Play Dirty | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 8 November 1983 | |||
Genre | Heavy metal | |||
Length | 40:14 53:59 (re-issue) | |||
Label | Bronze (UK) Mercury (U.S.) | |||
Producer | Noddy Holder, Jim Lea | |||
Girlschool chronology | ||||
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Singles from Play Dirty | ||||
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Play Dirty is the fourth studio album by British heavy metal band, Girlschool, released on Bronze Records in 1983 and produced by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea from the hard rock band Slade. It was the first Girlschool album not to enter the UK Top 40 album chart and signalled a general downturn in their career, along with an inclination towards a softer rock sound. Kelly Johnson left the band soon after the release and an intended full US-tour never materialised. In the UK, two singles were lifted from the album, each having a picture-sleeve:
In 2005, Castle subsidiary Sanctuary Records re-issued the album on CD with songs from the EP 1-2-3-4 Rock and Roll and other compilations as bonus tracks, and extensive sleevenotes by Record Collector magazine's Joe Geesin.
Drummer Denise Dufort rated the album as her favourite of all the band's career: "Play Dirty as it has a more mature sound to it and I think it sounds a bit like Def Leppard, also Jim Lea and Noddy Holder from Slade produced it". [1]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 5/10 [3] |
Smash Hits | 0/10 [4] |
From contemporary reviews, Josephine Hocking wrote in Smash Hits called the album a "cliche-ridden Heavy Metal album" and noted that song like "Burning in the Heat" and "Play Dirty" proved "beyond any reasonable doubt that sexist lyrics and boring guitar solos can be done equally badly by women as by men." [4]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Going Under" | Kim McAuliffe, Kelly Johnson | 4:16 |
2. | "High & Dry" ( Slade cover) | Jim Lea, Noddy Holder | 3:10 |
3. | "Play Dirty" | McAuliffe, Johnson | 5:04 |
4. | "20th Century Boy" ( T. Rex cover) | Marc Bolan | 3:28 |
5. | "Breaking All the Rules" | McAuliffe, Johnson, Gil Weston, Denise Dufort | 3:03 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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6. | "Burning in the Heat" ( Slade cover) | Lea, Holder | 3:20 |
7. | "Surrender" | McAuliffe, Johnson | 3:24 |
8. | "Rock Me Shock Me" | McAuliffe, Johnson, Weston, Dufort | 4:28 |
9. | "Running for Cover" | McAuliffe, Johnson | 3:12 |
10. | "Breakout (Knob in the Media)" | McAuliffe, Johnson, Weston, Dufort | 3:23 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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11. | "1-2-3-4 Rock 'n' Roll" | Jeanne Napoli, Lesley Gore, Benjy King, Rick Blakemore | 3:32 |
12. | "Don't Call It Love" | McAuliffe, Johnson | 3:24 |
13. | "Tush" ( ZZ Top cover) | Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard | 2:13 |
14. | "Like It Like That" | McAuliffe, Johnson | 3:28 |
15. | "1-2-3-4 Rock 'n' Roll" (12" extended version) | 4:33 |
Chart (1983) | Peak position |
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UK Albums (OCC) [5] | 66 |
Nobody's Fools is the sixth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released in March 1976 and reached No. 14 in the UK. The album was produced by Chas Chandler.
Whatever Happened to Slade is the seventh studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 21 March 1977 by Barn Records, but did not enter any national album chart. By the time of the album's release, Slade's popularity was waning as were their record sales, which they acknowledged in the album's title. The glam rock movement, with which Slade was associated, had died, and the careers of other glam rock artists such as Mud, Gary Glitter and Sweet had hit the buffers. In Britain, where Slade had traditionally been most popular, the fashion of the day was punk rock. With this album, Slade stood their ground as a straight-ahead rock group; gone were their "glam" statements of the early decade.
We'll Bring The House Down is the ninth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 13 March 1981 and reached No. 25 in the UK. The album was produced by Slade, except "My Baby's Got It" which was produced by Chas Chandler. The album was the first studio album released by the band after their successful appearance at the 1980 Reading Festival. In order to capitalise on their revival, Slade quickly compiled this new album, made up of some new tracks and some recycled ones, mainly from their failed Return to Base album of 1979.
Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 years. Formed from a school band called Painted Lady, Girlschool enjoyed strong media exposure and commercial success in the UK in the early 1980s with three albums of 'punk-tinged metal' and a few singles, but lost their momentum in the following years.
Till Deaf Do Us Part is the tenth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 13 November 1981 and reached No. 68 on the UK charts. The album was produced by Slade. Although not as successful as We'll Bring the House Down earlier in the year, this album sold well.
The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome is the eleventh studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 3 December 1983 and reached No. 49 in the UK charts. The album was produced largely by bassist Jim Lea. The two UK Top 10 singles released from the album, "My Oh My" and "Run Runaway", were produced by John Punter.
The Very Best of Slade is a compilation album by the British rock band Slade. It was released in 2005 and reached No. 39 in the UK charts, remaining in the charts for four weeks. The album has sold 139,390 copies as of November 2015.
Demolition is the first studio album by the British heavy metal band, Girlschool. It was released in Europe on Bronze Records in 1980.
Hit and Run is the second studio album by the English heavy metal band Girlschool, released in 1981 by Bronze Records.
Screaming Blue Murder is the third studio album by British heavy metal band, Girlschool. It was released on Bronze Records in 1982, and featured one line-up change in bassist Ghislaine 'Gil' Weston, formerly of The Killjoys, replacing the recently departed founding member Enid Williams. Nigel Gray, who had previously worked with The Police, produced the album.
Slade Smashes is a compilation album by the British rock band Slade. It was released 1 November 1980 and reached No. 21 on the UK charts. The album was issued by Polydor in the wake of new interest in the band following their successful appearance at the 1980 Reading Festival, filling in for Ozzy Osbourne. The album featured most of the band's big hits from their early and mid 1970s heyday in the UK as well as three of the band's singles from post-1977. This collection, alongside the band's subsequent 1981 studio release We'll Bring the House Down, further cemented Slade's comeback in the UK and Europe.
"Myzsterious Mizster Jones" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1985 as the third single from their twelfth studio album, Rogues Gallery. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by John Punter. "Myzsterious Mizster Jones" reached number 50 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for five weeks.
"We'll Bring The House Down" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1981 as the lead single from their ninth studio album We'll Bring the House Down. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Slade. The band's first single to reach the UK Top 40 since 1977, the song peaked at No. 10 in the UK, remaining in the chart for nine weeks.
"7 Year Bitch" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1985 as the second single from their twelfth studio album, Rogues Gallery. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by John Punter. It reached number 60 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for three weeks.
"(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1982 as the lead single from the band's eleventh studio album, The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome and also included on its 1984 North American counterpart, Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Lea. "(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie" reached number 50 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for seven weeks.
"Wheels Ain't Coming Down" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1979 as the opening track from their eighth studio album Return to Base. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Slade. In 1981, the song re-appeared on the band's follow-up album We'll Bring the House Down and was released as the second single from it in March, which reached No. 60 in the UK.
"Slam the Hammer Down" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1984 as a promotional-only single from the band's American studio album Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Lea.
Slades Greats is a compilation album by the British rock band Slade. It was released by Polydor on 25 May 1984 and reached No. 89 in the UK charts. The compilation, a revised re-issue of the 1980 compilation Slade Smashes!, was released following the band's late 1983-early 1984 success with the singles "My Oh My" and "Run Runaway".
"Burning in the Heat of Love" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1977 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Chas Chandler. The song failed to make an appearance in the UK Singles Chart.
"Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1978 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Slade. The song failed to make an appearance in the UK Singles Chart.