Slade: Studio Discography (1969-1986)

Slade may have never truly caught on with American audiences (often narrow-mindedly deemed "too British-sounding"), but the group became a sensation in their homeland with their anthemic brand of glam rock in the early '70s, as they scored a staggering 11 Top Five hits in a four-year span from 1971 to 1974 (five of which topped the charts). Comprised of singer/guitarist Noddy Holder (born Neville Holder, June 15, 1946 in Walsall, West Midlands, England), guitarist Dave Hill (born April 4, 1946, in Fleet Castle, Devon, England), bassist Jimmy Lea (born June 14, 1949, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England), and drummer Don Powell (born September 10, 1946, Bilston, West Midlands, England), the group originally formed in the spring of 1966 under the name the In-Be-Tweens, playing out regularly with a mixture of soul and rock tracks. But besides a lone obscure single, "You Better Run" (penned by future Runaways svengali Kim Fowley), the band never issued any other recordings. By the end of '60s, the group had changed their name to Ambrose Slade and signed on with the Fontana label. Soon after, the quartet hooked up with Animals bass player-turned-manager Chas Chandler (who had discovered Jimi Hendrix a few years prior), who promptly suggested the group shorten the name to just Slade and assume a "skinhead" look (Dr. Martin boots, shaved heads) as a gimmick.

After several albums featuring few original compositions from the quartet came and went (1969's Beginnings, 1970's Play It Loud), the group began to write their own tunes, grew their hair long, and assumed the look of the then-burgeoning glam movement, joining the same cause championed by such fellow Brits as David Bowie and T. Rex. This new direction paid off in 1971 with the number 16 U.K. single "Get Down and Get With It," which soon touched off a string of classic singles and led to Slade becoming one of the most beloved party bands back home. Slade also utilized another gimmick, humorously misspelled song titles, as evidenced by such singles as "Coz I Luv You," "Look Wot You Dun," "Take Me Bak 'Ome," "Mama Weer All Crazee Now," "Gudbuy t'Jane," "Cum on Feel the Noize," "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me," and "Merry Xmas Everybody" (the latter of which re-entered the charts every holiday season for years afterward). Several attempts at cracking the U.S. market came up empty (with track listings between their U.K. and U.S. full-lengths differing), although such albums as Slade Alive! and Slayed? are considered to be some of the finest albums of the glam era.

Slade continued to score further hit singles back home, including such correctly spelled tracks as "My Friend Stan," "Everyday," "Bangin' Man," "Far Far Away," "How Does it Feel," and "In for a Penny," but with glam rock's dissolution and punk's emergence by the mid-'70s, the hits eventually dried up for the quartet. Despite the change in musical climate, Slade stuck to their guns and kept touring and releasing albums, as the title to their 1977 album, Whatever Happened to Slade?, proved that the group's humor remained intact despite their fall from the top of the charts. A large, dedicated following still supported the group as they offered a performance at the 1980 Reading Festival that was considered one of the day's best, resulting in sudden renewed interest in the group back home and Slade scored their first true hit singles in six years with 1981's "We'll Bring the House Down" and "Lock up Your Daughters."

Slade received a boost stateside around this time as well, courtesy of the U.S. pop-metal outfit Quiet Riot, who made a smash hit out of "Cum on Feel the Noize" in 1983 that resulted in a strong chart showing for Slade's 1984 release Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply (issued as The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome in the U.K. a year earlier). Slade then enjoyed a pair of U.S. MTV/radio hits, "Run Runaway" and "My Oh My." Holder and Lea also tried their hand at producing another artist around this time as well, as they manned the boards for Girlschool's 1983 release Play Dirty. Despite another all-new studio release, Rogues Gallery, and Quiet Riot covering another classic Slade tune ("Mama Weer All Crazee Now"), Slade was unable to retain their newfound American audience or rekindled British following and they eventually faded from sight once more, this time without a comeback waiting around the corner. During the '90s, a truncated version of the group dubbed Slade II was formed (without Holder or Lea in attendance), while Holder became a popular U.K. television personality as well as the host of his own '70s rock radio show. A 21-track singles compilation, Feel the Noize: The Very Best of Slade, was issued in 1997 (re-released under the simple title of Greatest Hits a couple of years later), which proved to be a popular release in England.

by Greg Prato, AMG

Time was, Beginnings represented a holy grail of sorts for Slade fans (and original Fontana pressings still do). Thankfully, a rash of reissues have taken much of the edge of the market, and the band's debut album, cut while they still traded as Ambrose Slade, is readily available for all to hear, and what a joy it is. Of course, little of what you'd expect from Slade is actually in place, although Noddy Holder's vocals, naturally, are unmistakable. The songwriting duties are split between well-executed covers and full band compositions – the Holder/Jim Lea team of future renown has still to crystallize itself, and their one joint effort, the hauntingly folky "Pity the Mother," has little in common with anything the future held. But the opening "Genesis" will be familiar to anyone who rocked out to the second album's "Know Who You Are," proving that the band already knew a great song when they wrote one, and a cover of "Born to Be Wild" sets them up for the definitive version featured on the first live album. A floor-shaking slam through the Amboy Dukes' "Journey to the Center of Your Mind," and a suitably deranged romp through Frank Zappa's "Ain't Got No Heart," meanwhile, demonstrate the band's musical versatility, and while there are a handful of disappointments ("Martha My Dear" is almost heinous), still Beginnings stands as, indeed, a fine beginning. But things were going to get a lot better than this.

by Dave Thompson, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Genesis
02. Everybody's Next One
03. Knocking Nails Into My House
04. Roach Daddy
05. Ain't Got No Heart
06. Pity The Mother
07. Mad Dog Cole
08. Fly Me High
09. If This World Were Mine
10. Martha My Dear
11. Born To Be Wild
12. Journey To The Centre Of Your Mind

This album demonstrates Slade's image evolving, along with their sounds; four rather respectable lads are on the vintage cover photo, reversed to negative for the back side, delivering a more refined hard rock than portrayed by future titles like "Gudbuy T'Jane" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now." Chas Chandler's production beefs up the bottom with noticeably more bass and piano than on Ballzy by Ambrose Slade. Also there is less cover music here. What sounds like the opening to the Yardbirds version of Graham Gouldman's "For Your Love" emerges as Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil's "The Shape of Things to Come." Things to come is exactly what this album is, from the Ten Years After inspired original "Raven" to the more ominous "See Us Here," which is Noddy Holder sounding as sinister as Ozzie. Slade has gone from redoing classics of the genre to copping riffs and writing their own rock essays. "See Us Here" is subtle Black Sabbath, when the Sabs are on their best behavior. One of the album's most outstanding tracks is "Dapple Rose," a take-off of the Move when Jimmy Miller gave that band their number one British hit, "Blackberry Way." The violin adds to the majesty of the big vocals and pretty guitar, delivering a commercial performance very unlike the stuff that would make them famous. J. Griffin/R.Royer's "Could I" sounds like heavy Chinn/Chapman with a sludgy solid hook that gives birth to an elegant chorus and fade. Very sophisticated, which is where the first album was heading. "Know Who You Are" is a wonderful study here; the band is more proper dipping into that Yardbirds bag again on this original. By the time it was re-released on Slade Alive, only two years later, the song would become part of their glam success. But here, Neville "Noddy" Holder is kept on key by Chas Chandler, and that restraint makes for an intelligent album of rock which draws from all of the aforementioned sources, Ten Years After, Sabbath, "The Move," Yardbirds, as well as the Beatles, Steppenwolf, and Kaleidoscope U.K. Surprisingly, there's no Animals or Hendrix that can be seen on the surface, an original like "Pouk Hill" leaning more toward the rock side of things than the blues embraced by Jimi and Eric Burdon. Nick Innes' "Angelina," however, takes that early pop/blues sound Z.Z.Top gave to their early-'70s single "Francene" and shows what that style sounds like when performed by Englishmen as opposed to Americans. "Dirty Joker" seems almost anti-gay, a paradox for a band that would be so essential to the glam blitz which Bowie, T. Rex, and Mott the Hoople were all part of. There should be more similarities to Mott, but there are not, the final track, "Sweet Box," taking a Beatles riff from "She Said" and mutating it beyond recognition, experimenting with rock & roll in an inspiring way. Although the latter-day Slade were fun, it is the music of Ballzy and Play It Loud which was more serious and which demands repeated listenings. Wonder what would have happened if Slade had dismissed the humor and kept on this more serious course? They certainly had the chops for it, and this is, on the whole, a good record apart from what they became famous for.

by Joe Viglione, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Raven
02. See Us Here
03. Dapple Rose
04. Could I
05. One Way Hotel
06. The Shape Of Things To Come
07. Know Who You Are
08. I Remember
09. Pouk Hill
10. Angelina
11. Dirty Joker
12. Sweet Box

Slade might have built its everywhere-but-America fame upon a succession of gut-tearing hit singles, but the band's true rocking credentials were on display elsewhere, in the second to none stage show that had already been preserved on the epochal Slade Alive! earlier in 1972 and across the chain of storming B-sides that had accompanied the smashes so far. Slayed? may have been only the band's second studio album in four years, but it reinforced that barrage with enough mighty stompers that the band could have taken the next year off and still not run out of steam. Even if one excises past hits "Gudbuy t' Jane" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" from the equation, Slayed? is a nonstop party, from the riotously self-fulfilling prophecy of "The Whole World's Goin' Crazee" to the down-key but still eminently stompalong-able "Look at Last Nite," the latter a reminder that, even at its loudest, Slade was still capable of some fetching balladry. Or should that be the other way around? The tomahawk riffing of "I Won't Let It 'Appen Again" is another highlight – a similar arrangement was later borrowed, to excellent effect, for sometime support band Blue Öyster Cult's version of another Slade favorite, the rocker anthem "Born to Be Wild," while "Gudbuy Gudbuy" lurches like a battalion of tanks and matches a stirring Dave Hill guitar break to one of Noddy Holder's coolest-ever vocals. A couple of covers break the Holder/Lea songwriting domination. A bass-heavy blues boogie through Janis Joplin's "Move Over had graced a Slade BBC session earlier in the year, and provoked such a great response that they had no option but to re-record it, while the closing medley of "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Feel So Fine" was the closest you could come to the mania of a Slade live show without actually going out and buying a ticket. Of course, listeners don't have that option today. But stick on Slayed?, crank the volume well up – and the whole world will be going crazee all over again.

by Dave Thompson, AMG

Tracklist:

01. How D'You Ride
02. The Whole World's Goin' Crazee
03. Look at Last Nite
04. I Won't Let It 'Appen Agen
05. Move Over
06. Gudbuy T' Jane
07. Gudbuy Gudbuy
08. Mama Weer All Crazee Now
09. I Don' Mind
10. Let the Good Times Roll / Feel So Fine

t took Slade two years and one hits-and-rarities compilation (Sladest) to get around to following up 1972's U.K. chart-topping Slayed?, two years during which the entire complexion of the band had altered dramatically. No longer the rampant yobs out on the stomp of yore, the quartet members placed the rabble-rousing bombast of old far behind them during 1974, and switched their songwriting efforts to more mellow pastures – the gentle "Everyday," the yearning "Far Far Away," and the decidedly pretty "Miles Out to Sea." Old New Borrowed and Blue was the album that introduced the chrysalis to its audience – not that you'd know it from the opening bellow. Riding a raw guitar line based, very loosely, around the guttural riffing of the Beatles' "Birthday," "Just a Little Bit" cranks in with almost metallic dynamics, even retaining the in-concert ad-libbing that had long since made it a highlight of the live show. "We're Gonna Raise the Roof," "When the Lights Are Out," and "My Town," too, offer little that Slade wasn't already well renowned for and that, perhaps, was what the bandmembers were thinking as well. The glitter-soaked thunderclap was old news now; they could write those rockers in their sleep. The vaudeville piano-led "Find Yourself a Rainbow," though, was new territory altogether, while the country-rock-inflected "How Can It Be" posited a direction that Holder himself admitted had long been a regular on his home turntable. It was "Everyday," however, that held the secret of the band's future, a crowd-swaying singalong of such scarf-waving majesty that it might well be single-handedly responsible for every great record U2 has ever made. It was certainly Slade's most memorable new single in a while and, as the cue for further airborne anthems, it became one of the most crucial songs in the group's entire repertoire. On an album that, at best, can be described as patchy, "Everyday" is a new day altogether.

by Dave Thompson, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Just Want a Little Bit
02. When the Lights Are Out
03. My Town
04. Find Yourself a Rainbow
05. Miles Out to Sea
06. We're Really Gonna Raise the Roof
07. Do We Still Do It
08. How Can It Be
09. Don't Blame Me
10. My Friend Stan
11. Everyday
12. Good Time Gals

Slade in Flame is a tough album to judge. It marks the end of Slade's rule over the British charts – the album went to number six (the band's previous four LPs reached number one), but it would be nearly ten years before the band would return to the top of the pops. Made as an accompanying piece to the movie of the same name, Slade in Flame was different than the group's other records. It's an artistic tour de force for a band that was looked on as "just a good time." Although Slade was that, the band had a lot more in its bag of tricks, and this album shows it. Most folks (if not all) were expecting Slade to come out with a Monkees-type movie: lots of slapstick and a funny, lighthearted good time. Instead, the band delivered a much more reality-based film and album. Don't worry, though, because it's still pure Slade. The album stretches the band's stylistic universe to include brass and more keyboards than before. The lyrics are a little more serious than you might expect – the album is about what a bummer it can be to be famous, as well as the all of the advantages (girls). From the opening number, "How Does It Feel," Slade sets a different tone. A piano and vocal intro greets the listener. Of course, by the end of the song the full band is rocking furiously. They don't let up on the classic "Them Kinda Monkeys Can't Swing," which features great drumming by Don Powell. "So Far So Good" is a beautiful rocker, and was covered by Alice Cooper songwriter Mike Bruce on his first solo album. On "OK Yesterday Was Yesterday," Noddy gives his lungs a big-time workout.

~ AMG

Tracklist:

01. How Does It Feel?
02. Them Kinda Monkeys Can't Swing
03. So Far So Good
04. Summer Song (Wishing You Were Here)
05. O.K. Yesterday Was Yesterday
06. Far Far Away
07. This Girl
08. Lay It Down
09. Heaven Knows
10. Standin' on the Corner

Nobody's Fools has some really great songs on it, but all things considered it was the band's worst album at that point (at least under the name Slade). Basically misguided from the get-go, Nobody's Fools is constantly trying to free itself from the oppressive production and arrangements. Slade had been living in the U.S.A. for a couple of years at this point. Their mega-success everywhere else in the world was never duplicated here in the U.S. While they were here and trying to figure out how to crack the American market, someone came up with the brilliant idea of making a record with a "California" sound. Unfortunately, not meaning Montrose or the Flamin' Groovies – that would've been cool. No, this means the dreaded Eagles and Jackson Browne. Many of the numbers on this record are loaded with Dobros, mandos, and female background vocals, and, frankly, it just doesn't work. As was stated before, the album does have some really strong material (though not as consistent as usual). The title track is excellent, but marred by a bad arrangement. "Do The Dirty" is a foot-stomping rocker with a little funkiness thrown in for good measure. The album's best track is "Get on Up," which has an absolutely brutal riff. Check out the version on Slade Alive II if you want the straight-up version. "Scratch My Back" is pure Slade, even with the out of place arrangement. And "Let's Call It Quits" is a real screamer where Noddy Holder coughs up a great vocal. Ironically, the band was really hitting its stride as a seasoned live act, but that didn't matter much, since this album accelerated the drift toward irrelevancy. The world would again awake to the power of a rock & roll good time, but it would take several years. For the fan, this album is worth it for several of the tunes. For the uninitiated, skip this one – all in all, it's not one of their best.

~ AMG

Tracklist:

01. Nobody's Fools
02. Do the Dirty
03. Let's Call It Quits
04. Pack Up Your Troubles
05. In for a Penny
06. Get on Up
07. L.A. Jinx
08. Did Your Mama Ever Tell Ya
09. Scratch My Back
10. I'm a Talker
11. All the World Is a Stage

By 1977, the world had passed Slade by. At that point, they had been concentrating exclusively on cracking the U.S.A. for several years, without much success, and punk rock happened in Great Britain and literally blew hitmakers like Slade off the map. Whatever Happened to Slade? had the misfortune of following what was easily the band's worst album at that point, Nobody's Fools, which did squat in England and not much more in the U.S.A. The record was released only on band manager Chas Chandler's Barn Records, since no one else would touch it in the U.S. or Europe. Whatever Happened to Slade? is the band's extremely loud reply to the news that they were has-beens. Whereas Slade had been a huge influence on Kiss, the favor was now returned, as Whatever has a bit of the Hotter Than Hell, early-Kiss sound, which the band has acknowledged. It's still pure Slade, though. The songs and playing here are pretty much out of sight, with monster riffs and a different production style. Starting off with "Be," a tune unlike any other the band had done, Slade sets the tone. It's going to be a loud, raucous affair. "Be" reads and rhymes like a rap song, although it is sung over a funky rock beat. "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" shows bass player Jim Lea's emergence as a musician's musician. He always was a great player and the core of the band, both live and in the studio, but here Lea really gets a chance to shine. The song ends with probably the closest approximation of what it feels like to be on nitrous oxide. One of the singles from the album, "One Eyed Jacks with Moustaches," sounds like classic Slade, but once again, radio wouldn't touch it. Such is hipness in the music industry. The band was having Top Ten singles just a couple of years earlier, but no one wanted to know that. Slade was about humor and good cheer, two things British punk, for the most part, was not about. So they were marginalized. For the Slade fan, this is a great record, and one you probably never heard. Rectify that.

~ AMG

Tracklist:

01. Be
02. Lightning Never Strikes Twice
03. Gypsy Roadhog
04. Dogs Of Vengeance
05. When Fantasy Calls
06. One Eyed Jacks With Moustaches
07. Big Apple Blues
08. Dead Man Tell No Tales
09. She's Got The Lot
10. It Ain't Love But It Ain't Bad
11. The Soul, The Roll And The Motion

Return to Base marks Slade's low ebb in terms of popularity and morale. The band's future prospects looked grim, at best, and this album did nothing to change that. Having said that, Return to Base is not half bad. It contains about five classic Slade numbers, and several throwaways. Still on Barn Records, where the band had floundered over the preceding couple of years, Return to Base attracted so little attention the band could've played naked in the middle of Piccadilly Circus and not been noticed. Nevertheless, songs like the opener, "Wheels Ain't Coming Down," and "Nuts Bolts and Screws," stand up with the band's best work, and that is saying a lot. Both songs are infectious to the degree that humming them could become a chronic problem. Similarly, the version of Chuck Berry's "I'm a Rocker" is catchy as all get out. The sound of this record harkens back to the hit single sound, a bit less overdriven and heavy, and a bit more hook-filled and light. Acoustic guitars even appear at times. Sure there are some subpar tunes on here, but the bonus tracks help make up for that. In particular, "Two Track Stereo, One Track Mind" (originally a B-side of the "My Oh My" 12" single) is unquestionably one of those Slade songs that just rocks like there's no tomorrow. Certainly not a high point for the band, but they kept on keepin' on, no matter how bad things got. Secure in the knowledge that practically no one had ever heard the thing, Slade eventually redid the record as We'll Bring the House Down, a fully realized project.

~ AMG

Tracklist:

01. Wheels Ain't Coming Down
02. Hold On Your Hants
03. Chakeeta
04. Don't Waste Your Time (Back Seat Star)
05. Sign Of The Times
06. I'm Rocker
07. Nut Bolts And Screws
08. My Baby's Got It
09. I'm Mad
10. Lemme Love Into Ya
11. Ginny, Ginny
12. 9 To 5
13. Two Track Stereo - One Track Mind

We'll Bring the House Down marks the beginning of a four-album resurgence for Slade. Released on the heels of their most triumphant moment as a band, the 1980 Reading Festival (see Slade Alive at Reading '80 EP for more on that), Slade made a powerful statement with We'll Bring the House Down: "We're back." What the band did was to take the best five songs from the previous platter, Return to Base (no one had heard that album anyway, they correctly figured), and mix them in with great new material for a killer album that wouldn't take forever to make. Simple logic will tell you that when you get rid of the worst songs and replace them with great songs, the album's gonna be a lot better. Such is the case here. The title track is automatic. One listen and you'll be chanting along, just as Slade audiences did ever since the band started playing the song. An absolute must-hear. Also, "Dizzy Mama" (riff-wise a ZZ Top "Tush" soundalike) was the Reading show-opener, and it grabbed that crowd by the throat even thought the audience had never heard it. And "When I'm Dancin' I Ain't Fightin" is pure classic Slade. This is just the type of song that made people go crazy over this band in the first place, and it stacks up to their chart-topping singles. This was the beginning of a slow build back up the British charts. We'll Bring the House Down didn't go too far, but it set the stage. Slade was back, making records people wanted to hear. The long cold winter was over.

~ AMG

Tracklist:

01. We'll Bring the House Down
02. Night Starvation
03. Wheels ain't Coming Down
04. Hold on to Your Hats
05. When I'm Dancing I Ain't Fightin'
06. Dizzy Mamma
07. Nuts Bolts and Screws
08. My Baby's Got It
09. Lemme Love inyo Ya
10. I'm a Rocker

Till Deaf Do Us Part is Slade's hardest-rocking album ever. Their playing is at its fiercest and the material totally kicks ass. While this was not quite the commercial success the band was hoping for, it didn't kill their momentum by any means. They were now packing halls again instead of playing to half-empty small clubs. The disc includes three songs that would be played live at every gig the band did from this LP's release until they stopped playing out. The opener, "Rock and Roll Preacher," features Noddy Holder praying at the altar of rock & roll. This number is so blistering, one wonders just how heavy these guys can get. Answer: very. "Lock Up Your Daughters" is as catchy as it gets and maintains the furious instrumental pace of the record. "Daughters" is a perfect example of how far the band had come. It retains the almost bubblegum sound of the earlier singles, while the heavy production style gives it a bit more of a hard-rocking edge. The wonderfully Slade-esque "Ruby Red," which failed as a single, makes a good album track, and "A Night to Remember" is definitely a song to remember, as it ups the intensity ante. Also included is the hysterical "That Was No Lady That Was My Wife" and a rare song written by Dave Hill, an innocuous little instrumental called "M'Hat, M'Coat." This is noteworthy, since from the earliest days of the band all the originals were by Jim Lea and Holder. This LP shows a band with renewed enthusiasm and confidence. And by the way, the original album cover (drawing of an ear with a bent nail in it) is way cooler than the CD cover (band shot in flames). Recommended for rockers.

~ AMG

Tracklist:

01. Rock And Roll Preacher
02. Lock Up Your Daughters
03. Till Deaf Do Us Part
04. Ruby Red
05. She Brings Out The Devil In Me
06. A Night To Remember
07. M'hat M'Coat
08. It's your Body Not Your Mind
09. Let The Rock Roll Out Of Control
10. That Was No Lady That Was My Wife
11. Knuckle Sandwich Nancy
12. Till Deaf Resurrected

1983 and Slade released their biggest album of the decade titled The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome. The band had just found huge worldwide success with My Oh My and Run Runaway which finally included America, the only country who had largely ignored Slade beforehand. The band had began working with their first outside producer John Punter which proved to be very successful. This album was Slade’s attempt at jumping off the heavy metal root which they had followed for the past two years and into a more commercial sound. The outcome was a well produced album with top quality song writing in the world of pop-rock.

The album opens with probably the most unusual intro on a Slade album of a shouted announcement to the listener from what seems to be in a helicopter. Without pausing, the true introduction of Slam The Hammer Down blasts out with a fantastically heavy riff and some glorious guitar work including a brilliant solo towards the end of the track. The lyrics are great fun and work perfectly with the song‘s melody. Noddy’s vocals are on top form in this track which surely makes this one of Slade’s best rockers of the 80s. “She's a cool kinda mama, sure gonna slam the hammer down.”

The next track eases up and enters a more pop-rock orientated sound. In The Doghouse describes the days of youth. Immediately noticeable is the inclusion of saxophone which is indeed a rare appearance on any Slade track. A catchy chant is featured and some interesting ‘keep-you-hooked’ lyrics make this song another stand out from the album. Noddy’s vocals are lively and fun whilst the percussion throughout is solid. “Beautiful, well, you know I'm a liar, don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking at the fire.”

Following is Run Runaway which really needs no introduction as the track remains the only top 20 hit in America for Slade to this day. This track was certainly an American hit for good reason. Immediately the album version features an extended drum gallop before blasting out the fantastic guitar riff. Most impressive is how the track truly kicks in with Noddy shouting “Hold on!” and the most irresistible fiddle melody begins. Noddy’s lyrics are totally nonsensical and yet they work astonishingly well. The fantastic backing vocals fit like clockwork whilst the entire song is a showcase for the band‘s musical creativity. The entire song never fails to deliver everything Slade stand for. Many people refer this song to an influence of Big Country where I must stress that at the time of release, Big Country had not created anything remotely similar to the Run Runaway sound. The melody is in fact inspired by the hymn “There Is a Happy Land”. Holder himself perfectly summed the song up as “a rocky Scottish jig”. “See chameleon lying there in the sun. All things to everyone, run runaway…”

High And Dry follows which again features some great guitar work, bringing the best out of Dave Hill. Noddy’s lyrics are very tongue in cheek but once again it works very well. There is in fact so much going on in the track that it would impossible to pick it all up in one listen. From the lead guitar that weaves throughout the track, the brilliant bass, the backing vocals and Noddy’s powerful vocals in top form. Originally, both Noddy and Jim had given this song to the female rock band Girlschool which they also produced. “You want equality? You won't get none of that from me!”

Slade‘s biggest hit since the 70s is, My Oh My which is an absolutely grand power ballad, crafted perfectly in every way. The intro features a simple but effective piano melody which carries Noddy’s vocals along through the first part. Noddy’s lyrics work perfectly with this track which not only allows anybody listening to sing-a-long with ease but also has an attached meaning throughout. Something Slade had previously proved they were capable of with 70s hits such as “Everyday”. The guitar and drums soon smash in wonderfully which is no doubt all the work of John Punter. For the rest of the track, the entire band sing-a-long together, making the track one large sing-a-long whilst the ending features a glorious Dave Hill solo. “I believe in woman, my oh my…”

Cocky Rock Boys (Rule O.K.) returns the band back to having a rocking good time with some incredibly fierce and most lively drumming from Don Powell. As always, the guitar comes in perfectly with a nice melody. Noddy’s vocals are perfectly shown here whilst the chorus naturally smashes in with the sing-a-long formula. There’s an interesting set of effects half way through which leads to a great but short solo. The ending which features more effects is no doubt very unusual for Slade. “You and me are the greatest thing. You and me are the honky kings…”

One of most oddest Slade tracks is no doubt Ready To Explode which is a whole eight and a half minutes long. Inspired by Jim Steinman’s work with Meatloaf, the entire track is a showcase for the band’s musical muscle with the theme of motor-racing throughout. As the listener may have already picked up, motor-racing is referenced throughout the entire album. Immediately the introduction of this track features some sound effects, a great guitar solo and then a commentator who sets the idea of motor-racing up. Another unexpected part of this track is both Dave and Jim perform their own vocals at some point in the song which they pull of tremendously well. Noddy comes in after Dave and Jim with some top vocals. This track truly shows Dave’s fantastic guitar work which he undoubtedly had fun doing. The ending features a slow section of Jim singing which bursts into a fitting finale of Noddy shouting out “I was living for speed” a few times whilst the guitar and drums make their mark in the background. “You're gonna drive them round the bend, have a go on the chicane…”

The gentle ballad (And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie is the odd track out on the album simply because it was released for Christmas 1982 and doesn’t simply fall into the rest of the album’s production scale. Nevertheless the track fits well enough here to at least feature on the album at all. The track immediately begins with a great sing-a-long start which concludes with Noddy performing a tender vocal with lyrics reflecting the end of a romance. Naturally, the chorus crashes in with a fantastic vocal from Noddy. For those who believe Noddy could never sound anything other than loud and boisterous should listen to this track. “Another time, another place, we'll be together again.”

Cheap N Nasty Luv is a well crafted track with some interesting lyrics, no doubt about a girl who is involved in prostitution. The entire track features some great synthesizer in the background whilst there is a great lead guitar part all the way through, even topped off with a great solo. The vocals are strong throughout and the chorus is memorable. The track ends with a grand finale of a synthesizer solo. “She couldn't make any other profession and as she says, well, a girl's gotta eat. Trying anything once with a trick of the trade, rents by the hour making sure she gets paid. No satisfaction, it drives her insane…”

The final track on the album is Razzle Dazzle Man which is interestingly two tracks nicely put into one. Beginning with a wild guitar melody and some fast, frantic and fun vocals from Noddy. There’s some nice synthesizer effects added in with some big elements of the new wave sound. After the second chorus, Dave’s guitar solo is exciting whilst the synthesizer weaves throughout. Don’s drumming is also exceptional here. Immediately and rather incredibly, the song changes by dramatically winding down in tempo. The real stand out here is Noddy’s vocals which send shivers throughout the listener with lines such as “It's good to see you don't you know…” The slow ending wouldn’t be Slade without a glorious build up towards the end. The drumming picks back up with the guitar whilst a huge choir of backing vocalists join in with Noddy. A truly memorizing closer. “Wanna be like a sheik, a harem makes you weak - break right into my dreams…I‘m your man, I‘m your Razzle Dazzle Man…”

For the remaster of this album there are six bonus tracks which are a mixture of b-sides and extended remixes. The original b-side to My Oh My was titled Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. This track features some grand sound effects, a brilliant bass line from Jim Lea and some rather sly sounding guitar. Noddy throws lines through the verse whilst the chorus picks up with a truly excellent sound of heavy guitar and frantic drumming. Noddy’s vocals in the pre-chorus and chorus are extremely excitingly paced. The lyrics refer a drunk driver asking his passenger not to grope him while he's being followed by the police. “I ain’t ready to face the law, I ain’t running and that's for sure, maybe they'll just want an autograph…”

The 12” Extended Version of My Oh My is next which has the exact formation of the original but includes an extended guitar solo from Dave Hill in the latter part of the track. A great add on which proves the band knew how to write and perform a good guitar solo with plenty of feeling for the track and it’s lyrical message.

Original b-side to the 12” vinyl of My Oh My, Don’t Tame a Hurricane is another fantastic rocker with great guitar throughout and some interesting lyrics of a larger than life character to keep any listener hooked. Noddy’s blasts out the vocals without taking a breath throughout this track - a truly underrated vocalist and this track is a perfect example of Noddy’s gifted voice. Also a good example of mid-80s rock. “He’s ever ready to catch the cheetah, you know the leopard don’t change it’s spots. He’s the international cocktail who’ll end up on the rocks…”

The 12” Extended Version of Run Runaway follows which is surprisingly only twenty-six seconds longer than the album version. One must bare in mind that the 7” version cuts out the extended drum showcase at the beginning and cuts straight into the introductory guitar riff. This version is overall the same as the album version but does have one difference with the added effect of studio tweaking. At the beginning, the guitar is extended for the twenty-six seconds. This extension has the guitar riff playing rather quietly, allowing the percussion to be the highlight for a little longer than the album version.

Two Track Stereo One Track Mind was the original b-side to Run Runaway and is a more back to basics sound whilst still maintaining the album’s style. There’s some fantastic guitar work present whilst Noddy’s lyrics are jokingly referring to a girl who listens to music through headphones during intercourse, no doubt referencing the fast moving technology of the modern age. A great example of the hidden gems Slade had as b-sides. “She'd be late for a date on purpose - making sure that she keeps you waiting while she makes up another new face…” and “They get in the way of talking And it don't sound the same When you have to shout sweet nothing's…” are two examples of the wittiness in the lyrics.

Finally there is a remix of Slam The Hammer Down which is titled the Hotter Mix. This remix featured on a 1984 promotional single in America only. This version adds plenty of saxophone to the track and removes the sound effect intro the album version has. The saxophone certainly adds a nice touch to this track. Strangely, this remaster doesn't include the other remix of the song titled Hot Mix. This remix also appeared on the American promotional singe.

That is The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome in all its glory. Slade’s 1983 album was a huge European hit but for some unknown reason, only peaked at #49 in the UK. Nevertheless, the album was repackaged and retitled as Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply for America which went on to be Slade’s biggest album there.

A highly recommended album. The remaster also brings the best out of the sound, making it all very lively and fresh. This was Slade’s attempt of updating their sound to fit with the commercial 80s. With the help of John Punter, the band succeeded with ease.

by ajsmith, rateyourmusic

Tracklist:

01. Slam The Hammer Down
02. In The DogHouse
03. Run Runaway
04. High And Dry
05. My Oh My
06. Cocky Rock Boys (Rule O.K.)
07. Ready To Explode. the warm up. the grid. the race. the dream.
08. (And Now The Waltz) C'est La Vie
09. Cheap 'N' Nasty Luv
10. Razzle Dazzle Man

An early-'80s album that managed to climb into the Top 40, thanks to the success of Quiet Riot's versions of "Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now." On Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply, Slade shows that they are still the masters of loud, trashy hard rock.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Run Runaway
02. My Oh My
03. High And Dry
04. Slam The Hammer Down
05. In The Doghouse
06. Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
07. Cheap 'N' Nasty Luv
08. Can't Tame A Hurricane
09. (And Now–The Waltz) C'est La Vie
10. Ready To Explode I The Warm Up II The Grid III The Race IV The Dream

This cd has a collection of their hits as well as a couple of christmas songs and a cover of 'Do They Know It's Christmas'. This is a great album and a must for any Slade fan.

By Anne M. Silcox, amazon

Tracklist:

01. Merry Xmas Everybody
02. Let's Dance
03. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
04. When I'm Dancin' I Ain't Fighting
05. We'll Bring The House Down
06. Cum On Feel The Noize
07. All Join Hands
08. Do You Believe In Miracles
09. Let's Have A Party
10. Get Down And Get With It
11. My Oh My
12. Run Runaway
13. Mama Weer All Crazee Now
14. Okey Cokey
15. Here's To The New Year
16. Auld Lang Syne / You'll Never Walk Alone

Thanks to a pair of Quiet Riot cover versions of early Slade songs, Slade was brought to the attention of a new generation of hard rock fans, who turned around and made their first album in ten years a fair-sized hit. Aiming to capitalize on their resurgence, the boys went back into the studio to record the follow-up, Rogues Gallery, even going so far as to give opening track, "Hey Ho Wish You Well," the same galloping beat and Celtic string work that made "Run Runaway" such a great comeback. Unfortunately for everyone (most notably the band), the decision was made to lay on a whole pile of keyboards this time out, perhaps trying to tap into the success Van Halen had achieved with breakthrough album 1984; the end result was an album that was far less endearing than Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. In fact, some of the songs are downright embarrassing, like "Walking on Water Running on Alcohol," which marries a "Be My Baby"-style big beat to Van Halen keyboards and then adds a melodramatic but ultimately sad-sack set of lyrics. Far worse is first single, "7 Year Bitch," which could have been a thoughtful look at someone who's attracted to younger women, but which kills off any chance of moral high ground with the question "…can you control the bitch?" (whether the question was asked in persona or not). Given the title of the album, perhaps such sentiments shouldn't be all that surprising, but it has to be said that the rogues' gallery concept probably would have been a lot more convincing if the music had been stripped of the keyboards and overly slick production and given more of a rock & roll edge. That edge doesn't really emerge until the track "Lock Up Your Daughters," tellingly a track that the band pulled out of the vaults.

by Sean Carruthers, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Hey Ho Wish You Well
02. Little Sheila
03. Harmony
04. Myzsterious Mizster Jones
05. Walkig On Water, Running On Alcohol
06. 7 Year Bitch
07. I'll Be There
08. I Win, You Lose
09. Time To Rock
10. All Join Hands

Slade gets the shaft. Maybe because of jealousy (like Hugh Hefner) or who knows why, these British boyz are nuked by the mainstream, metalheads, critics, and America. Well, I'm proclaiming my allegiance and membership as a Slademanian because slabs by Slade constantly deliver the goods. In 1987, the quartet still gives great noize 20-odd years after forming as the 'N Betweens. Every track here stomps out a variation on the Slade theme of "Sing Shout (Knock Yourself Out)." Take raging opener "Love Is Like a Rock," which didn't fair any better commercially for the boyz than the tune did for awesome originators Donnie Iris and the Cruisers; this class cut remains an ace way to kick off the album because "Love" is, like, so Slade in the first place (they should have spelled the title wrong on the sleeve). Slade's headiest daze long gone, the band amazingly squeezes out sparks like "Still the Same" (not Bob Segar's pap, Slade wrote the rest of the record.): always tunefully tight, but loose enough to sing in the pub. "Fools Go Crazy" evokes some longing but still burns. And Slade's never afraid to ask you to rock along (just don't break Noddy's heart). "Ooh La La in L.A." is, naturally, another anthemic and trashy barnstormer. "Roaring Silence" swipes its opening from Simple Minds, but who cares. Face facts, AC/DC stole Slade's shtick all those years ago and now can't write its way out of a six pack, while these crazee boyz are still having fun slinging crisp chops and heavy hooks. Kudos. That's what Slade is for.

by Doug Stone, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Love Is Like A Rock
02. That's What Friends Are For
03. Still The Same
04. You Boyz Make Big Noize
05. She's Heavy
06. We Won't Give In
07. Won't You Rock With Me
08. Ooh La La In L.A.
09. Me And The Boys
10. Sing Shout (Knock Yourself Out)
11. The Roaring Silence
12. It's Hard Having Fun Nowadays



All thanks go to alonzo