VIA PRESS RELEASE | Ask a fan of any band to name their favourite album by said act and there are not many sets of fans whose first choice would almost unanimously be a live album. But Slade are most definitely one of those bands and the album that tops most fans’ lists is Slade Alive! And their legendary frontman Noddy Holder agrees, maintaining to this very day that it is the band’s greatest album; “I think it had the essence of what Slade was all about as a band. It was very basic and raw, it captured a mood and it also helped set us apart from other pop acts. We weren’t just a singles band anymore—we had a credible, raunchy hit album too. We were pop and we were cool. It was perfect.”
With their first monster hit single “Coz I Luv You” poised to spend four weeks occupying the coveted UK No.1 spot in late 1971, Slade aka Noddy Holder (vocals/guitar), Dave Hill (guitar), Jim Lea (bass), and Don Powell (drums) were a young West Midlands band on the cusp of international rock stardom. Manager and producer Chas Chandler was keen to get an album into the shops fast in order to capitalise on the imminent success of “Coz I Luv You” and a live album seemed by far the quickest and easiest solution. Famously recorded for the princely sum of just £600 over three nights (between 19th-21st October 1971) of loud, hot and sweaty 300-capacity fan-club only gigs at a packed Command Studios, Piccadilly London W1, Slade pushed the club’s PA system to its limits as Chandler set about the tricky task of capturing on tape the sound of a band at the absolute peak of their live power.
Speaking of the album recently, Don Powell said; “Memories are still vivid of the three nights in Command Studios at Piccadilly Circus where we recorded Slade Alive! It was also a small theatre where we invited fan club members. We actually used all of the second night for Slade Alive!
Jim Lea continues; “After “Get Down And Get With It”, “Coz I Luv You” was to come next and in the gap, because of “Get Down And Get With It” being such a closing feature of our stage show, Chas came up with the idea of a live album. Slade Alive! was a true live album (most are not) and it broke new ground for us.”
Originally released on 24 March 1972, Slade Alive! spent a remarkable 58 weeks on the UK Album Chart and was the band’s first long-player to hit both the UK and US charts simultaneously, propelling the band towards a seemingly invincible run of hit singles and gold-certified albums and inspiring a diverse host of nascent young rock stars such as Oasis, The Ramones, Motley Crue, and Nirvana along the way.
The album itself consists of seven tracks, with Slade-penned originals sharing a platform alongside covers of favourite songs by Ten Years After, The Lovin’ Spoonful, and Steppenwolf, plus a storming live version of their own debut hit single “Get Down And Get With It,” a heavy revamp of Ohio R&B singer Bobby Marchan’s 1964 Northern Soul stomper “Get Down With It” (which had also been covered by Little Richard in his own sizzling rock’n’roll style two years later).
Released with no overdubs, the sheer loud and heavy joi-de-vivre that emanates from the grooves of Slade Alive is still irresistible to this day and it was a pivotal moment for the band, setting the tone for more than two decades of remarkable chart conquering (including the small matter of six UK No.1 hit singles) with gold discs aplenty, sold-out arena shows, and even the odd major festival headline slot.
Now, Slade’s much-loved classic live album is celebrated here in BMG’s new “Art of The Album” series, featuring new sleevenotes within both the CD and 180g vinyl LP formats recalling the story of the album’s conception and unique recording process. Comprehensively researched and written by renowned music writer and author Chris Ingham, these new sleevenotes cover in-depth the story of the album and the period in which it was written and recorded, the key players in its creation, the craft and instrumentation, the impact upon release, and its legacy 45 years later.
In the age of immediacy, accessibility, streaming, and a la carte downloads, the concept of an album or long player has become somewhat lost. The Art of The Album is a new series from BMG looking to refocus the attention on the album as a format. With a collection of seminal and classic albums, the Art of The Album series will celebrate releases that broke new ground in concept, production, song writing, and genre, leaving a lasting legacy as a complete body of work.
With extensive essays exploring the times in which the albums were conceived, the key players and personnel involved, the craft and creation of the music and artwork, the impact upon release and the legacy and cultural impact The Art of The Album series will celebrate the album as an art form.
Dave Hill sums it all up neatly; “My memories of Slade Alive [are based around] the principle I hold dear to this day and the very reason I formed a band in the first place… live performance! I believe Slade Alive is such a great album because it’s Slade “live on stage,” at our very best! Our success was based on that album and the principle that we were a great live rock and roll band of our generation.”
SLADE – ‘SLADE ALIVE!’
(2017 ART OF THE ALBUM DELUXE EDITION) TRACKLISTING;
LP – 180g Vinyl LP & Booklet (cat no BMGAA03LP)
SIDE ONE
Hear Me Calling
In Like A Shot From My Gun
Darling Be Home Soon
Know Who You Are
SIDE TWO
Keep On Rocking
Get Down And Get With It
Born To Be Wild
CD – In Deluxe Hardback Cover & 28-page Booklet (cat no BMGAA03CD)
Hear Me Calling
In Like A Shot From My Gun
Darling Be Home Soon
Know Who You Are
Keep On Rocking
Get Down And Get With It
Born To Be Wild
