Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply 1984

USA, 1984

CBS Records - FZ 39336

'Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply' is an alternate US release of The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome which was released in the UK the preceding year. The title was lifted from a B-side track that was also added to the album track listing, along with 'Can't Tame A Hurricane' (another B-side) replacing Cocky Rock Boys and Razzle Dazzle Man on the original release. They also felt the need to shuffle the tracks around.

"...the Americans liked neither the title or the sleeve... they hated it so they brought it out as 'Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply' and it had this cartoon guitar neck with a cartoon hand, which I could have drawn myself in five minutes flat! They said it was this new 'techno something' that was taking us into the new age.... Bugs Bunny?"
Noddy Holder: Radcliffe & Maconie, Radio 2, 2007

Interestingly, in addition to the lame cover art, it's worth noting that the hand on the front cover is a manicured and painted female, whilst the rear view on the reverse, the hand has clearly become male. Despite this, the 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. Imagine, had the record company chosen something related to the Run Runaway video that the MTV audience recognised, what a difference it may have made. Of course, the same argument can be applied to the 'The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome' cover art?

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.

© 1984 CBS Inc.

℗ 1982, 1983, 1984 CBS Inc.

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"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

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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

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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

A fourth (Promo) single was released from the album in the USA, Slam The Hammer Down (Hot) / Slam The Hammer Down (Hotter) Mixes.

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? :-/

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Slam The Hammer Down

(Noddy Holder & Jim Lea)

[Intro.]

[NODDY (scream) from helicopter:]

Hey you - you up there

Yeh you - can you hear me

I said, I said - can you hear me

Don't you listen to me, when I'm talking to you?

If you can't go for it - you can't go for it - good!

And that means you walk a new way - for what new's gonna comin'!

She's a cool kinda mama

Sure gonna slam the hammer  down

When your pistons are pumping

Sure gonna slam the hammer down

Oh when your body starts to shake

It's time to loosen off the brake

And ram it down

Push the pedal to the metal

Sure gonna slam the hammer down

Gonna burn up the rubber

Sure gonna slam the hammer down

The checkered flag won't make you stop

You keep on going 'til you drop

And ramming it down

Keep a moving and motor racing

And the wheels go round and round

Oh when you win you'll be celebrating

Ready to slam the hammer on down

Got a flash little chassis

Screams when you slam the hammer down

First, second, third and fourth

Into top and ram the hammer down

You know it's getting all too much

When you're letting out the clutch

And ramming it down

Keep a moving, accelerating

And you're ready to face the crowd

Now you're opening up a wide gap

Ready to slam the hammer on down

Yeah - yeah - yeah - yeh,yeh yeh!

You dun alright - you dun alright!

You dun alright - you dun alright!

Oh she's a cool kinda mama

Sure gonna slam the hammer on down

Get it up and ram it up

And baby gonna ram the hammer down

When you loosen off the brake

Oh when your body starts to shake

Fill her up with juice then baby

Gonna slam the hammer down

Yeah, oh ah!

Quiet Riot

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.

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Glam Metal

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".

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KISS

When it comes to popular American rock bands, Kiss ranks among the top and has done for decades. Easily identified by its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group’s fame rose to prominence in the mid 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances. Kiss was named 10th, by VH1, on their list of the '100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and 9th on 'The Greatest Metal Bands' list by MTV.

Kiss is a New York City-based rock and roll band led by co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. The band was formed in 1973. Originally in 1971, both Simmons and Stanley were involved in the band Wicked Lester. The band recorded one album, which was shelved by Epic Records, and played a handful of live shows. Simmons and Stanley felt that a new musical direction was needed and therefore left the group in 1972.

In late 1972, Simmons and Stanley came across an advertisement placed by Peter Criss, a drummer from the New York scene. Criss auditioned and ended up joining a new version of Wicked Lester. By January 1973, the group added guitarist Ace Frehley. A few weeks after, the band became officially known as Kiss.

The band managed to secure a record deal and also gained a reputation for their live performances. In 1974, the band released two albums titled Kiss and Hotter Than Hell. Both barely charted in America and soon fell off the top 100.

By late 1975, the band’s label Casablanca was almost bankrupt and Kiss was in danger of losing their record contract. The band decided to record a live album. Kiss wanted to express the excitement felt at their concerts with their first live album, much like Slade’s 1972 album Slade Alive!

Released in late 1975 and titled just like Slade’s album, Alive! achieved Gold status and led to Kiss's first top 40 single, a live version of "Rock and Roll All Nite." Apparently in recent years the band admitted that additional audience noise had been added to the album, not to deceive fans, but to add more "excitement and realism" to the show whereas Slade recorded their Alive! album and kept it almost exactly as it originally sounded to add to the atmosphere. It is only too obvious that Kiss were heavily influenced by Slade Alive!

The success of Alive! not only brought Kiss the breakthrough they had been seeking, but arguably saved Casablanca. Following this success, Kiss released their fourth album Destroyer which was another success. The band continued to release and tour with success. More album releases such as Rock and Roll Over, Love Gun and Alive II were met with big success.

By 1978, it was decided that to continue the popularity of Kiss, each member of the band would released their own solo albums. All four solo albums made it into the Top 50 of the Billboard chart. The other idea was for the band to appear in a movie. Much like how Slade released their 1975 movie Flame, Kiss released Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. The band has admitted they were unhappy with the result although it was one of the highest-rated TV movies of the year.

The band released another studio album titled Dynasty by 1979 which continued their success. The band had not toured since early 1978 and had not released an album since 1977. Billed as "The Return of Kiss," the Dynasty Tour saw a marked decline in attendance.

By the end of the Dynasty tour in December 1979, tensions between drummer Criss and the rest of the band were high. His drumming skills had noticeably eroded, and he even intentionally slowed down or stopped playing altogether during some concerts. He was no longer an official member of Kiss half a year later. In 1980, the band released a new studio album titled Unmasked which although Criss appeared on the cover, all drumming was recorded by session Anton Fig. The album saw a decline in commercial success and only peaked at #35, their worst charting since 1974.

In 1981, new drummer Eric Carr joined the band and a new studio album was set to be created. Early press reports indicated that the new album would be a return to the hard rock style that had originally brought the band success. What was released instead was 1981's Music from "The Elder", a concept album featuring medieval horns, strings, harps, and synthesizers. The album was to be a soundtrack to a film which was never made, making the album hard to understand. Negative response followed and the album only peaked at #75 on the Billboard chart.

Guitarisut Ace Frehley had become increasingly frustrated with Kiss's new musical direction. Another source of frustration for Frehley was that with the departure of Peter Criss. In June 1982, Frehley's departure from the band was negotiated, although he did not officially leave until December. Although Frehley had already decided to leave the band, he was pictured on the cover of 1982's Creatures of the Night, although he did not participate in the recording of the album. The album peaked at #45 which whilst being an improvement, the band were still not as popular as the band had hoped.

What links very much into the Glam Metal scene was the band’s return to true fame in 1983. Quiet Riot had released their album Metal Health in early 1983 which peaked at #1 on the album chart. This album was mainly supported by a cover of Slade’s 1973 European hit Cum on Feel The Noize. The album opened the door for many glam metal bands including Twisted Sister, Motley Crue and Kiss. Kiss already fitted into the glam style with their flamboyant image.

By late 1983, the band had found a new guitarist Vinnie Vincent and released Lick It Up. The album was a big success, peaking at a healthy #24. Afterwards, the band released 1984’s Animalize, 1985’s Asylum and 1987’s Crazy Nights which all peaked in the top 20 of the album charts. The band has maintained commercial success to this very day.

Whilst there were many connections and similarities between Slade and Kiss, nothing proved how important Slade were than when members from the band praised Slade as their greatest influence.

"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."

It is also said that the band modelled their first hit Rock and Roll All Nite after being inspired by the Slade song Cum on Feel the Noize. Rock and Roll All Nite is now said to be the Rock And Roll National Anthem, at least for America.

"The one we kept returning to was Slade.... we liked the way they connected with the crowd, and the way they wrote anthems.... we wanted that same energy, that same irresistible simplicity. but we wanted it American-style".
Gene Simmons: Kiss and Make-Up

"When Slade were supporting Kiss in the States, Noddy approached Gene Simmons and Gene asked Noddy for his autograph!" I'd love to substantiate this claim?

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