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TUMBLING DICE - 1972
Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional
CD Reissues and Remasters
Classic Albums, Compilations, 45s...
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"...Rock And Rave!"
Half way through Side 1's
"The Whole World's Goin' Crazee" there's a give-it-all-you-got echoed
lead vocal passage by Noddy Holder where he let's rip with line-after-line of
screamed lyrics ("Rant And Rave!"). Such throat-shredding acrobatics
would have made Brian Johnson (once of Geordie and then AC/DC of course) reach
for lozenges even then. But it's SLADE and would we old-timer reprobates of the
Seventies want it any other way.
In fact at the last count, I
think Slade were the only Rock Band in the world that could count the same original
line-up for 40 years straight from 1969's debut "Ambrose Slade" to
the Naughties (or is it 50 years). There's always been something fun about
these Wolverhampton anthem queens and rabble-rousers. Makes me want to don my
glitter boots and mirror hat and misspell every song title. Let's get
slaughtered and crazee...
UK released 21 August 2006 -
"Slayed?" by SLADE on Salvo SALVOCD002 (Barcode 698458810229) is an Expanded Edition CD Reissue and New Remaster with Five Bonus Tracks that
plays out as follows (53:41 minutes):
1. How D'you Ride [Side 1]
2. The Whole World's Goin'
Crazee
3. Look At Last Nite
4. I Won't Let It 'Appen Agen
5. Move Over
6. Gudbuy T'Jane [Side 2]
7. Gudbuy Gudbuy
8. Mama Weer All Crazee Now
9. I Don' Mind
10. Let The Good Times
Roll/Feel So Fine
Tracks 1 to 10 are their
fourth album (third studio set) "Slayed?" - released September 1972
in the UK on Polydor 2383 163 and February 1973 in the USA on Polydor PD 5524.
Produced by CHAS CHANDLER – it peaked at No. 2 on the UK LP charts and No. 69
in the USA.
BONUS TRACKS:
11. My Life Is Natural -
non-album B-side to "Coz I Luv You", 8 October 1971 UK 7" single
on Polydor 2058 155
12. Candidate - non-album
B-side to "Look Wot You Dun", 27 January 1972 UK 7" single on
Polydor 2058 195
13. Wonderin' Y - non-album
B-side to "Take Me Bak 'Ome", 19 May 1972 UK 7" single on
Polydor 2058 231
14. Man Who Speeks Evil -
non-album B-side to "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", 25 August 1972 UK
7" single on Polydor 2058 274
15. Slade Talk to MELANIE
Readers - 8 September 1973 UK 1-Sided 7" Flexi Disc on Lyntone LYN 2645,
Melanie Magazine freebie
SLADE was:
NODDY HOLDER - Lead Vocals
and Guitar
DAVE HILL - Guitar
JIM LEA - Bass and Violin
DON POWELL - Drums and
Percussion
The 12-page booklet sports
new liner notes from DAVID LING that is clearly part of an on-going history of
the band and they're entertaining and informative – discussing Jim Lea's
discomfort with rapid Nationwide fame - ending on Don Powell's near fatal car
accident in July 1973 that did take the life of his then 20-year old
girlfriend, Angela Morris. There are black and white period photos of the boys
looking sometimes bewildered at the sudden fame and Number 1 singles status,
shots of 'slayed' fans, memorabilia and a really nice two-page display of rare
colour picture sleeves from around the world. TIM TURAN who did the Nazareth
and Procol Harum remasters for Salvo has done the master-tape business and made
a non-audiophile screamer of a Rock album seem more beefy and alive. For sure
the vocals are still that bit distant (a trade mark sound for Slade) but the
guitars and rhythm section are (in band parlay) in yer face. And how cool is it
to hear those B-sides, especially the Acoustic Rock Swing of the non-album
B-side to "Coz I Luv You" – the rather brill "My Life Is
Natural". To the music…
Like Chas Chandler had done
with Jimi Hendrix and Andrew Loog Oldham with The Rolling Stones – Noddy Holder
and Jim Lea in particular were forced by their Manager/Producer Chas Chandler
to write their own material – and preferably boys – some hits if you don’t
mind. And that they did - "Slayed?" went all the way to the top – No.
1 – capitalizing on the mighty "Slade Alive!" LP that went before it in
March of 1972 which had in itself smashed all the way up to the No. 2 position.
Their next two vinyl platters, the compilation LP "Sladest" and the
studio album "Old New Borrowed And Blue" would do the same in
September 1973 and February 1974 – No. 1s. Slade singles became like T.Rex or
Beatles releases – an event that saw huge chart highs and triumphant
appearances on Thursday’s "Top Of The Boys". All of it culminating in
the November 1974 film and soundtrack LP "Slade In Flame" which had
to settle for a lowly No. 6 position on the Blighty album charts as the winning
streak began to tail off and tastes moved on. But for two to three years there
- the girls liked them and the boys lived to boogie by Slade.
The huge so young hits
"Gudbuy T'Jane" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" both hit
their rambunctious No. 1 spots on the British single charts - while other
romper-stompers include the sexy almost T.Rex slink of "I Don't Mind"
and the shake your tambourine throw me out "I Won't Let It Happen".
Amidst the eight originals are only two covers – a superb Noddy Holder like-for-like
performance as he does justice to "Move Over" from Janis Joplin's
brilliant "Pearl" album of the year prior (1971). The other cover is
a double - the Shirley and Lee 1956 and 1955 Aladdin Records classics "Let
The Good Times Roll" and "Feel So Good" bringing proceedings to
a close nicely. I'd forgotten about "Candidate" – a no-one seems to
like him B-side that is equal to anything on the album. Fans will be pleased
with the here I am in the same old clothes looking back on my life of
"Wonderin' Y" – a sort of lollygagging Faces-type love song.
For sure the Audio is of the
hurried kind and not everyone in 2020 will think it the Glam Rock genius we
thought Slayed was back in the day – but every time I see that Gerard Mankowitz
artwork – I smile. And I likes dat I duz…
