Remember Slade?

Slade in Flame ~ Though largely a British phenomenon, some of you may remember Slade as the band whose songs Quiet Riot frequently covered when they had their fifteen minutes of fame. Slade had a brief moment here in the States after that, but back in the 1970s, they were one of the major forces in the UK glam rock movement. Notably they inspired Kiss, Cheap Trick, the Ramones and some say This Is Spinal Tap. Whether that last one is a compliment though is hard to judge.

The movie Slade in Flame is a whole ‘nother thing of course. This fictional account of the behind the scenes antics of the glam rock band Flame, played by Slade (duh), is sometimes amusing but mostly falls flat with that odd British dry humor we Americans rarely get. On the other hand, there’s no denying the charismatic power of lead singer Noddy Holder. He has a style envied and copied for decades now, and the performances are electrifying. Fast forward to the music and forget the rest.