Noddy Holder - vocals, guitar; James Lea - bass, vocals; Dave Hill - guitar, vocals; Don Powell - drums
Slade had already conquered the UK and most of Europe when they moved from Polygram Records to Warner Brothers in the US in an attempt to take over the music scene stateside. It would never quite happen, but the band made a sizeable impact, especially around 1975 when they released a full-length motion picture (entitled Slade In Flame) and concentrated on an American tour, during which this show for the King Biscuit Flower Hour was recorded.
The group played a mix of older hits and new material, but none of the songs released after 1975 made much impact on US FM stations. "Hear Me Calling" and "Get On Up" starts the blood pumping at this show and leads the listener into "Gudbye T'Jane," the band's biggest hit in the UK. "How Does It Feel?" and the nearly 10-minute opus, "Just Want A Little Bit," featuring a guitar solo from Dave Hill, are next and show that the band was capable of some decent musicianship. "Them Kinda Monkeys Can't Swing" at 9:02 goes on for quite a bit but the band redeems itself with a powerful finish of "Get Down And Get With It" (its first UK hit from 1971), and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now."
As mentioned before, the band never really crossed over in a big way stateside (the most attention Slade got over here was when Quiet Riot had a Top-five hit with a cover of Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize"), but in their homeland of England they were one of the biggest bands during that period with 11 Top-five hits, and seven number-one hits.
Formed in 1969 from Noddy Holder's previous band the N'Betweens, Slade had modest success in the U.K. before signing on with manager Chas Chandler in 1971. Chandler discovered and managed Jimi Hendrix and was the former bassist for the Animals. He encouraged the band to write more originals and embrace the bourgeoning glitter-rock scene of the U.K. spearheaded by David Bowie and T-Rex.
Now with the new direction, the band's loud and raucous brand of pop metal scored a number-16 hit with "Get Down and Get With It." From that point on, it was a three-year run of Top five hits. The original lineup stayed intact until 1991, when Holder and Lea decided to leave the band. The band continued in various incarnations but never achieved the heights it reached in the 1970s, but their legacy inspired legions of bands and had a profound impact on live rock performance.