Here we have a pair of new vinyl pressings from BMG, capturing British rock titans Slade at the peak of their not inconsiderable fame. Reproducing the original artwork and adding limited edition splatter variants to entice fans (red and black for Alive, yellow and red for In Flame), these new editions are perfect for any fan of the band who missed out the first-time round, or who has worn their originals down to a crackly platter from overuse. They certainly sound the part, with both discs crackle free and rock solid, although it remains a shame that a sheet of contextual liner notes aren’t included, as these can really add depth for the newcomer. Nevertheless, Slade fully deserve the loving care that BMG have put into these reissues, and it’s a pleasure to listen to the albums exactly as they were originally intended, when the band were still a bunch of upstarts looking to rock their audience’s world.
Alive – March 1972
Released a few months before breakthrough studio album Slayed? appeared to knock it down the charts, Alive was both successful and influential, encouraging the nascent Kiss to similarly title their own debut live offering. Looking at the album with a modern mindset, it is perhaps unusual that covers predominate – only thee Slade originals made the cut – but Slade had cut their teeth playing a mix of amped up covers and original material and the masterplan was to build on the attention gained by the single Get Down and Get With It, releasing a more genuine reflection of the band’s raucous stage sound than they’d yet managed with a studio recording. The band’s instincts paid off, with contemporary and modern press heralding it as a milestone in the band’s career. It also hit the charts with more force than any previous offering, paving the way for Slayed? to really hit the ground running.
Taking just a moment to really appreciate the red/black splatter pattern of the vinyl, drop the needle on side one to hear the band open with Hear Me Calling, a cover of respected blues rockers Ten Years After. Originally planned as a single, Slade apparently felt they couldn’t better it in the studio. On stage, however, it was a different matter, and it leads the way into the album nicely, with its deftly delivered vocal harmonies and taut rhythm. It’s a slow-building track, which, by the time of its conclusion, has gathered quite the head of steam and it’s easy to imagine the explosive reaction of an audience faced with such a display. A brief snippet of strangely understated banter paves the way for In Like a Shot From My Gun, a previously unrecorded Slade original, delivered on stage with such fervour that it was destined never to be recorded in the studio. With the crowd roaring their approval, Slade offer up a slower piece in the form of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s Darling Be Home Soon. A laid-back track, delivered with admirable restraint (drunken burp notwithstanding), it’s another piece that slowly builds towards a Zeppelin-esque climax, reminding the listener just how solid a vocalist Noddy Holder truly is. Another Slade original rears its thuggish head to round out the first side. Originally featured on the aptly titled Play It Loud, Know Who You Are is a bristling blues cut with power to spare and some truly explosive riffing.
The second side opens with a blistering take on Keep On Rocking, a hard hitting blues rocker that undoubtedly had the venue heaving. From Noddy’s throat-ripping vocal to Dave Hill’s searing lead runs, it’s the sound of a band in thrall to Chuck Berry, and it flat out rocks. Already a hit, Bobby Marchan’s Get Down and Get With It is delivered with such fire, you can feel the heat at the distance of some fifty years. It’s an epic rendering that leaves the audience baying for more. The Album concludes with an epic rendition of Steppenwolf’s Born To Be Wild (already tackled by Slade on Beginnings), and it’s a monster take on a well-worn song. The band are clearly having a blast, the audience likewise, and the track extends beautifully into a mammoth, eight-minute jam that descends into a sonic scree, only to haul itself to its feet for one last reprise of that classic chorus. It’s one hell of an ending and it’s hard to imagine anyone leaving the venue unfulfilled.
Alive! Is the sound of a band utterly in command of their audience and, if the set lacks original numbers, Slade are self-possessed enough to ensure that each of the covers is fully imbued with their own unique personality. A blistering live set, it sidesteps the limitations of the studio circa 1972 and delivers a primal thrashing that still sounds remarkable today. 9/10
In Flame – November 1974
Still riding high after the run of successful albums kicked off with Alive, Slade attempted to bridge the gap between music and film, charting the rise and fall of a fictional band, Flame, in the mid-sixties. The concept appealed to the band, as it encouraged them to break out of their usual formula, and they opted for a more sixties feel in keeping with the story unfolding on screen. This proved to be both a blessing and a curse for, while the album represented an artistic step forward for the band, it wasn’t necessarily what their audience wanted at the time (the fact that the film itself was a somewhat gritty affair did not help matters) and it was only later that both film and soundtrack would fully gain the recognition they deserved.
With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to see how the gorgeous, Beatles-esque melodies of album opener How Does It Feel might have wrong-footed listeners. A heady, psychedelic gem which pitches Noddy’s naked voice against a simple piano backdrop, it taps into the same vein of inspiration that informed Sgt. Pepper, the band comfortably employing a loose groove when they finally join the fray, but it’s very different to much of what went before. A shorter track, with a thunderous drum intro, Them Kinda Monkeys Can’t Swing is much more in the typical Slade mould, a hotwired slide guitar riff and powerhouse performance from Noddy giving the track plenty of grit. The band slip into pop territory with the unspeakably catchy So Far So Good, which has a ramshackle charm and a Bowie strut. Marginally less successful is Summer Song (Wishing You Were Here), largely because the sympathetic melodies are pretty much bludgeoned by the band, although it takes a hard heart not to get caught up in the singalong chorus. The first side concludes with another glam rock stomper in the form of O.K. Yesterday Was yesterday, all red-hot slide and battering ram rhythms. It’s a strong side closer and it combines power and pop nous more effectively than its predecessor.
Opening side two, the breezy Far Far Away makes good use of acoustic guitar and a lightly processed vocal to once again evoke the sixties vibe of the opening track. Next up, the Dr Feelgood strut of This Girl is a funky highlight which, with its horns and salacious vocal, is a tasty mix of hard rock and music hall delivery. Hard rock is very much the order of the day on Lay It Down, a swaggering track that makes you wonder if a young AC/DC weren’t taking notes. In a similar vein, but with a calmer backdrop that allows more space for the solos, Heaven Knows is a solid track, but it’s soon eclipsed by the rug-twisting, horn-abusing hard blues of Standing On The Corner, arguably the best track on the album and a real toe tapper. It certainly sees the album out on a high, band and audience having a blast as one. 8/10
Conclusion
Both Alive and Flame show Slade in the best possible light. With no dodgy bonus cuts cluttering up the package, these vinyl reissues allow listeners to appreciate the unadorned albums in high quality and on beautiful, coloured vinyl. In terms of truly hearing the band in their pomp, Alive must surely take the lead thanks to the band’s ferociously spiky performance, but both records boast strong song selections and are more than worth exploring.
