The 1981 Listening Post - Slade - Til Deaf Do Us Part

 Slade - Til Deaf Do Us Part

#570

By Rob Slater

November 13 1981

Slade

Till Deaf Do Us Part

Rob Slater

Genre: Father of AC/DC, Grandpa of Quiet Riot, Brother of Sweet, and on this album Son of    QUEEN!

Allen’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Rob’s Rating: Solid 4.75 (was a 4 on the first listen.)

Highlights:   

“M'hat M'coat” - Amazing, bluesy instrumental

"Ruby Red"

"That Was no Lady that Was My Wife"

"Knuckle Sandwich Nancy"

Nevermind, they’re all good.

This album’s running theme (joke) is Rock ‘n’ Roll Religion. You can see it in five of the titles and hear it in many of the other lyrics.   

The opening of "Rock and Roll Preacher (Hallelujah I'm on Fire)" is, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to...” This isn't Prince, but makes you wonder if he heard it and a few years later it inspired the beginning to his song. Though there are the more obvious inspirations.

"Lock Up Your Daughters" starts out sounding like Queen. Can you say, “Tie Your Mother Down.” Actually it continues to sound like Queen.

Both of these songs make you realize where AC/DC must have gotten some of their inspiration.

The first track rock and roll preacher sounds a lot like for those about to Rock We salute you except I think there's gunfire instead of cannon fire. Interestingly enough, Noddy, got the nod to audition for AC/DC after Bon Scott died. I think he would have been much better for AC/DC, though a major blow to SLADE (Who he didn’t tell about the audition). His naughty song writing chops would have kept things at a Bon Scott level, I think. Though we probably wouldn't have Back in Black, which would be a shame.   

"Funk Punk & Junk" (B-side of "Ruby Red") Bonus track on the new extended edition is a GREAT song. (And Slade almost always did extra B-sides of good songs that didn’t make the album. Massive amounts of music over the years.)

They remind me a lot of Sweet as well, though Sweet had a fair amount of U.S. success. It's hard to believe that these guys had put out 9ish (Some were mixes of releases) studio albums by this point. You could certainly see how Quiet Riot did fairly accurate respectful covers and made them into monster Hits in the US. But why not Slade? The mention that they’re a bunch of ugly blokes, but that didn’t seem to hurt AC/DC. They were usually costumed unusually.   

It would take an invite by Ozzy Ozbourne to open the Reading Festival as a replacement that lit the American fire. In 1981 they released TWO albums. This was the second. We'll Bring the House Down was a collection of previously released and new works. This one was all new and aimed for a harder sound. It was successful at that, but still did not bring them the recognition they deserved on this side of the pond. It would take "My Oh My" and "Run Runaway" (Which I loved.) in a few years to finally break into the American market, sadly they stopped touring in ‘83 before the Quiet Riot singles even came out.   

I wished I’d gone back then and found all this great music. If I don’t get The Very Best of Slade for Christmas or Birthday in February, (Their #1 album came out on my 7th birthday.) I will be buying it for myself! Now, excuse me, I’m going to go listen to it again.   

https://open.spotify.com/album/5TaKuX3UNuNwNLLmAFRsHG?si=BP3Si4DkT_aZQwWiD-EgjQ

The 1981 Listening Post - Slade - We'll Bring the House Down

 Slade - We'll Bring the House Down

#95

By Tom Mott

Slade

We'll Bring the House Down

Genre: shout-along beer-chooglin' rock

Allen’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Tom’s Rating: 4.1 out of 5

Allen’s Highlights add: 

Wheels Ain’t Coming’ Down

Highlights:

We'll Bring the House Down

When I'm Dancin' I Ain't Fightin'

Dizzy Mamma 

My Baby's Got It 

9 to 5

Slade is one of those bands who get named-checked on the Listening Post--along with Suzi Quatro, Scott Walker, Gary Numan, the Rezillos--underdogs some of us keep rooting for, even if we admit over a few drinks we don't always have them on heavy rotation. 

So let's cut to the chase: This is a solid rockin' album. Fun songs with shout-along choruses. You'll be spilling your beer and rooting for them all the way through, especially after knowing the backstory to this particular album. But is there anything on the level of past heights like Mama Weer All Crazee Now, or their future hit Run Runaway? Almost, but naah. Or maybe yes, but just barely. The stompers stomp, the rockers rock, the shouters shout ... they do what they do so well, but nothing surprises and we're missing that extra crunch that AC/DC brings to the party. 

Mostly. That's the first impression. Second time through, the rating goes up slightly, especially with Dizzy Mamma, which is a head-shaking boogie reminiscent of ZZ Top's Tush. 

I'm guessing a lot of us had a similar trajectory with Slade: Quiet Riot hit huge in the early 80s and then we all learned their two biggest hits were covers of some band we had never heard of called Slade. And then Slade had the big MTV hit with Run Run Away, and we were in awe of the giant guy swinging the log, and how un-photogenic the band was. But wow what a fucking great song! Electric guitars that sound like bagpipes appear to do some voodoo on our brains. (Ref: Big Country, AC/DC)

Anyways ... after the early-mid-80s, some of us music nerds moved on, while others of us music nerds found  Slade's old records while crate-digging at Rhino and Record Surplus. Our relationships vary. I personally put Slade third on my list of pub-rockin' bubblegum glamsters: behind The Sweet and Suzi, but ahead of Mud. The Status Quo spring to mind as a similar beloved-in-the-UK hard rockin' beer chugglin' act. And yes, I keep saying The Sweet instead of Sweet mostly to make Allen squirm. 

The Sweet and Quatro had Chinn-Chapman in their corners, but Slade wrote their own songs, even if they did have Chas Chandler helping steer the course. Respect!

One thing that's endearing about Slade is that they wear their rock'n'roll influences on their sleeves: Night Starvation sounds like a Help-era Beatles song turned up to eleven. I'm a Rocker apes Chuck Berry. My Baby's Got It conjures up a  metallic version of Sun-era Elvis. 9 to 5 sounds like amped-up Buddy Holly or Dave Clark Five or maybe Dave Edmunds -- fun, boppy, and hooky. Okey Cokey is a coked-up, electrified version of the Hokey Pokey. It's dumber than Grand Funk's version of the Locomotion and may be the song that holds the key both to Slade's appeal and their limits.

HISTORICAL NOTES

Slade was HUGE in the UK in the mid-70s. The most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles. 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. In the U.S., we'd have to look at Elton John, Stevie Wonder, the Bee Gees, and The Eagles for comparable achievements in the 70s.

By the late 70s, their star was waning. But then Ozzy Osbourne abruptly dropped out of the Reading Festival in 1980. Slade was invited to step in as last-second replacements. They won over an initially hostile crowd and ended up the stars of the show. (Think Queen at Live Aid a few years later.) Racing to capitalize on their new-found fans, Slade dusted off their 1979 album which had done nothing on the charts and replaced the weaker songs with better ones. It was a short cut that paid off and re-launched their career. Huzzah! (This means technically, this album is a compilation. Shh, don't tell Allen.)

So this is Slade's comeback album. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a lot of fun, and Slade would probably spit up their beer over the word "masterpiece." They're making music to have fun to, and they're succeeding.

P.S. I'm getting a strong Cheap Trick vibe here--fun, loud rock with nods to the Beatles and Elvis--kindred spirits?--but a Cheap Trick needs to speak to that.

CRITICAL RECEPTION

"same old Slade style - thumping, no-nonsense, high-decibel rock" -- Daily Star

"Slade are essentially a live act and on vinyl the vital ingredient of spilt beer is sorely missed." -- Record Mirror

"a corker" -- Sounds

https://open.spotify.com/album/0NfCW02CvalhygyPgvzPXu?si=gdRMJNZLSrqBQpYX_Iij2w

The 1985 Listening Post - Slade - Rogues Gallery

Slade - Rogues Gallery

#89

March 29 1985

Slade

Rogues Gallery

Genre: Glam Rock

3 out of 5

 The opening track “Hey Ho Wish You Well” is a rewrite of Run Runaway (Later, “I’ll Be There” does the same thing). Like almost note for note. 

But once you get past that obvious attempt to cash in on a hit record, the album doesn’t completly suck. It’s Slade, man. And, until The Listening Post, I had no idea how much I liked them. 

The only Mysterious thing about the “Myzsterious Mizster Jones” is why they rewrote Laura Branigan’s “Gloria”?

This sounds like a band trying to capitalize on the success of a hit single. It doesn’t have the audacity or lunacy of the last couple. 

It’s the sound of old rockers running around the track for one more attempt at the cash machine. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rogues-gallery/268333543

The 1983 Listening Post - Slade - The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome

Slade - The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome

December 3 1983
Slade
The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome AKA Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
4.5 out of 5

Highlights:
Slam the Hammer Down
In the Dog House
Run Runaway
My Oh My
Ready to Explode
Razzle Dazzle Man
Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply

So, Slade.
Until the 78-82 project, I thought Slade was a one hit wonder. I’m from the US. What do I know? I really liked Return to Base, til Deaf do us Part and I thought We’ll Bring the House Down was one of the best of 81.
So, I’ve come to love Slade. I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did. Allmusic rated it 2 out of 5. BUT they rated the US release 4 out of 5 and that’s just stupid.
83 seems like it was a big year for this band. Quiet Riot resurrected them in the US with “Cum on Feel the Noise” and they got a big push into the states with this record. It starts with a bang. I quite enjoy the steroids glam of “Slam the Hammer Down”.
This album was apparently released in the states under the other name a year later but it was made in 83 so we’re listening to it.
I love the shambolically New York Dolls sounding “In the Dog House”. And the album version of “Run Runaway” with it’s epic drum intro. The celtic metal totally works. I remember the video with the iguana and I also remember the band looking really old (Noddy was 37!!!) and weird looking. But, this is glam the way glam is supposed to be. Knucklehead fun and a rollicking good time. Right into “High and Dry” and the US Hit single, “My Oh My”, Side One is a sublime essay in glam metal.
Obviously, while we were all giving props to Green Day for their 9 minute “Jesus of Suburbia” no one was recalling the 8+ minute rock spectacular “Ready to Explode”, which is such an antecedent to that song had I known I would’ve made mention of it.

Kamikaze might be the biggest surprises of the year. It’s one of the few (Metal Health is another) where I couldn’t wait to hear the next song.