12'' Front Cover U.K.
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12'' rear Cover U.K.
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12'' a side U.K.
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12'' b side U.K.
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"Slayed?" was Slades 2nd studio U.K. album, it was released and produced by Chas Chandler via Polydor record label on 1st November 1972.
This album reached number 1 on the U.K. chart (Being Slades 1st number 1 album), this was also their longest charting album in the U.S.A. where it stayed on the chart for half a year (3 weeks more than "Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply") despite barely reaching the Top 75.
The album contains 2 of the group's biggest hits, "Gudbuy T'Jane" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", and is consistently said by rock critics to be their "...greatest studio album."
The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
For the Record and Radio Mirror poll results of 1974, "Slayed?" peaked at number 4 on the top 10 list of best British albums.
The album was awarded a U.K. Silver Disc in early 1973.
During the band's Australian tour of early 1973, "Slayed?" went straight to number 1, knocking "Slade Alive!" to number 2 in the Australian chart. At this time, the band also had 3 singles in the top 50 chart.
A week after the release on "Slayed?", the band were awarded an Australian Gold Disc for the album.
The album was certified Gold in Finland for the sales of 20,000 copies in 1973.
Background
By the time the ‘Slayed?’ album arrived in September 1972, the band had scored their 3rd British number 1 single with "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", which was included on side 2 of the album. Aside from that single and "Gudbuy T’Jane" the latter a number 2 hit in November 1972 the album also featured songs such as "How D’You Ride" and "The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazee", plus covers of Janis Joplin’s "Move Over" and Shirley Goodman and Leonard Lee's "Let The Good Times Roll", both of which were already regulars in their live repertoire.
Recording
"Slayed?" was released via Polydor record label on 1st November 1972.
"Slayed?" may have been only the band's 2nd studio album in 4 years, but it reinforced that barrage with enough mighty stompers that the band could have taken the next year off and still not run out of steam. Even if one excises past hits "Gudbuy T'Jane" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" from the equation, "Slayed?" is a non stop party, from the riotously self fulfilling prophecy of "The Whole World's Goin' Crazee" to the down key but still eminently stompalongable "Look At Last Nite", the latter a reminder that, even at its loudest, Slade was still capable of some fetching balladry. Or should that be the other way around? The tomahawk riffing of "I Won't Let It 'Appen Again" is another highlight, a similar arrangement was later borrowed, to excellent effect, for sometime support band Blue Öyster Cult's version of another Slade favorite, the rocker anthem "Born To Be Wild", while "Gudbuy Gudbuy" lurches like a battalion of tanks and matches a stirring Dave Hill guitar break to 1 of Noddy Holder's coolest ever vocals. A bass heavy blues boogie through Janis Joplin's "Move Over" had graced a Slade BBC session earlier in the year, and provoked such a great response that they had no option but to re record it, while the closing medley of "Let The Good Times Roll - Feel So Fine" was the closest you could come to the mania of a Slade live show without actually going out and buying a ticket. Of course, listeners don't have that option today. But stick on "Slayed?", crank the volume well up, and the whole world will be going crazee all over again.
Release
"Slayed?" was originally released on 12" vinyl and cassette and 8 track cartridge.
In the September – December 1986 Slade fan club magazine, the poll results were announced for the 1986 opinion poll based on Slade’s material. For the best album of the 70s, "Slayed?" placed at number 3.
Promotion
Aside from the promotion of the album's singles, the band's live performances was a big form of promotion.
Chart Performance
The album reached number 1 on the U.K. chart.
Track listing - 12" LP U.K.
A1. How D'You Ride (Noddy Holder, Jim Lea) - 3:10
A2. The Whole World's Goin' Crazee (Noddy Holder) - 3:34
A3. Look At Last Nite (Noddy Holder, Jim Lea) - 3:05
A4. I Won't Let It 'Appen Agen (Jim Lea) - 3:14
A5. Move Over (Janis Joplin) - 3:45
B1. Gudbuy T'Jane (Noddy Holder, Jim Lea) - 3:31
B2. Gudbuy Gudbuy (Noddy Holder, Jim Lea) - 3:27
B3. Mama Weer All Crazee Now (Noddy Holder, Jim Lea) - 3:43
B4. I Don' Mind (Noddy Holder, Jim Lea) - 3:08
B5. Let The Good Times Roll - Feel So Fine (Leonard Lee) - 3:45
How D'You Ride
"How D'You Ride" written by Holder and Lea, is the opener from the album. The song featured the band's usual anthemic sound, but despite this, the song was never performed live.
Chris Ingham of Rock Back pages described the track as a "self penned nugget". Allmusic.com wrote "the down n dirty swagger of "How D'You Ride", a slice of sleazy rock that stands proudly alongside such classics."
The Whole World's Goin' Crazee
"The Whole World's Goin' Crazee" is an up tempo rock track, written solely by Holder, rather than with the usual Slade song writing team of Holder and Lea.
The song was issued in November, 1972, free as a 7" Flexi disc with the monthly magazine Music Scene. The b - side was the song Bonnie Charlie, performed and composed by Mike Hugg.
Chris Ingham of Rock Back pages described the track as a "self penned nugget". Allmusic.com wrote ""Slayed?" is a non stop party, from the riotously self fulfilling prophecy of 'The Whole World's Goin' Crazee'."
Look At Last Nite
"Look At Last Nite" written by Holder and Lea, is a slower mid tempo rock track, inspired by the fickleness of fame.
Allmusic.com wrote "The down key but still eminently stompalongable "Look At Last Nite" being a reminder that, even at its loudest, Slade was still capable of some fetching balladry. Or should that be the other way around?"
The song was later added to the 1973 compilation album "Sladest".
I Won't Let It 'appen Agen
"I Won't Let It 'appen Agen" is an up tempo rock track, written solely by Lea, rather than with the usual Slade song writing team of Holder and Lea. It was the last song to be solely written by Lea for Slade until the 1991 U.K. hit single "Radio Wall Of Sound".
The song was used as the b - side to "Gudbuy T'Jane", released in November, after the "Slayed?" album.
Allmusic.com wrote "The tomahawk riffing of "I Won't Let It 'appen Again" is another highlight a similar arrangement was later borrowed, to excellent effect, for sometime support band Blue Öyster Cult's version of another Slade favourite, the rocker anthem "Born To Be Wild'."
Chris Ingham of Rock Back pages wrote "The only sole credit to Lea on a Slade record until "Radio Wall Of Sound" 19 years later, the song is also the 1st Slade b - side to sound as mighty as the group sounded on the a - side, recorded as it was during the "Slayed?" sessions of autumn 1972. A thunderous, bass driven track featuring scything guitar chords across the stereo picture, this determinedly minor key song is superbly played and sung and is treated to a sparkling Chas Chandler production complete with backward guitars, the only time Slade succumbed to that particular psychedelic technique."
Move Over
"Move Over" is an up tempo rocker, originally written and performed by American singer and musician Janis Joplin from her 1971 album Pearl. Aside from being recorded for this album, the band would also regularly perform the song live before and after "Slayed?".
Allmusic.com wrote "A bass heavy blues boogie through Janis Joplin's "Move Over" had graced a Slade BBC session earlier in the year, and provoked such a great response that they had no option but to re record it."
Gudbuy T'Jane
"Gudbuy T'Jane" written by Holder and Lea, this was originally released as a single by Slade via Polydor record label on 17th November 1972 and reached number 2 on the U.K. chart.
This is an up tempo rock track which was released as the 2nd and final single from the album.
The idea came to Lea while he was sitting by a pool in San Diego. He completed it in the toilet in the plane on the flight home. Holder's lyrics came from a TV show he saw in San Francisco on which the band appeared, and on which a girl called Jane demonstrated a Sex Machine.
Gudbuy Gudbuy
"Gudbuy Gudbuy" written by Holder and Lea, is a mid tempo and anthemic rock track, based on a cheating partner.
Allmusic wrote ""Gudbuy Gudbuy" lurches like a battalion of tanks and matches a stirring Hill guitar break to one of Holder's coolest ever vocals."
The band had previously performed the song during a live BBC studio session.
Mama Weer All Crazee Now
"Mama Weer All Crazee Now" written by Holder and Lea, this was originally released as a single by Slade via Polydor record label on 25th August 1972 and reached number 1 on the U.K. chart.
This is an up tempo rock track. Some months before the band had played at the Boston Gliderdrome in Lincolnshire, a bouncer had told them about another act who'd appeared there drunk "crazy with whiskey" and this gave Holder the idea for the lyrics.
Allmusic.com described the song as "a full on adrenalin monster, ear splittingly loud with its lyrics a raw throated bellow."
I Don' Mind
"I Don' Mind" in an mid tempo rock track written by Holder and Lea, the song was never performed live and remained just an album track although it was used as the b - side to the American exclusive single "Let The Good Times Roll - Feel So Fine".
Let The Good Times Roll - Feel So Fine
"Let The Good Times Roll - Feel So Fine" is the album's closing track. The song was often performed live by the band before and after this album. It was originally written by Leonard Lee, and performed by Shirley and Lee in 1956.
Chris Ingham of Rock Back pages wrote "Purely on the strength of the fact that Slade had recorded it, New York glam metallers Twisted Sister would also adopt "Let the Good Times Roll" a decade later."
Allmusic.com wrote "The closing medley of "Let the Good Times Roll - Feel So Fine" was the closest you could come to the mania of a Slade live show without actually going out and buying a ticket. Of course, listeners don't have that option today."
Credits
Dave Hill - lead guitar, backing vocals
Noddy Holder - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Jim Lea - bass guitar, piano, backing vocals
Don Powell - drums
Chas Chandler - producer
Gered Mankowitz - cover photography
Chris Charlesworth - liner notes
