Slade Alive, Vol. 2

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Slade Alive, Vol. 2
Slade - Slade Alive, Vol. 2 album cover.jpg
Live album by
Released27 October 1978
RecordedUSA autumn 1976 & UK spring 1977
Genre
Length41:01
Label Barn
Producer Chas Chandler
Slade chronology
Whatever Happened to Slade?
(1977)
Slade Alive, Vol. 2
(1978)
Return to Base
(1979)

Slade Alive, Vol. 2 is the second live album by the British rock band Slade. It was released on 27 October 1978 and did not enter the charts. [1] Titled as the follow-up to the band's commercially and critically successful 1972 album Slade Alive! , the performances on Slade Alive, Vol. 2 were taken from the band's autumn 1976 tour of the United States and their spring 1977 UK tour. [2] The album was produced by Chas Chandler.

Contents

Background

Returning from the US in late 1976, Slade found the UK music business much changed from when they had left in 1975 to try and crack the American market. Punk rock had exploded to become the dominant influence on youth culture and the music press. Despite Slade's reputation as one of the great high-energy bands of their day, in this environment they had become irrelevant. Regardless, they were determined that they were now a better live act than ever and refused to call it a day. Their 1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade was a commercial failure, and on their UK spring tour they found they could no longer fill large venues.

By 1978, the band continued to suffer from a lack of commercial success. Despite being successful at filling small venues for their live performances, their new records were barely selling. With their new output no longer being released on Polydor Records but instead on manager Chas Chandler's label Barn Records, singles such as "Burning in the Heat of Love", "Give Us a Goal", "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" and "Ginny, Ginny" were all chart failures. In the hope their live reputation would translate to success when released on record, the band released Slade Alive, Vol. 2 in October 1978. However, it too was a commercial failure, and Slade would only regain popularity after performing at the Reading Festival in 1980. [3] [4]

Track listing

All songs written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea except "My Baby Left Me" by Arthur Crudup.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Get on Up"6:01
2."Take Me Bak 'Ome"4:19
3."My Baby Left Me"2:41
4."Be"3:50
5."Mama Weer All Crazee Now"3:58
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Burning in the Heat of Love"3:45
7."Everyday"3:35
8."Gudbuy T'Jane"4:58
9."One Eyed Jacks with Moustaches"3:24
10."Cum On Feel the Noize"4:20

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Superpop [7] Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg

Upon the album's release, Record Mirror described it as a "worthwhile, if not exactly essential purchase, and enough possibly, to get the group back on an even keel". They added: "Slade are essentially a live band, no matter how good their records are, they'll never match up. All they will ever be are plastic souvenirs of a great live show." Superpop felt the album captured "exactly what [was] actually going on" with the band at the time, adding that the album was a "neat little package". [8]

AllMusic retrospectively said: "Slade Alive, Vol. 2, like all live Slade, is searing. The album is excellent, both in terms of performance and sound quality. They also did a great job of selecting material for this disc. A nice balance of classics and newer material that hadn't really been heard before. Slade has by this point developed into a full-fledged heavy metal band while retaining everything that made them great in the first place." [9]

Personnel

Slade
Additional personnel

Related Research Articles

Slade British rock band

Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The British Hit Singles & Albums names them the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles. They were the first act to have three singles enter the charts at number one; all six of the band's chart-toppers were penned by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea. As of 2006, total UK sales stand at 6,520,171, and their best-selling single, "Merry Xmas Everybody", has sold in excess of one million copies. According to the 1999 BBC documentary It's Slade, the band have sold over 50 million records worldwide.

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<i>Slade Alive!</i> 1972 live album by Slade

Slade Alive! is the first live album by the British rock band Slade. The album was released on 24 March 1972 and reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, remaining in the chart for 58 weeks. It was Slade's first album to enter the UK charts and also the first to enter the Billboard 200 in the United States, where it reached No. 158. The album was produced by Chas Chandler.

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<i>Slade in Flame</i> (album) 1974 album by Slade

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<i>Whatever Happened to Slade</i> 1977 studio album by Slade

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 also died. In Britain, where Slade had traditionally been most popular, the fashion of the day was punk rock. With this album, Slade firmly stood its ground as a straight rock group, and gone were their "glam" statements of the early decade.

<i>Return to Base</i> 1979 studio album by Slade

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<i>Well Bring the House Down</i> 1981 studio album by Slade

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<i>Till Deaf Do Us Part</i> 1981 studio album by Slade

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How Does It Feel (Slade song) 1975 single by Slade

"How Does It Feel" is song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1975 as the second single from the band's first soundtrack album and fifth studio album Slade in Flame, in promotion of the film of the same name. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 15 in the UK, remaining in the charts for seven weeks.

The Bangin Man 1974 single by Slade

"The Bangin' Man" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1974 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 3 in the UK, remaining in the charts for seven weeks. The song was certified UK Silver by BPI for sales over 250,000 that same year.

Lets Call It Quits 1976 single by Slade

"Let's Call It Quits" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1976 as the second single from their sixth studio album Nobody's Fools. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 11 in the UK, remaining in the charts for seven weeks.

Gypsy Roadhog 1977 single by Slade

"Gypsy Roadhog" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1977 as the only single from the band's seventh studio album Whatever Happened to Slade. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 48 in the UK.

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<i>Alive at Reading</i> 1980 EP by Slade

"'Alive at Reading'" is an extended play (EP) by the British rock band Slade, released in 1980. Alive at Reading includes three live tracks recorded at the band's performance at the 1980 Reading Festival. The EP was produced by Slade and reached No. 44 in the UK, remaining in the charts for five weeks. The EP was later included in its entirety on the 2006 Salvo compilation Slade Alive! – The Live Anthology.

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Ginny, Ginny 1979 single by Slade

"Ginny, Ginny" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1979 as the lead single from the band's eighth studio album Return to Base. 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 charts.

Burning in the Heat of Love 1977 single by Slade

"Burning in the Heat of Love" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1977 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. The song failed to make an appearance in the UK charts.

Rock n Roll Bolero 1978 single by Slade

"Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1978 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea. The song failed to make an appearance in the UK charts.

Know Who You Are 1970 single by Slade

"Know Who You Are" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1970 as a second and final single from their second studio album Play It Loud. The song was written by Jim Lea, Noddy Holder, Don Powell and Dave Hill, and produced by Chas Chandler. It failed to make an appearance in the UK charts.

References

  1. "slade | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  2. "Vinyl Album - Slade - Slade Alive Vol Two - Barn - UK". 45worlds.com. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  3. We'll Bring the House Down – 2007 Salvo remaster booklet liner notes
  4. Slade Alive! – 2006 Salvo anthology booklet
  5. Ginsberg, Geoff. "Slade Alive, Vol. 2 - Slade". AllMusic . Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  6. "Slade alive vol 2". Sladeinengland.co.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  7. "1978 Press Cuttings". Slade Scrapbook. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  8. "1978 Press Cuttings". Slade Scrapbook. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  9. Geoff Ginsberg. "Slade Alive, Vol. 2 - Slade | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2017.