Shane’s Rock Challenge: SLADE – 1972 – Slade Alive!
Shane’s Rock Challenge: SLADE – 1972 – Slade Alive!
By Shane Pinnegar
9/10
Given the incredible amount of hits Slade had through the ’70’s, it’s a little surprising to see the track listing for their 1972 live offering Slade Alive!
No less than 4 of the 7 tracks are covers, ranging from the blistering blues of Alvin Lee’s Hear Me Calling, originally recorded by Ten Years After; through an incredibly assured Darling Be Home Soon, a John Sebastian song. That the band could effortlessly go from blues rock to an almost-pre-power-ballad to heavy stompers is testament to their form of the time.
Elsewhere, their own stuff is storming, catching them towards the end of their braces-and-buzzcuts bovverboy period and just before they helped drive the British glam revolution to it’s zenith.
The aforementioned Darling Be Home Soon is best in show, with their In Like A Shot From My Gun and Know Who You Are perfectly capturing the essence of the hard rocking R&B revue that they were at that point. Little Richard’s Get Down With It is extended to include all the crowd participation clapping, stomping and cheering you need to know they all got their monies worth, and the album closes with a rough n’ tumble roll through Steppenwolf’s classic Born To Be Wild.
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Category: Shane's Rock Challenge