Slade Albums Amazon.co.uk Widgets | Album Reviews | Slade Beginnings 5 ( 1969 ) Genezis / Everybody's Next One / Knocking Nails Into My House / Roach Daddy / Ain't Got No Heart / Pity The Mother / Mad Dog Cole / Fly Me High / If This World Were Mine / Martha My Dear / Born to Be Wild / Journey To The Center Of Your Mind Originally recording as the 'N Betweens, Slade were surely one of the inspiration for Spinal Tap. Well, look at the daft album titles and artwork. I met Dave Hill once (the funny looking one) when I worked selling computers. He wanted to buy a laptop and seemed unnerved that I didn't say I knew who he was. Anyway, Slade got picked up by Chas Chandler, fresh from managing Jimi Hendrix, in 1970. He changed their name from Ambrose Slade to Slade and a run of hits ensured Slade became one of the UKs biggest acts in the early to mid-seventies. 'Beginnings' is very much of its time, a collection of covers by and large and although the arrangements are often a little different from the originals, there's simply not enough here to reveal Slade as the distinctive act they would become. Noddy Holder's ear shredding vocals are already falling into place though, so that's ok. The spelling words wrong for a laugh is already in place for the opening 'Genezis', a surprisingly muscular psych instrumental. The other originals of the set are 'Roach Daddy' and 'Mad Dog Cole' neither of which strays too far from the blues-boom that England was enjoying circa the late Sixties. There are some interesting choices of cover here, though. I mean, 'I Ain't Got No Heart' by Frank Zappa at a time nobody in England knew who Frank Zappa was? Jeff Lynne's 'Knocking Nails Into My House' you might think would be a good fit for Slade and indeed, it reveals more of what Slade would become that almost anything else here. Slade had a thumpingly basic rhythm section but they were powerful and at their pomp, almost hypnotically so. 'Knocking Nails Into My House' has such a rhythm section although the mixing and production leaves a lot to be desired. The Beatles 'Martha My Dear' doesn't stray very far from the original and sadly is the most enjoyable track here. 'Born To Be Wild' would have been a live favourite but doesn't work here somewhat drenched in echo and effects. So 'Beginnings', technically by Ambrose Slade rather than Slade, completely fails to display any of the pop genius Slade would soon demonstrate but does still give out enough hints of the power-house live proposition Slade were. Add A Comment?
Play It Loud 8 ( 1970 ) Raven / See Us Here / Dapple Rose / Could I / One Way Hotel / The Shape of Things to Come / Know Who You Are / I Remember / Pouk Hill / Angelina / Dirty Joker / Sweet Box Chas Chandler produces Slade's second LP, although technically it's their debut under the shortened 'Slade' moniker. We've got more bass in the overall sound which is welcome and just a couple or three covers as the Slade writing team start to show us all what they can do. The cover art sees Slade adopt a 'skinhead' image heightening the bands working class roots. Whilst of course Slade would later become a massive part of the glam scene, this sense of working class Slade would endure long after the glam scene had faded. And yes, for those that can't take Slade seriously due to the whole glitter/humour part of their career, 'Play It Loud' could be the one release of theirs to make you change your mind. Much like children of the eighties and beyond finding it incomprehensible to contemplate ageing rockers Status Quo as once having been credible, I feel those same children find it difficult to understand that Slade were definitely a proper, artistic force. An artistic force and also a band with chops. We may all laugh at Dave Hill, yet there was a reason Slade built up a fearsome reputation as a live act. Well, Jim Lea was something of a powerhouse and we all know about good old Noddy Holder and his wallpaper shredding vocal chords. 'Shape Of Things To Come' was the first single and didn't chart. I find it interesting their record label still wanted a cover to be the main single release. Slade's take on 'Shape Of Things To Come' is accomplished yet doesn't really reveal anything about Slade or their character. Compare and contrast with the self-penned 'Dapple Rose', a glorious slice of English songwriting combining sadness, redemption and a very memorable chorus. 'Pouk Hill' is another excellent track that deserved to be a hit, a tale of a real location nearby where singer Noddy Holder lived in Walsall, England. Meanwhile, songs such as 'Sweet Box' and 'Raven' remind this listener very much of the late sixties scene in England. Although I wasn't there, not yet born, 'Sweet Box' seems to combine several strands of British music circa 68/69. We've got the blues, hard rock, psychedelia and a nod to the mod scene aka Small Faces. Overall, we've got a tight, focused thirty-six minute or so album that Slade quite genuinely can be proud of. It's packs a punch in rock terms, lyrically Noddy was just getting started and Jim Lea and Dave Hill were also just starting to find their respective roles within the band. That's the key to 'Play It Loud', one of the best showcases of Slade as a fully democratic and credible rock band. Play it loud, indeed. Add A Comment? Slade Alive! 8½ ( 1972 ) Hear Me Calling / In Like A Shot From My Gun / Darling Be Home Soon / Know Who You Are / Keep On Rocking / Get Down With It / Born To Be Wild For a band who were not enjoying any kind of album success, this live set was designed for Slade to have a presence on the album charts. Released around the same time as ‘Slade Alive!’ however was compilation album ‘Coz I Luv You’ – a strange beast compiling a few singles, b-sides and half a dozen cuts from ‘Play It Loud’. Although it failed to chart in the UK, for some reason it reached number 10 in the Netherlands. ‘Coz I Luv You’ was named after the first Slade UK number one single and was pure cash-in from label Polydor - it has never been issued on CD. I guess it did provide a welcome way for a bunch of the better songs from non-charting album ‘Play It Loud’ to get noticed, though. ‘Slade Alive’ meanwhile was a big success, hitting number one in Australia and number two in the UK. Containing three originals and four covers, only three of the songs had seen the light of day in one form or another on previous Slade releases. This gig was in front of a couple hundred people, an invited audience (no less!) whom Noddy seems somewhat polite to until he unexpectedly burps during a nice old ballad performance. Noddy is asking the audience to get into the music rather than imploring them to do so. Well, he didn’t need to implore them to do so, when Jim Lea’s bass pounds throughout and Dave Hill (Yes, the one with the pudding haircut, stupid face, stupid everything!) manages (despite all expectation) to play exciting guitar solos. I met Dave Hill once when I was working in Wolverhampton. He wanted to buy a laptop and I blinked several times trying to work out if Dave Hill himself really had just casually walked into a high-street store asking for a Laptop ‘to do music on’. Oh, those thinking Slade and Glam Rock? Until ‘Keep On Rocking’, this is just rock, with heavy bass and noisy guitar and predictable yet energetic drumming. ‘Keep On Rocking’ though hints at the true Glam Rock Slade that were very imminently to come. A game of two halves? Yes, this is a perfectly structured album in that respect with Side A containing four songs which ends with (a belch-enhanced) quite beautiful ballad. It is perfectly structured, so then Side B begins with the all-out party fun rock of, erm, ‘Keep On Rocking’. Not too sure they needed to incorporate ‘Tutti Frutti’ into the thing, but there you are, a fun time was had by all I am sure. Better is first Slade hit proper ‘Get Down With It’, a live version of a song that invents Oasis and splits your speakers in half when Noddy lets out his unequalled howl of a voice. Noddy? He sounds like a goat, always ramming against your head – his horns accidentally cutting you open when all he really wants to do is be friends…… a true gent. Clap your hands, yeah. Born To Be Wild’ – the almost militaristic drums, the fat bass guitar, that Noddy howl then what is this? Four and a half minutes in they sound like thrash metal. No, they genuinely do! They are giving off more energy than pretty much any punk band I can even begin to think of. Noisy and stupid but oh so clever - Slade hit number two in the UK albums charts and stayed on the charts for around a year. This was 1972 and checking the chart facts, four Slade singles were released this year, reaching numbers 4, 1, 1 and 2. ‘Slade Alive’ was vital to supporting this success and leant the group the credibility they needed. Add A Comment? this page last updated 26/11/19 Channel Youtube | Contact Us | Features | Music & Web Apps | Ratings At A Glance Singles Bar | Top 100 Albums | Top 100 Songs | |
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Made In Devon.
Play It Loud | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 28 November 1970 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 34:05 | |||
Label | Polydor (UK), Cotillion (US) | |||
Producer | Chas Chandler | |||
Slade chronology | ||||
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Singles from Play it Loud | ||||
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Play It Loud is the second studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released by Polydor on 28 November 1970 but did not enter the charts. The album, produced by Chas Chandler, was the first to be released under the Slade name, as the band's 1969 debut Beginnings was released under the name Ambrose Slade.
RAVEN Tell raven that it's fatal Chasing everything that glitters Coloured pieces chattering doesn't miss a single thing Gold and silver body stone never leaves a thing alone. Play It Loud is Slade's second studio album, released by Polydor on 28 November 1970.It did not enter the charts. The album, produced by Chas Chandler, was the first to be released under the Slade name, as the band's 1969 debut Beginnings was released under the name Ambrose Slade. Play It Loud is the second studio album by the British rock group Slade.It was released by Polydor on 28 November 1970 but did not enter the charts. The album, produced by Chas Chandler, was the first to be released under the Slade name, as the band's 1969 debut Beginnings was released under the name Ambrose Slade.
Background[edit]
Play It Loud is a 1970 rock album by English band Slade. It was the band's second studio album, released before their fame and therefore failing to chart. In Canada, the album was released in 1973 where it charted at #40. The album featured the two singles 'Shape of Things to Come' and 'Know Who You Are' which did not chart.
Following the lack of commercial success of their debut Beginnings, the band and their new manager Chas Chandler began considering their next career move. Having not been pleased with the debut album, Chandler thought the band would benefit from writing their own material and a change of image. He decided that the band should project a skinhead image in the effort to generate interest in the band. Both guitarist Dave Hill and bassist Jim Lea were mortified by the revised image, but the band agreed to try the idea and adopted Dr Marten boots, braces, cropped hair and aggressive 'bovver boy' posturing.[1]
Coinciding with the new image, Ambrose Slade changed their name to 'The Slade', which was used on their single 'Wild Winds Are Blowing', released in October 1969. The single was another commercial failure. In March 1970, the band's next single, 'Shape of Things to Come', was released but also failed to chart. As a result, Chandler soon moved Slade from Fontana to Polydor Records, believing a higher profile label would boost sales.[2] The band continued recording songs for their next album, with Chandler assuming responsibility for the group's production. For the album, much of the material was written by the band.
In September 1970, 'Know Who You Are' was released as the band's debut single on Polydor. However, it too was a commercial failure, as was its parent album, Play It Loud, when it was released in November. Afterwards, the band decided to drop their skinhead image and would achieve commercial success with their mid-1971 single 'Get Down and Get with It'. Speaking to Classic Rock in 2005, lead vocalist Noddy Holder recalled: 'We got a lot of flak for being a skinhead band, so gradually we changed. We replaced Doc Martens with platform boots. We became more colourful and then it all went berserk — Dave the Superyob with his spacesuits and all the rest. It was a great laugh.'[1]
Later in 1973, the album would achieve commercial success in Canada after it was released there by Polydor, reaching No. 40.[3] In a 1975 interview, Holder said: 'Actually, Play It Loud did nothing at first. When it came out, we hadn't had any hit records, or any success, and it sold a few. It sold about ten thousand copies, something like that. But over the years, over the last four years since we've been having hits, it's still been selling slowly, slowly, and about two weeks ago, it reached a silver album.'[4][5]
Promotion[edit]
The band appeared on the UK show Disco 2 to promote the album. They made three appearances during 1970, performing 'Shape of Things to Come', 'Know Who You Are' and 'Sweet Box'. All three performances have never surfaced since broadcasting.
Track listing[edit]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | 'Raven' | Jim Lea, Noddy Holder, Don Powell | 2:37 |
2. | 'See Us Here' | Lea, Holder, Powell | 3:12 |
3. | 'Dapple Rose' | Lea, Powell | 3:31 |
4. | 'Could I' | Jimmy Griffin, Robb Royer | 2:45 |
5. | 'One Way Hotel' | Lea, Holder, Powell | 2:40 |
6. | 'The Shape of Things to Come' | Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil | 2:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
7. | 'Know Who You Are' | Lea, Holder, Powell, Hill | 2:53 |
8. | 'I Remember' | Lea, Powell | 2:55 |
9. | 'Pouk Hill' | Lea, Holder, Powell | 2:23 |
10. | 'Angelina' | Neil Innes | 2:49 |
11. | 'Dirty Joker' | Lea, Powell | 3:26 |
12. | 'Sweet Box' | Lea, Powell | 3:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
13. | 'Get Down And Get With It' (non-album single) | Bobby Marchan | 3:50 |
14. | 'Coz I Luv You' (non-album single) | Holder, Lea | 2:26 |
15. | 'Look Wot You Dun' (non-album single) | Holder, Lea, Powell | 2:58 |
Song information[edit]
'Dapple Rose' features lyrics from Powell on an elderly horse. Recalling the inspiration behind the song, Powell recalled in 2009: 'I've always had a fondness for horses and where I lived with my parents there were some fields over the back and there were always gypsies camping there. They used to have these horses and donkeys and they always looked dead to me. They were not looked after which was sad.'[6] 'One Way Hotel' originally appeared as the B-Side to 'Wild Winds are Blowing', but that version had more of a jazz influence in the guitar parts. This was altered for the version that appeared on Play It Loud.[7] 'Know Who You Are' was originally an instrumental titled 'Genesis', which appeared on Beginnings.[8] 'I Remember' features lyrics by Powell about a man who loses his memory. In 1973, Powell would suffer memory issues after being involved in a major car accident. He said in a 2006 interview: 'That's strange, isn't it!! I wrote the lyrics! That's spooky! I don't remember what the inspiration was at the time when I wrote the lyrics to that one, but that is very weird!'[6]
'Pouk Hill' is named after the landmark of the same name, near Holder's then home on the Beechdale estate. The cover shot of Beginnings' was taken here, in the snow. The occasion later inspired the song.[1]
Critical reception[edit]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
New Musical Express | favourable |
Q |
Upon release, New Musical Express summarised the album as 'aggressive', adding 'that's what the music and vocalising of Slade seems to be, though they vary the volume with great skill, at times quiet, then turning it up and shouting at the listener. The lead vocalist is inclined to shout too much, but then, maybe that is the appeal of the group.'[10] In 1991, Q commented that the album, following Beginnings, presented a sound with a 'tighter groove'. The magazine felt this was 'best illustrated' by 'The Shape of Things to Come'. They concluded: 'The track still sounds exciting and belligerent but the rest lacks real fire.'
AllMusic felt the album, along with Beginnings, was 'more serious' than their future material. They concluded: 'On the whole, a good record apart from what they became famous for.'[11] In a review of the 2006 Salvo release of Beginnings and Play It Loud combined, AllMusic also described them as 'two solidly excellent' and 'underrated' albums. The review added that both albums represented the band 'as it struggled to come to grips with its own talent.'[12]
Chart performance[edit]
Chart (1973) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums Chart[13] | 40 |
Personnel[edit]
- Slade
Play It Loud Festival
- Noddy Holder - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Dave Hill - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Jim Lea - bass, violin, backing vocals
- Don Powell - drums
- Additional personnel
- Chas Chandler - producer
- George Chkiantz - engineer
- Anton Mathews - mixing engineer
- Gered Mankowitz - photography
- Hamish and Gustav - sleeve design
Play It Loud Slade Rarely
References[edit]
![Play It Loud Slade Rar Play It Loud Slade Rar](/uploads/1/2/6/5/126582449/557476939.jpg)
- ^ abcBeginnings/Play It Loud - 2006 Salvo remaster booklet liner notes
- ^Charlesworth, Chris (1984). Slade, Feel the Noize!: an illustrated biography. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN0-7119-0538-X.
- ^'Slade - Play It Loud (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs'. Discogs.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^'1975 Press Cuttings'. Slade Scrapbook. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^http://www.sladescrapbook.com/uploads/7/6/6/0/7660950/9256936_orig.jpg
- ^ ab'Don Powell interviews'. Donpowellinterviews.blogspot.com. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^'CD Album - Slade - B-Sides - Salvo - UK'. 45worlds.com. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^AllMusic Review by Dave Thompson (21 August 2006). 'Beginnings/Play It Loud - Slade | Songs, Reviews, Credits'. AllMusic. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^Viglione, Joe. 'Play It Loud - Slade'. AllMusic. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^NME magazine 19 December 1970
- ^AllMusic Review by Joe Viglione. 'Play It Loud - Slade | Songs, Reviews, Credits'. AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^AllMusic Review by Dave Thompson (21 August 2006). 'Beginnings/Play It Loud - Slade | Songs, Reviews, Credits'. AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^'Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada'. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
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