Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1984: Slade- Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply

 

Throughout the later half of the 1970s, Slade had been trying to break into the American music market but with little success. Back then, I heard the name but nothing more. However, in 1983, Quiet Riot covered their 1973 hit "Cum On Feel the Noise." Once Americans realized that the song had been originally written and recorded by Slade, a curiosity about the band arose and people began to check them out. Honest, it was on my to do list but I didn't get around to it. That was until radio played the single, "My Oh My" from the 1984 "Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply" and then MTV played the video for "Run Run Away" quite a lot. Therefore, I had no other choice than to investigate Slade. It would be this album first. That led me to listen to them more and is why I site them as an 'honourable mention' in my series of "Other Great Metal Influences."

The big question back in 1984 was should Slade be considered heavy metal? Of course, the trendies thought anything with a fuzzy guitar was heavy metal and some of the more self proclaimed hard core metalheads claimed the opposite citing the fact that Jim Lea wrote "Run Run Away" on his fiddle. Well that happens to be my favourite Slade song of all time and yes, there is definitely a folk influence in the song but for me, it still rocks. I love the crunching guitars at the beginning and the folk provides a cool twist. Amusing anecdote: For the first few weeks of hearing "Run Run Away," I thought the lyrics "See chameleon" were actually "See comedian." My ears were playing tricks on me.

"My Oh My" is another reason why I'm such a sucker for a good power ballad because that's exactly what it is. I could never explain why but the lyrics to it really got to me then and when I hear it now, I think about that. Folk influenced tunes and power ballads aside, the album blows apart any argument that Slade aren't capable of going total rock out. The best examples are the three tracks, "Slam the Hammer Down," "In the Doghouse," which has the best guitar solo on the album and the title track. All of these are really cool songs and stamp the argument that Slade can be considered heavy metal. Not that the other songs don't rock because they surely do. Except for "(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie," which is the other power ballad on the album. It's good and better what some bands are capable of but I prefer "My Oh My." Also the closer, "Ready to Explode," is cool with the car racing commentary and it rocks pretty well too. Unlike the shorter tracks, it's eight minutes long and you are not bored for one second of it. However, it's the three mentioned ones that are the big headbangers on this album.

Track Listing:

1. Run Run Away
2. My Oh My
3. High and Dry
4. Slam the Hammer Down
5. In the Doghouse
6. Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
7. Cheap'n Nasty Luv
8. Can't Tame a Hurricane
9. (And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie
10. Ready to Explode

[caption id="attachment_265" align="aligncenter" width="282"] Slade[/caption]

Noddy Holder- rhythm guitar, lead vocals

Dave Hill- lead guitar, backing vocals

Jim Lea- bass, keyboards, backing vocals, accompanying lead vocal on "Ready to Explode"

Don Powell- drums, percussion, gongs

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikMiQZF-mAY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2F2otpxkro

Quiet Riot may have helped Slade get the recognition they so dearly deserved in America but it was the "Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply" album that made everyone take notice that they were for real. They did start a tour in support of Ozzy in this year but Noddy Holder's marital problems and Jim Lea coming down with hepatitis killed the tour. Shame, because I would have loved to have seen them.

Next post: Black N Blue

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

Other Great Metal Influences: Part 10, The Honourable Mentions

As this is the last in the great metal influences series, I thought it best to end it with some of the great unsung heroes of the 1970s who influenced the metal of the 80s. The list here is in no means exhaustive and there are probably a lot more acts that can be included in the list. These are the ones for me.

The first of these has to be without question, Slade. You only have to look as far as Quiet Riot to know that these guys were a big influence on 80s metal. It's a shame that they never really made it in America until the 80s, but throughout the 70s, they were a major player on the rock scene in Britain. Any doubts, you can ask my wife, she's met them.

Many will say that I should have given Blue Oyster Cult a solo spot in the series and there is great argument for this. They began to make huge strides into the rock scene in the late 70s, especially with their hit, "Don't Fear the Reaper." They were also the first band I heard of the be labelled "Satanic." The band's name gives that impression. I will be speaking a lot more of them when I begin my albums series.

Smashey and Nicey will love me for including Bachman Turner Overdrive in this list and with good reason. These rockers tore up the charts in the mid 70s with hits like "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and "Taking Care of Business." Unfortunately, when I saw them in the 80s, they had declined and became what my friend described as a bunch of fat, burned out, 40 year old bikers.

Another great rock act from the early and mid 70s was Grand Funk Railroad. Back then, many rock fans put them on a par with Black Sabbath. However, they seemed to disappear into obscurity after that.

My final honourable mention has to go to Foghat. In the late 70s, they sold a good number of albums and were considered a great live act. I was jealous of two friends who saw them open for Blue Oyster Cult in 1981. The report was that the concert was fantastic.

Last but not least and I should be shot for almost forgetting them and I thank the Metal Excess blog for reminding me, is Heart. Throughout the 70s, they had a string of great rocking albums and songs that was so heavy, many acts from the 80s would have been jealous. Great hits like "Heartless," "Barracuda," "Magic Man" and Crazy on You" will forever linger in my memory as classic rock hits. Ann And Nancy Wilson proved to be great role models for the future ladies who would go on to carry the rock chick banner. Heart will be another band I could have included on their own in the series.

I hope you have enjoyed the entire series of great rock influences and will continue reading this blog in the future.
Next post: The Great Guitarists of the 70s.
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