Slade

Slade was a hugely successful English rock band of the early 1970s and was a major part of the Glam rock phenomenon of that decade. The band mostly originated in the town of Wolverhampton in central England.

Slade never truly caught on with American audiences (who often deemed them "too British-sounding"), but the group became a massive sensation in their home country, with success to rival the Beatles. With their anthemic brand of glam rock, they scored 11 Top Five hits in a four-year span from 1971 to 1974 (five of which topped the charts).

The band members were:

• Noddy Holder (real name Neville Holder) - singer/guitarist.
• Dave Hill - Guitarist.
• Jimmy Lea - Bassist.
• Don Powell - Drummer.

The group originally formed in 1966 and was called the In-Be-Tweens, but initially had little success. In the late 1960s the band changed its name to Ambrose Slade and later to just Slade, and initially the band sported a "skinhead" look. They later abandoned this idea, grew their hair long, and became a part of the Glam Rock movement, then championed by fellow Brit David Bowie.

This change of direction paid off, and from 1971 the band scored a number of hits, including the singles:

• "Coz I Luv You,"
• "Look Wot You Dun,"
• "Take Me Bak 'Ome,"
• "Mama Weer All Crazee Now,"
• "Gudbuy t'Jane,"
• "Cum on Feel the Noize,"
• "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me,"
• "Merry Xmas Everybody" (which has re-entered the charts several times since)

Slade's attempts at cracking the American market were largely unsuccessful, although a cover of the single "Cum on Feel the Noize," by Metal group Quiet Riot was a smash hit in America in 1983.

The bands albums "Slade Alive" and "Slayed" are considered by many to be some of the best of the Glam Rock era.

With the advent of punk in the late 1970s Slade's music became unfashionable and their hits largely dried up. Although Slade had another UK top 10 hit in 1984 with the single "Run Run Away". The band kept making music until 1990 when they officialy split up.

External Links

• Slade fans' website (http://www.slade-weerallcrazee.co.uk/)