Slade Albums (21)
'Alive, Vol. 2'
Release Date 7/20/2004
Tracks 10
Label Polygram International
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What The Critics Say
Slade were deep into their dark ages by the time Alive, Vol. 2 was released: it was 1978, and they'd not enjoyed a major hit in over two years. Neither was this oddly depressing album going to change that. Although one cannot complain about a track listing that marries older hits with more recent efforts -- proof that they'd not yet descended to cabaret status -- still there is something unseemly about hearing the likes of "Tak' Me Bak 'Ome," "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" and "Gudbuy T'Jane" having to rub shoulders with "My Baby Left Me" and "One Eyed Jacks."Of course the performance is as powerful as you could hope. Slade might have lost their edge, but they never forgot how to rock. But compare this set with its six-year-old predecessor and, no matter that Vol. 2 packs five times the hit singles, it's Slade Alive! that you'll be returning to when it comes to getting down and getting with it. The time to release a second Slade live album was during 1973-1974, when they and their audience were at the peak of their game. Here, even the crowd sounds dispirited. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
'You Boyz Make Big Noize'
Release Date 10/19/1993
Tracks 12
Label Castle
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What The Critics Say
Slade gets the shaft. Maybe because of jealousy (like Hugh Hefner) or who knows why, these British boyz are nuked by the mainstream, metalheads, critics, and America. Well, I'm proclaiming my allegiance and membership as a Slademanian because slabs by Slade constantly deliver the goods. In 1987, the quartet still gives great noize 20-odd years after forming as the 'N Betweens. Every track here stomps out a variation on the Slade theme of "Sing Shout (Knock Yourself Out)." Take raging opener "Love Is Like a Rock," which didn't fair any better commercially for the boyz than the tune did for awesome originators Donnie Iris and the Cruisers; this class cut remains an ace way to kick off the album because "Love" is, like, so Slade in the first place (they should have spelled the title wrong on the sleeve). Slade's headiest daze long gone, the band amazingly squeezes out sparks like "Still the Same" (not Bob Segar's pap, Slade wrote the rest of the record.): always tunefully tight, but loose enough to sing in the pub. "Fools Go Crazy" evokes some longing but still burns. And Slade's never afraid to ask you to rock along (just don't break Noddy's heart). "Ooh La La in L.A." is, naturally, another anthemic and trashy barnstormer. "Roaring Silence" swipes its opening from Simple Minds, but who cares. Face facts, AC/DC stole Slade's shtick all those years ago and now can't write its way out of a six pack, while these crazee boyz are still having fun slinging crisp chops and heavy hooks. Kudos. That's what Slade is for. ~ Doug Stone, All Music Guide
'Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply'
Release Date 10/25/1990
Tracks 10
Label Sony
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What The Critics Say
An early-'80s album that managed to climb into the Top 40, thanks to the success of Quiet Riot's versions of "Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now." On Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply, Slade shows that they are still the masters of loud, trashy hard rock. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome'
Release Date 1/1/1983
Tracks 14
Label RCA
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What The Critics Say
Believe it or not, Slade on Stage is the most intense recording Slade has ever made. That's heavy. This live album, recorded circa Till Deaf Do Us Part, shows the band playing faster, harder, and better than ever. Slade on Stage contains five of the band's new songs and four of their classic hits, along with an audience singalong to end the show. The first three songs set the stage. Slade comes out of the gate so fast with "Rock and Roll Preacher," "When I'm Dancin'," and "Take Me Bak Ome" that if they didn't follow those three up with a ballad, you'd almost have to take the record off. It's that intense. During "Preacher," Noddy Holder leads the crowd when the music quiets down, "I see the light -- GLORY HALLELUJAH, baby I'm on fire!" And the band explodes with wailing guitar and lead bass that sounds like licks by Ron Asheton of the Stooges -- when he's playing guitar! "Take Me Bak Ome" is simply pummeling, as drummer Don Powell pounds the skins like a madman. Check that -- a madman wouldn't be able to create and maintain a pocket like this. "Everyday," the ballad that hit number two in 1974, follows and gives the listener a chance to catch a breath. The boys ratchet it up again with "Lock Up Your Daughters" and the perfect audience participation number, "We'll Bring the House Down." "A Night to Remember" is next and includes Jim Lea's solo spot where he plays "Purple Haze" on the bass and then drives the crowd into a frenzy with his fiddle playing. The race to the finish line includes "Gudbuy T' Jane" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now." Once again, faster and tighter than you've ever heard 'em. Anyone who saw Slade during this era would tell you -- it was heart-stopping good, and heartbeat-regulating loud. This is the tightest, hardest, and best you will ever hear Slade (or just about any other hard rock band) play. The material is the cream of the crop (minus "Cum on Feel the Noise," which at this point Slade happily considered a Quiet Riot song), and the recording is a killer. This album's only downside is that it only has nine real songs. But judging the platter by what's on there rather than what's not -- it's a monster. ~ Geoff Ginsberg, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Till Deaf Do Us Part is Slade's hardest-rocking album ever. Their playing is at its fiercest and the material totally kicks ass. While this was not quite the commercial success the band was hoping for, it didn't kill their momentum by any means. They were now packing halls again instead of playing to half-empty small clubs. The disc includes three songs that would be played live at every gig the band did from this LP's release until they stopped playing out. The opener, "Rock and Roll Preacher," features Noddy Holder praying at the altar of rock & roll. This number is so blistering, one wonders just how heavy these guys can get. Answer: very. "Lock Up Your Daughters" is as catchy as it gets and maintains the furious instrumental pace of the record. "Daughters" is a perfect example of how far the band had come. It retains the almost bubblegum sound of the earlier singles, while the heavy production style gives it a bit more of a hard-rocking edge. The wonderfully Slade-esque "Ruby Red," which failed as a single, makes a good album track, and "A Night to Remember" is definitely a song to remember, as it ups the intensity ante. Also included is the hysterical "That Was No Lady That Was My Wife" and a rare song written by Dave Hill, an innocuous little instrumental called "M'Hat, M'Coat." This is noteworthy, since from the earliest days of the band all the originals were by Jim Lea and Holder. This LP shows a band with renewed enthusiasm and confidence. And by the way, the original album cover (drawing of an ear with a bent nail in it) is way cooler than the CD cover (band shot in flames). Recommended for rockers. ~ Geoff Ginsberg, All Music Guide
'We'll Bring the House Down'
Release Date 1/1/1981
Tracks 11
Label Cheapskate
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What The Critics Say
We'll Bring the House Down marks the beginning of a four-album resurgence for Slade. Released on the heels of their most triumphant moment as a band, the 1980 Reading Festival (see Slade Alive at Reading '80 EP for more on that), Slade made a powerful statement with We'll Bring the House Down: "We're back." What the band did was to take the best five songs from the previous platter, Return to Base (no one had heard that album anyway, they correctly figured), and mix them in with great new material for a killer album that wouldn't take forever to make. Simple logic will tell you that when you get rid of the worst songs and replace them with great songs, the album's gonna be a lot better. Such is the case here. The title track is automatic. One listen and you'll be chanting along, just as Slade audiences did ever since the band started playing the song. An absolute must-hear. Also, "Dizzy Mama" (riff-wise a ZZ Top "Tush" soundalike) was the Reading show-opener, and it grabbed that crowd by the throat even thought the audience had never heard it. And "When I'm Dancin' I Ain't Fightin" is pure classic Slade. This is just the type of song that made people go crazy over this band in the first place, and it stacks up to their chart-topping singles. This was the beginning of a slow build back up the British charts. We'll Bring the House Down didn't go too far, but it set the stage. Slade was back, making records people wanted to hear. The long cold winter was over. ~ Geoff Ginsberg, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Return to Base marks Slade's low ebb in terms of popularity and morale. The band's future prospects looked grim, at best, and this album did nothing to change that. Having said that, Return To Base is not half bad. It contains about five classic Slade numbers, and several throwaways. Still on Barn Records, where the band had floundered over the preceding couple of years, Return to Base attracted so little attention the band could've played naked in the middle of Piccadilly Circus and not been noticed. Nevertheless, songs like the opener, "Wheels Ain't Coming Down," and "Nuts Bolts and Screws," stand up with the band's best work, and that is saying a lot. Both songs are infectious to the degree that humming them could become a chronic problem. Similarly, the version of Chuck Berry's "I'm a Rocker" is catchy as all get out. The sound of this record harkens back to the hit single sound, a bit less overdriven and heavy, and a bit more hook-filled and light. Acoustic guitars even appear at times. Sure there are some subpar tunes on here, but the bonus tracks help make up for that. In particular, "Two Track Stereo, One Track Mind" (originally a B-side of the "My Oh My" 12" single) is unquestionably one of those Slade songs that just rocks like there's no tomorrow. Certainly not a high point for the band, but they kept on keepin' on, no matter how bad things got. Secure in the knowledge that practically no one had ever heard the thing, Slade eventually redid the record as We'll Bring the House Down, a fully realized project. ~ Geoff Ginsberg, All Music Guide
