The latest in BMG’s lovely series of Slade reissues sees 1976’s Nobody’s Fools and 1983’s The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome released in deluxe CD format or limited edition LP pressed on gorgeous splatter vinyl. The CD editions feature media book packaging, extra tracks and detailed liner notes. In contrast, the focus of the LP versions is on recreating the packaging of the original releases, while providing a gorgeous new pressing on a limited-edition coloured format. Our review details the LP versions, but you can find the track listing for the CD editions below.
Nobody’s Fools (1976)
Slade’s Sixth album, Nobody’s Fools had an uneasy ride with the public upon arrival, as both band and producer Chris Chandler were keen to crack America. As a result, the hard rock of the earlier albums was dropped in favour of a soul-infused sound that added female backing vocals (Tasha Thomas) to the mix. Fans were none too pleased, and the album tickled the charts only briefly, before dropping from view. Nevertheless, it remains a band favourite and this reissue, on clear red splatter vinyl, provides the perfect opportunity for revisiting an album that has plenty of points of interest, even if it doesn’t quite match the quality of the band’s earlier output.
Side one opens with the piano led Nobody’s Fool and you can kind of see why the public took against it. It’s not a bad song by any stretch of the imagination, but it is quite a left turn, with its harmonised leads and breezy, transatlantic vibe. As such, you can understand fans, especially in that pre-internet era, feeling somewhat sandbagged. Things liven up with the salacious Do the Dirty, a sleazy rocker with a hotwired riff and a gritty vocal. Bluesy and with a hell of a groove, it gets the toes tapping, the band proving surprisingly adept at aping the funk-infused hard rock with which bands like Aerosmith were burning up the charts. In contrast, Let’s Call It Quits is a surprisingly straightforward boogie with a heavy Beatles vibe that is strangely irresistible. Unfortunately, this is less true for the rather whimsical Pack Up Your Troubles, which is just a little bit too country-fried for its own good. It’s a decent enough pastiche, but for those longing for something with a little more grit, it feels like a step too far in the opposite direction. The side concludes with another Beatles-y number, the rambling In For A Penny, which has a decent lead vocal and a compelling melody.
Side two opens with one of the rockiest numbers, Get on Up, a welcome shot of adrenaline to get things going. Something of an unsung gem, the nimble riffing of L.A. Jinx probably captures the whole US sound more effectively than anything on side A, and it packs a particularly memorable melody as well, recalling Bowie’s “plastic soul” period of the previous year. Sadly, the band can’t quite stay the course and Did Your mama Ever Tell Ya, for all that it’s irritatingly catchy, is really not a terribly good song. They claw things back, however, with the satisfyingly chunky Scratch My Back – a hard rocker with a funky strut, great backing vocals and a juicy lead to top it all off.Next up, the soulful I’m A Talker is a fairly shameless candidate for a single, with its singalong aspirations, although credit is due for the excellent backing vocals. It leaves All The World Is A Stage to close out a rather uneven side and a rather uneven record on a strangely filmic note. Feeling rather like it should round out a movie from the period (possibly freeze-framed on a leaping lead character), it’s an oddly effective ending, seemingly in spite of the array of instruments the band throw at the mix.
Nobody’s Fools is an interesting album. Nowhere near as bad as some would have you believe, it has some absolutely cracking moments, although there are at least a couple of tracks that just don’t work terribly well, especially Did Your Mama Ever Tell Ya, which almost derails the second side. While it demonstrates the band’s gameness to give anything a try (and an effective gift for pastiche), it all just feels a touch too incoherent, and you can’t help but feel that a tighter focus on the album as a whole would have paid dividends here. Nevertheless, while it has its share of lows, there are some real high points here and it is certainly worth a place in any Slade fan’s collection. 6.5/10
Fancy some bonus fooling? Pick up the deluxe CD reissue instead:
Nobody’s Fools CD track list:
1. Nobody’s Fool
2. Do The Dirty
3. Let’s Call It Quits
4. Pack Up Your Troubles
5. In For A Penny
6. Get On Up
7. L.A. Jinx
8. Did Ya Mama Ever Tell Ya
9. Scratch My Back
10. I’m A Talker
11. All The World Is A Stage
Bonus material:
12. Thanks For The Memory (Wham Bam Thank You Mam)
13. Raining In My Champagne
14. Can You Just Imagine
15. When The Chips Are Down
16. Nobody’s Fool (USA 7″ Edit Version)
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