| Wall of Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 11 November 1991 | |||
| Genre | Glam rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 78:51 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer | Chas Chandler, John Punter, Jim Lea, Slade | |||
| Slade chronology | ||||
| ||||
Wall of Hits is a compilation album by the British rock band Slade. It was released on 11 November 1991 and reached No. 34 in the UK Albums Chart. [1] The album was issued by Polydor and included the last two singles to be recorded by the band: "Radio Wall of Sound" and "Universe".
After the commercial failure of the band's 1987 album You Boyz Make Big Noize , and the end of their contract with RCA, Slade decided to take an eighteen month break. Although the band announced their intentions to record a new album, [2] these plans did not materialise and band activity remained limited. Later in 1991, the band's former 1970s label Polydor Records approached the band with the idea of recording two new singles to promote a new compilation album Wall of Hits. The two singles, "Radio Wall of Sound" and "Universe", were soon completed, with Polydor offering the option of a new studio album if both singles were successful. "Radio Wall of Sound" was released in October 1991 and reached No. 21 in the UK, earning the band their twenty-fourth Top 40 single and their first Top 40 hit since 1984. [1]
Wall of Hits was then released in November and peaked at No. 34. It was certified UK Silver by BPI that month. [3] A VHS of the same name was also released, featuring numerous music videos and filmed performances of the band's singles over their career. [4] In December, "Universe" was released to attract the Christmas market and further promote the compilation over the festive period. However, it failed to chart and Polydor withdrew their option for a new studio album. The band split up in 1992.
The album contained twenty tracks covering the band's career from 1971 to 1991. However, some critics were quick to notice the omissions of a number of charting singles, including "In for a Penny, "We'll Bring the House Down", "All Join Hands" and "Myzsterious Mizster Jones". In a 1992 fan club interview, Holder spoke of the track selection on the compilation: "Something had to go to enable the inclusion of the two new tracks and the two RCA tracks which made it a good overall package, although we are not likely to get a volume two deal if the first volume doesn't do that well." [5]
In a 1992 fan club interview, guitarist Dave Hill mentioned the compilation in a story of seeing Kiss live:
"A couple of weeks back, I went to see Kiss in concert at the NEC. It was good to see Gene and the band again, and as many fans will know, Kiss do admit to being influenced by the music of Slade. The joke of the night was that Kiss had sent out for Wall of Hits to play in the dressing room to get revved up before they went onstage! Gene said to me that he just wanted to check and see if he had nicked all the riffs correctly! It was good to have a chat and they gave a good show, lots of pyrotechnics and tons of noize, but yes, really nice to meet up with them again." [5]
All tracks are written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea except "Get Down and Get with It" by Bobby Marchan, "Look Wot You Dun" by Holder, Lea and Don Powell, and "Radio Wall of Sound" and "Universe" by Lea
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get Down and Get with It" | 3:49 |
| 2. | "Coz I Luv You" | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Look Wot You Dun" | 2:50 |
| 4. | "Take Me Bak 'Ome" | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" | 3:42 |
| 6. | "Gudbuy T'Jane" | 3:31 |
| 7. | "Cum On Feel the Noize" | 4:27 |
| 8. | "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me" | 4:27 |
| 9. | "My Friend Stan" | 2:40 |
| 10. | "Everyday" | 3:10 |
| 11. | "The Bangin' Man" | 4:07 |
| 12. | "Far Far Away" | 3:36 |
| 13. | "How Does It Feel" (not on LP) | 5:54 |
| 14. | "Thanks for the Memory (Wham Bam Thank You Mam)" (not on LP) | 4:34 |
| 15. | "Let's Call It Quits" | 3:31 |
| 16. | "My Oh My" | 4:11 |
| 17. | "Run Runaway" | 3:42 |
| 18. | "Radio Wall of Sound" | 3:46 |
| 19. | "Universe" | 4:12 |
| 20. | "Merry Xmas Everybody" | 3:24 |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| NME | 10/10 (side one) 2/10 (side two) [7] |
Dave Thompson of AllMusic retrospectively wrote: "By no means the first (or last) ever Slade hits collection, Wall of Hits is nevertheless the only one you truly need, a solid roundup of every British Top Ten smash the band ever scored, plus a smattering of lesser-rated (but equally deserving) Top 20 entries, and only one track - 1991's "Universe" - that really doesn't belong. Neither has time taken any toll on the quality of the music. Whether causing roaring traffic to grind to a halt or bearing their souls in a ballad, the members of Slade not only made great records, they also tapped emotions that make fans never tire of singing their songs." [6]
Slade
Production
| Chart (1991-1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [8] | 65 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [9] | 44 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [10] | 34 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [11] | Silver | 60,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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 more than 50 million records worldwide.
You Boyz Make Big Noize is the fourteenth and final studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 27 April 1987 and reached No. 98 in the UK charts. The album was largely produced by bassist Jim Lea, although some tracks were produced by John Punter and Roy Thomas Baker. It was the last studio album by the original lineup, prior to their split in 1992.
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"Mama Weer All Crazee Now" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1972 as the lead single from their third studio album Slayed?. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK, giving the band their third number one single, and remained in the charts for ten weeks. In the United States, the song reached No. 76.
"Coz I Luv You" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1971 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart, giving the band their first number one single, and remained in the top 50 for fifteen weeks.
Feel The Noize – Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the British rock band Slade. It was released in January 1997 and reached No. 19 in the UK charts, remaining in the charts for six weeks. The success of the compilation encouraged other bands of the Glam Rock era to release their own 'Greatest Hits' packages. At the time, a resurgence in Seventies music was happening, due to the constant mentions from Blur's Damon Albarn and Oasis's Noel Gallagher.
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.
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"Take Me Bak 'Ome" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1972 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. 1 in the UK, giving the band their second number one single, and remained in the charts for thirteen weeks. The song was certified UK Silver by BPI in 1972. In the United States, the song reached No. 97. The song would be included on the band's 1973 compilation album Sladest.
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.
"Radio Wall of Sound" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in October 1991 as the first single from their compilation album Wall of Hits. Written and produced by bassist Jim Lea, the single reached No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart. It remained in the top 100 for five weeks and became Slade's last hit single, discounting later chartings of "Merry Xmas Everybody".
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