers and fries arrived, and so did two more cop cars! As we ate, we watched unmarked police car arrive, and two Detectives got out, talking on their radios. Steve and Joe became very nervous and Joe’s hands started shaking. “What’s going on here?” asked “Dollar” Bill. “Well” said Joe “That car might not be exactly “kosher”. I screamed at Joe “What the hell do you mean, not exactly kosher?” “Everybody lower your voices and stay calm” said Martin (cooler than James Dean drinking ice water in a snowstorm), and continued “We need to play this wisely”. Paula looked at me and said “Moms’ gonna’ kill us!” “It’s gonna’ be all right” Martin assured us and continued “The only people who are going to die is Steve and Joe, when I bang their friggin’ heads together!” as he looked over sunglasses and gave them a cold stare. Outside in the parking lot we could see a cop popping open the trunk with a crowbar, while a small crowd gathered. “Let’s go see what’s going on” said Martin. So we paid the check, and went out to the parking lot. We walked over to see what was going on. Martin asked one of the cops what had happened, the cop told him the car was used as a getaway car during a holdup of a supermarket in Brooklyn last week.
So, it’s now seven o’clock, the show starts at eight, and we have no way of getting to Asbury Park or back to Brooklyn for that matter! We decide to walk into Hazlet’s business district, where hopefully there would be buses. We found a bus stop and asked if there was a bus to Asbury Park, we were told; there was a bus that went to Allenhurst about two miles from Asbury Park. About forty-five minutes later the bus showed up. It was a local bus, which stopped just about on every corner! We arrived in Allenhurst at nine thirty, now we had to walk, by the time we got close to The Sunshine Inn we could see the crowd leaving. We found a liquor store, walked to the Asbury Park bus depot, and caught a bus to Manhattan."
Harry Canyon

Billboard reported, on the 22nd September, that the group were booked to play the Scandinavium Arena in Gothenburg, Sweden on the 10th October, not sure when that was arranged (probably before the tour was set back) or how they planned to fit it in but the gig actually took place on the 8th November. This just adds to the chaos of the time. Clearly, in light of the circumstances, they were playing it as it happened.
Sheer Volume: That's Slade in a nutshell 
SLADE'S lead singer last night called out to the crowd that filled about half of the Auditorium Theater, "Is e-e-e--everybawdy cra-a-a-azy!!!" 
Of course, the hyper tense assemblage answered, "Yeah!" This was very truthful of them, especially when you consider the high cost of rock entertainment these days. And with so much good rock entertainment around these days I (feverishly rubbing my ears to see if they were still working) could not help but wonder why anyone would bother to see Slade.
Let's face it. A few artless people may call this jolly band of former skinheads "art", but it's really just a bad joke that proved to be slightly profitable. Dear friends, you don't encourage a bad joke. When you do, it spreads.
 
Before going any further in this innocent attempt to get even with Slade for what they did to my hearing (as of this writing their music, which even they call "noise", is still swashing around in my inner ear), I wish to point out that no slight is intended for the Climax Blues Band, the highly competent rockers who warmed up the show. 
CLIMAX BLUES Band's arrangements of standards like "Seventh Son", and their own originals fully deserved the encore they graciously delivered. Their lead guitarist rendered a spellbinding solo on bottle-neck guitar that made the whole trip worth it for this reporter. 
Then, Slade came on, the crowd of boogie freaks leaped to its feet with no intention of sitting again and Slade looked good in superfly British "yob" (street bandit) fashions. They looked good, that is, until they started playing their instruments. 
Noddy Holder, lead guitarist and the flashiest of the quartet's members, glittered in a silver, skintight Buck Rogers spaceman outfit, complete with six-inch-high platform shoes, a "Super Yob" emblem on his chest and a silver, custom-made, ray-gun-shaped guitar to match. The rest of the band, in more traditional yet colorful fashion, resembled the guests at a mad tea party. 
BESIDES THEIR own "C'mon Feel the Noise", "The Whole World's Gone Crazy" and "We're all Crazy Now", the band presented rearrangements of "Move Over", "Darling Be Home Soon" and "A Little Bit Your Love". You could not help but feel the noise. 
Slade's show sparks explosive response (especially from the 14-year-olds) only because of its powerful drummer who uses inch-thick sticks and its clever lead vocalist whose delivery sounds like a cross between an evangelist and a carnival barker. 
This was the band's second Chicago appearance and the house was far from packed. Slade reportedly made a heavy impression on it's homeland's citizenry, but hopefully Americans are made of stronger stuff.
Clarence Page
Chicago Tribune: October 17, 1973

"Slade-Sladest. Reprise MS 2173 (Warner Bros.) Slade has been one of the top British bands for two years now, but they have yet to break through in this country as a major act. They have been known primarily as a singles band, with each single an exercise in the controlled wall of sound style of rock. Noddy Holder's voacals are frantic, Dave Hill's guitar is loud and full of great riffs and the group's songs are full of the drive and repetition good rock is made of. Now, on their first LP for Warners, the label has made an extremely smart maneuver. They have included all of the group's major hit records, which serves the dual purpose of introducing them as a singles band as well as giving them an almost fresh start with the American listening public. This could be the real start of Slade.
Best cuts: Look Wot You Dun, Mama Weer All Crazee Now, Gudbuy T'Jane, Cum On Feel The Noize.
Dealers: Band has an almost underground following and are touring the country now. Display from stepdown."


Billboard's Academy review came on the 3rd November and sounds like Nooger's Village Voice review but with a little less venom. For the text only readers....
SLADE
BLUE OYSTER CULT 
Academy of Music, New York  
Judging from the hysteria generated by the group's return to Howard Stein's Academy, Slade, now on Reprise, may be on the verge of finally cracking the American rock market. The core of this successful British band is Noddy Holder - all rasp'n'roll, barking out followed commands with the execution of Adolph Hitler. The music is thunderous with lead guitarist Dave Hill sending out scorching, electric riffs. The four of them bounce along, hammering out U.K. singles hits "Gudbuy T’Jane" "Cum on Feel the Noise", "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" and so on - all are condensed, repetitive and frenzied. The group is strictly for the participant, not the passive. And, with all of the band's stage shenanigans, if humour in rock is needed, Slade is where it's at. 
On the other hand, Blue Oyster Cult, opening the bill, had more meat to it than Slade's potatoes. A heavy metal band in the finest sense of the tag, the Columbia group of five, intertwined layer upon layer of sound with straightforward vocal work, highlighted by some fine ensemble drumming. Loosening up its music somewhat. Blue Oyster drew cheers with the encore number, the old Steppenwolf rock favourite. "Born to be Wild."
PHIL GELORMINE



Winterland Arena, 19th October 1973


"When we saw Slade at Winterland again, five months later, it seemed that the audience was more prepared for them, probably as a result of word-of-mouth reports from their earlier performance. Slade played the same kind of set as they had played before, but the response from the crowd was a bit stronger.  
It must have been strange for Slade, then at the full height of their considerable fame in the UK, to be playing to American audiences that hardly knew them. (Being a band whose fame was built mostly on singles put them at something of a disadvantage in the USA, where singles did not mean nearly as much.) They never did establish themselves as major performers in America, which is unfortunate, because they were one of the great British bands of the period, with a strong collection of appealing songs that still sound good to this day."
Michael Collins Morton: Brit Rock By The Bay 2011

"We saw Slade at Winterland again, and waited at the stage door after their performance. I had brought with me a 5x7 matted photo that I had taken at the previous show, hoping to have the band autograph it for me. One of their roadies saw the photo and took it to them to sign. I was extremely pleased to have it returned with all their signatures. Noddy Holder had drawn a little picture on the mat, which I couldn't make out. When they all came out of the stage door, I asked Noddy what he had drawn. He said, "It's a dog pissing on a tree!" I was a bit taken aback at first, but then I laughed. We got to talk with them for a while, which is always one of the fonder memories that I have from going to those shows."
Dan Cuny: Brit Rock By The Bay 2011

Slade returned home on the 22nd October for a well-earned three day break before setting off on an extensive European Tour. The group could relax, Don Powell was back in business.


Blue Oyster Cult were clearly the US press favs of the moment. Two years later in the UK....
"I saw Motorhead supporting Blue Öyster Cult at Hammersmith. It was unbelievably loud and raw, definitely from 'the battering you with a length of lead pipe' school of mixing. I got fed up with it, in fact, and went and stood in the toilet and read a newspaper until it went away. That’s not very rock’n’roll but my ears lived to see another day. Lemmy’s lads were better than the headline act: Cult were like the heavy metal Osmonds at Hammersmith, with a horribly choreographed show: if it was time for a guitar solo, Buck Dharma would stand at the front, play under the spotlight, then step back when it was done, and someone else would do their prearranged thing. I gather they got less mechanical as the years passed, but back then, the Cult were a big disappointment for a band that appeared to be breaking the metal mould.... on record at least."

Ian McCann (Editor of Record Collector)

January 2016
Oh well!

My apologies to Kevin Papa and Craig Cumberland, of course I doctored the Capitol pic to show Slade, sorry. Much is owed to Harry Canyon for his anecdotes, Paula for her patience, Liz Argentieri at SUNY, Genesseo, Dave Kemp of Slade Scrapbook, David Miller of Brit Rock By The Bay and our esteemed editor for the extra info. Extra thanks to Dave Graham & Stu Rutter for their input. 



3rd US Tour: Autumn 1973 (known dates)

18/09/1973 Fly out from Heathrow for a 28 gig month long coast to coast US tour.

21/09/1973 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey, NYC 
(with Blue Oyster Cult) Sladest released
22/09/1973 State University of New York, Geneseo, New York
(with Elf)
23/09/1973 Onondaga War Memorial Center, Syracuse, New York
25/09/1973 Sunshine In, Asbury Park, New Jersey  
(with New Hope) **rescheduled**
27/09/1973 Messier Auditorium, Detroit
28/09/1973 Elvis Auditorium, Memphis
29/09/1973 Convention Centre, Louisville
30/09/1973 Morris Civic Centre, South Bend, Indiana
01/10/1973 Springfield, Missouri
02/10/1973 Kidd Auditorium, St Louis
04/10/1973 C W Port College, Greenvale, New York
05/10/1973 Academy Of Music, New York
06/10/1973 Academy Of Music, New York
(with Blue Oyster Cult)
07/10/1973 Falls Church, Virginia
08/10/1973 Sunshine In, Asbury Park, New Jersey
(with New Hope)
15/10/1973 Minneapolis, Minnesota
16/10/1973 The Auditorium Theatre, Chicago
19/10/1973 Winterland Arena, San Francisco 
(J. Geils Band, Slade, Back Door)
20/10/1973 Winterland Arena, San Francisco 
(J. Geils Band, Slade, Back Door)
21/10/1973 Long Beach Arena - Long Beach
22/10/1973 Return to UK

LA Feels The Noize!

DISC May 19th, 1973 page 7

'Slades party piece'
continuing story of an American tour 


LA feels the noize!
LISA ROBINSON REPORTS ON THE THRILLS AND SPILLS OF SLADE'S ARRIVAL IN HOLLYWOOD

SLADE came into LA, greeted by what appeared to be the makings of a real following. The best way to observe just how popular a group is going to be is to watch how many people try to jump into their limousines.

SLADE PARTY TIME IN LOS ANGELES… 
DAVE HILL CELEBRATES WITH SABLE STARR (LEFT) AND LORI

Slade's limousines were besieged by 14-year-old groupies with names like Sable and Queenie and Lori, who wore gargantuan platform heels and frizzed - out bleached blonde hair and micro-minis and 'black tights with red garter-belts and maribou feathered boas. They've all made somewhat of a name for themselves by dancing in Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco and appearing in the now-folded trashy, glossy "Star" magazine. "Star" was an amazing magazine while it lasted, including articles like "How Foxy Are You," "How Far-Out Are -You," "Do Anything You Want and Get Away With It" and pix of all visiting British bands with the Local talent. 

Old Ladies 
"I couldn't stand it," said Joanne, who is 20 years old, and describes herself as one of the "Old ladies of L.A." "I mean, what are my musician friends going ta think when they see my photo in that sleazy magazine with those slaggy girls? And my mother wasn't smiling either! The last thing I need is crash course groupies hanging around, that magazine had things in it like telling the girls when their favourite band came to town to tell their mothers that they were staying at a girlfriend's house, .. I'm glad it folded!".

Slade is headlining the bill at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The scene backstage is mildly amusing to everyone, as always. A girl named Jane, from Wolverhampton, comes up to Dave and they chat about the old hometown. Jimmy is humming "Let's Go To The Hop" as he carefully hangs up his red lurex jacket. The "hipppest photographer in L.A." is strutting around in his red yellow platform shoes and newly shortened denims ... just like Noddy. 

Noddy sits quietly, sipping a drink, and smiling. Groupies try to get in the door with little success. Dave talks about the young girls who are hanging around in L.A. "I mean 14 is 14," he laughs. "I really feel a responsibility to a certain age group. You know... it's amazing, you'll be lying in your bed in the hotel and you'll hear a knock on the door and there'll be some 14-year-old girl there and it's just absurd. I mean, they can put you away for nine years! I feel very strongly about all, of that, especially with regard to younger kids." 

They put on the stage clothes - Noddy in plaid, with his mirrored hat, Dave in his gold blue 'Super Yob' costume specially designed for this tour (an important American music magazine called it Super Hob and everyone gets a good laugh out of that), Don’s in silver brown vest and pants, and Jimmy's got the red lurex f1ashing. Dave's applied all "me glitter" ... and they're ready. 

"WE WANNA HEER Y'ALL MOOOVING, RIGHT FROM THE START!!!!!" shrieks out that incredible voice. "GET UP YER ASSES AND MOOOVE!" 

And, of course, they did. Who could possibly ignore Noddy's voice?? The audience was like a party; they're dancing and tossing the maribou boas around and Noddy's voice is so lusty, so intense, I would have loved to have heard this boy do a duet with Janis Joplin ... can you imagine? 

Power Cut 
"Darlin' Be Home Soon" is followed by a rousing "'Sweet Little Rock-n-Roller" and Dave and Jimmy are up on the amps when the power is suddenly cut. That sound just stops -and Chas is immediately in the wings telling them to get off. "Just relax," he calmly tells them. "There's nothing you can do when the power is cut except wait for them to fix it." 

Slade's own P.A. system got lost in the airplane somewhere, so they weren't using their own. It was a bit of a drag. But after some fiddling around with the equipment, they're back on stage and building it up all over again. Of course, they do it - they pull and scream and reach until they've got that audience, they never let go. 

The party for Slade is being held right in the Santa Monica Civic in a large room decorated mainly with Slade posters on the walls. There are a lot of white satin jackets, David Bowie haircuts, blue lastex bathing suits. One girl is licking her blood red lips so they'll shine for the photographers and smoothing down her lurexed pedal pushers and adjusting her ankle straps on the larger than life platform shoes and I'm told she's John Philips' daughter. 

My God! Iggy Stooge is there, in a leopard fur jacket and a leather hat that he says belonged to Jim Morrison. Sable and Lori pose with Dave Hill for the cameras, and Chas takes a picture with Eric Burdon. Sparks is there, so is Sylvester. 

People are tearing down Slade posters from the walls and there are plastic cups and wine littering the floor. A photographer comes over to me and says: 

"You know, this is 'A' party for L.A. It's really one of the better ones." 

AT the pool of the Beverley Wiltshire Hotel the next cay, I laugh with Slade about the night before. They are so unaffected by all of the hoohaa that it's marvellous. I ask them if they feel that they've perhaps, in a way, started any of this. "Well, we did in a way," says Dave. "You know, being flash and all. But it's fun, we like it. We really want to get the kids though, we want to perform to younger audiences maybe do afternoon shows." 

'When Their Hair Finally Grew'

Disc and Music Echo: August 14, 1971
Slade-or when their hair finally grew 
"A YEAR ago a lot of people back home walked on the other side of the street if they saw us coming so they didn't have to talk to us," says Dave Hill, never-ever serious lead guitarist of Slade. "But now with 'Get Down And Get With It' in the chart, they come up to Us in the street, shake our hands and say things like 'How you doing mate? Nice to see ya.'."
But that doesn't surprise Slade for they’ve never had it easy, They were launched three years ago on what seemed the perfect gimmick; they were announced as "the first skinhead group" at a time when boots and braces and shaven heads were the "in" thing.

Yet, somehow, they didn’t take off, as they should have.

They were banned from halls by promoters afraid of riots, spurned by members of other groups and suffered more knocks than almost any other group you could think of.
"People thought we were just a put-together group," says lead singer Noddy Holder, "and we became known as just a skinhead group. No one wanted to listen to our music. At first the knocks didn't bother us but when they went on and on, and the people knocking us were the ones who hadn't bothered to listen to us, it got a bit much."
So how then did they finally manage to convince enough people of their talent to get their -third single high in the chart? The answer is hard work and plenty of it. They've been working six, sometimes seven nights a week, gradually building a following by getting audiences raving wherever they've played.

Party nights

“Most nights it's like a party," says Noddy. "Instead of trying to educate the audience like a lot of groups nowadays, we try and get them to feel part of what's going on. The visual aspect of the act is very important to us. - In fact 50 per cent of the act is visual. the other 50 per cent concentrates on the music."
Their act has always been popular because of the atmosphere they create live. So they figured if they could get that same feel on record they'd have a winner. So that's what they did with "Get Down And Get With It”
"We tried very much to get the excitement of the stage act on the record and I think we succeeded. That's why it was a hit. We could do it on stage and the kids could go away and buy it and get the same thing. That’s what we want to try and do on the next album: not necessarily do rock and roll songs but get the same feel as the single."
The next single, they say very definitely, won't be another rock number.
"We don't want people to think of us as a rock and roll band. We write a lot of songs, ballads as well as ravers, and want to do mostly our material."
But the single won't be a ballad either, "because we couldn't do much with that on stage. We feel we always have to be doing something on stage."
"Slow numbers, we feel, are real downers.” says Noddy. "We like to keep moving but we do a couple of slow things like "Nights In White Satin" because we dare not leave them out now our audiences have got to know them. But If we do a slow number we have to fool around while we're doing it. We’ll belch or something. We don't want to be pretentious and the slow things aren't us. We'd hate people to think we're preaching to them. We just want them to have a good time."
They emphasise though, that rockers they may be, but they also believe in melody.
"At the moment," adds Noddy, "we’re not as heavy as we want to be on record but we’ve got to think of the radio. We wouldn't get our records played if they were any heavier."
A live album by them is an obvious possibility.
"But," says bass guitarist Jimmy Lee (who complains they never show him on Top Of The Pops), "it would probably be a complete shambles. Completely chaotic. The kids get so involved and leap about so much that leads would get broken and the sound wouldn't be all that good. But it might be an idea for us to do an album half live and half studio recorded."
Slade's main concern now when they get on stage is to create an atmosphere, to create excitement.
Says Dave: "It all started one night we all got drunk and went on stage and had a good laugh. The kids all dug it and we enjoyed it. And that’s the way it's been since. Not that we need to drink before we go on stage! But now we're a lot more confident.
"We've got to the stage where we feel if you don't like us you don't like us and it doesn't bother us.”
Slade no longer dress like skinheads but their dress still attracts a lot of attention. They've gone from one extreme to the other. Now it's all bright colours, boots, dungarees and other such eyebrow-raising costumes. But that's all part of "showbiz."

Cheap group

"That's what's lost out of this business," says Jimmy Lee, who incidentally has taken up playing the fiddle in the hope that it will bring him in a few more camera shots. "All the flash has gone out of groups. You've got to give the audience something to think about, something to look at. You've got to give them value for money."
"That's what the skinhead look was all about," says Noddy. "We were hoping to get the same effect, but we found a lot of people didn't dig that. As we look now we're gelling over to more people. Before the people either liked it or they didn't. But we're not knocking it. It was something we did and tried and it was a laugh at the time.”
"But now that we've broken through," says Noddy, "we're not going to out price ourselves like so many groups do when they have a hit. Those that have been nice to us we'll play for at the usual price. But those that knocked us . . . we're going to do them for every penny!"
Phil Symes,







A big thank you, as always, to Chris Selby for supplying this superb article.