Who were the members of Slade?
My article about a trip down memory lane with Slade received lots of Twitter momentum so I obviously touched reminiscent nerve.
I went in search of another slice of Slade and found these beermat designs (which were done for a Sladefest) created by David Parkins and Carl Flint. I think the graphics and the poems hit the nail on the head!
If you want more Slade, click the link below to view “The Big Interview with Noddy Holder”:
They were spotted by former Animals bassist Chas Chandler, the man who brought Jimi Hendrix to England. He wanted them to change their image and it was decided they should go for a skinhead look – a bold move at a time when everyone else was growing their hair. “We’ve always been a colourful band, especially me and Dave, and we took the skinhead thing and coloured it up. So instead of Doc Martens we started wearing colourful platform shoes.”
As well as changing their image they changed their name to Slade, just as glam rock was taking off. The band’s rise was steady rather than spectacular but their big breakthrough came with Coz I Luv You, which topped the charts in November, 1971. “That was a big rung up the ladder for us because not only did we have our first hit record, we had our first number one hit.”
I never really liked them very much when I was a teenager but now I feel quite nostalgic when I hear their songs.
What a fascinating bit of rock history! I never knew the story behind the band’s image change.
It was such a bold and brilliant move to go with a skinhead look when everyone else was doing the opposite. And the fact that they “coloured it up” with those colourful platform shoes is pure genius—it totally captures that early glam rock spirit.
Thanks for sharing the story of their big breakthrough with “Coz I Luv You.” This was a great read!