Sladest

In 1973, Slade were one of the most popular bands in Britain, having achieved two number one singles – "Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me" – in three months. Both had entered the charts straight at number one, which was a rare feat at the time and had not been achieved since the Beatles with "Get Back" in 1969. However, soon after the release of "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me", drummer Don Powell was involved in a near fatal car crash in July 1973. The accident threw the band's future into doubt and despite his critical condition, Powell was able to make a recovery.Old New Borrowed and Blue – 2006 Salvo remaster booklet liner notes

While recording their next studio album, Old New Borrowed and Blue, Slade decided to release a compilation album to maintain the band's momentum. Sladest was released in September 1973, on the same day as the band's new single "My Friend Stan". Sladest topped the UK charts and was a success in Europe and beyond too. In its first week of release, it was awarded a UK Silver Disc and in November, it received a UK Gold Disc and was set to surpass 200,000 sales at the time.{{cite web|url=http://sladefanclub.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/6/0/7660950/4562753_orig.jpg |title=4562753_orig.JPG (580x800 pixels) |access-date=2012-07-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120714094607/http://sladefanclub.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/6/0/7660950/4562753_orig.jpg |archive-date=14 July 2012 }}Fan Club Newsletter December 1973 Having remained at No. 1 for its first three weeks of release, Sladest later returned to the top spot in mid-January 1974, following the success of "Merry Xmas Everybody".

Sladest was originally going to be titled "The Best of Slade".{{cite web |url=http://sladefanclub.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/6/0/7660950/2676319_orig.jpg |title=2676319_orig.JPG (568x800 pixels) |website=sladefanclub.weebly.com |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717013736/http://sladefanclub.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/6/0/7660950/2676319_orig.jpg |archive-date=17 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}Slade Fan Club Newsletter August–September 1973 It contained fourteen tracks and included the band's eight hit singles up to that time, along with six other tracks, five of which pre-dated Slade's commercial breakthrough in 1971. In America, the album was released by Reprise (Warner Bros. Records), and was the band's first release on the label. The release featured ten tracks, including the band's eight hit singles, along with "My Friend Stan" and its B-Side "My Town".

Sladest was first released on CD in Japan in 1988.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Slade-Sladest/release/5365470 |title=Slade – Sladest (CD) at Discogs |publisher=Discogs |date=1988-09-25 |access-date=2017-10-18}} A UK and European CD release followed in 1993.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Slade-Sladest/release/10251146 |title=Slade – Sladest (CD) at Discogs |publisher=Discogs |access-date=2017-10-18}}{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Slade-Sladest/release/2761285 |title=Slade – Sladest (CD) at Discogs |publisher=Discogs |access-date=2017-10-18}} In 2011, the album was remastered and re-issued on CD by Salvo. It included four extra tracks, one of which was a previously unreleased studio version of "Hear Me Calling".{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Slade-Sladest/release/3974383 |title=Slade – Sladest (CD) at Discogs |publisher=Discogs |access-date=2017-10-18}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|author=Paul Tinelli |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/sladest-mw0000459602 |title=Sladest – Slade | Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2017-10-18}}

| rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev2score = B+{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: S|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=S&bk=70|access-date=12 March 2019}}

| rev3 = Record Collector

| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/sladest |title=Sladest – Record Collector Magazine |publisher=Recordcollectormag.com |date=2011-05-26 |access-date=2017-10-18}}

}}

Upon release in America, Ken Barnes of Rolling Stone described the album as a "comprehensive collection", providing an "unimprovable perspective on their past successes, as well as some of the wildest all-stops-out rock & roll you'll ever hear". He summarised the album as being "the best rocking album of the year".{{cite magazine |author=(Posted: 6 Dec 1973) |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/slade/albums/album/312349/review/5944276/sladest |title=Slade: Sladest : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=1973-12-06 |access-date=2017-10-18 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306123057/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/slade/albums/album/312349/review/5944276/sladest |archive-date=6 March 2008 }} Robert Christgau felt that although Slayed? was "less tuneful", he preferred the album to Sladest, which contained material which saw "these Anglopop phenoms [turning] into raving maniacs".{{cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=slade |title=CG: slade |publisher=Robert Christgau |date=2006-04-18 |access-date=2017-10-18}} Billboard felt the album was an "extremely smart maneuver", serving the "dual purpose of introducing them as a singles band as well as giving them an almost fresh start with the American listening public".{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_AQkEAAAAMBAJ |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_AQkEAAAAMBAJ/page/n45 46] |quote=slade sladest American listening public. |title=Billboard |via=Internet Archive |date=1973-10-13 |access-date=2017-10-18}}

In a retrospective review, Paul Tinelli of AllMusic believed the album contained "all of the material that helped the band sell tons of records and fill arenas in the U.K. in the early '70s." He felt that the material straying from their "successful formula of catchy guitar riffs and big choruses tend to fall flat". In 2003, Spin included the album in their "Essential Glam Rock" guide. They noted the material's "wind-tunnel guitar and choruses even the most lager-headed yob could chant", adding "the stadium-stomp anthems collected here run the gamut from dumb to dumberer."{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GsC7vOTAWQAC&q=slade+sladest&pg=PA64 |title=SPIN – Google Books |date= September 2003|access-date=2017-10-18}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Cum On Feel the Noize

| writer1 = Noddy Holder, Jim Lea

| length1 = 4:29

| title2 = Look Wot You Dun

| writer2 = Holder, Lea, Don Powell

| length2 = 2:57

| title3 = Gudbuy T'Jane

| writer3 = Holder, Lea

| length3 = 3:31

| title4 = One Way Hotel

| writer4 = Holder, Lea, Powell

| length4 = 2:39

| title5 = Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me

| writer5 = Holder, Lea

| length5 = 4:35

| title6 = Pouk Hill

| writer6 = Holder, Lea, Powell

| length6 = 2:24

| title7 = The Shape of Things to Come

| writer7 = Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil

| length7 = 2:17

}}

{{tracklisting

| headline = Side two

| title8 = Take Me Bak 'Ome

| writer8 = Holder, Lea

| length8 = 3:13

| title9 = Coz I Luv You

| writer9 = Holder, Lea

| length9 = 3:24

| title10 = Wild Winds Are Blowing

| writer10 = Bob Saker, Jack Winsley

| length10 = 2:38

| title11 = Know Who You Are

| writer11 = Dave Hill, Holder, Lea, Powell

| length11 = 2:53

| title12 = Get Down and Get with It

| writer12 = Bobby Marchan

| length12 = 3:48

| title13 = Look at Last Nite

| writer13 = Holder, Lea

| length13 = 3:05

| title14 = Mama Weer All Crazee Now

| writer14 = Holder, Lea

| length14 = 3:44

}}

{{Track listing

| title15 = Hear Me Calling

| note15 = studio version

| writer15 = Alvin Lee

| length15 = 2:45

| title16 = My Friend Stan

| writer16 = Holder, Lea

| length16 = 2:41

| title17 = My Town

| writer17 = Holder, Lea

| length17 = 3:06

| title18 = Kill 'Em at the Hot Club Tonite

| writer18 = Holder, Lea

| length18 = 3:20

}}

{{Track listing

| title1 = Cum On Feel the Noize

| length1 = 4:30

| title2 = Look Wot You Dun

| length2 = 2:57

| title3 = Gudbuy T'Jane

| length3 = 3:31

| title4 = My Friend Stan

| length4 = 2:40

| title5 = Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me

| length5 = 2:35

| title6 = Take Me Bak 'Ome

| length6 = 3:15

| title7 = Coz I Luv You

| length7 = 3:24

| title8 = My Town

| length8 = 3:05

| title9 = Get Down and Get with It

| length9 = 3:48

| title10 = Mama Weer All Crazee Now

| length10 = 3:42

}}

Slade

• Noddy Holder – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Dave Hill – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Jim Lea – bass, piano, violin, backing vocals
• Don Powell – drums

Additional personnel

• Chas Chandler – producer
• Bob Houston – liner notes
• Gered Mankowitz – photography

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{{col-2}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+Weekly chart performance for Sladest !Chart (1973) !Peak position
scope="row"|Australian Albums (Kent Music Report){{cite book |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition=illustrated |publisher=Australian Chart Book |location=St Ives, N.S.W. |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6 |page=277}} | 3
{{album chart|Austria|10|artist=Slade|album=Sladest|rowheader=true|access-date=22 September 2023}}
{{album chart|Canada|75|chartid=4947|rowheader=true|access-date=22 September 2023}}
scope="row"|Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite book |last=Pennanen |first=Timo |title=Sisältää hitin – 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 |section=Slade |page=237 |year=2021 |publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava |location=Helsinki |isbn=978-952-7460-01-6}} | 1
{{album chart|Germany4|3|id=9109|artist=Slade|album=Sladest|rowheader=true|access-date=22 September 2023}}
{{album chart|Norway|4|artist=Slade|album=Sladest|rowheader=true|access-date=22 September 2023}}
{{album chart|UK2|1|date=19730930|rowheader=true|access-date=22 September 2023}}
{{album chart|Billboard200|129|artist=Slade|rowheader=true|access-date=22 September 2023}}
scope="row"|US Cashbox Top Albums (101 to 175){{cite magazine |title=Cash Box Top 100 Albums: 101 to 175 |magazine=Cashbox |date=24 November 1973 |volume=35 |issue=28 |page=26 |issn=0008-7289}} | 112

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1973) !Peak position

{{album chart|Scotland|55|date=20221111|rowheader=true|access-date=30 October 2023}}

{{album chart|UKIndependent|15|date=20221111|rowheader=true|access-date=30 October 2023}}

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class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+Year-end chart performance for Sladest ! scope="col" | Chart (1974) ! scope="col" | Position
scope="row" | German Albums (Offizielle Top 100){{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1974|title=Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts|date=1974|publisher=GfK Entertainment charts|language=de|access-date=2 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612213157/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1974|archive-date=12 June 2018}} | 35

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{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Slade|title=Slades|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=1973|certyear=1973|id=5965-1309-2}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Slade}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1973 compilation albums

Category:Slade compilation albums

Category:Polydor Records compilation albums

Category:Reprise Records compilation albums

Category:Albums produced by Chas Chandler