“There were several reasons for Slade’s success,” the band’s guitarist and fabled ‘Superyob’ Dave Hill informs us in a Black Country accent thick as treacle. “Most importantly, we had great songs. But the whole country recognised us as four workingclass guys who’d got glammed-up, stuck their fists in the air and were telling everyone to have a good time. We were no-nonsense. We didn’t take ourselves seriously, and we were proud to be British. People could relate to that, whether you were a granny, a teenager or a three-year-old. And we had a violin. Until then there were no rock records with violin.”
Fronted by the foghorn-voiced Noddy Holder, always resplendent in ever-changing outfits that included a top hat bedecked with mirrors, between 1971 and 1976, Slade notched up 17 consecutive UK Top 20 hits of which six — including Cum On Feel The Noize, Mama Weer All Crazee Now and Take Me Bak ’Ome — reached No.1.
Here we speak to all four original members to get the band’s full roller-coaster story — their journey to the top and back… twice — told in their own words.
Dave Hill: I first met Noddy on a ferry heading to Germany in 1965. He was with his band Steve Brett & The Mavericks, and Don [Powell, drums] and I were with the ’N Betweens. We asked then if Nod wanted to join the ’N Betweens and he said no.
Noddy Holder: I was earning good money with the Mavericks. We were doing R&B, soul and Chuck Berry and Little Richardtype songs. The ’N Betweens were about blues and very little else.
Don and I wanted to form a band that was more like The Beatles. At the auditions this very young lad arrived carrying a Paul McCartney bass. He looked about fifteen years old. He said his name was
