Merry Xmas Everybody

 New Musical Express, Xmas 1972

1972 was a good year for Slade and December closed it well for them. As well as their sell out UK tour, a Far East tour in a few weeks and a request from the Prime Minister to headline the 'Fanfare For Europe', they also had the UK charts firmly under their belt. Their album and the latest single both sat high in the Top Ten of the NME charts over the Xmas weeks. Gudbuy T'Jane would only manage #2 in the official chart but #1 in the NME Singles Chart was more than good enough.

December 23rd, 1972

The group took a full page to thank their fans and bestow 'Seasonal Greetings' and plug their wares. Notice Play It Loud it not available in tape format.

The end of the year saw Slayed sitting at the top of the NME album chart and Slade Alive! has also re-entered the Top 30. Slayed would have to wait until the 13th January to take the same position in the official UK album chart but clearly, Slade had taken ownership of the Pop Scene. 

December 30th, 1972

SLADE BEAT OFF REX 

NME 1972 CHART POINTS SURVEY 

By DEREK JOHNSON

SLADE EMERGE as top band and leading recording act of '72 in the NME annual chart survey compiled this week. 

In a closely contested year, they emerge marginal winners of the 1.972 Chart Points Championship, finishing a mere 20 points ahead of last year's champions T. Rex. 

And to complete their triumphant year, Slade's “Alive" set is runner-up in the Album Points Table, second only to the perennial Simon and Garfunkel LP "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

The closeness of the race for the title of Chart Champions of the Year is shown by the fact that Slade's score of 727 points is the lowest winning total ever recorded - one point less than Fleetwood Mac's score in '69. 

The New Seekers looked certain whiners for most of the year, and were only overtaken four weeks ago when new singles by Slade and T. Rex entered the chart. 

The current weenyboppper cult is strongly reflected in the Points Table, with Donny Osmond placed at No.4 (overtaking Gilbert O'Sullivan only in the final week), Michael Jackson at 6, and David Cassidy at 9. Elvis Pressley's consistency is maintained with an eighth placing. 

The Points Table is based on the weekly Top Thirty published in N M E - with 30 points awarded for a No. 1 position, 29 points for No.2 and so on down to one point for No. 30. The first ten artists for 1972, together with their joint totals, are: 

 1 SLADE                                          727 

 2 T. REX                                           707 

 3 NEW SEEKERS                          630 

 4 DONNY OSMOND                       612 

 5 GILBERT O'SULLIVAN             608 

 6 MICHAEL JACKSON                 582 

 7 DON McLEAN                              541 

 8 ELVIS PRESLEY                        498 

 9 DAVID CASSIDY                         462 

10 SWEET                                        435 

A further 118 points were scored by Tyrannosaurus Rex. But since this was a completely different act from the present T. Rex, and their reissues this year were disowned by Marc Bolan, their score has not been included in the T. Rex total. 

The next ten positions are filled by: 

11 GARY GLITTER

12 JOHNNY NASH

13 ELTON JOHN

14 ALICE COOPER

15 ROD STEWART

16 NILSSON

11 ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS

18 LINDISFARNE

19 PARTRIDGE FAMILY KimI

20 DRIFTERS

Top album of the year, for an incredible third year running, was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - almost 300 points ahead of Slade's live set. 

Top ten albums of 1912, based on points system, are: 

 1 "Bridge Over Troubled Water" 

(SIMON and GARFUNKEL)         1065 

 2 "SLADE Alive!”                            767 

 3 "SIMON and GARFUNKEL'S 

Greatest Hits"                                   711 

 4 "Himself" 

(GILBERT O'SULLIVAN)                691 

 5 “American Pie" 

(DON McLEAN)                                685 

 6 "Never A Dull Moment" 

(ROD STEWART)                            629 

 7 "Fog On The Tyne" 

(LINDISFARNE)                               622 

 8 "Teaser And The Firecat" 

(CAT STEVENS)                              593 

 9 "Harvest" 

(NEil YOUNG)                                   567 

10 "Electric Warrior" 

(T. REX)                                             557 

Full singles points table and top 50 albums will be printed in next week's NME

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Slade's Knockers

New Musical Express, December 2nd, 1972

SLADE
a new target for the knockers
By JULIE WEBB

A FEW MONTHS back a derogatory mention of Marc Bolan would bring a few cheers for any band on stage. Now it's Slade coming in for the knocks. But like Marc Bolan, they too can laugh all the way to the bank.

At Wishbone Ash's London Rainbow gig drummer Steve Upton referred to the Wolverhampton Ravers and likened them to four dancing Christmas trees.

And Slade's Noddy Holder, being Noddy, just laughed when he heard, and said: "I think that's funny."

This has been Slade's year - everything has gone their way, except for minor mishaps like Holder's charge for alleged obscenity in Scotland, and Dave Hill breaking his ankle.

It's significant that last week their single was the highest new entry to the chart. While the singles chart is not always indicative of who is happening, in Slade's case the entry underlines their undoubted popularity.

In the last 18 months their money has gone up. You'll have to pay 10 times more to hire them now. And still a promoter is guaranteed of getting his money's worth.

No one could ever describe Slade as a lazy band. On stage they work hard.

But one might imagine that the time has come for a change in the band's musical policy. After all, their singles this year - while undoubtedly strong and commercial - are rather similar in concept. Loud, raucous, thumping stompers are great for a time, but how long will it be before people tire?

"Slade are shrewd people.'' Elton John commented a few months back. "Shrewd enough to change with their next single." True, they are shrewd. yet "Gudbuy T'Jane" is along the same lines as their other singles. I asked bassist Jimmy Lea about this.

“It isn't time to change yet. If we brought out anything we couldn't put it over with plenty of guts. On stage, it wouldn't be any good. They don't want to hear it - we don't want to play it. We have stacks of stuff that's different but the time isn't right yet.”

‘Gudbuy T’Jane' was conceived and written in a very small space of time - in about 10 minutes after we came back from America. We wrote it on a Friday and played it on Saturday'. Chas (their manager) heard it on Sunday and we recorded it on Monday in one take".

The lyrics could hardly be described as meaningful. Comments Lea: "We write them cause they sound good when you sing them".

However successful a band proves to be in Britain, the ultimate goal is always the States. Slade are huge on the Continent. and this year paid their first promotional visit to America.

"It was a tremendous challenge - it's always good to fight against complacency."

Needless to say the band go back there next year, yet at the same time they obviously hope to retain their magical hold in Britain.

"We're not going to die off. It's stupid even to think that way. In this business you don't have to give a damn… we're not trying to prove anything, never have done."

Slade fans can be stroppy, rude and exuberant but they are at least loyal.

"We don't want the Osmond type of thing," says Lea, "with fans wailing at airports. We get the right reaction where it counts - on stage where it's all happening. The Osmond crowd are a whole lot younger anyway".

Perhaps the largest difference between Osmond and Slade fans is that while Osmond admirers wave posters, Slade people wave football scarves. The Osmonds might have sweets or pictures thrown at them. Slade fans chuck everything from Noddy-type hats to the flimsiest bras and knickers.

Noddy still treasures the first pair of knickers they ever had thrown on stage.

"Orange and white they are - I wouldn't clean me guitar with anything else."

Of course knickers and bras arc mainly brought to gigs tucked in a handbag or pocket, with a request drawn or embroidered on them, yet of late young ladies have been seen to get carried away and take 'em off during the evening before flinging them stagewards.

At Newcastle - the opening date of the Slade tour - one very young lady had ripped her bra off and flashed her boobs at Dave Hill. Hill comments:

"There was nothing nasty about it. It wasn’t a sexual thing - she'd probably never had sex in her life. Just that she was caught up in the excitement. That's the kind of fan we like, the ones who enjoy themselves and have a good time. They are the kind of people who stay with you for years."

Holder affirmed this.

"The kids who come and see us will, I hope, stay with us for say five years at least. We'll keep going for 10 years if we can keep up the pace."

Keeping up the pace must be one of the major bang ups for any band. Last year, drummer Don Powell collapsed after a gig and had to rest up - and bassist Lea commented: 

"I'm the weakest one; it tells on me more than the others."

So how do they manage to keep themselves from flagging?

"Once we get on stage we get a buzz of the audience. It's always been like that. As soon as you're up there, everything comes above tiredness."

Perhaps the most frightening thing to witness at a Slade’s gig is the almost Svengali- like power Holder has over the crowd. You feel if he told them all to go out and paint the town with red paint, they'd break into a shop, steal the paint and start right away.

"I don't see it myself," says Nod. "I push them to enjoy themselves so when they leave they arc too knackered to do anything else. Certainly too knackered to be violent."

Slade also announce a second night at the Edmonton Sundown (they are already booked there for the 17th) on December 18th as part of their sell out tour. 16th at Brixton Sundown had already been added.

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Major British Tour In November

New Musical Express, September 2nd, 1972

SLADE: MAJOR BRITISH TOUR IN NOVEMBER

Slade will headline a nationwide British concert tour in November, manager Chas Chandler told the NME this week Dates are currently being lined up for the tour, which will visit key cities throughout the country. Meanwhile, the group fly out this weekend to commence an American tour with Humble Pie - it is due to run until September 17, but the U.S. promoters have already asked for it to be extended in view of the interest it has aroused. This means that the outfit will probably remain in the States until the end of the month.

Slade will interrupt their U.S. tour for a 24-hour whilrwind return flight to Britain on September 7, when they are the opening attraction at London's Mile End Sundown. But their U.S. commitments have forced them to postpone other September gigs in Britain, which were to have included Sutton Coldfield (2), Weston-super-Mare (9) and Redruth Flamingo (10).

Their Mile End gig will be Slade's only British appearance until the concert tour in November. On returning from the States, the outfit will devote two or three weeks to recording, then set out on a tour of Europe.

Referring to reports that Slade had caused some upset by dropping out of the Buxton Festival on September 16, manager Chandler commented: "Don't blame us - we never agreed to do it in the first place. The promoters kept on at us, but right from the start I told them it was unlikely we would be able to do it."

Take Me Bak 'Ome

May 26th, 1972

UK / European / German / Turkish Picture Cover of "Take Me Bak 'Ome".

Polydor Records - 2058-231

Slade Alive! hit the streets in March 1972. For those that had only heard Slade's chart hits, it must have come as one heck of a surprise, especially if they hadn't heard Get Down & Get With It. Even then, the difference between studio and live performance was enormous, to the point of preposterous. The live album was representative of a serious rock band with an axe, well ground and ready to use. Yet the chart releases, and related media, displayed a colourful bunch of likeable lads with a 1. violin 2. piano 3. liking for glitter. Confusing signals for those young and easily led teenagers of the day.

To make things harder, certain journalists had declared war on Slade. Chas Chandler memorably sent an award to a music journalist who gave Slade a bad review. A mounted piece of fabric in the shape of an ear inscribed "Cloth Eared Shit Of The Year Award 1971". Amusing, true, but probably not his smartest move as Slade's manager. The New Musical Express had several journalists on it's staff that seemed to have taken exception to either 'Skinheads' or Chas Chandler. Whatever the reason, bad press did it's damnedest to stop the ride. Reports saying how good a gig was were casually accompanied by negative comments dressed so as to act subliminally.

Against the odds, Slade forged ahead. Coz I Luv You left a mammoth task of undertaking, the next hit! Despite Dave Hill's repetitive chant of "Piano equals failure.", Look Wot You Dun spent two of ten weeks at #4 despite being the accursed follow up. It was also held at bay by T. Rex who dominated the #1 spot with Telegram Sam. Nevertheless, the group managed to write the next hit, refine their sound and consolidate their image and Take Me Bak 'Ome became their second #1 single in May 1972.

"Take Me Bak 'Ome was an old song I'd had kicking around for ages. I re-vamped it a bit and nicked a phrase or two from The Beatles 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey'. Nobody ever noticed."

Jim Lea: 'Feel The Noize' 1984

Graham Swinnerton recalls an early venture to a working man's club in Nottingham. The 'N Betweens managed to get through a few verses of 'My Girl' before they were booed off, essentially because of the volume. The club manager came on stage and announced morosely: 

"Well, committee insisted on have a Wolverhampton group and we've had 'em - so now we can send 'em back 'ome."

By this time the writing partnership of Lea & Holder had become established. Generally, Jim composed the music and Noddy the lyrics.

"I never felt any jealousy about it. It worked that way and I was content to take a back seat on that side of things. I didn't feel they were earning any more because they were writing but in fact they were earning stacks more.I was earning plenty though so why be concerned that they were earning double?"

Dave Hill: 'Feel The Noize' 1984

Two days after the release of Take Me Bak 'Ome, Slade played the Great Western Express Spring Festival, a four day event of epic proportion. They were alongside many of the highly acclaimed rock acts of the moment but had recently been adopted by the Pop fraternity. This period is such an incredibly fine balance of good fortune and downright tenacity. The Lincoln show was an important breakthrough for Slade, who had averaged 250 live performances in one guise or another since 1966.

"We stole the show at the Lincoln Festival and 'Take Me Bak 'Ome' went straight to #1 that week. The Live album rocketed up the charts too."
Noddy Holder: 'Feel The Noize' 1984

Take Me Bak 'Ome treads a fine line between the live rock of Slade Alive! and the chart success of Coz I Luv You, retaining the finery and the stompiness but placing it firmly on a busy bed of, what Mr Holder liked to describe as, 'boogie'.

Slade appeared on '2Gs and the Pop People' ITV, 17th June 1972. Take Me Bak 'Ome was at #3 in the UK Top 40 at the time and it had been a slow climb. Released at the end of May, it reached #1 on the 1st July. This was not unusual for the charts and since Get Down & Get With It had spent 14 weeks in the chart, it is probably only in retrospect that the group feel that it took it's time getting to #1.

• Take Me Bak 'Ome
• Wonderin' Y

Acetate.

Belgium - Polydor - 1972.

France - Polydor - 1972.

Italy - Polydor - 1972.

Italy "Take Me Bak 'Ome" (Jukebox Promo.) June,1972.

Netherlands - Polydor - 1972.

Norway - Polydor - 1972.

Portugal - Polydor - 1972.

Spain - Polydor - 1972.

"Hit Come Back 83" - Germany - Polydor - 1987.

U.S.A. "Take Me Bak 'Ome" (Promo.) 1972.

Mexico "Take Me Bak 'Ome" 1972.

Israeli "Take Me Bak 'Ome" / "Look Wot You Dun" 1972.

My thanks to Ralle for supplying the German picture cover. 

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Take Me Bak 'Ome

(Noddy Holder & Jimmy Lea)

Came up to you one night
Noticed the look in your eye

I saw you was on your own

And it was alright

Yeh it was alright

They said I could call you Sidney

Oh I couldn't make out why

Standing here on your own

An' it was alright

Yeh it was alright

So won't you take me back home

A take me back home

And if we can find plenty to do

And that will be alright yeh

It will be alright

You and your bottle of brandy

Both of you smell the same

You're still on your feet, still standing

So it was alright

Yeh it was alright

The superman comes to meet you

Looks twice the size of me

I didn't stay round to say goodnight

So it was alright

Yeh it was alright

So won't you take me back home

A take me back home

And if we can find plenty to do

And that will be alright yeh

It will be alright

So won't you take me back home my baby

Ah won't you take me back home yeh

I said take me, take me take, take me back home

Take me take me take

Take me back home oh won't you..

Wonderin' Y

(Jimmy Lea & Don Powell)

Here I am in the same old clothes

Looking back on my life

'cos I'm left alone

Left out here without a home

Take no chance, read between the lines

Don't accept a way

When she always cries

Just read between the lines

I tried to love you, now I'm here

Taking things as I find them

Now I'm here wasting time

Thinking of me

Looking back on my life

Wonderin' Y

It's hard to see and to understand

Just a what it's like

To be pushed around

Kicking stones along the ground

I don't think it will ever change

Can I find a way

To the front again

And have another chance to spend

My life with you and now I'm here

Taking things as I find them

Now I'm here wasting time

Thinking of me

Looking back on my life

Wonderin' y

Both tracks © Barn/Schroeder Music

Hate Campaign

New Musical Express, May 25th, 1972

SLADE

"Was a time, not so long ago, when the thought of a group of Skin'eads muscling in on the Festival scene would have been enough to make any self-respecting freak hurl his Woodstock badge to the floor and beat his sleeping bag in sheer fury.

But, my friends, times change and now Slade are all set to belt out their own brand of rock on Sunday.

Oh, but I'm forgetting Slade AREN'T Skins anymore, are they? Silly of me. That was last year... or was it the year before? Anyway, the point is that they have grown their hair and that changes everything.

Well, I'm sure they are going to really get a lot of reaction from the crowd. Their manager, Chas Chandler, says they've never yet come across an audience they couldn't get through to.

He sounded very confident. So you Great Western people had better look out. Slade intend to grab you right from the start - I'm not quite sure where - and refuse to let you go until they power to the end of yet another masterful and dynamic set. Sounds quite nice, doesn't it?

They aren't planning anything special for the Festival. They'll just play it as it comes. But doubtless the one who gets accused of swearing well he will be telling you to shout and scream and stomp and generally make a complete idiot of... I mean generally have a wonderful time with the boys. Indeed, I sincerely trust you will get down and get with them.

And when the deed is done and Slade have succeeded, the field will be buzzing with excited chatter and I will be feeling vaguely sick.

Slade are great if you think they are. What more can I say?"

TONY NORMAN

---

A nicely balanced write-up from Our Tony, after nearly three years (October 1969) and many public admissions that they made a mistake, the NME's self-appointed 'Witchfinder General' is still hell-bent on burying Slade. This total rant is a doozy though! Pigeon's are flocking in their thousands as Tony's story goes to print and they're home to roost a few days later. Hey Tony, don't fret, I'm told it's lucky?

"Well, I'm sure they are going to really get a lot of reaction from the crowd"

Yep! You betcha....

"I sincerely trust you will get down and get with them."

And they did, with great delight by all accounts...

"And when...Slade have succeeded....I will be feeling vaguely sick."

I guess you must have choked on it Tony and gone to that grey newsroom in purgatory reserved for critics such as yourself?

"What more can I say?"

"SORRY" would have been a good start, closely followed by, "I wasn't being objective and I got it all wrong. It's official, I'm a hateful twat! Please forgive me and I'll try to make amends."

Anyway, you were of no consequence and Slade did exactly what they said they were going to do and history records the Great Western Festival as a great day in their career.

Of course, NME later sent Julie Webb, among others, to climb on board the good ship Slade. I would like to find out exactly what was behind the extreme hate campaign against Slade in the few years before 1973?

Want to know more about Tony Norman or his new book then click here and feel free to ask him why he hated Slade so much.

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Rude But A Riot

New Musical Express May 20th, 1972

The paper ran this review of Slade's May 14th gig at the Civic Hall, Guildford with Status Quo in support. Reading this article, you could be forgiven for thinking Slade were the support band, such is NME's reluctance to praise the band. In little more than a week they would take the Lincoln Festival by storm and opinions would begin to change. 

SLADE/QUO

Whoever thought of putting Slade and Status Quo on the same bill must need his brains examining. True, both bands are very talented - but nothing is more guaranteed to start a riot than a combination of both.

Needless to say, so far the tour has been a tremendous success - Status Quo drawing in the heads and older ravers, and Slade bringing in the young boppers.

I wonder if the organisers of the hall at Guildford last Sunday knew what they were letting themselves in for. They'd obviously employed numerous jobsworthys who, during the early stages of Status Quo's act, were urging everybody to sit down.

Still Status won through - as one might expect. Mike Rossi, looking like an arch type rocker, denim jeans rolled up at the bottom and high heeled black leather boots, is the one who controls the audience and encourages them to let rip.

Certainly the band work bard. The first number "Juniors Wailing” set the audience off but it was their third number “In My Chair", perhaps one the audience were more familiar with, that really got them at it. Status have improved 200% on the last time I’d seen them, some eighteen months ago and it is hard to recognise them as the band who four years back were coming out with teeny singles.

Their best number is the one they close with, "Is It Really Me", simple and with a very basic sound, tailor-made for those who want to get up and freak. By this time in the proceedings, the jobsworthies who bad previously been loitering with intent, had either given up or been stampeded underfoot.

This is the band’s best number in that they seem to be able to wield a lot of control over the audience, building them up to a frenzy and slowly letting them down again. Certainly they make the audience work hard.

Slade are a band who never fail to excite the coolest of crowds and Sunday was no exception. Lewd, rude, loud and very proud, they even have a professional way of being vulgar.

An excellent PA and a capacity hall provided a perfect setting and the first number "Hear Me Callin'" had the majority of the audience crammed up against the stage. Holder is the one who controls everyone with his million watt voice. Looking like a character out of Andy Capp land, he prances around the stage. Dave Hill, looking like a reject from Apollo, scatters those at the front with silver dust. Even Jimmy Lea who, until recently, had been the quiter one of the group, has come to the fore and one of the highlights of their Sunday act was violinist Lea giving his rendition of "Sweet Georgia Brown".

One of the things that draws an audience to Slade, and sets them apart from other bands, is Holder's ability to talk to the audience in a way that is harmless enough but by innuendo is exceedingly rude. I wonder if they overstepped the mark on Sunday, Holder telling the fellers "if you want to take your trousers off do" and then adding "if any young ladies fancy taking their knickers off, that's OK too."

At one particular point in the set, where they get the audience participating with the "Yeah" bits, Holder tells the ladies in the audience they are not singing loud enough, asks them to have another go and adds "Open your legs a bit wider".

Still, rude remarks apart, Slade are a musically excellent band. Apart from the rockers "Keep On Rocking" and "Look Wot You Dun", there was John Sebastian's "Darling Be Home Soon", which always goes down well for them. And their new single released this month "Take Me Back 'ome" is another stomper that had the whole hall bopping.

Closing number was "Born To Be Wild" - and that just about sums up Slade. Wild and outrageous they certainly are - and entertaining too. Rock on. - JULIE WEBB.

The previous week Noddy was visited by the local constabulary at their Green's Playhouse (later Glasgow Appllo) gig on 11th May. The complaint here was that he had used 'the F word' on stage and the audience was mainly young teenagers. The NME ran this in the same edition a few pages earlier, I believe that they were doing their best to make it as negative as they could.

Noddy Holder on

'obscene' charge

Slade lead singer Noddy Holder was charged in Glasgow last Thursday with using obscene language during the group's act at Green's Playhouse. The charge was made shortly after the group had left the stage. Manager Chas Chandler commented: "Naturally we shall deny the charge and Noddy will plead not guilty." Holder informed the NME that, when cautioned and asked if he had anything to say, he replied: "It's a load of old ****."

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