Flaming Hell ~ 1975
Maybe the cracks and weaknesses of the band had started to show in 1974. There were already rumblings amongst the press that the band were going stale and that taking so much time away from their fans whilst filming the movie 'Flame' was affecting their popularity and fan base. Slade were to make the mistakes in 1975 that were to signal the beginning of their spectacular fall from grace that would render them rock nonentities in just two years.
Rightly or wrongly, Slade were to pin their plan for the year on the film Flame being a success. That success and a short UK tour as well as three singles would suffice enough for the fanbase as they made the decision and announced that they would not be touring in the UK and Europe for the forseeable future as they intended to concentrate on the American market.That perennial problem, their inability to achieve any real tangible success there was now being placed at the top of manager Chandler's 'To Do' list. If you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick seemed to be the band's mantra regarding America and their proposed sixth US tour was seen as a make or break trip. Hopefully their change of record company in the US from Polydor to Warner Brothers as well as a few US agency changes would reap rewards.
That was for the future, the start of the year saw them out and about busily promoting 'Flame' as it neared a general release following it's premiere in Newcastle, Chandler's home town. The film was met with muted appreciation from the critics, no one really raved about it and no one really crucified them for it, it wasn't the success the band had hoped for critically or financially and was quickly withdrawn from circulation once the initial release run had been completed.
The band had decided that they wanted to record their next LP in the States, which meant that there was no likliehood that there would be an LP release for the year. Despite Flame having slipped out of the LP charts with disappointing sales, the band decided, due to 'public demand' to release the title soundtrack from the film as their next single. 'How Does It Feel' remains a firm favourite of many fans and non fans alike, a timeless classic and arguably Slade's finest track from a career littered with fine tracks. Despite several TV appearances promoting the single it failed to light up the imagination of the record buying public and became the first single release for some considerable time to not make the Nation's Top 10.
Slade embarked on their final 13 date UK tour in April with Bunny, another of manager Chandler's charges, taking up the support duties as they had done on the band's tour of Scandinavia the year before. As tours go it was considered a success as usual, but the knives were out for the band and more than one influential music mag were writing Slade off as they reported from the various gigs, the writing was on the wall, and maybe for us fans it was barely perceptible at the time.
The band left for America and from then on it was nigh on impossible for fans to find out what was happening there, periodically there would be a newspaper report pretty much saying the same things as had been said year after year...good shows, picking up record sales...playing to big crowds...slaying the States...yadda yadda yadda ...same ol' same ol'.
They released the follow up to 'How Does It feel' at the conclusion of their UK tour and 'Thanks For The Memory', while making the Top 10 didn't stay long on the chart. Their third and final single of the year 'In For A Penny' charted slowly and just failed to make the Top 10 making 1975 the worst year for record sales since the band hit the big time.
By the time 'Penny' was released the band had been gone too long from these shores, the only good thing to happen once they had departed for the States was that the BBC broadcast a two part radio documentary in August that had been recorded during the bands spring UK tour. 'Insight' , a short lived radio series kicked off its run with part one of the documentary 'Six Days On The Road', a behind the scenes look with the band and featuring something new, the title track, which later appeared with a different lyric as 'When The Chips Are Down'. The following week part two was transmitted which consisted of an edited concert recorded at the second of their two New Victoria Theatre shows....it was something, but not much for the Slade starved fans, many of whom were starting to move onto something more readily available.
The chips really were down...just nobody realised it yet.....
JANUARY / FEBRUARY
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
5/1 |
Denmark Singles - Far Far Away | No 1 (7th Week) |
5/1 |
Denmark Albums - Flame | At No 3 |
5/1 |
Album Chart - Flame | down 1 place to No 12 |
12/1 |
Denmark Albums - Flame | At No 2 (Peak) |
12/1 |
Denmark Singles - Far Far Away | No 1 (8th Week) |
12/1 |
Flame Premiere | Pavillion Theatre, Newcastle |
13/1 |
Flame London Premiere | The Metropole, Victoria |
19/1 |
Denmark Albums - Flame | Down 2 places at No 4 |
19/1 |
Denmark Singles - Far Far Away | Down 1 place at No 2 |
22/1 |
Merion Centre, Leeds | Group have stage costumes stolen from car while giving press conference |
25/1 |
Record Mirror | Slade win raft of prizes in annual awards |
26/1 |
Denmark Albums - Flame | Up 1 place at No 3 |
26/1 |
Denmark Singles - Far Far Away | Down 2 places at No 4 |
|
||
2/2 |
Denmark Albums - Flame | Down 3 places at No 6 |
7/2 |
UK Single released | How Does It feel |
9/2 |
Denmark Albums - Flame | Down 5 places at No 8 |
9/2 |
UK Single charts - How Does It Feel | Enters UK Singles Chart at No 38 |
16/2 |
Denmark Albums - Flame | Down 8 places at No 16 |
16/2 |
UK Single charts - How Does It Feel | up 10 to No 28 |
16/2 |
Today Show (Thames TV) | Slade appear |
16/2 |
Flame on General Release | |
23/2 |
UK Single charts - How Does It Feel | up 7 to No 21 |
|
MARCH / APRIL
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
2/3 |
UK Single charts - How Does It Feel | up 6 to No 15 |
9/3 |
UK Single charts - How Does It Feel | down 1 to No 16 |
10/3 |
Glasgow | Promotional appearance Flame |
11/3 |
Edinburgh | Promotional appearance Flame |
22/3 |
Arena,Milwaukee | J Geils Band-Slade |
|
||
18/4 |
Winter Gardens - Bournemouth | Bunny Supporting (Gig Reviews 1) ( 2 ) |
20/4 |
Odeon - Birmingham | Bunny Supporting ( Gig Reviews 1) (2) |
21/4 |
Capitol Theatre - Cardiff | Bunny Supporting |
22/4 |
Colston Hall,Bristol | Bunny Supporting ( Gig Review ) |
23/4 |
Gaumont - Southampton | Bunny Supporting |
25/4
|
New Victoria Theatre - London | Bunny Supporting ( Gig Reviews 1) (2) |
26/4
|
New Victoria Theatre - London | (recorded for BBC broadcast 'insight' and better known as 'Live in London' Bootleg) |
27/4
|
Civic hall - Wolverhampton | Bunny Supporting |
29/4
|
Belle Vue - Manchester | Bunny Supporting |
30/4
|
City Hall - Newcastle | Bunny Supporting |
|
MAY / JUNE
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
2/5 |
Apollo - Glasgow, Scotland | Cancelled |
3/5 |
Apollo - Glasgow, Scotland | Bunny Supporting |
4/5 |
Citadel Theatre - Edinburgh, Scotland | Bunny Supporting |
5/5 |
Empire Theatre - Liverpool | Bunny Supporting |
9/5 |
UK Single Released | Thanks For The Memory |
11/5 |
UK Singles Chart - TFTM | Enters chart at No 14 |
18/5 |
UK Singles Chart - TFTM | up 2 places to No 12 |
25/5 |
UK Singles Chart - TFTM | up 5 places to No 7 |
|
||
1/6 |
UK Singles Chart - TFTM | down 5 places to No 12 |
1/6 |
Denmark Singles - Thanks For The Memory | At No 5 |
8/6 |
Denmark Singles - Thanks For The Memory | Up 3 places to No 2 (Peak) |
8/6 |
UK Singles Chart - TFTM | down 5 places to No 17 |
9/6 |
Depart for US/Canadian Tour | |
15/6 |
Denmark Singles - Thanks For The Memory | Down 5 places at No 7 |
17/6 |
Central Park NY | |
22/6 |
Denmark Singles - Thanks For The Memory | Down 1 place at No 8 |
27/6 |
Kiel Auditorium,Chicago | Pavlovs Dog-Slade |
29/6 |
Denmark Singles - Thanks For The Memory | Up 5 places to No 3 |
|
JULY / AUGUST
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
5/7 |
Staten Island | Photo Shoot |
6/7 |
Denmark Singles - Thanks For The Memory | Up 1 place at No 2 |
13/7 |
Denmark Singles - Thanks For The Memory | Non mover at No 2 |
16/7 |
International Amphitheatre - Chicago | (supporting Black Sabbath) |
17/7 |
International Amphitheatre - Chicago | (supporting Black Sabbath) |
20/7 |
Denmark Singles - Thanks For The Memory | Down 5 places at No 7 |
20/7 |
White Plains Music Hall,NY | Sky King-Slade |
21/7 |
Wollman Skating Rink - Central Park - NY |
|
24/7 |
Music Inn,West Hatford |
James Gang-Slade |
26/7 |
Convention Centre Asbury Park |
|
27/1 |
Denmark Singles - Thanks For The Memory | Down 1 place at No 8 |
28/7 |
Convention Centre Asbury Park |
Aerosmith-Slade |
|
||
1/8 |
US Billboard LP Chart | Flame at No 130 (5th wk on chart) |
1/8 |
Long Beach Arena |
Ten Years After - Gary Wright - Slade |
1/8 |
BBC Radio 1 broadcast |
1st part of their 'insight' series - Six Days On The Road |
4/8 |
Winterland, San Francisco, CA |
Ten Years After, Slade, Frankie Miller Band |
6/8 |
Spectrum Philedelphia |
Slade-Black Sabbath |
7/8 |
Calderone Concert Hall NY |
ZZ Top-Slade |
8/8 |
BBC Radio 1 broadcast |
2nd part of their 'insight' series - Live at the New Victoria Theatre |
8/8 |
US Billboard LP Chart | Flame up 10 places at No 120 (6th wk) |
9/8 |
Convention Hall ,Asbury Park New Jersey |
ZZ Top – Slade |
10/8 |
Baltimore Civic Centre |
ZZ Top – Slade |
14/8 |
Concert South Club St Louis |
Mahogany Rush - Slade |
15/8 |
Concert South Club St Louis |
Mahogany Rush - Slade |
16/8 |
Concert South Club St Louis |
Mahogany Rush - Slade |
24/8 |
Trenton Fairground,New Jersey |
Aerosmith ,SLADE |
28/8 |
Capitol Center,Largo,MD |
Aerosmith REO Speedwagon-Slade |
31/8 |
US Billboard LP Chart |
Flame at No 104 (9th wk on chart) |
|
|
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
6/9 |
US Billboard LP Chart | Flame up 3 places at No 104 (10th wk on chart) |
10/9 |
Soldiers & Sailors Memorial, Chatanooga | Kiss - Slade |
11/9 |
Knoxville Civic Coliseum | Kiss-Slade |
12/9 |
St Louis | Slade in Flame premiere |
13/9 |
The Scope ,Norfolk,Virginia | Kiss-Slade |
14/9 |
University of Indiana,10th Street Stadium,Bloomington ,Indiana | Aerosmith-BOC-Slade-Chris Hillman Band-Savoy Brown-Atlanta Rhytm Section |
15/9 |
Vets Auditourium,Des Moines | BOC-Slade |
16/9 |
Pershing Auditorium | Fleetwood Mac-Slade |
25/9 |
War Memorial,Syracuse |
ZZ Top-Slade |
|
||
27/10 |
Civic Center Providence-landover md |
Aerosmith-Mott the Hoople –Slade |
28/10 |
Civic Center Providence-landover md |
Aerosmith-Mott the Hoople –Slade |
|
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
9/11 |
Taber Civic Centre - Arkansas | ZZ Top-Slade |
14/11 |
Wilkes College,pa | Leslie West-Slade |
14/11 |
UK Single Released | In For A Penny |
15/11 |
Capital Theatre ,Passaic NJ | ZZ Top-Slade |
16/11 |
UK Singles Chart - In For A Penny | Enters UK Singles Chart At No 27 |
22/11 |
Felt Forum Theatre, New York | Supporting ZZ Top ( Gig Review 1 ) (2) |
23/11 |
UK Singles Chart - In For A Penny | Up 8 places to No 19 |
27/11 |
Kiel Auditorium Convention Hall St Louis | |
30/11 |
UK Singles Chart - In For A Penny | up 8 to No 11 |
|
||
7/12 |
UK Singles Chart - In For A Penny | down 6 to No 17 |
19/12 |
Centrum ,Pennsylvania | Kiss-Steppenwolf-Slade |
25/12 |
Kiel Centre - St Louis, USA | unconfirmed |
All chart positions refer to UK national Charts unless otherwise stated.
Danish chart placings courtesy of Klaus Herfort Würtz - Slade In England