THE SLADE ARCHIVE - Welcome to www.slayed.co.uk

THE SLADE ARCHIVE

THE SLADE ARCHIVE - Welcome to www.slayed.co.uk

THE SLADE ARCHIVE - Welcome to www.slayed.co.uk

THE SLADE ARCHIVE - Welcome to www.slayed.co.uk

Slade

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The paperback version of the second edition of THE NOIZE is in a limited festive cover
for December only. If you have the second edition already, then you've got this book.
It makes a fabulous present for someone who doesn't have it.
THE NOIZE IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR KINDLE.

Festive Noize


BMG advert Slade


"It’s Christmasss…….Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody turns 50 this year and to celebrate its 50th anniversary the iconic Christmas song has been given a Dolby Atmos mix and can now be heard in immersive, spatial audio through your headphones via digital platforms who support this cutting edge format.

Originally released in 1973 Merry Xmas Everybody was the band's sixth number-one single in the UK and sold over a million copies upon its first release, when Slade and Wizzard battled it out on the UK Official Chart to claim the top spot and be declared the Christmas Number 1, in the first ever Christmas Chart battle. 

Chart battles have continued since then, with the infamous Blur vs Oasis seeing Blur being declared the biggest band in Britain, and Rage Against The Machine beating Joe McElderry to break the X Factors Christmas Number 1 dominance in 2009. But Slade were victorious in the first Christmas battle and Merry Xmas Everybody has continued to establish itself as a favourite Christmas song around the world for all.

Merry Xmas Everybody has spent an incredible 114 weeks in the Official UK Singles Chart and is the 8th biggest UK Christmas single* of all time. In 2009, PRS for Music announced that up to forty-two percent of the world s population could potentially have listened to the song!

For the first time ever a video has been created from two of Slade’s most famous Top Of The Pops appearances, featuring the infamous mirror hat; originally bought by Noddy from a market stall in Kensington.

Slade are without doubt one of the most exciting bands to come out of Great Britain and were unstoppable throughout the Seventies becoming one of the biggest bands; releasing six smash hits albums, including three UK Number Ones, a run of 17 consecutive Top 20 singles and their hits provided a soundtrack to the Glam Generation."

The Official charts  - The biggest number ones of all time.

Listen to The Best Of Slade HERE

Watch the new edited video for Merry Xmas Everybody here:

THE SLADE FORUM
(click to open in a new window)

Slade

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news 2023

November 2023:

Noddy Holder interview in THE BIG ISSUE magazine.
Please support a most worthy cause. Available in most towns or If you can’t buy in person, you can purchase magazines from The Big Issue Shop or download a digital version via The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play.

Nod Big Issue

So here it is… you can start to have a Merry Christmas now because the first bumper Big Issue has arrived! On the cover is a man who has become the voice of the festive season. Once you’ve heard Merry Xmas Everybody on the radio or in a shop, you definitely know IIIIIT’SSS CHRIIIISTMAAAAASSSS!

That iconic song is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Holder tells us how it came to beand speaks about being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer five years ago. It’s great to see Noddy still looking to the future. And as for the Big Issue’s extra special Christmas magazines… they’ve only just begun!

Also inside

  • How an orchestra is lighting up the lives of dementia patients and their carers
  • We visit food banks who need help to cope with a hunger epidemic this winter
  • Doctor Who mastermind Russell T Davies on 60 years of a sci-fi legend
  • What happened when our vendor Kelvin sold a copy of Big Issue to King Charles
  • The art of changing lives with the amazing CathARTic organisation (and a reminder to enter our Christmas Kids Cover Competition!)
  • The pop culture legacy of Love Actually at 20
  • The evolutionary roots that explain our Black Friday bargain hunting
  • And Whitby vendor Lacamoira introduces us to her fluffy puppy Gia

Plus much more!

If you can, please buy a copy from your local vendor.

If you can’t buy in person, you can purchase magazines from The Big Issue Shop or download a digital version via The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play

We are not going to reroduce the Noddy interview. PLEASE buy a copy of the magazine.

This is a sample page from the same issue that shows why it is so important.

Big Issue Nov 2023

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SLADE ON 45 VOLUME TWO book out now via Amazon.
Get it here in the UK
.

Slade on 45 Vol 2

October 2023:

Cheshire Life magazine article

Noddy Holder of Slade reveals five-year cancer battle
By Suzan Holder

ARTS & CULTURE / CHESHIRE LIFE / HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Original article here
Magazine available to purchase here
"I saw a sight I thought I would never see again earlier this year… my incredible husband, back on stage, captivating an audience with hilarious, slightly naughty stories and singing his heart out with a voice still distinctive and powerful.

To watch him do what he does so brilliantly was thrilling, entertaining and profoundly moving. You see, five years ago we were given the devastating news that he had oesophageal cancer and only had six months to live.

I’m sorry if that comes as a bit of a shock; it came as a total bombshell to us too. We coped with it the only way we could, by hunkering down, sticking together and doing everything we could to survive it. We told only immediate close family and friends and I will never apologise to those we did not confide in, only to those who were forced to suffer pain and anguish alongside us as we attempted to navigate our way through this new and horrifying world. They held our hands and kept our confidence. We truly found out who our real friends are.

The prognosis was bleak but Noddy coped with amazing good humour and breath-taking bravery. He put himself in the hands of the experts at The Christie Hospital in Manchester and agreed to a gruelling course of experimental treatment as part of a brand-new trial of intense chemotherapy. There were no guarantees, no one knew if it would have any effect, let alone work miracles, but he responded well. As anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis will know, the experts never like to use the word ‘cure’, but here we are five years later and he’s feeling good and looking great.So when an opportunity to perform on stage arose this summer, Noddy was thrilled to be able to do it. He has never had any interest in attempting to recreate his Slade days, he’s proud of the 25 years he spent in the band but that time is behind him. New challenges are what interests and excites him. He was tempted back on stage by an invitation from Cheshire musician Tom Seals.

The wonderful young boogie-woogie piano player leads a swinging eight-piece jazz band that plays all over the world. The show they put together was like a live Desert Island Discs, with Noddy picking a few of his favourite songs for the band to play and telling stories about how those tunes linked to his life. They first played a beautiful theatre in Wimborne, Dorset, then a triumphant hometown gig in Noddy’s beloved Walsall in the West Midlands. The short run ended with a spellbinding show at The Lowry theatre in Manchester. Every gig was a sell-out. I watched each night as Noddy took to the stage in a leopard-print top hat, colourful clothes and snazzy shoes, and held the audience spellbound with tales of his rock ’n’ roll antics that included references to The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Muhammad Ali and Cliff Richard, among many others. He had fans roaring with laughter at his unique take on 60 years in the crazy showbiz world and then holding back tears as he talked for the first time about his cancer journey.

The show-stopping surprise for the audience, however, was the finale when Noddy picked up the mic and belted out a couple of numbers to close the show. I know so many people reading this will have experienced a cancer diagnosis for themselves or a loved one. The only advice I can offer to anyone facing a similar battle right now is listen to your specialists and try to stay as positive as you can.

The care and expertise we experienced at The Christie was excellent. In addition, Noddy has always been great at living in the moment, not hankering for the past or worrying about the future. That attitude served him well and a lot of his recovery has been credited to his positive mental attitude. You need so much mental strength to get through something like this. I’ve always been impressed by my husband’s focus and determination but now I am completely in awe.

There may be more shows with Tom in the future* but for now I am simply grateful my husband continues to be his mischievous, irrepressible self whatever he is up to. Look to the future now, Noddy… Coz I Luv You… "

Noddy Holder


We're pleased to share this brief interview with Suzan Holder from Midlands Today, where she says that Nod is doing very well health-wise.


Thanks to your votes, Jim Lea reached #1 on the Heritage Chart with Universe.

September 2023:

Jim Lea has reached #2 on the heritage Chart with the re-recording of Universe.
Please give it your vote here.

The four Collected Slade Newsletters books will be reissued (for a month or so) on October 1st 2023 via Amazon. We've had a few requests from people wishing to complete their collections and are happy to oblige. They will just be available in paperback. All royalty proceeds will go to www.kidneyresearchuk.org.

Beginnings and Live At Reading are available on CD and splatter vinyl editions on September 15th. HERE

August 2023:

Jim Lea's 2023 re-recording of 'Universe' is a contender on the Heritage Chart.
Vote here.

Jim Lea Universe 2023

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July 2023:

SLADE ON 45 VOLUME 1 BOOK.

A pictorial companion to THE NOIZE - THE SLADE DISCOGRAPHY.
An unbelievable 300 full colour page book containing crystal clear images of the rarest and most unique singles from around the world.

Available from Amazon.

Slade On 45 book

Noddy Holder has written the glowing foreword for Mike Hamblett's excellent new autobiography, KEEPIN' MUSIC LIVE. Mike is the owner of The Robin 2 in Bilston, which has seen Slade II appear, as well as Jim Lea. Sladefests have been held there. It's a brilliant venue.

Mike Hamblett book

You can buy the book (signed copies are available) HERE

BMG releasing the Ambrose Slade 'Beginnings' and the 'Alive at Reading' albums on CD and splatter vinyl on September 15th.
Pre-order here.

Slade

Slade

Slade legend Noddy Holder sets record straight over Dave Hill 'firing Don Powell by email'
By Adam Smith
here

Slade fans can finally sleep easily at night after Noddy Holder confirmed Dave Hill never sacked his friend of 60 years Don Powell by email. The story from 2020 upset Slade fans across the world but the band's former frontman put the tale to bed at his homecoming concert in Walsall.

Noddy was talking about his life at Tom Sears Presents at Walsall Arena when he took time out from the jokes and anecdotes to address the issue which upset so many Slade fans. There had even been a few boos at the mere mention of Dave's name which showed how the story had taken hold in the public consciousness.

Noddy said: "One story I want to put right, and as I am in the Midlands I might as well put it straight. It is one that came out a couple of years ago, which was upsetting for all of us. This story was fake but has become fact despite being untrue. The story was Dave Hill sacked Don Powell by email, but the story is totally untrue. So a fan told newspapers and radio stations Dave Hill sacked Don by a dry email. And it got printed, and it went viral. And this massively upsets Dave Hill, as it should." He added: "So I looked into it, as we are still in contact, they both sent me the emails. Don and Dave sent me the emails, there was never an email saying 'you're fired'. Now they had problems, but nothing insurmountable."

Noddy said that tall tales have always appeared about rock 'n' roll bands in the press, but "if you're not in the band you don't know what's going on". Slade are still beloved in the Black Country after their unforgettable rise to fame in the 1970s - they sold more records in that decade than any other British band.

Noddy, Dave, Don and Jim Lea, from Wolverhampton and Walsall, conquered the charts and had the same line-up for 25 years until Noddy and Jim left in 1992. Dave and Don continued but the last time they hit the headlines was the spurious story about the two mates of six decades falling out.

Noddy explained the kernel of the story was due to Don recovering from surgery on his knees and doctors advising him not to tour. He said: "Don was recovering from his knees, and couldn't play drums, and Dave took advice from a surgeon who said Don could be crippled for life and end up in a wheelchair if he went on tour. Now Don can't remember this, so it does not sit well with him. But his wife told fans this story was not right.

"Everybody turned on Dave. They were in a band for 60 years, I've known Dave, I'm not saying they did not have problems. But Dave is still painted with this that he sacked Don by email, he gets grief now. Dave will never go out there and say it's not true, he ain't that kind of character, so I thought on behalf of him I thought I'd put the record straight."

The sold-out crowd of 600 cheered wildly after Noddy made his point, many relieved one of music's nice guys Dave Hill is not a villain.

Slade fan of 50 years Michael Van-Overstraeten said: "I am so glad Noddy had put the record straight, all the guys from Slade are fantastic. That's it now, we know the story is untrue."

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This article was supplied to us by Suzan Holder, with the message "The hometown show was incredible, powerful stuff and the article is spot on … for a change. As Nod pointed out on stage … you CAN’T always believe everything you read in the papers !"

Suzan Holder also sent us a brief statement clarifying the mention of the fan involved in the unwelcome stirring up of the story in the media:

"Ian, it has come to my attention that some people on your forum believe Nod was referring to Dave Kemp when he mentioned on stage a ‘fan’ who had alerted the media to the situation between Dave and Don parting ways. He was not. He made no reference to Dave Kemp. He was in fact referring to a person, well known for causing trouble in the Slade world, who took it upon himself to contact newspaper and radio outlets and push HIS version of events.

The whole reason Noddy mentioned anything about the on going arguments was because a section of the audience decided to boo whenever Dave Hill’s name was mentioned.

Noddy has always been of the opinion that the bands business should be kept private but when something starts to affect his own public life he felt it had to be dealt with on the spot. He diffused an ugly situation and the audience actually cheered his fair and reasonable statement.

There are many fans who believe they know what is going on between members of the band, it has always been that way and always will be, but they don’t!

Suzan"

Review: EXPRESS & STAR: NODDY HOLDER & TOM SEALS, WALSALL ARENA & ARTS CENTRE JULY 6 2023
here

Noddy Holder was on sparkling form at his joyous homecoming gig in Walsall last night.

Nod
In his element on stage: Noddy Holder

The former Slade front man performed alongside piano master Tom Seals and his band in front of a sell-out 600 crowd at the Walsall Arena in Bloxwich. Fans travelled from across the country, as well as Europe and Caldmore, to attend the gig which was full of Noddy's old school friends, bandmates and family. And Slade fans delighted to be in the presence of Noddyness again.

The 77-year-old, who is celebrating 60 years as a professional musician, told countless stories from his time growing up in Caldmore and the Beechdale estate and his rise to stardom. He also chose songs which were seminal in his life which Tom Seals and his band performed with a helping hand from Noddy on the microphone. The first song was the Al Jolson number his window cleaner father used to sing to his mother in local pubs to get out of the doghouse.

Nod

Noddy Holder and Tom Seals bounced off each other all night

He said: "My father had a great voice, but he never wanted to sing professional, everyone knew him in Walsall. He would barter a lot, he would clean the butchers windows to get some meat and the barbers so me and him could have a hair cut."

Noddy was at his mischievous, irrepressible best holding the audience in the palm of his hand as he told anecdote after anecdote about bygone days in the Black Country. Dressed impeccably with a leopard skin hat, despite approaching his ninth decade Noddy's wit is still razor sharp delivering one liners and easily dealing with over-exuberant fans bellowing from the darkness. Peppering his chat with perfectly timed expletives Noddy showed he still has the rebellious Rock Star spirit. And Noddy was not afraid to tell tales of his wild days, including waiting for lothario Robert Plant to finish carnal relations in the back of his dad's window cleaning van as they toured local venues including swimming baths, working men's clubs and long demolished pubs of yesteryear. Noddy joked: "Oh now Planty is a rock god, you don't hear stories like that anymore."

Tales about the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Status Quo, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Stevie Wonder and host of other stars were interwoven with ones about the mates he grew up with, and his family. Explaining how his mother meeting Michael Aspel on This Is Your Life finally made her realise he had done well for himself was another highlight.

His warmth shone throughout, and he had nothing but praise for his former Slade bandmates, and he even took time out to explain the widely believed story about Dave Hill sacking friend of 60 years Don Powell by email was not true.

Nod

Tom Seals is a star in his own right.

Tom Seals played it perfectly, realising the home crowd wanted Noddy. However, fast becoming a star in his own right, Tom's musicianship was a joy to behold. Noddy's fans loved every minute.

Fans

Noddy Holder fan Peter Hevican originally from Coalpool and now
living in Cornwall with sister Kathy Perkin and wife Iona

Especially lookalike Peter Hevican, who was returning to Walsall from his new home in Cornwall where everyone calls him Noddy. The 68-year-old said: "This is just brilliant, too see Noddy in Walsall is fantastic. He is such a great bloke. I've come up from Cornwall for this and would not have missed it for the world."

Belgian fan Michael Van-Overstraeten said: "Slade blew my mind when I moved here in the early 1970s and I have been with them ever since. Noddy is just wonderful."

Fans

Belgian Michael Van-Overstraeten from Oldbury with Neil Shilvock
& Angela Stanley from Brierley Hill loved seeing Noddy.

Brierley Hill fan Neil Shilvock added: "I've loved Slade since I was seven-years-old. They are still my favourite band. It is great to see Noddy on such good form."

Noddy would probably still be on stage now if he had his way, this local boy done good is a true Black Country treasure.

Suzan Holder kindly provided this last photo:

Copyright Suzan Holder

Videos by Michael VanOverstraeten

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Did You See Us?

A collection of fan reminiscences about their introductions to Slade and their music, published by Chris Selby for the Jim Lea Music Facebook Page.
Not priced for profit and out now via Amazon.

Did You See Us?

If you aren't careful, you'll run into this in December....

That which happens when turkeys hide.

June 2023:

Get the Don Powell Band 'My Sharona' CD EP here.
It's a limited edition, so don't dither and miss it.

Don Powell Band - My Sharona CD EP

Slade In Their Own Words
Tony Charles book now available on Amazon

Slade In their Own Words  Slade In their Own Words

May 2023:

Jim Lea makes a one-off guest appearance with the Don Powell Band.
DON'T EXPECT AN ALBUM OR A TOUR OR ANYTHING MORE.

The Train Kept A Rollin' reached a height of #3 on The Heritage Chart on May 14th.
You can vote for this song on THE HERITAGE CHART HERE.


It was available as an extremely limited edition CD single via THE JIM LEA MUSIC FACEBOOK PAGE.

THIS DISC IS NOW SOLD OUT

The Train Kept A-Rollin'

The Train Kept A-Rollin' is currently #5 on The Heritage Chart.
Please pop along and vote for it here

April 2023:

Potential limited edition release of THE TRAIN KEPT A ROLLIN'

The Jim Lea Music page on Facebook has announced that a small run of this single may be coming out.
More info HERE.

THE TRAIN KEPT A ROLLIN'

Jim Lea , Don Powell , John Howells and Mick Marson back together after 57 years .

You can vote for this song on THE HERITAGE CHART HERE.

Vote for Jim

Steve Whalley joins Don Powell Band.
Don's former Slade II colleague is currently singing with the Don Powell Band.
This effectively reunites Slade II without Dave Hill.

THE COLLECTED SLADE NEWSLETTERS BOOKS
These have now been taken off sale.
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PURCHASED COPIES.
All royalty proceeds go to www.kidneyresearchuk.org

The Collected Slade Newsletter books

March 2023:

Something's coming....

Who Dat?

Out Now!!

The final Tony Charles book on Slade, with over 300 pages, covering the end period from 1981 to 1992 is available from Amazon HERE.

Slade  Slade


February 2023:

Record Store Day 23rd April 2023 - Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
Limited edition translucent red vinyl LP.

Record Store Day Slade RSD 2023

 

January 2023:

Jim Lea started the year in the top ten of the heritage chart, which is decided entirely by listener votes.
(Voting for Am I The Greatest Now has now closed.)

Vote for Jim!

Some archive live Slade recordings are being made available at the end of January on what is stated to be a limited edition CD. Rockin' The Box is being released on the European Cantare label and contains audio from the Granada Set Of Six TV show from June 1972 and the Belgian Pop Shop TV show from December 1971. Order here.

Rockin' The Box

BMG will be releasing the Nobody's Fools and The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome albums on coloured vinyl and expanded media pack CD's in March.

Slade  Slade

Slade Slade

Nod's doing three theatre shows with Tom Seals in July.

Noddy Holder Live

Don and the Dreamers also have an album due sometime later in the year.

Old News: 2022 | 2021 and prior



Slade

THE SLADE BOOKS

Chris Charlesworth - Slade - Feel the Noize
Daryl Easlea - Whatever Happened To Slade?
Lise Lyng Falkenberg / Don Powell - Look Wot I Dun
Noddy Holder - Who's Crazee Now?
Noddy Holder - The World According To Noddy
Dave Hill - So Here It Is.
The Collected Slade Newsletters Vol 1: 1979-81 / Vol 2: 1984-87 / Vol 3: 1987-90 / Vol 4: 1991-82
Edmundson / Selby - The Noize - The Slade Discography.
Chris Selby - Slade On 45 Volumes 1 and 2 (2023)
Ian Edmundson - Slade: Six Years On The Road.
Christopher Selby - The Train Kept A-Rollin' (2023)
Chris Selby - Did You See Us? (2023)
Malcolm Wyatt - Wild wild wild - A people's history of Slade
Craig Halstead - Slade: All The Top 40 Hits
Darren Johnson - Decades: Slade in the 1970's
Slade In Flame At Fifty.
Tony Charles - 'Slade In' Yearbooks / Slade in 1981 to 1992, Slade In Their Own Words
.
Alan G Parker & Steve Grantley - Cum On Feel the Noize.
Slade Bravo Scrapbook
George Tremlett - Slade.
Slade! (Music sales)
The Slade Papers
Arthur Miller - Slade.

James A Gilson - Remarkable life of Noddy Holder


Chris Charlesworth - Slade - Feel the Noize!

Chris Charlesworth

This authorised book is generally regarded by all who have seen a copy as 'The Slade Bible'. The four members of Slade and their late manager Chas Chandler co-operated fully with it. You get the full story up to 1985, pretty much in their own words, as Chris Charlesworth got the stories from them. 

It is thought / said that they later looked back on the book as possibly revealing too much, but there's nothing at all in there that does them any discredit. It is lavishly illustrated and practically every question you could have asked about Slade's career up to then is answered honestly and endearingly. An update of this book would be a wonderful thing, but the rights to re-publish passed away with Chas Chandler and so it is not possible to put the book out again. It can fetch a decent price on the internet auction sites, but is really very well worth tracking down.

StarStarStarStarStar


Daryl Easlea
Whatever Happened To Slade - When The Whole World Went Crazee
Omnibus - October 2023.

Years after his own major triumph of a Slade Bible, Chris Charlesworth commissioned a New Slade Bible to be written for Omnibus. They initially announced a book - 'Nobody's Fools' by Dick Porter, which sadly fell by the wayside, so we waited for something to happen. It has been a long wait.

Happily, Daryl Easlea was commissioned to write this big, thick and fantastic book. There's 462 pages of Slade information. It's been a long time coming, but books as detailed as this simply don't write themselves. It has been more than worth the wait.

I've read Daryl's books on Sparks and Peter Gabriel and Daryl takes the Slade story forward in his usual logical, forensic and detailed fashion from the band's humble origins in the Black Country (and Scottish) pubs and clubs, through Earls Court, the big halls around the country and back to the bars. There's huge amounts of triumph and far too much tragedy in Slade's story and Daryl gives us the lowdown on the where and when of Slade.

He unearths stories of the band's exploits from their closest friends, associates and from die-hard fans, as well as a wealth of interesting and revealing band interviews from a variety of sources. The inter-band schism that caused Noddy Holder to up sticks and leave, effectively ending the band in the early 1990's is touched on, but none of the band members want to talk about their end very much and why should they? Daryl doesn't at any point resort to filling in gaps with supposition and second-guessing. There's very very little minutae that I can struggle to think of that has been missed out. That's an achievement.

The photographs in the book have been sourced with a good degree of thought. If you can't put masses of photos in, you go for what fits with a good cross-section of illustrations of their career.

An easy, ripping read that gallops along at exactly the right pace. You're in for a treat.

Order it here.

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Daryl Easlea

Mojo review

Noddy Holder - Who's Crazee Now?

Who' Crazee Now?

Written with writer Lisa Verrico, this autobiography was the first of the books from a Slade member. Noddy Holder comes across as a normal, well-adjusted man who has been there, seen it and done it all. There's a basically chronological history from his childhood, his teens and his early groups. I still have lots of questions for him, but that's not because he has left any sizeable gaps in the book. Noddy does tell a few tales that are probably in there to shock the reader a little, but it's a damned good read and would take some topping.

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Lise Lyng Falkenberg / Don Powell - Look Wot I Dun: My Life In Slade.

Don Powell

If any book is ever going to top Noddy Holder's 'Who's Crazee Now?' then it is this one. Lise Lyng Falkenburg did an exemplary job of getting Don Powell's life story from him and he tells it with bewildering honesty and candour. His life in Slade has seen ups and downs and the downs were absolutely catastrophic. Several myths about the band are blown apart by this book. While he doesn't analyse their split in painstaking detail, the truth is in there and he has no problem telling it. Don Powell for a very long time had the reputation of being the nicest man in rock. This book tells you why. It is now the Slade book to try to beat.

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Noddy Holder - The World According To Noddy.

The World According to Noddy Holder

Noddy talks about anything and everything. He seems to get some pet peeves off his chest and despite taking a slightly scattergun approach to topics, this book is well-written and it is an engaging read. You can just about hear a Black Country accent as you sit reading.

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Dave Hill - So Here It Is.

So Here It Is..

If you thought Don Powell's book was honest and open, then be prepared for this book. Dave Hill's childhood was far from idyllic, as his mother suffered from a couple of mental disorders that have left their lasting mark on the guitarist, who later suffered with depression. You just feel sad for him. He tells the Slade story in a very personal way and you maybe warm to him slightly. You get some of his personal life, but I felt that he pulled the shutters closed when he felt he let too much out.

One thing promised that didn't materialise was the true story of the end years of Slade. It was promised we would get an account of that period in some detail and sadly, he almost avoids the subject and skips over it as quickly as he can.  It may not tell you a lot about Slade, as he doesn't comes across as having driven their career or having put a lot of deep thought into his own work life until recent years. That aside, this is a good book about Dave Hill and what makes him tick.

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Edmundson / Selby - The Noize - The Slade Discography.

The Noize

The author's page for this book is here.

This is the only book that has ever concentrated in such minute detail on Slade's discography. There was a fan club book that amounted to a brief list, but as good as that was at the time, it doesn't really count. The second edition of The Noize ran to 300 pages, with a full study of their massive discography and a list of the Magic 500 Slade fan names to the rear. Available in hardback with a Fontana cover, or in paperback with a Polydor cover.

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Slade on 45 Volume 1 and Slade on 45 Volume 2 by Chris Selby

A pictorial companion to THE NOIZE - THE SLADE DISCOGRAPHY.
A comprehensive pictorial singles guide - 300 / 200 full colour pages full of their world-wide 45RPM releases.
This includes UK releases.

Slade On 45 book  Slade on 45 Vol 2

Star Star Star Star Star


Slade: Did You See Us?
A collection of fan reminiscences about their introductions to Slade and their music,
Nice for those who took part. Published by Chris Selby for the Jim Lea Music Facebook Page
.
Not priced for profit and out now via Amazon.
Limited to 500 print copies.

Did You See Us?

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Christopher Selby - The Train Kept A-Rollin'

This was a strictly limited-edition keepsake photo book for members of the 'N Betweens who took part in the re-recording of the classic blues track, The Train Kept A-Rollin'. It was done as a keepsake - just for those involved and it was never put on general sale. A couple of extra copies were offered as competition prizes and one was sold for charity. Only 20 copies and 4 proof copies exist. No more will ever be printed.

The Train Kept A-Rollin'

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Ian Edmundson - Slade: Six Years On The Road.

Slade: Six Years On The Road

The author saw the band almost fifty times and took his camera to a large number of shows. This book is the result of those trips out and of those great shows. One to sit down and pore through with Slade On Stage blaring away in the background. The author's page for this book is here.

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Malcolm Wyatt - Wild Wild wild, A People's History Of Slade

Wild Wild Wyatt

It's very very hard to fault a people's history of Slade that quotes the people who were there for most of the key events and major gigs in a group's history. This well-illustrated new hardback book has approaching 400 pages of wonderful testimony for the defence from ardent and verbose fans, some rock luminaries and the odd snippet of expert testimony from the band members themselves. Not every milestone date is in there (obviously) and it has to be said that the author does really well with what he has been given. It's a great cross-section cum history of their career.

The notion that a 50 year old line from 'Skweeze me pleeze me' was a 'right to rape' lyric (posited by one respondent) should maybe not have been included in the book, though that is obviously one person's opinion. Some things were what they were at the time. Otherwise, this book is one of the very best about Slade.

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The Collected Slade Fan Club Newsletters Vol 1: 1979 - 1981.
The Collected Slade Fan Club Newsletters Vol 2: 1984 - 1987
The Collected Slade Fan Club Newsletters Vol 3: 1987 - 1989
The Collected Slade Fan Club Newsletters Vol 4: 1990 - 1992

Fan Club Newsletters Volume 1 Collected Slade Newsltters Vol2 from Amazon. SLADE SLADE

Issued with the relevant permissions and a foreword graciously provided by Barbara Kemp, the first book collects together absolutely all of the excellent Dave Kemp newsletters (and the enclosures) into one 332 page volume. Issued on a totally NOT-FOR-PROFIT basis with the books priced sensibly and the entire book royalty goes to www.kidneyresearchuk.org.

Fans asked if we could do this and eventually, we thought it might be an idea, so we approached the editorial teams who gave us permission to do it with the donations going to the charity.

The Slade Newsletter books raised a total of £1230.59p for kidneyresearchuk.org on their first issue.
and also for Kidney Cancer Care. More donation information is here.

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George Tremlett - Slade.

George Tremlett - Slade

Published around the time of Flame, This was the first major book about Slade and fans lapped it up and still quote from it today. Maybe it contains a few tiny errors, but it is, like all of Tremlett's formulaic efforts, detailed and informative.

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Bravo Scrapbook - Slade.

Bravo Slade

Collected Slade content from the German magazine Bravo, covering their entire career. All written in German. Reassuringly expensive to buy, as a numbered limited edition, this goes for bigger money on Ebay. Came with a numbered card and poster.

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Alan G Parker and Steve Grantley - Cum On Feel the Noize.

Feel The Noize

Alan confirmed to me that the text of this book was severely edited down by management and the publisher, which is a great pity. The authors had access to some great photographs that hadn't been seen since the early 70's. Alan is one of the better writers to deal with the story of Slade and it's a shame his work was effectively cut in half.

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Tony Charles
Slade In 1969, Slade In 1970, Slade In 1971, Slade In 1972, Slade In 1973,
Slade In 1974
Slade In 1975/76,
Slade In 1977/78, Slade In 1979/80, Slade In 1981 - 1992.

Slade Slade Slade Slade Slade
Slade In 1974 Tony Charles - Slade In 1975 and 1976 Slade In 1977 and 1978 Slade In 1979 and 1980 Tony Charles Slade 1981 - 1992

The 1969 book did initially seem to lean heavily on Chris Selby's research into Slade gigs from painstaking trawls of various newspaper archives. It does admit that the 'Slade 1969 and all that' page was a big source of information and inspiration. Apparently the page owner (Chris Selby) couldn't commit to joining in on the book when it was in preparation.

The content? Day by day gig adverts where found, some interviews, record releases with brief detail. 128 pages. The gig advert illustrations are really very well restored, and look wonderful, compared to the originals that can be seen on the net. There is an amount of info in the book that is not on the 1969 page or readily available on the internet and the book was indeed the first of a series, as promised.

The story goes on into 1970 and following years and these books provide quite a wealth of previously unearthed Slade historical material that I hadn't seen, or thought that I would see. There are a lot of gig adverts sourced from newspaper archives and the book details the record releases from the years, without going into too much detail and doing the work of a discography book. Again, there are some interviews from the time, venue photos for those who want them.

The later period when the group were in the clubs and Universities, with the occasional concert hall gig thrown in. You could see them close up and their show was an uncompromising spectacle with the full PA hauled into smaller venues. They didn't spare the crowd a single decibel. Their performances were tighter than before. They rehearsed themselves to a frazzle and made themselves a much tighter band. Their records bizarrely stopped charting. Is a single that fails to chart a bad record? No. It's just the failure of radio and the press to generate interest in it. We see how radio and TV started to treat Slade as lepers. Their shows remained mighty. And as for nightclub bouncers.... well, a few of those didn't like Slade much. Their time would come again...  The final book does tell the back end of the Slade story quite well. I rated the book on the book content, not how the Slade story went. There are large gaps and that seems to because the group were effectively no more. Summing up 1992 in one page shows just what the real state of play was. It baffles me how some good records simply slipped through the cracks. I don't think that the press and radio ever let Slade back in like they could have, even after their Reading triumph. A nice, thick book to round off the collection, but a sort of tapering off and fading away at the end of their story was inevitable. The group sort of petered out and faded away in the latter years and it is just sad, but it is exactly what happened to Slade.

Tony Charles - Slade In Their Own Words
Very much what it says on the tin - a collection of roughly chronological quotes and reminiscences from the members of Slade, covering their childhoods, their career, a lot of their releases and the end of the band.

Slade In Their Own Words

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Slade! - Music Sales Brochure / biog and sheet music versions.

Slade!   Slade!

There are two versions available and the best version to get is the one with the sheet music included.
A mainly pictorial potted history of Slade. Slightly more content than a tour programme.

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The Slade Papers
(Music Sales Ltd)

The Slade papers.

Collected fan club magazine newletters from 1971 to 1976. Indispensible. Follow Slade's progress through the newsletters.

Essential.

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Darren Johnson - Slade in the 1970s (Decades)

Darren Johnson

This is one of a long series of 'Decades' books, written to a basic template. A slim workman-like volume which gives a reasonable chronology of the band in the 1970's, though there are a couple of errors I spotted, which I would have thought the team of 'fan' proof readers would have noticed. Things like incomplete song names definitely jar slightly with me. Descriptions of some songs on albums seem very similar to others that I have read. Some of the song descriptions are odd.

His assertion that the song All The World Is A Stage, that many rate as the outstanding radical change during the mid-point of Slade's career, is 'pretentious'.... is just mind-boggling: "This is one of the album's most experimental songs. The lyric invokes Shakespeare's famous monologue from As You Like It, to celebrate the art of performance and communion with one's audience. It all comes across as rather pretentious, a little overblown and curiously out of step with the album. Holder turning from Shakespeare to showbiz schmaltz at the end - 'You've been very wonderful tonight. Thank you. Goodnight' - does nothing to rescue it."

I don't know how he missed mentioning Slade's final live performance on a stage in 1991. A very generic photo section in the centre of the book. Mainly album covers. It does highlight a couple of differences in band member accounts of how the odd song came together - Far Far Away, for example. Bearing in mind that this is his third book for them (he's also done Suzi Quatro and Sweet), he should have got his format and approach right by now.

Having said that though, I read Slade books differently to a lot of people and that's probably my problem. Any new book on Slade is a good thing and you can buy it here.

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Craig Halstead - Slade: All The Top 40 Hits

Craig Halstead

An overview of most of Slade's chart output with week-by-week singles positions. Cheap as chips and a decent reference book.  here

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Chris Selby / Ian Edmundson - Slade In Flame At Fifty

Slade In Flame At Fifty

Currently in the planning stages for 2024 release.

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Arthur Miller - Slade

The worst Slade book of all time.

It's just a cut and paste from a Wkipedia entry (which is now far more up to date on the Wikipedia site) and a collection of random images from a Google search. Completists only. Now out of print. Not a bad state of affairs.

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Remarkable life of Noddy Holder
James A Gilson

Crap

"It's just comical. There needs to be a golden garbage award for this piece of utter hogwash. If there is such a person as James A Gilson, well, It's a cheek for him to call it a book.

It's been put together using AI - there's actually a burst of random German on one page where the text generator breaks down - and there's little doubt about that as soon as you start reading it. The writing is stilted and awkward and AI using lazy platitudes to write essays for the opening blurb and conclusion to pad it out, is nothing new. The inclusion of a band photo that doesn't include any member of Slade on the title page (I think it's the Grateful Dead) is the funniest thing I've seen in ages.

Slade's career is dealt with by page 12. A chapter on their songs actually names 7 of them.

A chapter on Nod's wife Suzan is unbelievably revealing.
The year of their marriage, the name of heir son and the anecdote that he wakes her up on December 25th by bellowing 'It's Christmas' at her. An unexpected bonus is the revelation that she finds hearing his voice in the supermarket 'strange'. We all needed to know that? We've seen it in the press.

A chapter on Nod's bank balance is a total waste of paper. It speculates (with no conclusion) on his earnings from the Christmas hit. He's done alright from it. That saves you buying the book.

The highpoint of the book is an nterview which takes up chapters 4 and 5. It's online.
So is the interview in chapter 6.
Chapter 7 is a brief interview about how Noddy Holder dealt with his money conducted by one of the papers.

The inaccuracies are staggering.
The Memphis Cutouts recorded 4 singles for Columbia. No they didn't.
He suggest Merry Xmas Everybody was their 3rd UK #1. It was their 6th.
Slade drummer Don Powell gets killed in 1973 on page 21 of the book, but fortunately makes a good enough recovery to tour again later that year. His girlfriend was murdered that same year.

It's fairly obvious that this book was thrown together in a mad panic to sell a few copies after Suzan Holder's feature for Cheshire Life magazine. That is reproduced word for word, uncredited here, along wit the editor's comments, which an author would have cut out of the book.

I collect Slade stuff but am working out whether to return it or not.
It's so bad it's good in a comedy way.
It reads like someone in a call centre abroad has put it together in their lunch hour.
They really shouldn't have wasted our time.

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