I didn't ever buy Rock On, but a friend did, and I remember that picture sleeve. I always felt cheated when you bought a single, in a generic sleeve and the next week it had a picture bag. At my worst, I have bought a second copy, simply for the sleeve. This probably proves what my wife says about OCD!
Picture sleeves tended to be limited runs. If you didn't buy the single sharpish, you usually wouldn't get one. I knew Olivia's 'Sam' single had one in 1977 and bought it on the day of release. Generic EMI cover. Which kind of makes my first point redundant. It took me YEARS to get that 'Sam' picture bag. Found it at Esprit in the end.
Guess this seemed like a failure after a big number 1. You still had to sell a lot of records in those days, to hit the top twenty - then you could listen to them all over again on Tom Browne's, Sunday radio show.
I've started a few threads lately. I think I'd better back off a bit. It's a good idea, though. It doesn't have to be just the 70s, but that was a decade where they weren't as commonplace.
I join in a few threads, sometimes about music and sometimes about Hi-Fi equipment. These, usually end up really heavy going, with so much differing and at times, plain wrong advice flying around. I can honestly say, that your threads, and musical knowledge, regularly bring a smile to my face and get me recalling my youth and its' associated music and are like a breath of fresh air. Judging by the number of pages they usually generate, I guess that others agree!
Voted for almost all of them! Except Lou , Steve Harley , Glitter Band and COFTN A few more faves... 48 Crash - Suzi Q I Didn't Know I Loved You - GG Coz I Luv You - Slade Editions Of You - Roxy Fox On The Run - Sweet
Yes they really pushed that single on TOTP for some reason, it was on at least three times despite taking ages to even get in the mid 20's.
I was all Slade as a kid; it was a very visceral and exciting time. In retrospective, I think much of Slade's quality work was actually behind them before they really hit it big--"Look Wot You Dun," "Coz I Luv You," "Look at Last Night"--though that doesn't take away from the sheer energy of "Take Me Back Home," "Mama We're All Crazy Now" etc.
It has to be Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen. Striking, great colours, simple and timeless design and controversial. The Pretty Vacant and Holidays In The Sun ones are also brilliant. There are loads of great punk era picture sleeves. It's the era they started to become a regular thing in the UK. There are very few Glam era picture sleeves. I have one of GG's Do You Wanna Touch Me and scarce ones from Queen of Bohemian Rhapsody & Somebody To Love. Oh, just remembered, I also have T.Rex - Ride A White Swan & Get It On with their very hard to find pic sleeves on the Fly label. I have all the T-REX label era singles in the superb company sleeves. There's a dark blue and red design and a scarce red and white design. The only label to use these colours is on Children Of The Revolution.
I would disagree with you there, once they hit number 1 with Coz I Luv You Slade were unstoppable, an amazing singles band. Yet strangely they never released a 'classic' album like say Electric Warrior'
You have some rarities there! I didn't know there was a picture sleeve for the GG single. I had a few of his and they were all in generic Bell paper sleeves. I bought Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975 and that was in a plain sleeve. However, I bought the 3" CD single some years later so I'm wondering if your sleeve is the same one they used for that? I think the 70s would be the best decade for a single sleeve thread. In the 80s they all had them. I'd forgotten how many great sleeves there were for punk singles. Truly a great time to be around.
Agree, it's great to see a thread not bogged down with DR tables and comments on brickwalled CD's or conflicting debates on which long deleted and almost impossible to find expensive CD beats the version everybody knows. I don't mind these threads and sometimes find them informative. But I find them no fun and they often lose track of discussing the actual music. This one's great fun and a reminder of many great and unpretentious singles. I hope it keeps on going strong. Keep them coming!
They were an amazing singles band. Loved it. But I find "Look Wot You Dun," "Coz I Luv You," and "Look at Last Night" to be more enduring than many of their later hits, such as "Sqeeze Me Pleeze Me."
It's a shame it's really difficult to upload photos onto threads here. I don't have a clue if it's possible or how to do it. The GG single I think is the only Bell era one in a pic sleeve. A purple sleeve with a black & white picture of him. The Bohemian Rhapsody picture sleeve is a stylish black and white band photo. That one is very hard to find. Both the T-Rex ones are black and white too. Ride A White Swan a photo of Bolan & Mickey Finn, Get In On has a photo of them live. I'm sure they will be on Google images, or try the completely wonderful 45cat site. They will definitely be on there. I've always loved singles and have hundreds, probably over a thousand of them. A lot of hit singles, but some quite rare ones too.
Skweeze Me Pleeze Me is weak, but was released against their wishes by Polydor. It did a good job of keeping their momentum going while drummer, Don Powell, recovered in hospital from serious injury from a car crash. Far Far Away and How Does It Feel? are magnificent later singles that still sound great now.
I wasn't really around! I was born in 1974 so missed it all. I've trawled around many, many, many charity shops, car boot sales, second hand shops etc looking for old vinyl! I got a lot in the 1990s and early 2000s when interest was low and records were cheap.
Far Far Away, is one of my favourites amongst many other great singles. Slayed? and Slade Alive! are both great albums from 1972. I saw Slade a couple of times, including Reading, where they replaced Ozzy. They really stole the show, and played Merry Xmas - in August! Also seen Slade 2 a couple of times, where Dave and Don, still entertain and play a great set. I've got a couple of Don's wrapped, broken drum sticks, which I always thought looked cool on Top Of The Pops. I've never seen a drummer, hit as hard as Don - he breaks loads of his surprisingly light sticks, and he tape raps them himself. However much I enjoyed Slade 2, I always thought that Noddy has one of the great rock voices, and Jim Lea an exceptional bassist / musician. Slade were a very talented and entertaining band. Many of the glam bands probably didn't get the respect they deserved, as musicians.
Watching the Top of the Pops 1981 repeats it's noticeable that Slade were still having big hit singles long after their contemporaries had faded. There's almost always been a lot of affection for them in the UK. Noddy Holder is much loved and appears being interviewed often on TV and radio. I agree, one of the great rock voices. There's more to him than just belting it out, which he is incredible at.
Squeeze Me Pleeze Me was a huge single for them. IIRC, it was their first single to enter the charts at number one. That said, I'm damned if I can remember how it goes,
