Flame, Fools and B-Sides

The first SLADE Day of 2007 dawned grey, gloomy and damp. But who gives a stuff? It's SLADE Day and more re-mastered re-issues are available! And, of course, this will be even more interesting since I haven't played any of my old SLADE CDs (and they're not on iPod) since I first heard they were all being re-issued, so I'm hearing them afresh in re-mastered form.

The obligatory trip to HMV took place, like a pilgrimage, first to the new release shelves and there they are, all three CDs. Then over to inspect the SLADE rack to make sure they're there and then to the re-issues display and once again, HMV have done the lads proud. Now, they just need to sell in droves. I clearly wasn't the first one to buy them today since a number were already missing - that's a good thing.

First on the digital turntable was 'SLADE in Flame', the soudtrack to their 1974 film. No bonus tracks on this CD, just re-mastered beauty. There are some nice photos from the film in the booklet and a large photo in the disc tray of Nod in his 'Stoker'/vampire get-up from early on in the film before he joined Flame.

The album opens with the majesty of 'How Does It Feel?' and its nice, crisp sound before descending into the rock mayhem of 'Them Kinda Monkeys Can't Swing' with Dave's mad slide guitar work and the pop of 'So Far So Good'. Excellent sound on all of them and throughout the album. It's great to hear it all the way through for the first time in what seems like ages - some tracks are on 'The SLADE Box' so have already been enjoyed in re-mastered form, but it's different to hear the album all the way through. One thing that jumps out at me is the use of horns on a number of the songs, something new for SLADE, and they all sound so clear on the different tracks. It makes for an interesting mix of the guitar-base of the songs overlaid by horns.

Highlights for me are 'How Does It Feel?', 'Them Kinda Monkeys Can't Swing', 'Far Far Away', 'Lay It Down' and 'Standin' On The Corner'. 'Lay It Down' is an excellent track that came as a complete surprise when the echo-y vocal and psychedelic drumming kicked in, and this was exactly the feeling I'd hoped for by deliberately not listening to the albums.

Big tick for 'SLADE in Flame', now I just need the DVD to be re-issued (I think that happens at Easter).

Next up is 'Nobody's Fools', an album only SLADE fans have probably heard of (it didn't do too well in the chart). It was after the glory years, recorded while they were based in America and it sounds it, lots of different styles, trans-atlantic and even has girl backing singers (a first for SLADE). It has four bonus tracks, non-album singles and 'b' sides from the same period, the best of which are already on 'The SLADE Box'.

I've never really known what to think of 'Nobody's Fools', a sort of inbetweeny album, after the glory years but before they resurrected their hard rock style, trying a bit of funk and almost stadium rock in places. The cover photo of them with red noses probably confuses me a bit as well. It has some killer tracks on it such as 'Do The Dirty' and 'Get On Up' and I've always loved 'All The World's A Stage', their most psychedelic track. I always wondered whether this was meant to be their 'Revolver', lots of things going on musically throughout the album and ending with the most psychedelic sweet in the bag. Unfortunately for SLADE, punk happened and, to mark their arrival, they returned with the hard rock of 'Whatever Happened To SLADE'.

The third re-issue is 'B-Sides', a 40 track double CD of the b-sides from 1969-1991. If nothing else, this album reminds you what a versatile band SLADE were, being more experimental on the 'b' sides of their singles. The first disc contains the 'b' sides from the early-mid '70s, most of which have already been released on the re-issued albums to date but two tracks were totally new to me - 'C'mon C'mon' from 1970 and 'Forest Full of Needles' from 1977. The booklet includes a short paragraph of each of the tracks and I like the final sentence describing 'Don't Blame Me' which states,' ...Holder's voice sounds less like a tool of singing and more like a weapon of mass destruction.' The song is from, 'Old, New, Borrowed and Blue' and Nod's voice is totally over the top - mad, wild and heavy artillery.

The second disc has songs I've never heard before, songs from singles I never knew as singles in the late '70s and the '80s and I feel such a traitor for not knowing them. Some are from the albums, of course. On the other hand, all the better to enjoy them now. I particularly enjoy the inside photo of SLADE growing out their skinhead look and Noddy in a flat cap.

Favourites so far include 'It's Alright Buy Me', a magnificent, relentless driving song I first heard on 'The SLADE Box', SLADE at their best, 'Funk Punk And Junk' which has it all thrown in, 'Mama Nature Is A Rocker', the swing version of 'My Oh My' (a daft thing I wish I'd seen them do live), the hard-rock wall-of-sound of 'Wild Wild Party' and 'Red Hot' credited as the last SLADE song as the 'b' side to 'Universe'.

All in all, a very favourable day. Familiar tracks to be delighted by in their new re-mastered versions and a lot of new tracks to learn to appreciate. Go on, I dare you, try one of the new CDs... you won't be disappointed!