Slade

Odds and sods about the British rock band Slade

Monday, March 27, 2006


Nod, Glam Top 10 Posted by Picasa


Dave, Glam Top 10 Posted by Picasa


Don, Glam Top 10 Posted by Picasa


Jim, Glam Top 10 Posted by Picasa

Glam Top 10

"Glam Top 10" was aired on Channel 4 in 1995. It was a countdown of the 10 most successful glam artists based on record sales during their heydays and Slade was named the No. 1. The programme featured a short 10 minutes biography on the band including separate interviews with the boyz, clips from some of their TV-performances and clips from Reeves & Mortimer's Slade-parodies.
During the biography the boyz talk about the sound of their music, about the skinhead days, women, stage clothes, the making of 'Coz I Luv You, Mama Weer All Crazee Now and MXE and there's also a small "where are they now?"-segment, telling about Slade II, Nod's job as a DJ and Jim training to become a psychiatrist. The biography is ever so short, but not bad at all.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006


Nod and Jim, 1980 (c) Chancer 127 Posted by Picasa


November 29, 1980 (c) Chancer 127 Posted by Picasa

1980 photos

These great pics of Noddy and Jim were taken by Chancer127 at the Thames Polytech, Woolich on November 29, 1980. Thanks a lot for sharing them!

Sunday, March 19, 2006


1966 publicity shot Posted by Picasa


Three Men In A Boat Posted by Picasa


Former 400 Ballroom (now Route 66) Posted by Picasa


Walsall Town Hall Posted by Picasa


The Trumpet Posted by Picasa

Happy anniversary, guys!

40 years ago today the four members of the band that was to become Slade gave their first gig together in Walsall Town Hall, so I found it in its place to take a short stroll down Memory Lane with a few photos. Above you see a 1966 publicity shot of The N'Betweens followed by a pic of 3 Men In A Boat where the guys had their first "secret" rehearsal. Next up is the only photo that I've been able to find of the 400 Ballroom (now called Route 66) in Torquay where the boyz got their first shot at playing to a live audience as a foursome, because then-singer Johnny Howells didn't attend a gig. Then we have a pic of Walsall Town Hall, where Nod, Don, Jim and Dave did that first "official" gig 40 years ago. And finally: no mention of the anniversary without a shot of The Trumpet in Bilston! It's Don and me outside The Trumpet, December 2005.
Many, many thanks to Chris Selby from Rocking The Boat! for the b/w pics! Have a happy anniversary, all, and don't forget the Slade convention in Bilston this Easter!

Tuesday, March 14, 2006


Don, Sounds, 1974 Posted by Picasa

Don in Sounds

As I've mentioned before my whole collection of Slade-photos, posters and newspaper clippings was destroyed when my childhood home was torn down back in 1994. Only very few things survived and one of them was a full-page interview with Don in Sounds, October 19, 1974.
Bill Henderson, who made the interview, seems a bit bored by the whole Slade fame. He obviously finds that there is nothing new to talk to Don about, as Slade at that point had hit record upon hit record and did one sell out concert after the other. The reason for the interview is the upcoming "Flame"-movie, but even that bores Mr. Henderson.
It isn't boring reading Don's answers, though. About the sound track album for "Flame" he says, "It's the first time we ever used anything outside the group before, it was really strange having other guys in the studio and then listening back to it afterwards. We sound like a real group! We used the brass - Georgie Fame's horn section- to augment a few things."
The interview also gets into Slade's attempt to crack the US and into touring. Here Don says, "We're the kind of group that it's hard for us not to work, to actually tour 'cause we get bored if we don't. I mean, it's great to have some time off when we've finished but it's great to get back. That's the big kick we get, doing one-nighters."
Finally Don is asked what innovations he might like to introduce to the band's sound, but Don just answers, "Personally I like to use an old kit with pigskin heads to get back to that old, earthy sound."
Mr. Henderson is not amused, but I am. The interview is lousy written, but the answers are great!

Thursday, March 09, 2006


Noddy hosting Rock Legends Posted by Picasa


Jim talking frankly about the boyz Posted by Picasa


Dave in Wolverhampton Posted by Picasa


Rock Legend Don Posted by Picasa

Rock Legends

In 2003 Central TV, UK, aired a 25 minutes Rock Legends programme featuring Slade. Rock Legends ran for 2 series and was hosted by Noddy and so was this final episode dedicated to Slade.
25 minutes isn't much when you have to cover a 25 years long career, so something had to be left out or only touched upon lightly.
The documentary deals with The 'N Betweens, the meeting with Chas Chandler, some of the hits (namely 'Coz I Luv You, How Does It Feel? and MXE) and Don's accident. Here the documentary ends its story and only briefly touches the honorary fellowships bestowed upon the band by Wolverhampton University in 2002. There is no mention of Flame, no mention of the 2 years in the USA, no mention of the second coming at Reading and absolutely no mention of the end of the original Slade. Instead there's loads and loads about Noel Gallagher and Oasis. A strange order of priority, I think.
But it is really nice seeing the 4 solo interviews with the guys: Dave showing around in Wolverhampton, Nod in the Rock Legends studio, Don behind his drums and Jim in a recording studio. They talk very frankly, especially Jim, about the relationships between the four of them and Don about the time after his accident. There are a few clips from different TV-performances and the guys tell some funny anecdotes as well.
All in all, it's too short, though, and one wonders why it has been made after the brilliant documentaries Perseverance from 1986 and It's Slade from 1999. Probably because Noddy hosted the Rock Legend series, I guess.