SLADE - In Flame - 70's version of spinal tap?

[Yodelgoat]

I have been in a mood for watching Rockumentaries and Music related stuff lately, and I picked up a copy of Slades 1973-ish movie, called SLADE IN FLAME. I first watched the interview with Noddy Holder and realized that I had stumbled on a bit of a gem. THis is a terrible, 70's movie with all kinds of lousy acting, and flagrantly bad music (as SLADE is well known for) turned out to be an interesting watch... for me anyway.

I have been a fan of Slade since I picked up their Debut album from a bargain bin when I was probably 12 or 13 years old. Noddy Holder had a voice that litterally could shatter glass, and I just always kind of remained a fan... Those guys were the worst of the worst musicians, but the whole thing kinda stuck with me. Comically simple guitar Tripe and all.

Anyway, I watched the movie and listened to the interview and realized I had heard some of this stuff before in Spinal Tap... Did Meathead actually Rip off SLADE when he filmed Spinal Tap?

There are some pretty significant commonalities between the two.. In one Scene Noddy Holder gets locked in a casket while on stage and it is Eerily like the scene in Spinal Tap when Derek Smalls gets stuck in a Clamshell on stage... Anyway, I noticed a few other things that made me think, "This is Spinal Tap" only done in the 70's...

For those of you who are fans of "the Tap", you really ought to at least see this movie and see if you dont agree that Ron Reiner is a bit of a sheister. I mean, it isnt a perfect match, but its pretty damn close. I will admit to identifying much more with the Tap as a former musician, than with "FLAME" (Slades, "stage name" in the film)

I actually did enjoy the music, and because I was American, I missed all of Slades "Hits" as a young person, I actually kinda liked the soundtrack - which I had for years before I actually realized that there was a real movie associated with that Slade album.

It was worth watching, if only for nostalgic reasons. I can identify with much of what I saw in "Slade in Flame" I just had no idea, that the movie existed. The acting is terrible, the plot is.... Well actually, I'm not sure there is one at all... But I do suggest if you pick up this DVD, that you watch the interview with Noddy Holder first and then watch the movie. It's kind of a cool thing, and you definitely will be one of the few who actually see this movie. It was fun, it was nostalgic, and it kind of portrays the industry like it really is. Music is not about Music, its about selling Cigarettes, and looking pretty on stage and TV... I think they pretty well nailed that part of the film.

It was a pleasant surprise, being just a bit of a SLADE fan, It kind of made me more of one. If you are a music snob, there is plenty of ammo here for you to argue your point that music should be better than Slade - but I guess it's just a guilty pleasure for me. It appealed to the 12 year old in me.

I expect that this has never been discussed here on PE and likely will never be discussed again. If you decry the 200 page Yes threads, give this a try. I bet you'll find something you never would have experienced in a Genesis thread. Slade is no Peter Gabriel.

If you've seen this, or happen to pick it up on a lark. Tell me it wasnt at least a Little bit entertaining...

[bob_32_116]

I thought the whole point of Spinal Tap was that it was a complete rip-off - or piss-take, if you prefer - of every heavy rock band that had come before. Hence, I'm not surprised you would see and hear familiar things in the Slade movie.

I believe Slade's chief "schtick" was that they were never known to spell a word correctly.

[trurl]

Spinal Tap was based on many things from the rock oral tradition The thing about Derek getting stuck in the pod was supposed to have been inspired partly by Alan White getting stuck in his clamshell set on the TFTO tour iirc. Stonehenge was taken from a Black Sabbath stage fiasco. If Rob or the guys had ever seen the Slade movie you can bet it was an inspiration though.

[Vic2012]

All I watch on Youtube are rockumentaries. I found the Slade In Flame movie and bookmarked it for later viewing. Never been a fan of Slade but I remember them in the early 70s. They had a short period where they were popular in the U.S. I remember seeing them on one of those "In Concert" type TV shows. Then Quiet Riot inadvertently infused new life into Slade in the early 80s with their Slade cover versions. Not really interested in this band but I like documentaries about all these old bands.

[Yodelgoat]

Admittedly, this is NOT a very good movie, and I like Slades music more for the memories it brings me of being 13 and a total music fan - plus, anything that might piss off my parents. I'm also an occasional consumer of early grand Funk, which is kind of along the same lines, Quality of musicianship wise. I wasnt putting down Spinal Tap but I was wondering if they got some of their ideas from there, Tap was a much, much much bigger success, and I still ejoy it very much. This just kind of presented itself as a bad 70's TV show kind of nostalgic tripe, but it did strike me as odd that the stories would be so similar to those in Spinal Tap. Also, The fact that these guys speak the Cockney English in a way that is quite hard to understand kind of makes the movie fun, because the humor would probably be lost on many people. I do have to say that the outfits they wore and the instruments they played back at the time was ahead of its time. You see shades of pre Metal dopeyness in this movie. I just really enjoyed it for what it was. It cost me all of 1.99 I will likely revisit it from time to time. Its also nice to see that Slade actually saw themselves as what they really were - a crappy 10 quid a night hacker band that someone took and turned into mega stars, for the sake of selling a few fags. I posted this because I thought that some Fans of Spinal Tap might check it out and see the similarities. It just surprised me. By the way, they did use some Slade actual concert footage in the movie, which was also cool. Whoever produced Slade, or ran sound for them, sure were bad at it. Amazing what you used to be able to sell as music when you had the right backing.

[bob_32_116]

I think the difference here was that Slade were an actual band, well and truly established independently of any movie. Indeed, I heard plenty of Slade's output at the time, but I don't think I was even aware that there was a movie.

[Garden Dreamer]

The "stuck in a clamshell" scene was also supposedly influenced by Angel's "magic" stage act where they emerged from "pods" on stage that made it look like they appeared out of nowhere. If I recall, one of the members got stuck in the pod once.

[Sunlight Caller]

I really love the movie, possibly because it is a teleport back to being 12. I had the soundtrack album and went to see this at my local Odeon on release, and loved a bit of glam rock back in the day. I picked up the DVD a while back, as my collection seemed incomplete without it. Admittedly apart from Noddy, the rest of the band could not act, but the film does portray that early 70's decrepit Britain and jaded pop world very well, although the storyline is pretty thin.

[WytchCrypt]

Watched Spinal Tap so many times I could probably recite the script backwards. I do recall an interview with Harry Shearer who said he got a lot of inspiration for the Derek Smalls character from Status Quo

[Sunlight Caller]

They (the Essex and Slade movies) are certainly quite bleak, but both chronicle rises and falls, and they very much of the time. I really enjoy being transported back to those days of my youth, and they are quite accurate historically on the social situation. This is the Britain out of which the punk movement arose, and whilst in leafier suburbs, many of our favourite symphonic albums were being constructed, it's easy to see the desperation and nihilism in full flight in these more working class situations.

[Jerjo]

flagrantly bad music (as SLADE is well known for)

Oh, they weren't anywhere near that bad, especially those punchy singles they racked up in the early 70s. They were always a force to reckon with live, pretty much a massive wall of Who-like sound with Holder, Hill, and Lea flying all over the stage.

[bob_32_116]

I got dragged along to see "That'll Be the Day" by a friend who was basically into all that 50's rockabilly stuff. I never saw "Stardust" but I roughly know the storyline as a housemate had the soundtrack album.

I find the storylines depressing, but perhaps for different reasons that some of you do; I find it depressing that the characters were living in a time when that whole 1950s music thing had just about played itself out. Popular music had well and truly altered by then, yet they were still nostalgic for those "happy days" and couldn't understand why everyone else wasn't the same. Almost like a sense of entitlement: "This music was great, I still love it, so why am I not a success?"

The Rolling Stones sang "You father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax." It might be a noble occupation, but it's not going to make you rich.