Based on single sales only this group would be the most
successful band of the 1970s. Slade were so big, that they seem to actually
appear on Top Of The Pops every week during the early 1970s. They were bashing
out glam rock hit after hit after hit. The group formed in Wolverhampton by
lead singer Noddy Holder
The group in 1970 were a well-known live band on the
circuit, and so they released a song from their tour called Get Down And Get With It on Polydor which actually charted on the BBC charts. The follow up hit
was the deliberate misspelt hit called Coz I Luv You written by Noddy Holder
and co band member Dave Lea, it was written in thirty minutes and became a huge
hit.
The misspelt hits continued with Look Wat You Dun got to No.4 and Tak MeBak Home got to No.1.
The last hit of 1972 was Gudbuy T Jane which was a huge worldwide hit, well not everywhere as the U.S. managed to get
it only to number 68. 1973 and Slade release a single called Cum On Feel TheNoize which entered the chart at No.1. The next single was called Sqweeze Me
Pleeze Me which amazingly entered the chart AGAIN at number ONE. This had never
been done by two singles in concession, and now SLADE were a worldwide phenomenon,
well everywhere but the U. S. The single was a hit, but Slade did not really
want to release it, and they hardly ever played it afterwards.
Also Mama Weer All Crazee Now was a huge European No.1
The next hit was My Friend Stan, but the record that you
will hear for ever more was Merry Xmas Everybody, where Noddy shouts out “Merry
Christmas” at the end of the song. This has made Noddy the writer a very rich
man. The song is played all over the world, and has become as part of Christmas
as Little Drummer Boy has.
