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SLADE - Slade In Flame (DVD)

Specially commissioned 55 minute interview with Noddy Holder conducted by Gary Crowley. Slade In Flame photo gallery. Full Slade discography.

Stated simply, in the first half of the 1970's Slade were a sensation in their native Britain, scoring seventeen top twenty hits, including six number ones. Along the way, the band built a huge and loyal following, who loved the footstomping, unpretentious anthems pumped out at high volume, initially in clubs and eventually in concert halls the length and breadth of the nation.

Originally formed in 1966 as The N'Betweens, by 1968 the band had changed their name to AMBROSE SLADE and signed to Fontana Records. The following year the quartet (Dave Hill - guitar, vocals; Neville 'Noddy' Holder - lead vocals, guitar; Jim Lea - bass, keyboards, violin, vocals; Don Powell - drums) hooked up with Chas Chandler, former bass player with The Animals and ex manager and producer of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. At Chandler's suggestion, the group abbreviated their name and began honing their sound, style and image.

In 1971, after a brief spell as a "skinhead" band, Slade began to hit their stride, scoring their first UK top twenty hit with 'Get Down And Get With It', and ending the year on a high note with 'Coz I Luv You', their first number one.

1972 was a fabulous year for the group, with the release of the 'Slade Alive' and 'Slayed' albums bookending the year, four top five singles sandwiched between them ('Take Me Bak 'Ome' and 'Mama Weer All Crazee Now' both reached number one).

Slade had still not peaked, and 1973 bore witness to the band entering the singles chart at number one on three separate occasions, 'Cum On Feel The Noize', 'Skweeze Me Pleeze Me' and 'Merry Xmas Everybody' all ascending to the pinnacle. The band's first compilation album 'Sladest' was also issued to huge commercial success, and a sellout tour culminated in a triumphant performance at London's Earls Court in front of 17,000 delirious fans.

By now, Slade had surpassed the likes of T.Rex, David Bowie, Roxy Music and The Sweet in terms of popularity, and were now Britain's pre-eminent Glam Rock band. Two more top three singles ('Everyday' and 'The Bangin' Man') and another hit album ('Old, New, Borrowed And Blue')continued maintained the rich vein, before Slade departed for the U.S.A. in a bid to crack the world's toughest market. They were accompanied on the trip by a scriptwriter who returned to Britain after two weeks, to begin work on the band's first and only movie.

When it opened, SLADE IN FLAME was critically well received, although it puzzled its core audience, who were expecting fun-packed slapstick entertainment. Watching the movie now it has held up incredibly well, eschewing Slade's jolly image in favour of an expose' of a working band, its darkness illustrating the underbelly of a music business populated by sharks, bullies and ten-percenters.

The soundtrack album yielded two singles, 'Far, Far Away' and 'How Does It Feel' (the movie's theme tune), the latter being their first 45 in over three and a half years to fail to reach the UK top ten. Despite it's relative failure, the song has become a big cult favourite with all manner of individuals, Noel Gallagher citing it as his favourite Slade number(high praise, considering Oasis have covered two Slade numbers and this isn't one of them !).

By 1976 the commercial bubble had burst, and Slade were never to achieve the level of success they attained in the first half of that most glittering of decades, but they had left their mark and FLAME is a fascinating snapshot of a glorious era (it is actually set in the Sixties).

SLADE - Slade In Flame (DVD) is available through Union Square, and distributed by Creative Vibes

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