We'll bring the house down (Slade) (EP 3795; LP 3796 - 3805)

Slade  Alive at Reading 1980 (CD, Salvo Records, 1980) *****  

Slade  We'll Bring the House Down (CD, Salvo Records, 1981) ****  

Slade  Till Deaf Do Us Part (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1981) ****  

Slade  Slade on Stage (CD, Salvo Records, 1982) *****  

Slade  The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1983) ***  

Slade  Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1984) ***  

Slade  Rogues Gallery (CD, Salvo Records, 1985) ** 

Slade  Crackers (Vinyl, BMG Records, 1985) *** 

Slade  You Boyz Make Big Noize (CD, Salvo Records, 1987) *** 

Slade  Feel the Noize: Slade Greatest Hits (CD, Polydor Records, 1997) ***** 

Genre: Hard rock

Places I remember: Fopp

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Dizzy Mama (We'll Bring the House Down)

Gear costume: Something Else medley (Alive at Reading), Ruby Red (Till Deaf Do Us Part)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: The eighties started off with Slade replacing Ozzy at Reading and killing it! The resulting EP was a six-track rock lesson for all the pretenders. Short sharp and brutal. Try the amazing version of Something Else during the medley! Slade was back in business part one.

They followed that up with the equally rocking We'll Bring the House Down. They take the energy from punk and blow it up all over these tracks - five retreads from Return To Base, and some new ones. Slade was back in business part two. It still sounds remarkably fresh in 2025. 

The guys were on a roll again with another album in 1981 - Till Deaf Do Us Part (their tenth studio album). No change in approach - just more great rock'n'roll from these seasoned campaigners. It's fairly amazing how they managed to maintain the quality rock through all these years.

Slade on Stage is their third live album - recorded at Newcastle City Hall, December 1981. Like the other two, Noddy whips the crowd into a frenzy, and the guys deliver superior hard rock. Opening song, Rock'n'Roll Preacher outdoes AC/DC! We'll Bring the House Down sounds like Motorhead!

Seems the motto for Slade at this point of their career is - play it faster, play it harder, and pummel the audience into submission. Three five-star live albums and one 5-star live EP! Pretty amazing!

Things get a little confusing in 1982/83 with The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome album first appearing and then being repackaged with some song changes a year later for the American market as Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply.

Apart from songs in common, each has a terrible title and a terrible cover! The actual sound is a further extension of Till Deaf Do Us Part. That is to say - terrific, even if it is aimed squarely at the American market - hence the special edition (Keep Your Hands Off...).

Rogues Gallery was their studio effort of 1985. A retro band look on the cover was okay and the songs - okay too, but that's about it and all with synths attached. Noooooo!! 

The band had never had much truck with keyboards prior to the early eighties but here was Jim Lea adding synths as per requirements for the necessary 'modern' soundscape. No thanks Jim! If they'd got rid of the slick production and those keyboards, the songs might have had a chance. Might have. They are pretty uninspired.

Now what? In four years, they'd gone from the highs of We'll Bring The House Down/ Till Deaf Do Us Part and Slade on Stage to the low of Rogues Gallery. Could they regroup again? Did they have the energy reserves to go again?

The bizarre answer was - Crackers. A Christmas party album, also of 1985. It's a nutty mix of the band's previous hits, some re-recorded songs and a selection of covers. According to the band it was a lot more of a fun project than Rogues Gallery. The run of dodgy cover art continued though.

An interesting side story to the recording: While recording Crackers, Hill discovered Victor Herman, a busker, who was playing bagpipes in Oxford Street, London. As the band were due to record their own version of "Auld Lang Syne", Hill invited Herman to add an authentic touch to the recording. Herman agreed, and when he'd finished recording his part, Slade gave him an envelope with a sizeable sum of money in it, along with their thanks and best wishes. Two days later, the envelope was returned by post, along with a letter from Herman, saying that he'd enjoyed himself so much in the studio that he didn't want the money. Slade later invited him to their Christmas party on 18 November 1985 – the release day of the album. At the party, Slade presented Herman with one of the band's Gold Discs as a keepsake (Wikipedia).

Unlike Rogues Gallery the band are able to inject some fun into these tracks and that's infectious as it's a raucous, loud, singalong album. Hey! It's Slade - what did you expect? 

Their final studio album as the original foursome was 1987's You Boyz Make Big Noize. That's fer sure! The synths raise their head again unfortunately, so I rate this as similar to Rogues Gallery. Not a great end to their studio career.

There are a large number of greatest hits compilations out there. I bought one back in the late nineties - Feel The Noize. It has a good range of singles from Get Down and Get With It onwards. They were a terrific singles band and so a compilation like this is a no brainer.

Where do they all belong? As mentioned previously, I'm still looking for a copy of Whatever happened to Slade. I'm also keen to find a copy of Jim Lea's autobiography, having read Dave Hill and Noddy's effort, plus the biography of Don Powell.

Genesis (Slade) (LP 3787 - 3794)

Ambrose Slade  Beginnings (CD, Salvo Records, 1969) ***  

Slade  Play It Loud (CD, Salvo Records, 1970) *** 

Slade  Slade Alive! (Vinyl/ CD, Polydor Records, 1972) ***** 

Slade  Slade Live at the BBC (2CD, Salvo Records, 2009) ****

Slade  Slade in Flame (CD/DVD, Salvo Records, 1974/2015 reissue) ***

Slade  Nobody's Fools (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1976) ****

Slade  Slade Alive, Vol. 2 (Vinyl/CD, Barn Records, 1978) *****

Slade  Return to Base (Vinyl, Barn Records, 1979) ***

Genre: Rock, pop 

Places I remember: Fopp (Beginnings/ Play it Loud/ Live at the BBC/ Slade in Flame/ Alive Vol 2); DJ Records for my original Slade Alive!, Chaldon Books and Records for the UK version with a gatefold cover and JB Hi Fi for the CD; Real Groovy (Nobody's Fools/ Return to Base).

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Hear Me Calling (Slade Alive!)

Gear costume: Know Who You Are (Slade Alive!) 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: Image wise it was a rough beginning but musically there are plenty of great indications about both where they were coming from, and the direction they were going to in the seventies. This post will feature their very productive seventies period. I'll get to the patchy eighties and beyond in the subsequent post.

Beginnings, where they look like typical sixties hipsters from the black country, is well named. Ambrose Slade, as they were named after being 'N Betweens since 1966, were well on their way to becoming Slade. Incredibly they had the same lineup since 1966! 

The album had a few promising self-written songs as well as some patchy covers. The Zappa one is terrific (Ain't Got No Heart), as is Knocking Nails Into My House (The Idle Race) but the Beatle cover is a weird choice (Martha, My Dear). Even so - the Fabs inspiration is evident on the album, and they even sound close to Badfinger style power pop at times.  

Play It Loud has them in their misguided skinhead phase (not their idea, but they went along with Chas Chandler's instructions). The rudiment of their sound is there, and Noddy's vocals are sounding more like Noddy's vocals. There were more original songs this time - Know Who You Are was a reworked Genesis from Beginnings, and one of my favourite Slade songs.

Those two albums would come much later, however. My first taste of Slade was via singles and the radio. Coz I Luv You and Look Wot You Dun paved the way for Take Me Bak 'Ome. After that I had to buy Slade Alive! and that wuz me dun. A Slade fan for evermore.

It's hard to understate the impact the album had on me as a teenager. Hear Me Calling is perfect and from then on it's an adrenalin rush (even Darling Be Home Soon is a muscular version) culminating in the earth shattering version of Born To Be Wild. Lightning CAN be caught in a bottle!

I listened to the whole thing hundreds of times in my bedroom, a million light years away from England's Command Theatre Studio, but I loved this racket all the same.

It was a no brainer to get Slayed? and Old New Borrowed and Blue when they came out (both of them have already featured on the blog).

In 2009 Salvo released a live retrospective double CD - Slade Live at the BBC. The first disc has songs recorded for various BBC sessions between 1969–72, along with Radio One jingles recorded in 1973–74. The second disc is a twelve-song set recorded live at the Paris Theatre, London, in August 1972. The guys perform all of those BBC sessions with gusto!

As a manager, Chas Chandler followed The Beatles playbook, so American tours followed UK success (but they failed to replicate the Fab's success there), and a Hard Day's Night style film was his next agenda item. Except, rather than a jolly hijinks caper, Slade In Flame was a gritty look at the rise and fall of a fictional sixties band - Flame.

It saw the band changing style - adding horns and a different feel, moving away from the successful formula of Slade Alive! and Slayed? I like the changes and there's still some straight ahead rock (Them Kinda Monkeys) as well as some quality ballads (Far Far Away, How Does It Feel), but commercially it wasn't as successful. 

Nobody's Fools is a return to what the band does best - power pop. Yes, they were aiming at an American audience, but this varied collection is especially strong. Jim Lea, Don Powell and Noddy regard it as their favourite studio album and I can see why. It gets better and better with time.

So does Slade Alive, Vol. 2. It's a triumph from start to finish. Everyone plays out of their skin but Dave Hill's lead guitar work is exceptional on this live album. The weird thing is that the world didn't care, and this amazing live set went unheralded in the late seventies. I guess the boys were unhappy, but they kept on doing what they do best - playing heavy rock and tearing up concert venues. Slade Alive, Vol. 2 is a fantastic record of their show.

The guys were undaunted even though Whatever Happened to Slade?* failed to sell as their albums had done in the past and ended the seventies with their eighth studio album - Return to Base. It's generally an unloved album, selling poorly and not well promoted at the time. Punk had shaken everything up and Slade were seen as a hard rocking anachronism by many.

Where do they all belong? *Still looking for a copy of 1977's Whatever Happened to Slade? Eighties and beyond coming next. Whatever would become of Slade?

Sand and foam (Donovan) (LP 2014 - 2027 )

Donovan  Wear Your Love Like Heaven (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1967) ****  (A)

Donovan  Mellow Yellow (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1967) ****  (A)

Donovan  Donovan P. Leitch (Vinyl, Janus Records, 1970) **** (A)

Donovan  Slow Down World (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1976) ***  (A)

Donovan  Donovan (Vinyl, Rak, 1977) *** (B) 

Justin Hayward  Night Flight (Vinyl, Decca, 1980) *** (B) 

Slade  Old New Borrowed And Blue (Vinyl, Polydor, 1974) *** (B) 

John Lennon  Rock'n'Roll (Vinyl, Apple Records, 1974) ***** (B) 

Hamilton County Bluegrass Band  Orange Blossom Special (Vinyl, HMV, 1983) **** (B) 

Hamilton County Bluegrass Band  HBCC These Old Hands (CD, Self produced, 2016) **** (B) 

XTC  White Music (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1978) ***** (A) 

XTC  Black Sea (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1980) **** (C) 

XTC  Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) (CD, Idea Records, 2000) ***** (B) 

Hawkwind  Doremi Fasol Latido (Vinyl, United Artists Records, 1973) *** (D) 

Genres: (in order) Folk rock; prog; pop/rock; Beatle pop; New Zealand/ Country; Pop/rock; prog.

Places I remember: A) Real Groovy Records (Auckland)/B) Tron Records (Hamilton)/ C) Passionate About Vinyl (Waipawa)/ D) My Music (Taupo)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Wear Your Love Like Heaven (Donovan)

Gear costume: This Is Pop (XTC - White Music)

Active compensatory factors: This entry combines last week's record collecting via on-line purchases (Real Groovy) and then my trip to Hamilton for work included a visit to Rocky at Tron Records - a fine little record and CD shop just outside the CBD. Plus some stop offs in Taupo and then, finally, Waipawa on Saturday

Having listened to Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness' The Album Years podcast, I needed to expand my Donovan collection because they raved about his 1967 album A Gift From A Flower To A Garden with gay abandon. Back in 1967 it was released as a double but also as two individual albums:  Wear Your Love Like Heaven and For Little Ones. 

The first song is the title track which has been a continual earworm all week. It's a peach of a song. The rest of the album is not quite replicating that audacious peak but it's close.

The title track, Mellow Yellow, is where I first became aware of Donovan. NZ's pirate radio station - Radio Hauraki, started operations in 1966 and I can distinctly remember hearing this song appearing often on their playlist. It really captured my 10 year old imagination at the time. 

Again - that first song somewhat overshadows the album. That said, it's full of Donovan's lovely voice and hippy philosophy and this time features a wider musical palette. Session musicians like Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Phil Seaman, Big Jim Sullivan are joined by John McLaughlin and Paul McCartney as well.

The sound is fuller, but nothing detracts from Donovan's fine playing and songs. A lovely album that captures 1967's hazy days well. 

The Donovan P Leitch double album from 1970 is a compilation of tracks from his 1965 albums. I love this period of folk songs delivered in simple settings (mainly acoustic guitar and some harmonica) with Donovan's smooth, beautiful voice. Search Donovan on this blog to find a fullsomer review of the source albums.

On the surface, not a lot had changed by 1976 and Slow Down World. Donovan is still singing songs about flowers, silk, and incense on the first song, but it quickly becomes clear that Donovan in 1976 felt the need to warn us to slow down.

Cryin' Shame details the things that are bothering him, and there are a lot! Apart from relationships gone bad, religious fundamentalism and the evils of the government, he also lists sex in the cinema and fear in the school! Maybe it was the pace of change for the worse that he's warning us about.

Then there's the scary Black Widow. Yikes. What was happening in Donovan's world that he wrote that song?

His contract with Epic ended with Slow Down World, and he was on Mickie Most's Rak label for his next one - Donovan, in 1977.

It was his (last) big push to recapture his sixties mass adulation and I like it. But it didn't do the trick for him commercially. 

Justin Hayward is another sixties musician aiming to remain relevant in the eighties. I find his solo albums to be tricky things. With John Lodge and in the context of The Moody Blues the man is peerless! Even without them, he is never without melodies and that voice, but the solo role finds him a little exposed at times.

Like Donovan's late seventies albums, Night Flight from 1980 is like punk never happened. These guys just keep doing what they do - gotta admire that, right? So, we have some typical catchy songs, but also some out of character synth based dance moves and some love songs - not really his typical subject matter. It's a good, brave album, but not essential.

Slade is a band that I've loved since Slade Alive destroyed me in 1972. Of course I bought and loved Slayed? next and then, in 1974, came Old New Borrowed And Blue and I was disappointed because they had moved away from their trademark sound. That included piano! Whaat?? Each track also sounded different sonically. As a teenager I was yet to develop a more mature, sophisticated appreciation for a band's need to develop. So I sold it.

Fast forward many years later and I have long since bought a replacement CD, and then, this week, I finally decided to regain a vinyl copy, having become a Slade completist of late. An attempt at recapturing my youth? You bet.

It still sounds like lesser Slade to my ears, but lesser Slade is still a million miles better than zillions of other bands.

The John Lennon record is a rarity that I found in Tron Records for Noel Forth, an old friend in Australia. Noel's been after my Apple Records orange label copy of this album to complete his collection of oranges so I've been looking for one for him for a while now. Success at Tron! Go Rocky!!

While at Tron, Rocky gave me the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band compilation called Orange Blossom Special after we had a discussion about Colleen Trenwith and when she'd passed away (it was in 2021). Thanks Rocky - it's found a good home alongside all of my other HCBB records - only Kersbrook Cottage evades my grasp!

The second HCBB album is a CD copy of an album made by the 2016 version of the band with next generation players and friends joining Paul Trenwith and Alan Rhodes - the two originals. Colleen also makes an appearance through the magic of digital recording.

The 2016 version is terrific, by the way. The familiar country/bluegrass tropes are all delivered effortlessly and Pam Findlay's vocals are a very welcome addition. Song selection is spot on as always.

The re-collecting of my missing XTC albums continued this week with three additions, two of which I didn't actually have in the collection previously (Black Sea and Wasp Star).

White Music is a five star classic - every song a work of genius. I'm so glad to have that back in the collection. I'm not that fussed with the title though. White Noise would have been better - even though this is brilliant pop (This Is Pop has been an earworm all week) rather than any kind of incoherent industrial noise. White Music is kind of appropriate if you ignore the jingoistic aspect that wasn't intended.

Special mention needs to go to the extraordinarily brilliant deconstruction of Dylan's All Along The Watchtower. What an amazing piece of art-rock! Totally inspired. And Set Myself On Fire is such a confident song for a band's debut album. What a giant band they had with both Andy Partridge AND Colin Moulding writing these songs. Another Lennon and McCartney situation with them egging each other onwards and complementing each other marvelously.

Their fourth album, Black Sea, came along after Drums And Wires and I have no idea why I didn't buy it back in 1980 as it was fantastically successful commercially and I'd bought the previous three records without a second thought. Stupid, but I suspect I wasn't as keen on the new singles from it compared to previous ones.

To my ears back then there was a slightly more mainstream sound to Generals And Majors and Towers Of London which I guess I was worried would translate to a greater extent to the album. Baseless fears. It's a great album - still experimental in an art-rock fashion and a grower. I'm glad I eventually caught up with it! 

I'm even later to the charms of Wasp Star. What a stunning album! Easily a 5 star classic. How did I miss this first time around? 

The guys (just Moulding and Partridge by 2000) have molded (pardon the pun) into a less abrasive duo. Partridge always appeared to be the one with the spikier ideas and sounds but by Wasp Star he's as melodic as Moulding. I love this album!

Another album that Wilson and Bowness discussed in passing, and waxed lyrical about on their podcast was Hawkwind's Hall Of The Mountain Grill. They were obviously discussing 1974 at the time. So I saw a copy in My Music (Taupo) on my home from Hamilton.

When I got home and put the album on the turntable I noticed that it was actually their previous record, 1973's Doremi Fasol Latido inside the Mountain Grill sleeve. Hilarious! A cosmic joke.

Hawkwind were not something I explored in my teenage years - they seemed too tripped out on acid for me to take a punt. I'm not sure I missed too much. This is pretty incomprehensible stuff but fun all the same! I'll be hanging on to it and contacting My Music to see if they actually have the other disc [I subsequently have, and they do - another trip to Taupo needed at some stage].

As well as all those records and CDs I also managed to find three singles by The Chills at a second hand shop in Woodville last weekend while Jacky looked for cushion covers.

All three were in good to very good condition, all dressed in their original picture sleeves and they cost $1.50 each. Great find I'd say! 

Where do they all belong? A few more Donovan albums to collect - For Little Ones and Sunshine Superman being two. I don't have anything post 1977 but I'd be keen if I come across any. Donovan is a great talent with a terrific catalogue. 

Kersbrook Cottage by the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band remains on my list and I'm slowly reclaiming my XTC collection, but still more albums to get than those I've found so far.

Do we still do it (Slade) (LP 278)

Slade Old New Borrowed and Blue (CD - Salvo, 1974) ***

Genre: English pop/rock  

Places I remember: HMV (Oxford Street, London)  

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Everyday (piano based ballad showed another side of Noddy and Jim)




Gear costume: My Friend Stan  

Active compensatory factors: Dave Hill's autobiography, So Here It Is, has been a fascinating read of late. Honest and unpretentious - just like the band in fact!

Somehow, this album emerged after Don Powell's car crash (which put him in hospital and killed his girlfriend) and it continued the success of 1973 into another year.

With all the drama and the touring during Slademania it's a wonder it came out at all.

For me, it became the beginning of the slide into obscurity for Slade. I bought it on release back in 1974 because of the previous singles and Slade Alive (forever their best moment in my opinion), but I sold my vinyl copy in one of my periodic purges.

It still sounds piecemeal to me - unlike Slade Alive and Slayed?, the highs are still highs though and I can now listen to it with greater context.

Thanks to the pleasure I got from H's book, I bought it last week, along with their first two albums (Beginnings and Play It Loud - more on them to come) and nearly got all their eighties product as well. Nearly. 

The problem is that Slade Alive is such an iconic part of my youth and I'd stopped listening to Slade by the eighties. Everything else is in that album's shadow but who knows. If I can track down, Noddy's book  could make me come back to them as well.

Where do they all belong? After 74 it was Slade In Flame and some obscure lean pickings years.

Mama weer all crazee now (Slade) (LP 272)

Slade Slayed? (CD - Union Square Music, 1972) *****

Genre:  English pop/rock

Places I remember: FOPP Covent Garden - the CD replaced the old long gone vinyl copy.  

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Gudbuy T'Jane




Gear costume: Look At Last Nite, Move Over, Gudbuy Gudbuy, Mama Weer All Crazee Now 

Active compensatory factors: Back in 1972, after Slade Alive, I waited very impatiently to get my hands on this album.

I wasn't disappointed. The Slade sound delivered: Noddy Holder's instantly recognisable vocals (Gudbuy Gudbuy's sneer is peerless); Don Powell's iconic drum shuffle; topped off by Dave Hill's punk/glam/metal guitar.

All that is great, but, for me, the real star of Slade is Jim Lea - bassist, violinist, songwriter: listen to Look At Last Nite for the classic Slade sound and what do you find? Jim Lea's bass - that's wot. 

Back in the day, these songs packed punch and they still do. Move Over is still remarkable and the Beatles inspired pop songs lead by Gudbuy Gudbuy, Mama Weer All Crazee Now and Gudbuy T'Jane are timeless.

Where do they all belong? Without Slade, no AC/DC (The Whole World's Goin' Crazee alone was the template)

The superman comes to meet you (Slade) #343

Slade Take Me Bak' Ome (sic)/ Wonderin' Y (Polydor, 2058 231, 1972)

The title should have been 'Take Me Bak 'Ome' but NZ pressing people have never understood the apostrophe rule (or cared about getting titles right).

One of my first purchases this one. I loved, still love Slade.

The glam era conjured up some freakish acts and even though Slade got lumped in there - largely because of Noddy Holder and Dave Hill's outlandish costumes - this boy band could play and they always looked like hard men from Wolverhampton no matter how weird the jumpsuits became!

My first taste was Slade Alive! - one of the greatest live albums of all time, and this single.

Take Me.. has some wonderful layered guitars, a catchy hook that never gives up and that stomp along sound from Don Powell.

Hidden gem: Slade had some great songs (thanks to Jim Lea and Noddy Holder) and they had the raw vocal power of Noddy Holder! Wow that guy could deliver a song. They also knew why the Beatles were so great. Wonderin' Y sounds like an exercise in delivering Beatle harmonies in a power pop vein. Noddy delivers! Awesome!