Slade: all about the glam rock legend

If we talk about bright styles in music, then glam rock should be called among the first: something loud, artistic and brilliant (literally, because the second name of the genre is glitter rock).

The heyday of glam rock came in the 70s of the last century, but even now it continues to interest music lovers, because among the stars of glam rock were David Bowie and the T-Rex band and our today's guest Slade.

Slade is one of the most "brilliant" names of the genre, the group has a lot of bright hits, so I want to get acquainted with its history in a little more detail.

How it all began

According to the law of the time of the "British invasion", everything began in England. At a time when the stages of the world belonged to The Beatles, the Beach Boys and Elvis Presley, the music world began to slowly starve due to the lack of something "new".

It was during this period that Jim Lee, Don Powell and Dave Hill performed in clubs and restaurants. They also felt the need for something bright and new. And during one performance, they met with the group The Vendors.

The group made a splash, exciting both the audience and young musicians. It was not only the game, but also the incredible show that the members of The Vendors staged on stage, but the fateful moment turned out to be the moment when the lead singer of the group, Noddy Holder, appeared ... from the coffin. In the truest sense of the word. It was his new way to appear on stage.

Jim, Don and Dave realized that they had to get this guy by all means. And they succeeded, they lured the red-haired soloist to them and formed a new team, which they called N'Betweens.

At first, they did not pay due attention. The band's first single "You Better Run" just passed by and faded into time. But this is unlikely to stop anyone, because there were new changes ahead.

For starters, it was decided to capture London. The capital of the reticent English, satiated with songs about beauty and love, was not against accepting something more acute and topical, for example, to see the "frills" of four musicians who protest and play the role of bad guys on stage. Their songs contained slang and the topic of pressing social issues. And the audience liked it, although it was not yet a real success, he was waiting for the four ahead.

The band changed their name to Ambrose Slade, went on tour to Spain and Germany and released their first album "Beginnings", which mostly contained covers, but the covers are very solid, with interesting vocals and violin.

During one of the performances, the group was noticed by show business guru, former member of The Animals Chas Chandler. He immediately saw the talent and decided to take patronage over this bunch of indefatigable hooligan energy called Ambrose Slade. And from that moment begins the real story of their success.

Meet Slade!

To begin with, Ches slightly changed the image of the group members: he gave them leather jackets, high boots, down with hair, the group name became shorter: just Slade ... This style was suitable for performing at the Rasputin club, which had a scandalous reputation in the city.

The performances were a resounding success, but the fact was that the musicians themselves were very fond of their “clown” image: what about plaid trousers, long hair and hats with mirrors ?! Chandler relented, the guys were allowed to return to their favorite image.

They then released their second album Play It Loud. Although the album itself did not attract much attention, it was in it that such famous songs of the group as "Wild Winds Are Blowing" and "The Shape Of Things To Come" appeared.

After two more singles come out, and Slade's style is already clearly heard here: the lyrics with intentional violation of the spelling rules and again the unique violin of Jim Lee! The single "Coz I Luv You" reached the top of the charts, and Paul McCartney himself began to speak well of the group, calling Slade significant representatives of the world of rock music.

The beginning of the seventies was the period of the real heyday of the glory of Slade. 17 singles in a row became hits. The record at that moment was held by The Beatles - 22 hits in a row. In 1972, two albums were released: "Slayed" and "Slade Alive", in the 73rd - "Sladest" and "Old New Borrowed and Blue" in the 74th. Moreover, the song from the last album “Everyday” is still considered the best rock ballad in history to this day. In the same year, a film with members of a group dedicated to the history of Slade was released.

Ups and downs

But then everything was not so smooth. To begin with, the group went on a long tour of the United States, and returned to a completely different England: glam rock was no longer popular, now everyone was listening to punk rock and heavy metal, and Slade was almost forgotten. The band's live performances were still very successful, but the albums were no longer popular.

Slade had to adapt to the changing world of music. And they succeeded. Clowning and tomfoolery are a thing of the past. In their place came heavy metal, the deep meaning of the songs and hidden nostalgia for bygone times. All this is in their albums "The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome", "Rogyes Gallery" and "The Boyz Make Big Noizt". The greatest success of that period can be called the album "Nobody's Fools", the title of which reflects, perhaps, the feelings of the band members: "Nobody's Fools".

However, even after the group broke up, she was not forgotten. Slade hits are popular today, and its members are one of the main stars of glam rock.