Party Hits album

Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody Party Hits album

In November 2009 Slade’s ”Merry Xmas Everybody Party Hits” album was released through Universal. Now – almost 3 months later - I finally got my review copy. People have said, ”You can’t review a Christmas album in February!”, but of course I can! As it says in the liner-notes of the album: ”Slade is not just for Christmas”, so why not?

The album consists of 20 tracks whereof 4 are ”festive” songs. Apart from Slade’s Christmas-hit “Merry Xmas Everybody”, you’ll also find Coots/Gillespies ”Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”, and Slade’s own ”Here’s To,,,” as well other party-tunes such as ”Let’s Have A Party” (Baxter/Friend/Haynes) and ”Okey Cokey” (Kennedy).

On the album you’ll also find some of Slade’s greatest self-penned hits: “Mama Weer All Crazee Now”, “’Coz I Luv You”, “Gudbuy T’Jane”, “Cum On Feel The Noize” and “Skweeze Me Pleeze Me”, but also songs less known. Of cover songs you’ll find “Let The Good Times Roll/Feel So Fine” (Lee), “My Baby Left Me/That’s Alright” (Crudup), “Let’s Dance” (Lee) and “I’m A Rocker” (Berry) as well as self-penned ones such as “We’re Really Gonna Raise The Roof”, “Hey Ho Wish You Well”, “Do You Believe In Miracles” and “All Join Hands”. My two favourite songs on the album (both self-penned Holder/Lea tracks) are “My Oh My (Swing Version)” from 1985 and “Standin’ On The Corner” from 1974. Those two songs show the versatility of the band.

If some of you are thinking that ”Merry Xmas Everybody Party Hits” sounds a bit like Slade’s 1985 album “Crackers”, you are not entirely wrong. The new album has a few more songs and some of the “Crackers” songs have been replaced by others, but all in all the new album has the same party-feel to it like the old one. And if nothing else, it proves that Slade is not just for Christmas – although this album is gonna come in handy at any Christmas party!

2010 index

February:
February 6: Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody Party Hits album

Don backstage before the concert

John in tartan

Dave in red

Mal in red

Slade on stage

Look at those faces!

Mal and Don

Heartfelt

Dave playing two guitars

Sticks in the air!

Dave and Don

Applause

Don is back for the encores

Don and Chris Savage

"Mad" bass player John Berry

Don w. Christmas hat during MXE

A sulking Mal with festive Heidi plaits

John in his Christmas gear

Dave's Christmas hat

Even Chris Savage had to wear a Christmas hat!

Thank you, Bilston!

Noddy on Sky tv

Slade in Bilston 2009

On December 10th I went to the Midlands to spend 5 days with first Slade, then my boyfriend. Sadly he had to work on the 10th, but I was in good company anyway.
At noon I reached the hotel in Wolverhampton and within half an hour there was a knock on the door: Don. It was great seeing him again and we went for tea at the hotel restaurant before taking a taxi to the Robin 2 in Bilston for the sound check. Spent a pleasant afternoon there listening to Slade and Mud with Slade-fan Perry (at least that’s what I think his name was!). Pretty interesting as Chris Savage from Mud has started playing keyboards on some of Slade’s songs and John was on vocal on some as well. I especially liked How Does It Feel? although Slade didn’t play it at the concert that night.
After sound check I drove back to the hotel with Don, Mal and John and at 6.30 p.m. Don and I went back to the Robin 2. We had a couple of sandwiches backstage and when the doors opened I went out front to see some fellow Slade-fans. Hi Dee, Lee, Keith, JC, Claire and Gaz! Nice seeing you all again! Don and Dave’s friends Carole and Vicky were there as well as Dave’s son Sam and as always it was a pleasure to have a chat with them.
At 10 p.m. Slade went on stage and the set list looked like this:

We’ll Bring The House Down
Take Me Bak ’Ome
Lock Up Your Daughters
Far Far Away
Everyday
Let’s Have A Party
’Coz I Luv You
Run Runaway
Gudbuy T’Jane
Mama Weer All Crazee Now
Get Down And Get With It
and for the encores:
My Oh My
Cum On Feel The Noize
Merry Xmas Everybody

When Slade entered the stage they were all (more or less) dressed in red except for Don who wore his usual outfit. John was in tartan trousers and Mal actually looked a bit like Noddy with his cap and long hair. John was on vocal on Everyday and Let’s Have a Party and Chris Savage was on keyboards on both song as well as all of the encores.
Dave was in a particularly great mood, jumping and running all over stage, saying that it was always something special to play in Bilston where he and Don had first met and formed the group that would eventually become Slade.
Don too seemed to have a blast, grinning and joking behind the drums and “Mad” bass player John Berry (haha – great typo for those of you who know what I’m talking about) almost keeled over when standing on one leg during Get Down And Get With It.
The concert lasted an hour including the usual banter and jokes from stage and the audience responded well, singing and cheering. I’d say there were about 300 of us that night.
As usual Don lifted up his T-shirt before the encores, showing us a bit of skin, then the band came on stage wearing their Christmas gear. Even Chris Savage had to wear a Christmas hat! Tim of the crew raced Mal around stage as Mal tried to dodge out of wearing a Christmas hat. Finally Tim caught him and seconds later you could see a sulking Mal because he had to wear the Christmas hat with the Heidi plaits this year!
The venue was boiling hot during the encores, both band and audience having a ball. And a bit of a laugh when Don pushed Dave aside on stage for a well-deserved applause afterwards.
After the concert we chatted a bit with friends backstage, before I went back to the hotel with Don, Chris Savage and Tim and Robin of the crew. It had become really foggy outside so it was a bit of a scary ride, but we made it alright. Thanks for a great night out, guys. Hope to see you in concert in 2010! Xx
P.S. A few days later in Birmingham I turned on the telly and who was looking back at me? Noddy! Merry Xmas Everybody!

From Rocks

Noddy in Rocks

In the German magazine Rocks (06/2009) there’s a two page interview with Noddy. The usual stuff about Slade’s rise to fame and then a bit about the double CD ”Live at the BBC”. Thank you, Jürgen, for sending me the magazine.

Slade – Live At The BBC

Finally it’s here, the 2 CD album from Salvo, “Live At The BBC”. It’s good finally to have the BBC recordings on CD and as always with Union Square Slade-productions the tracks are superbly remastered by Tim Turan.
“I was amazed that the BBC still had these tapes,” Don told me when he presented me with the album a couple of days ago, “We had a lot of fun recording there and we did that really quickly. We used to have three hours to record five songs and there never was any trouble with us.”

CD 1 of “Live At The BBC” consists of twenty BBC Radio 1 recordings (1969-1972) as well as a few Radio 1 jingles recorded in 1973 and 1974. The CD includes both cover songs and self-penned material.
Although half of the tracks were recorded prior to Slade’s heydays, what you’ll hear is a highly professional and very potent band, ably to excite the pants off their listeners. From the energetic opening track “Coming Home” to the rocking “Wild Winds Are Blowing” the CD is a pure delight.
Of the cover songs my personal favourites are Slade’s jazzy stab at Fairport Convention’s “It’s Alright Ma, It’s Only Witchcraft”, their dynamic version of Moby Grape’s “Omaha” and – of course one is tempted to say - Janis Joplin’s “Move Over”. That has always been one amazing song, perfect for Nod’s voice and Slade’s rhythm section.
The one that Don talked about the most was, however, Traffic’s “Coloured Rain”. “I don’t even remember learning it or playing that song,” he told me before continuing, “As I said to Jim a couple of weeks ago, it means nothing to me! It’s so strange!”
Of self-penned songs I have to mention Noddy’s “My Life Is Natural”, Nod/Jim’s “Gudbuy Gudbuy” and Jim/Don’s “Raven”. Nice to see Don and Jim getting a decent mention as the early song-writing team in the included booklet, by the way!
DJ Brian Matthew’s introductions highlight the listening experience of CD 1 and give it an “authentic” feel. The four jingles included are enjoyable as well; odes to Radio 1 over Slade backing tracks of “My Friend Stan” and “Everyday”. Is it just me, or does Slade on “We’re Slade” sound exactly like The Young Ones? (or rather TYO sounding like Slade!!)

CD 2 is the Radio One Live in Concert broadcast recorded at BBC’s Paris Theatre in London on August 17, 1972. The concert shows why Slade was always rated one of the world’s best live bands. The raw energy is mesmerising and the banter fun and colourful. MC Mike Harding chips in as well, talking to Nod between songs.
Personal highlights: Noddy talking to the audience, Jim’s cheeky violin on “Lady Be Good” and Don’s drums on “Good Golly Miss Molly”.

The included booklet features insight interviews with the band members and liner notes written by MOJO’s Mark Paytress.

Birthday "boy" Don Powell

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to Don who turns 63 today. Have a good one, Don!

Don and Rocky enjoying each other's company

Don Powell bio update

More people interviewed for Don's bio:
Haden Donovan
Dave Donovan
2 of Don's 3 step-children (the third one will be on later)

Don and his sweets

Spot the rainbow!

Backstage

Ray Sawyer and me

Tim introducing Slade

Slade on stage

Tim on stage

Violin

I wonder if they shave their armpits??

Mal, Dave and John

Well, if it isn't John!

Sticks in the air

Hands in the air, too

BOOTS!!

Bye, all!

Slade in Korsoer, Denmark

On the 21st of May Slade played a festival in Danish town Korsør with an audience of 10,000. Among the other artists on the bill were Sweet, Rubettes and Dr. Hook, but Slade was to close the festival at 11 p.m. Because they were on so late, my daugter Tea and I decided not to spend the whole day there, so we didn’t take the train from Odense until five o’clock.
It’s only half an hours drive between Odense and Korsoer, but what we didn’t know was that it took 45 minutes to walk from the train station to the festival grounds! So it was past six before we arrived.
We quickly spotted Hanne and some other friends (and Rocky, the dog, of course!), so we went over to say hello. Don was somewhere out front talking to some fans, so it took a while before he came backstage. When finally he showed up someone had fetched him a big bowl of sweets so the next couple of hours we spent in a tent backstage eating sweets and drinking tea, while Tea did a cart wheel competition with some of the local crew outside. It was so funny!
We’d been told that it would rain all day, but we were lucky, no rain, but a beautiful rainbow instead!
The rest of the band turned up around nine and I had a nice chat with Dave. Then when Dr. Hook went on I got on the side of the stage to watch them. I’d never seen them live before, but they were amazing! And Ray Sawyer was ever so funny. Afterwards when he came off stage he went directly over to Tea and me to say hello. What a nice man! I even had my photo taken with him.
Finally it was time for Slade to set up on stage and what happened? The rain started to pour down. Tim, Robin, Don and the rest ran around moving things so that the equipment wouldn’t get wet. But then 15 minutes later the rain was gone and Slade were ready to go on at 11.15 p.m.
The set list was as follows:
We’ll Bring The House Down
Take Me Bak ‘Ome
Lock Up Your Daughters
Far Far Away
Everyday
Red Hot
‘Coz I Luv You
Run Runaway
My Oh My
Gudbuy T’Jane
Mama Weer All Crazee Now
Get Down And Get With It
And for the encore:
Cum On Feel The Noize
Yes, you’re right. There was no Merry Xmas Everybody. Things were running late, so they had to leave it out.
Great concert anyway although there were a few problems, so Tim had to go on stage. Once to fasten John’s guitar strap and once to help out with Dave’s guitar. Slade did their usual funny routines on stage, dancing around, pulling funny faces and having a bit of a banter between them. Mal thanked the crowd for waiting so long to see them. His bass was REALLY good on CILY, by the way! The audience went nuts when Dave brought out his Super Yob guitar and all in all it was a very good crowd that night. John was actually drying his eyes in mock-despair when they were to leave the stage, but as usual it was Don who really had the audience laughing.
When he went on stage again for the encore, he tripped, then quickly made up for it by pulling down his trousers (the elastic in his trousers had burst before he went on stage) – just enough for the audience to see his left butt cheek. Then he pranced around on the way to his drums. People were roaring with laughter!
As soon as Slade had finished, the local crew started to take down the stage and drive the audience off the grounds. That way we only spent half an hour in Slade’s trailer afterwards and when we left we were the only ones around.
We then walked all the way to the station (and got a little lost on the way), but at the station we met hard-core fans Per and Kirsten and we took the train back with them and their friends. We were back home around 2 a.m., so it was straight to bed! Thanks for a nice night out, all! See you again in August.

Don in front of his new house in Denmark, March 2009

Don biography update

Whoa! It’s been a long time since I’ve updated this blog! Sorry for that, but things have been quite complicated here with health, life, the universe and everything. But anyway….
A lot of people ask what is happening to Don’s biography and the answer is: it’s well on its way! It’s taken a lot longer to do than first expected as it has been very hard to get the different interviews within the original time-frame. But now things should ease up a bit. While you’re waiting here’s a list of the people who have contributed to Don’s bio so far:
- Don’s sister Carol
- Johnny Howells and Mick Marson (former ’N Betweens members)
- Carole Williams (The ’N Betweens very first fan club secretary)
- Vicky Pearson (her cousin who also acted as The ’N Betweens’ hair dresser)
- Tim Ramage and Robin Lavender (present Slade crew)
And then some guys (and gal) who shouldn’t need any further introduction:
- Keith Altham
- Andrew Birkin
- Craig Fenney
- Dave Hill
- Jim Lea
- Jona Lewis
- Suzi Quatro
- Francis Rossi
- Andy Scott
- Graham “Swinn” Swinnerton
- Len Tuckey
- Henry Weck
- Bob Young
The book WILL be finished this year, but for now I don’t know exactly WHEN it will be published. I’ll keep you posted! Until then I’ll try to keep in touch when my health, life, the universe and everything allow it!

2009 index

March:
March 24: Don biography update

May:
May 27: Slade in Korsoer, Denmark

June:
June 29: Don Powell bio update

September:
September 10: Happy birthday

October:
October 1: Slade – Live At The BBC

November:
November 18: Noddy in Rocks

December:
December 17: Slade in Bilston, 2009

(Mal), Don and Dave pointing at Mick/Mick and Chris pointing at each other (you can just see Chris' finger!)

Mal...was his voice going to hold up?

John and Mal at The Robin

Dave on stage

CILY: John, Dave and Mal

Don was there, too

Long John (Silver?)

Tim watching from the side

MXE - Don

Mal with plait

The canine crooner KOR

Slade in Bilston, December 10th

As always I was in Birmingham earlier this month and as it is only a short way away from Wolverhampton and thereby also Bilston I went to see Slade in concert at the Robin 2 on December 10th.
At 4.30 I met up with Don at the venue where he was doing the sound-check with sound engineer Robin and Tim - ”the guy who does the guitars and all the yelling” – as he put it!
Don came down to say hi and ask about how things went in Birmingham (don’t ask!). Shortly after somebody sneaked up on me from behind and gave me a scare and a hug; Dave Hill had entered the building. John and Mal came in a little later and like everybody else (except Don) they both had a massive cold. I think Robin, Tim and Mal were the most affected, Tim and Mal with their voices almost gone. Robin told me that they’d caught it from T. Rextacy who’d had to cancel their concert the day before.
The guys did their sound check, then we all went back to their hotel in Wolverhampton, Don and Tim in the front, Mal and Robin in the middle and John and me in the back with John’s curry! Fun ride with Don pointing out all the old Slade-related sights to the rest of the band – I knew them in advance!
Don and I had dinner together in the hotel restaurant while the rest of the guys attended to their colds. It was nice catching up with Don as we hadn’t seen each other for three weeks. We talked a lot about the guys I have been interviewing lately for Don’s biography, among others Francis Rossi from Status Quo and Andy Scott from Sweet. We also talked about the very nice Sutton Coldfield-area of Birmingham where I had just spent the past couple of days, Don saying that Slade’s old tour manager Swinn once had a house there.
When Tim and Robin came down to eat, Don went to his room to wash up and I hung out with the guys until it was time to leave for the Robin 2 at 8.30 p.m. At the venue we met up with Mick Marson, the former ‘N Betweens guitarist, as well as Carole Williams, the guys’ first fan club secretary, and her cousin Vicky Pearson. It was so nice to see them all again. Then Don and I went into the audience to look for Don’s nephew, but it took a while before Don found him and instead we bumped into my friend Chris whom I had arranged to meet at the venue. He went backstage with us, as he knows Mick and the rest as well.
When the guys started to change into their stage clothes, Chris and I went down the venue again and I ran into Dave’s son Sam at the bar. Nice haircut, Sam! Then people started to march by and I met up with Lee, Keith, Mark, John (JC), Doug, Fran, Claire, Gaz and the rest, very nice seeing you all again!!
Slade were on at 10.05 p.m., nobody knew what that 05 was all about, the band finding it positively weird. But despite colds, runs and no voices the guys delivered a fantastic show! The set list was (we know it by heart now, don’t we:)
We’ll Bring The House Down
Take Me Bak ‘Ome
Far Far Away
Everyday
Red Hot
‘Coz I Luv You
Run Runaway
My Oh My
Goodbye T’Jane
Mama Weer All Crazee Now
Get Down And Get With It
and for the encores:
Cum On Feel The Noize
Merry Xmas Everybody
It’s always a bit special seeing Slade in Bilston, as it is their home grounds, the audience very loud, very drunk and in a total party-mood. It’s really a lot of fun and the guys seemed to have fun on stage as well despite their health-problems! The songs needed no introduction, so when introducing a song like Far Far Away, Mal would go, “I say, you know what to do next!” As usual the guys took the mickey out of each other on stage, Mal looking in disbelieve at Dave during his solos, Don yelling his usual lines behind the drums, John making fun of Dave’s height etc. etc. It was a really great show. In the midst of it all I met my good friend Dee who gave me canine crooner, a toy dog singing Merry Xmas Everybody with Noddy’s voice and a quivering lower jaw like Whitney Houston!
After the show I talked a bit with Marc Michalski, the bass player of Mud II (I usually do when in Bilston), then Dee went backstage with me to say hello to the guys. At that point I was actually a bit worried that I had caught the flu from the guys and Mal jokingly called it “The Slade Fever” and started to imagine me bringing it to Denmark! In the end I turned out to be fine. The guys had a good laugh about the canine crooner, by the way!
After midnight I went back to the hotel with the guys for a night cap, but I had to leave pretty soon, as I was to make my way back to Birmingham – and the airport – at 7 a.m. the next morning!
Anyway, as usual it had been a brilliant night out in Bilston and I hope to see you all again next year. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all!!!

Far Far Away on RTL

The weather forecast for Tokyo...

...or McDonald's?

Slade on German Television

On Friday the 21st of November Slade appeared on German RTL in the programme ”Die ultimative Chartshow”. The show was about comebacks and the guys landed on place 16 in a chart of biggest comebacks in Germany with Far Far Away that went into the German Top Ten in 1993
Slade performed Far Far Away on the show, followed by an interview with Don and Dave about touring, combacks, Reading and Don’s spandex trousers.
The funniest part of the interview was when the guys put on those “ear” microphones enabling them to get the English translation of what the moderator was saying in German. The moderator, German Oliver Geissen, asked if they could hear him to which Don replied, “I get the weather forecast for Tokyo!”
I think he got the biggest applause of the evening for that remark. When the applause had died down the moderator turned out to be as quick-witted as Don, going, “Newly we had, Welcome to McDonald’s, can I take your order?”, which made Don laugh out loud. Nice one.

Hanne with Mal, Don and John

Dave with manager Abbie Carter

Rocky the miracle dog

Tim and Don doing sound check

Let me hear ya, Koege!

Back to back to back

CILY

Fluttering their wings....

Get in line

Psychedelic!

Superyobs on stage

Drum sticks in the air

Karate Kid John

Don in a sweaty situation

The MC and Don

How low can you go?

Tim on stage right

Loads of Xmas hats

Notice the Irish flag on Johns back

Goodnight, Koege!

Slade in Koege, Denmark

On Saturday the 30th of August Slade gave a concert as part of the Koege Festival Week. The whole town had been celebrating for a week and Saturday was turned into a music festival with loads of names playing, most of them noted Danish acts, but also some foreign, among them Lutricia McNeal and Slade.
It was a wonderful, sunshiny day, very different from what we’d been used to, as it had been pouring down with rain most of the week. I made my way from Odense to Koege – a three hours trip by various trains – and met up with Don and Hanne at the town square of Koege at 5 p.m. They had brought Rocky, their dog, and as some of you know Rocky has had an accident so he was still wearing a cast. Five weeks earlier Rocky had been hit by both a car and a trailer and had come out off it very badly. He’d lost his tail and hurt both hind legs, one of them so badly that part of the bone had actually been scraped away. A main artery had burst and it was nothing short of a miracle that he survived, but he did, and after two operations and new ligaments in the one leg, he should be as good as new as soon as the wounds heal.
Anyway, Rocky limped about the backstage area minded by one of Hanne and Don’s friends. I bumped into Heine, a Slade-fan I have known for a couple of years, and we set out to enjoy the day. The rest of the guys turned up shortly after, all in a good mood, kissing and hugging and joking. We had dinner, the guys were signing autographs, doing interviews, greeting the fans etc. etc.
Slade went on stage a little past 8 p.m., this way being the first band to use the lights. Sounds familiar, eh? The town square was packed, this being a free concert, mind you, and as soon as Don entered stage, the crowd was up and going. I was pretty pleased that I was able to watch the concert from an enclosed area for people with backstage passes, otherwise I’m sure I would have been squashed!
The set list seemed familiar:
We’ll Bring The House Down
Take Me Bak ’Ome
Lock Up Your Daughters
Squeeze Me Pleeze Me
Far Far Away
Everyday
Red Hot
’Coz I Luv You
Run Runaway
My Oh My
Gudbuy T’Jane
Mama Weer All Crazee Now
Get Down And Get With It
and the encores:
Cum On Feel The Noize
Merry Xmas Everybody
There wasn’t much banter from stage, but instead the guys seemed to have taken to slapstick, fooling around more than usual. The crowed spurred them along, which made them they get more silly then usual, which again made the crowd spur them along even further. It all spiralled up to the climax of MXE and made it one of the best Slade-concerts that I have attended.
The sound was deafening, though, so everybody had to wear earplugs. Very early on in the concert, Don broke a snaredrum, but nobody seemed to notice preoccupied as the audience was in singing along and having a good time.
During Red Hot Dave started doing his usual jumps and leaps and behind him Mal started imitating him. Dave realising that, made up even more jumps for Mal to imitate. Mal was, by the way, sporting a cap that brought back memories of a very early Noddy Holder.
Dave did a new batch of jumps during CILY but this time he accidentally bumped into John. Tim Ravage, who was back roadie-ing for Slade, immediately ran on stage and kicked Dave in his behind.
The concert sported a superb light show and when My Oh My started, the backdrop behind Don lit up in psychedelic swirling patterns. Very impressive from where I was standing. Mal introduced Gudbuy To Jane as one of his favourite Slade-songs, John mincing along the stage to the intro and Mal had the entire crowd convincing Dave that “he’s so young”. Afterwards Mal said, “You’re a crazy crowd and you really spur us along.”
Mama saw another wild psychedelic pattern take off behind Don and the expression on John’s face when Dave did his usual thing, sticking his hand between John’s legs, made Mal laugh so hard that he could hardly sing.
Get Down included the usual audience participation and when Mal shouted, “Everybody get out of their seats,” Don loudly protested, “No!!” He was the only person at the concert to actually have a seat. When people raised their hands in the air, Mal chuckled a loud, “Halleluja”, and for the boots in the air, John did his crane-thing. It’s really amazing how long he can uphold that position, so if ever he’s out of a job, I’m sure they can use him in Karate Kid.
When Slade went off stage a Danish MC entered, trying to spur the audience into demanding an encore. No need, everybody was screaming for more. The MC took a hell of a time and in the end Don just walked on stage behind him while he was still talking. The cheering from the crowd made the MC aware of Don’s presence and he quickly removed himself. Dave walked on stage in his Christmas Hat, but now Tim emerged again with a hat for Don and one for Mal as well. Don put his on without resistance, but Mal ran for it. He had Tim chasing him all over stage until Tim finally cornered him behind the drums and stuck the hat on his head. The tassel was dangling in front of Mal’s nose and he kept it there for a long while, puffing it away during the song.
It was a truly magic concert and I’m sure the audience would have liked it to continue, but there were two more names on the bill, so the guys cleared out. Heine headed back home but I spent a couple of hours backstage with Hanne, the band, Tim and Robin and the usual gang. Main subjects of the evening were Rocky of course, a stubborn draught beer machine and worries about Don’s mental health (sorry, Don, but you just looked so funny, when René was worrying about you!)
The party broke up around eleven, Hanne and Don driving back home, the rest of the guys heading for the hotel and me on my way to Copenhagen. I made it to Copenhagen all right, but I hadn’t been aware that George Michael had given a farewell concert there the same night. The result was a packed train back to Odense, we even had to wait at the station for half an hour because some of the staff hadn’t returned from the concert yet. All the way had problems closing the doors at stations, because of the amount of people on the train and not until 4 o’clock was I bak ‘ome. But it had been a great show, a great night out and it’s a shame that the guys probably won’t be back in Denmark until next year.
P.S. Today is Don’s birthday. Happy birthday, Don! I just spoke to him on the phone and he said they had a great show in Moscow last weekend as well. It was very hot over there, 27° C, and the first time Don had seen the city in sunshine.

Don in Roedkaersbro, Denmark

The guitars

John and Mal

John and Dave

Dave and Don

Slade in Roedkaersbro, Denmark

On August 23, Slade played in Roedkaersbro, Denmark. I wasn’t present myself, but hardcore fan Per Christensen sent me a few pics and a report. Slade went on stage at 8.30 p.m., they were in high spirits and the crowds loved them. During the second song Don’s drums were about to fall off the drum rise, so the crew had to put concrete bricks in front of his bass drum. Per said, that the guys had fun on stage and the audience had a great time. Thanks for the pics, Per!

Their divine mission is to wake the dead

US ad

When in Norway in May I saw an amusing American Slade ad that was displayed in the window of Shabby Records in Haugesund. With the help from my friend Jostein I have now obtained a scan of it. Hope you enjoy it.

Don in Taarnby

Mal