OUT NOW - Prime Cuts: A Barn Records Singles Discography. Includes all of Slade's known releases on 45 from 1977 to 1980 on Barn and Six Of The Best. Available from Amazon on kindle or in paperback.
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VARIOUS SLADES ON YER GOGGLEBOX THIS DECEMBER!
TV
NODDY HOLDER
Wednesday 13th Dec - BBC1 Morning Live from 9.15am
Sunday 17th Dec - C4 Sunday Brunch from 9.45am
RADIO
NODDY
Friday 15th Dec - BBC Sounds 'Sounds of the 70s Christmas' / Johnnie Walker
Friday 15th Dec - Magic Radio w/Nick Snaith (from 10am)
Wednesday 20th Dec - Absolute Classic Rock with clips through the day then in full from 8pm
Wednesday 20th Dec - Planet Rock morning
Friday 22nd Dec - Absolute Radio 70s w/Tony Dibbin (from 10am)
Sunday 24th Dec BBC Radio 2 - Johnnie Walker Christmas Eve show
Monday 25th Dec - Greatest Hits Radio w/Ken Bruce - just after midday
DAVE
Monday 25th Dec - BBC Radio 6 w/ Steve Lamaq
There's still some more being confirmed, so will keep you posted.
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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 a copy 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.
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
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.
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… "
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.
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.
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.
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 legend Noddy Holder sets record straight over Dave Hill 'firing Don Powell by email'
By Adam Smithhere
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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:
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
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.
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.
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
March 2023:
Something's coming....
The final Tony Charles book on Slade, with over 300 pages, covering the end period from 1981 to 1992 is available from Amazon HERE.
February 2023: Record Store Day 23rd April 2023 - Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
Limited edition translucent red vinyl LP.
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.)
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.
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.
Nod's doing three theatre shows with Tom Seals in July.
Don and the Dreamers also have an album due sometime later in the year.
