Thank You for this...loved it! Made my week so much better.The coolest parts for me were when you described the shoes...that really takes me back. I was heavily into T-Rex and Marc Bolan at the time; always trying to dress like him...it made me so happy even though I looked ridiculous! I couldn't pull off his coolness,but I loved dressing like him...
Thanks so much, Sandra, I’m pleased you enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun writing it. It’s strange, I don’t think there is any photographic evidence of my terrible shoes. And I bet you did look cool.
My second gig, a few days after Bowie’s Ziggy, was Slade supported by SAHB. All I recall is Born To Be Wild and Dave’s bacofoil.
I also wish I had photographic evidence of my 26” Brutus high-waisters which I made sure my dad never saw me in, thankfully my mum was a willing accomplice in that
exhausting deception.
How smart they were in mis-spelling the hits. Our English teacher, Mr Peters, was apoplectic.
A very enjoyable read. Noddy lives quite near me and I often see him out and about. He strikes me as a very down to earth guy with a love of colourful clothes still.
Loved the Slade write up even though I was firmly in the Marc Bolan/T.Rex camp back and admitting liking Slade too at the time would have been heresy.. All my mates loved Slade/Bolan/Bowie (via Bowie I got into Iggy/Lou Reed and the NY Dolls my ultimate faves). My pal Grimmy saw Slade in Isle Of man in early 70s.. We both saw T.Rex in Douglas in 75 and Marc Bolan gave me a T.Rex songbook. I went home and learned the guitar and a year later we formed what became the first punk combo in Belfast (RUDI). Grimmy was on bass and we sang Get Down And Get With It when we started and were doing covers. All the best punk bands had been glam fans..saw Slade at Music machine when we lived in London 78 and they tore the place apart. I've never seen a band work the audience better (not even the Clash). Saw them again at Wembley at the end of 78 but it was a dumb festival with mods there to see the jam, punks to see Gen X and skins to see Slade. I loved all 3 bands (and the Pirates who were on far too early). Slade were a but subdued, Gen x were awful live and the Jam fast, vicious and furious as the night was plagued with violence and a stabbing. (we ended up touring with the Jam and releasing records on the Jamming! label in later years). Anyways your Slade piece brought back so many memories tho I always hated platform boots and shoes..and I dressed in cheap creepers, sawn off skinners, wrangler coat and crombie..right up until punk hit.. Slade in Flame is a really great film..but like T.Rex they blew it trying to crack the USA and I don't like their heavy metal rock phase at all. I did love Born to Boogie (my best mate and I recorded it on a smuggled in cassette recorder and also got caught by the cops trying to steal the poster from outside the cinema)My fave though would be That'll be the Day and first half of Stardust..but then I'm an aging greaser now..it's still the most true to life film about actually being in a band back then..Slade never do get the respect they deserve tho..(Bowie made far more far worse records...everything after Diamond Dogs!)
Thank You for this...loved it! Made my week so much better.The coolest parts for me were when you described the shoes...that really takes me back. I was heavily into T-Rex and Marc Bolan at the time; always trying to dress like him...it made me so happy even though I looked ridiculous! I couldn't pull off his coolness,but I loved dressing like him...
Thanks so much, Sandra, I’m pleased you enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun writing it. It’s strange, I don’t think there is any photographic evidence of my terrible shoes. And I bet you did look cool.
Awww...thanks. I would have loved to see your shoes...probably very cool and not terrible at all!
No - mine were very terrible!
If there was a British rock'n'roll record coming out of the early seventies with more sheer primeval power to it than SLAYED? I've yet to hear it.
It’s a great record. And a great sleeve.
I live a few doors down from Leith Theatre. It always amazes me to see the calibre of band that played there in the early 70s.
is that the same as the Citadel? I know it was closed for a while.
Yes it is. It reopened a few years ago - it occasionally hosts gigs during the festival but nothing regular.
I think I went to a wedding there in the late 1980s. It felt a bit unloved. It’s good they reopened it.
My second gig, a few days after Bowie’s Ziggy, was Slade supported by SAHB. All I recall is Born To Be Wild and Dave’s bacofoil.
I also wish I had photographic evidence of my 26” Brutus high-waisters which I made sure my dad never saw me in, thankfully my mum was a willing accomplice in that
exhausting deception.
How smart they were in mis-spelling the hits. Our English teacher, Mr Peters, was apoplectic.
Great piece!
I’ll call you when I set up the Brutus Hi-Waisters Survivors’ Group.
A very enjoyable read. Noddy lives quite near me and I often see him out and about. He strikes me as a very down to earth guy with a love of colourful clothes still.
I loved the part about the shoes.
Thanks, Margaret. It was a treacherous time for footwear.
I do remember both Fab 208 (which I had a subscription to) and Disco 45. I still have an old Disco 45 somewhere. I'll have to dig it out.
Disco 45 was great! How else could you discover the lyrics (in an age of poor diction)?
Many thanks, takes me back to all those (misspelt) singles, TOTP and my first concert - Slade at the NME awards in 1973. Great memories!
Thanks, Bill - you struck lucky for your first concert!
Loved the Slade write up even though I was firmly in the Marc Bolan/T.Rex camp back and admitting liking Slade too at the time would have been heresy.. All my mates loved Slade/Bolan/Bowie (via Bowie I got into Iggy/Lou Reed and the NY Dolls my ultimate faves). My pal Grimmy saw Slade in Isle Of man in early 70s.. We both saw T.Rex in Douglas in 75 and Marc Bolan gave me a T.Rex songbook. I went home and learned the guitar and a year later we formed what became the first punk combo in Belfast (RUDI). Grimmy was on bass and we sang Get Down And Get With It when we started and were doing covers. All the best punk bands had been glam fans..saw Slade at Music machine when we lived in London 78 and they tore the place apart. I've never seen a band work the audience better (not even the Clash). Saw them again at Wembley at the end of 78 but it was a dumb festival with mods there to see the jam, punks to see Gen X and skins to see Slade. I loved all 3 bands (and the Pirates who were on far too early). Slade were a but subdued, Gen x were awful live and the Jam fast, vicious and furious as the night was plagued with violence and a stabbing. (we ended up touring with the Jam and releasing records on the Jamming! label in later years). Anyways your Slade piece brought back so many memories tho I always hated platform boots and shoes..and I dressed in cheap creepers, sawn off skinners, wrangler coat and crombie..right up until punk hit.. Slade in Flame is a really great film..but like T.Rex they blew it trying to crack the USA and I don't like their heavy metal rock phase at all. I did love Born to Boogie (my best mate and I recorded it on a smuggled in cassette recorder and also got caught by the cops trying to steal the poster from outside the cinema)My fave though would be That'll be the Day and first half of Stardust..but then I'm an aging greaser now..it's still the most true to life film about actually being in a band back then..Slade never do get the respect they deserve tho..(Bowie made far more far worse records...everything after Diamond Dogs!)
great memories! thanks for sharing. I’ll have to fight you about Bowie. (I’m a Berlin man myself).