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Sunday Old School: Slade

I don’t know if any of you have noticed it, but it’s that magical time of year when Michael Buble releases a new album, which can mean only one thing... IIIIIIIIT’S CHRIIIIIIIISTMAAAAAAAAS!!! Whether you celebrate it or not, it’s a time meant for fun and games, and if ever there was a band in rock music that were all about a good time, it was one of the earliest stars of British hard rock, whose outlandish attire, booming vocals and deafening volume would go on to influence many of the biggest rock and metal bands for years to come and write one of the best modern Christmas songs of all time. A group still loved by generations in Great Britain, a group by the name of Slade.

Slade, like many of their heaviest compatriots, began life in the English Midlands, and was the result of two local bands, The Mavericks and The ‘N Betweens, the latter of which had been able to obtain high profile support slots for such bands as The Hollies and The Yardbirds. Within the ranks of the Mavericks was a guitarist and vocalist by the name of Noddy Holder that The ‘N Betweens desperately coveted. They unsuccessfully attempted to get Holder to switch sides on a ferry trip the two groups happened to be sharing, but were finally able to convince him to join during a conversation in Wolverhampton.

The ‘N Betweens had an exciting start with Holder releasing several singles before they travelled to London in 1969 to record a full length album, which was offered to Fontana Records. The label were impressed enough to offer the group a contract, but only on the condition that they changed their name, which they reluctantly agreed to, eventually settling on Ambrose Slade, named after the handbag and shoes of an A&R man’s secretary.

Under their new name, the group released "Beginnings" midway through the year, though it unfortunately was to be rather unsuccessful, selling poorly with neither of the singles, "Genesis" or "Wild Winds Are Blowing" receiving much attention. Disappointed with this, the band agreed to bring in Animal’s bass player, Chas Chandler as their new manager, impressed by his previous stint as manager for Jimi Hendrix. Under his guidance, the group moved to Polydor Records, shortened their name to simply, Slade and adopted a new skinhead look. They released a sophomore album, "Play It Loud" in 1970, but once again, were met with little fanfare.

They soldiered on with little success before Chandler suggested they cover the song, "Get Down and Get With It," which had originally been released by Little Richard and was a favourite of the band to perform live. It proved to be a wise move, as it became their first single to reach the top twenty in Britain and the group were then ordered to write their next single themselves, with the resulting, "Coz I Love You" was an even greater success, eventually topping the British singles chart. It also began both the song writing partnership of Holder and Jim Lea, and the habit of spelling their song titles wrong, which believe it or not, outraged school teachers at the time.

It was during the release of "Coz I Love You" that the band members grew their hair long, dropped the skinhead look in favour of outrageous clothing, particularly on the part of guitarist Dave Hill and aligned themselves with the glam rock movement that was starting to become popular in the UK. They released another successful single, "Look Wot You Dun," at the beginning of 1972 and followed it with a live album entitled, “Slade Alive!” which was a favourite of Joey Ramone and a massive influence on a young band in New York at the time called Kiss. It entered the chart in Australia and the USA, as well as back home and their momentum continued with two consecutive number one singles in, "Take Me Bak ‘Ome" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now," the latter of which was featured on their next album, "Slayed?" which was a huge hit, spending six months in the American album charts and topping the board in Australia, where the number two spot was occupied by "Slade Alive!"

When the next year began, Slade became the first band since the Beatles and the first in four years, to have a single debut at number one, when they released "Cum On Feel the Noize," which was another blockbuster in the UK, but was only able to scrape the top 100 in the USA, despite Quiet Riot having a hit with the song a decade later. Their next single, "Skweeze Me, Pleez Me" also went straight in at number one in Britain, but there was a murmuring that the song was recorded as a joke and was never intended to be released.

Tragedy was to strike Slade later that year however, when drummer Don Powell was left in a coma, following a car crash in which his girlfriend was killed. He was able to awake before too long however and despite suffering two broken ankles and five broken ribs, rejoined the band in the studio to record new music ten weeks later. He was unable to get to his drum stool without using a stick, but his determination paid off when their next single, "My Friend Stan," became another hit in the UK and Ireland, topping the charts in the latter country. At the end of that year, Slade were to release their last chart topping single, but also arguably their most famous, when a song they had recorded during a heat wave in New York earlier in 1973, became of one of Britain’s most beloved holiday classics. "Merry Xmas Everybody" sold over two and a half million copies in Britain alone upon release and continues to sell well and enter the charts almost every festive season.

A third album, "Old New Borrowed and Blue" was eventually released in February 1974 and unsurprisingly topped the British charts. It featured another hit single in the guise of "Everyday," a piano based ballad which reached number three in the charts and would eventually return there in 2013 after being used in a Nexus 7 tablet advert. After the release of the album, the band starred in a movie entitled, "Slade in Flame," which was relatively gritty for the time, at least when compared to other films pop stars had appeared in. Songs from the album’s soundtrack were released as singles, with "Far Far Away" certainly faring the best, reaching the number two spot in Britain and reaching the number one spot in Norway.

However, sales were starting to decline by the end of 1974 and "Thanks For the Memory (Wham Bam Thank You Mam,)" being their last top ten single of the decade. They decided to try and finally make a name for themselves in the United States and relocated across the pond and performed with such big names as Black Sabbath, ZZ Top and Aerosmith. Their live performances were well received but their next album, "Nobody’s Fools," failed to make an impact in America, with the title track failing to chart anywhere at all, though two other singles, "In For a Penny" and "Let’s Call it Quits" peaked at number eleven back home.

Having had a disappointing time overseas, Slade moved base back to England in 1977, only to find that punk rock had become the dominant force in music and that while they had unquestionably influenced some of the movements bands, including the Sex Pistols, Slade themselves had been more or less forgotten. They recorded a new album entitled, "Whatever Happened to Slade?" which was critically acclaimed but lived up to its title and failed to chart. The same fate met another live album, "Slade Alive Vol. 2," and further singles such as "Give Us a Goal," (which was based around football chants) and "Ginny, Ginny" had very little impact, though a tribute to Elvis Presley named, "My Baby Left Me But That’s Alright Mama," was able to break into the top 40. Though the band were struggling, Noddy Holder turned down a lucrative offer to become the new singer of AC/DC following the death of Bon Scott to remain with the band.

Holder’s decision was to prove a good one, as the band were soon booked to headline the Reading festival, though only after Ozzy Osbourne pulled out. With some of the band feeling demoralised by their current status, they agreed to perform, feeling that a show in front of sixty five thousand people would make a perfect last gig. However, much to many people’s surprise, Slade were the hit of the festival and they earned them a new place in the hearts of heavy metal fans. They rushed out the "Live at Reading" record which became their first chart entry for three years and instead of disbanding, the band continued to record and release new music, with a metal directed album, "We’ll Bring the House Down," being released the next year, though a large chunk of the tracks were taken from the "Return to Base" album.

Their heavy metal focus continued on the 1982 album, "'Til Deaf Do Us Part" which featured the band favourite, "Knuckle Sandwich Nancy" and the chart entry, "Lock Up Your Daughters." It was their next album however, "The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome," that finally brought them commercial success in America, with the Celtic flavoured "Run Runaway" and the ballad, "My Oh My" spawning music videos. Though the album sold decently, becoming a big hit in Scandinavia especially, it was to be their last commercial success with new music.

The band soldiered on throughout the eighties, releasing more compilation records as well as two more albums, "Rogues Gallery" and "You Boyz Make Big Noize," the latter of which being inspired by New York hip-hop trio, the Beastie Boys. Both of these failed to make much of an impact and after performing “Johnny B. Goode" at a 25th anniversary party organised by their fan club, Slade decided to call it a day. Some members of the band decided to keep their name alive and returned as Slade II in 1992 and released one album, "Keep On Rockin'." Eventually, Slade II shortned their name to Slade and have been performing on the theatre circuit sporadically since. While a full Slade reunion may never happen, their legacy has been cemented forever. They may not have been a heavy metal band per se, but their boisterousness and wailing sound certainly helped to shape the genre into what it is today. They remain one of the best known rock bands of all time in the UK and will continue to have a place in rock fan’s hearts and Christmas shoppers ears for a long time to come.

So what else is there to say but... MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

Slade - "Take Me Bak Ome"

Slade - "Mama Weer All Crazee Now"

Slade - "Cum On Feel The Noize"

Slade - "My Baby Left Me..."

Slade - "We'll Bring the House Down"

Slade - "Run Runaway"

Slade - "Merry Xmas Everybody"