NIGHT DREAMS ~ "Dreams, Fantasy and Illusions" NBC Television August 1975

Slade, during their self imposed exile to the United States of America beginning in 1975 took every available opportunity to them to project their image and music onto the population of the country. They toured relentlessly and criss crossed the country many times over in their effort to gain the wide raging acceptance that would equate to record sales and chart success in the hardest market of them all.

The band had enjoyed some minor national chart success on their early US tours and indeed had pockets of fans and even strongholds in New York and some parts of the mid west, but national success had, and was to continue to elude them for almost another decade.

They were given the opportunity for national exposure by NBC Television who had commissioned two 90 minute TV 'spectaculars' under the title 'Night Dreams'  and a bizarre and somewhat off the wall premis they seemed to be, I say seemed to be because no footage is known to exist of either of the two shows that were made and I only know about the shows and Slade's appearance on the second of the two, because long time Floridian fan and long time friend of Slade In England, Jen Mandli not only told me about it, but sent me a taped 'from the TV' audio recording of what she was able to record onto her tape recorder by holding the microphone in front of the TV speaker in the middle of the night!

The second show, which featured Slade, entitled Night Dreams "Dreams, Fantasy and Illusions" was broadcast by NBC on channel 2 directly following on from their top rated  Tonight show starring Johnny Carson. on 8th August but at 1am which would not have helped the viewing figures! The show starred Rex Reed, a hammy US film critic who linked the various acts throughout. 

Rex Reed, a Mike Reid lookalike US film critic who hosted the show from a large ornate wicker chair presented the various acts which included sketches, magic tricks/illusions and bizarre dream sequences set to poetry and 'experimental music'.

The show was commissioned by NBC to replace long running late night music show 'Midnight Special' and those in power at NBC clearly thought they were on to a winner when they announced the show and promised a musical extravaganza featuring top talent from around the world.

That talent  in this show consisted of  Slade, Freddy Fender; Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, a tribute to the Lone Ranger, magician Carl Ballantine, Tony Greco, Pepi Hernandez; Don Novello, the improvisational Groundlings, illusionist Lee Edwards; and a "Rock Dreams" sequence.

Rod Stewart gets a mention in the actual intro to the show that was broadcast, but no mention of him or what he performed appears in any TV listing or press release.

Musical numbers that would feature were  "Coming Down Your Way," "Kite Man," "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and "Til the World Ends." 

All performed by US veterans Three Dog Night  just before 'musical differences' split them up.

Little Richard, a hero of Holders, would appear and perform "I Saw Her Standing There," "Lovesick Blues," and "I Saw What You Did," 

Slade chipped in with three tracks that they were promoting at the time from their newly released 'In Flame' LP, those being "Them Kinda Monkeys Can't Swing," " Far Far Away" and "How Does It Feel." 

Freddy Fender, Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds contributed with "Before the Next Teardrop Falls."  and "Falling in Love" and "Don't Pull Your Love." respectively!

In addition to the three tracks that the band played (live) they also appeared in a strange dream sequence dressed it would appear as extras from Mary Poppins singing 'I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts (rolla bolla bolla penny a pinch)...yes....that one!

This brings me on to Jen Mandli, who sneaked to the TV set in the middle of the night to watch Noddy, Don, Jim and Dave on American TV, she decided that it would be a good idea to try to tape the show, and she managed to catch for posterity both Far Far Away and a reprise of How Does It Feel.....as well as coconuts, unfortunately  'Them Kinda Monkeys Can't Swing' didn't survive the years and is lost.

Jen was one of the first US fans that contacted me via the newly posted Slade In England web site in 1997 and we quickly became firm friends and I was delighted to receive from her a battered old cassette tape from which I was able to rescue and enhance those decades old recordings which now reside in the Slade In england archives!

One never knows what gems of television remain to be unearthed and brought to light, and despite my searching in various archives it seems that 'Night Dreams' featuring Slade is only mentioned in archive US newspaper TV listings, I was able to find the photographs that accompany this article for sale on a well known photo archive site, but the press release photo of Rex Reed and accompanying blurb, those TV listings, and the SIE archive audio recording is all that now remains of a long forgotten US TV spectacular!!

David Graham

Slade In England.

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My thanks to Chris 'The Historian' Selby for his relentless research. It is said, in certain circles, that Walsall Archives have a seat reserved specifically for him and that Wolverhampton archives consult him when searching the Express & Star. 

Welcome!

Staffordshire 1960

In the United Kingdom during the 1960's, Midland Beat was a genre of its own. The central area of England is logically referred to as the Midlands and it seemed to have more than its fair share of musical aptitude. Many, like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, were born and bred there while others, like Cream, spent a lot of time learning their craft there.

This area would spawn one of the UK's biggest exports of the 70's, certainly in Europe. There is no doubt that the members of Slade grew up listening to the music of artists such as Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Cliff Richard and The Shadows right through to the biggest icons of the 1960's. The Beatles influence would be prevalent throughout the group's career.

Welcome!

The most authentic and accurate history of the rock group, Slade, on the web.  In the world. even. This site is dedicated to the best facts research can find.  Jump to the first page here.
Then, click on the "next page" links to read the story in chronological order.

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

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

"Slade were down to earth and honest, and it's a real shame there's not more bands around like them, as you won't find this kind of honesty in the record business these days; mores the pity."
Dennis Munday: Ex Polydor Marketing October 2012

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

'Feel The Noize' by Chris Charlesworth

'Genesis Of Slade' sleevenotes by John Howells

'Who's Crazee Now?' by Noddy Holder

( Paperback Version. )

( Hardback Version. )

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

THE STORY STARTS HERE.

(To follow the story chronologically, click on the "next page" links!)

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

Ray Kimpton re: The Phantoms 1963
Alan re: Dortmund Habenera 1965,
Allie Keith re: John Conlan at Sundown 1972,

Please get in touch. 

You can also find me on Facebook or several Slade forums. 

Mickey P. ;-)

Penny Valentine

PENNY VALENTINE - (1943-2003)  R.I.P.

Those of you who are old enough to remember reading the Disc & Music Echo in the seventies will be no stranger to the name of arguably  the UK's finest female music journalist, who sadly passed away in 2003.

You can read a fitting obituary to Penny over here.

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Rogues Gallery

UK / Europe, 29th March, 1985
RCA - PL 70604

This album was originally going to have been called "Partners In Crime" at first, but the band's twelfth Studio Album's title was then changed to "Rogues Gallery".  It reached Number 60 in the UK Album Charts.

Having decided to take a break from touring, Slade's penultimate studio album (discounting Crackers), Rogues Gallery, would be the first as a studio-only band. Following the smash hits "My Oh My" and "Run Runaway", which also gave Slade their long-awaited American breakthrough, it's unsurprising that Rogues Gallery presented particularly commercial material, leaning more towards pop-rock. Not only did John Punter return to produce the majority of the album, it also saw Slade adopting synthesisers as a dominant instrument. As such, this is an album that presents a highly polished Slade, with Noddy Holder and Jim Lea attempting to write an album's worth of material that all had single potential.

The band wear a 1980s, synthesiser-led sound and glossy production very well, though the songs themselves are typical Slade regardless. "Hey Ho Wish You Well" recalls the energy of "Run Runaway" and opens the album in a notably jaunty mood. Songs like "Little Sheila", "Myzsterious Mizster Jones" and "I'll Be There" are all enthusiastic, spirited anthems with strong hooks, memorable lyrics and stirring choruses. Of the slower tracks, "Harmony" is a nice song of its ilk; more profound and earnest in its nature, but not without retaining an irresistible hook. As with other songs on the album, including "Walking on Water, Running on Alcohol" and "I Win, You Lose", the song's lyrics suggest an autobiographical account on Holder's part, who had been through a divorce in 1984. Equally, "7 Year Bitch" features some rather attentive lyrics, alongside another catchy refrain.

Tim Turan has done an excellent job of remastering the album for the 2007 Salvo re-issue, which includes nine bonus tracks. Of them, "Leave Them Girls Alone" is another lively number with a killer chorus, and Holder and Lea exchanging lines in the verses. "Do You Believe in Miracles", which was released as a charity single later in 1985, bears many similarities to the material on Rogues Gallery as an infectious, radio friendly number. Complete with another singalong, anthemic chorus, the song was inspired by Bob Geldof and Live Aid.

Whether Rogues Gallery can be considered to rank alongside the band's 1970s classics such as Slayed? and Slade in Flame is arguable. However, as an album of its time, it stands as a strong effort in the Slade canon; ten numbers with an emphasis on catchy hooks and singalong choruses. Holder's vocals too, as ever, are on top form, albeit perhaps smoother and more polished than before. One of the band's biggest advantages is that all of their albums are so obviously Slade, yet they each have their own identity; a slightly different variation of the Slade sound with Rogues Gallery being no exception.
( Review courtesy of  A.J. Smith )

To see the band performing Hey Ho Wish You Well on BBC's Saturday Superstore, in 1985, click on this link here.

Australia, 29th March, 1985
Starcall / Victor - SFL1-0127 / ( PL 70604 )

7 Year Bitch

UK, 14th January, 1985
RCA Records - RCA 475

7 Year Bitch marked the second stage of Slade's attempt at returning to the high end of the U.K. charts. The largely successful singles My Oh My (1983, peaking at #2) and Run Runaway (1984, peaking at #7), put Slade back in high demand. By the end of 1984, All Join Hands was released, peaking at #15. The song's similar sound to My Oh My was probably the reason why RCA wanted the song as a single. On one hand, it was a safe bet but on the other it pushed Slade into a corner, becoming very much a Christmas band in the eyes of the general public.

7 Year Bitch was the first sign of a new sound forming - highly polished commercial rock, with the adoption of the mid-80s synthesizer craze. With the band already gearing towards the reputation of being a Christmas-only band, the single's title and lyrical content caused the song to be banned across the U.K., with BBC and the like refusing to touch it. More unfortunate for the band, 1985 was at the height of a wave of political correctness and so the single simply didn't stand much chance. The single managed to peak at #60 in the U.K., still more successful than the band's late 70s period, whilst peaking at #20 in Poland and #39 in Germany.

The band felt unfairly judged by the media, where the band observed that nobody complained about song's like Elton John's The Bitch is Back which was a hit. Holder recalled in a 1998 interview of 7 Year Bitch's potential, "but we got a bit of a backlash". Whilst the band were unfairly judged, the record was also somewhat of a miscalculation on the part of Slade and RCA. Perhaps simply titling the song '7 Year Itch' may have avoided such a backlash.

The lyrics themselves rated higher than Holder's usual lyrical output. Much like a lot of the Rogues Gallery album, where the single appeared, the lyrics were rather personal - an unusual feature on a Slade track. Perhaps autobiographical, the song spoke of a shameless young woman who takes advantage of older men.

Given a rather unusual music video of the band performing the song inside a tent, some models were hired to appear in the video and a food fight scene was also filmed. This was Slade's only music video to feature any sexual connotations. Although the band's days of performing live were over, the band did perform the song with live vocal on the UK TV show Saturday Live. The band mimed the song on various European shows, where countries like Germany took well to the song.

UK, 26th January, 1985 - 12", Single
RCA - RCAT 475

The single was also released in 12" format:-

This video is taken from the Norwegian appearance at the opening of the prestigious Scandic Hotel. Ivar Dyrhaug is the unfortunate host with the arduous task of attempting to briefly interview Noddy Holder. 

The b-side of the single was the non-lp track Leave Them Girls Alone, where the verses featured Holder and Lea exchanging lines, a unique feature. The song's infectious chant hints the song was perhaps designed to be a potential single.

In a mid-1989 Slade fan club magazine interview, Lea stated that he had been working on a re-worked version of "7 Year Bitch", a version that is nothing like the original. This version has never been released to date.

Next Page

7 Year Bitch

(Noddy Holder & Jim Lea)


Woh hohowho ho wohwohwohou
Woh hohowho ho wohwohwohou

You're going round the circle 
Through another phase
Your temperature rising, 
You're wining and dining 
A girl who's half your age
She gives you all the business
She gives to older men
And it's oh so understandable 
This lady-killer move
There must be something bottled up
You think you gotta prove
'Cause now that you're a member
Of something on the side
It's number...

[CHORUS:]
One, two and three, four and five, six, seven year
Can you control the bitch?
One, two and three, four and five, six, seven
Can you - control - the itch?

Woh hohowho ho wohwohwohou
Woh hohowho ho wohwohwohou

To tell the truth you're old enough 
To be her dad
She ain't gonna let up 
She wants you to set up 
A cosy little pad
Where she can entertain you
And everything is free
I can tell you always were a sucker 
For a pretty face
The nights you're home a Romeo'll 
Be there to take your place
'Cause now that you're a member
Of something on the side
It's number...

[CHORUS:]
One, two and three, four and five, six, seven year
Can you control the bitch?
One, two and three, four and five, six, seven
Can you - control - the itch?

You tell the wife another 
Business trip abroad
It's getting too much 
You better not touch 
What you cannot afford
I know it's monkey business
And I've seen it all before
And I know that you were overcome 
When she told you you're the best
You better believe she's saying the same 
To me and all the rest
'Cause now that you're a member
Of a little bit on the side
It's number...

[CHORUS:]
One, two and three, four and five, six, seven year
Can you control the bitch?
One, two and three, four and five, six, seven
Can you - control - the itch?

Woh hohowho ho wohwohwohou
Woh hohowho ho wohwohwohou
One, two and three, four and five, six, seven year
Woh hohowho ho wohwohwohou
One, two and three, four and five, six, seven year
Woh hohowho ho wohwohwohou
One, two and three, four and five, six, seven year
Woh hohowho ho wohwohwohou
One, two and three, four and five, six, seven year
(Repeat to fade)

Leave Them Girls Alone
(Noddy Holder & Jim Lea)


Woah woah-wow woah
Woah woah-wow woah

Oh I don't think you're the kind of girl who likes living  in a crazy world
You need loving any time you can - Hey I'm talking about the kind of man

If Daddy comes home at midnight
You'll cue Daddy's song
Well the girls are alright
Staying out all night
Leave them girls alone

Woah woah-wow woah
Woah woah-wow woah

I know that you ain't satisfied, I fooled around
Give me everything I won't let you down
I don't care if you're big or small
Give me dynamite, I want it all

If Daddy comes home at midnight
You'll cue Daddy's song
Well the girls are alright
Staying out all night
Leave them girls alone

Woah woah-wow woah
Woah woah-wow woah

On the town and all dressed up to kill
Don't do anything against your will
Overloaded and still want more
Much more than I've ever felt before

If Daddy comes home at midnight
You'll cue Daddy's song
Well the girls are alright
Staying out all night
Leave them girls alone

Woah woah-wow woah
Leaving all them girls alone
Woah woah-wow woah
Love and leave 'em alone
Woah woah-wow woah
Woah woah-wow woah
Woah woah-wow woah
Leave and love 'em alone
Woah woah-wow woah

We'll Bring The House Down 1981

UK, 23rd January, 1981
Cheapskate Records - CHEAP 16

Slade were back in the UK Top Ten again with their new single, and Tommy Vance announced the band, upon their triumphant return to Top Of The Pops as "The Slade"!

UK Picture Cover of "We'll Bring The House Down".

This record would become the lead single from the band's forthcoming ninth Studio Album (of the same name), and, as well as peaking at Number 10 in the UK Singles Charts, it remained in the charts for nine weeks.

In Germany, the single was released with a different B-Side to the UK Release:-
Cheapskate - ZB 5358

German Picture Cover of "We'll Bring The House Down" - Cheapskate - 1981.

( There also exists an unreleased track, We'll Bring The House Down (Dance Mix) ! )

Return To Base

UK, 1st October, 1979
Barn Records - NARB 003

Return To Base was the band's eighth Studio Album and their third and last to be released on their own "Barn" label in the UK.  Unfortunately, this, too, did not enter any national album charts, although when it was repackaged, retitled and re-issued two years later, it would be a completely different outcome!