Nine to Five (1980)
Nine to Five is a promotional single, released by Six of the Best/Barn Records in 1980 from the band's first extended play Six of the Best. The song was written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, and produced by Slade.
Background
Following the commercial failure of their 1979 album Return to Base, Slade's next release would be the extended play Six of the Best in May 1980. Featuring six tracks, it had a low selling price of £1.49, in the effort to boost sales. The EP's featured track "Night Starvation" was released as a promotional-only single in June, but it was not successful in generating sufficient airplay on radio. Shortly after "Night Starvation", "Nine to Five" was also issued as a promotional single, but it too suffered the same fate and failed to boost sales of the EP.
Only a limited number of copies of "Nine to Five" were produced. In January 2021, a copy auctioned on eBay sold for £460.
In a 1980 fan club interview, Holder spoke of the Six of the Best EP and the band's struggles at that time: "After Return to Base, there was a period of us writing songs and seeing how they turned out. Like "When I'm Dancin' I Ain't Fightin'" and "9 to 5" - to us they were all good songs - but they didn't sell huge quantities of records."
Release
"Nine to Five" was released on 7" vinyl by Six of the Best/Barn Records in the UK only. It was manufactured and distributed by RCA Records. The B-side, "Don't Waste Your Time", was taken from Six of the Best. "Nine to Five" would also appear on the Dutch and Belgian release Three of the Best/Alive at Reading EP in 1980. "Nine to Five" was later included as a bonus track on the 1997 RCA/BMG CD release of Return to Base. In 2007, it was included as a bonus track on the Salvo remaster of We'll Bring the House Down.
Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
Retrospective reviews
Formats
7" single
Personnel
Slade
Background
Following the commercial failure of their 1979 album Return to Base, Slade's next release would be the extended play Six of the Best in May 1980. Featuring six tracks, it had a low selling price of £1.49, in the effort to boost sales. The EP's featured track "Night Starvation" was released as a promotional-only single in June, but it was not successful in generating sufficient airplay on radio. Shortly after "Night Starvation", "Nine to Five" was also issued as a promotional single, but it too suffered the same fate and failed to boost sales of the EP.
Only a limited number of copies of "Nine to Five" were produced. In January 2021, a copy auctioned on eBay sold for £460.
In a 1980 fan club interview, Holder spoke of the Six of the Best EP and the band's struggles at that time: "After Return to Base, there was a period of us writing songs and seeing how they turned out. Like "When I'm Dancin' I Ain't Fightin'" and "9 to 5" - to us they were all good songs - but they didn't sell huge quantities of records."
Release
"Nine to Five" was released on 7" vinyl by Six of the Best/Barn Records in the UK only. It was manufactured and distributed by RCA Records. The B-side, "Don't Waste Your Time", was taken from Six of the Best. "Nine to Five" would also appear on the Dutch and Belgian release Three of the Best/Alive at Reading EP in 1980. "Nine to Five" was later included as a bonus track on the 1997 RCA/BMG CD release of Return to Base. In 2007, it was included as a bonus track on the Salvo remaster of We'll Bring the House Down.
Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
- John Ogden of Wolverhampton Express and Star commented: "I'd have preferred to see "9 to 5" getting the [radio] plays [instead of "Night Starvation"]. This is a song which chugs along nicely in an almost rockabilly rhythm, and is sung in a light-hearted manner which comes off well. Nowhere near as frantic as "Night Starvation", it exudes a far better spirit."
Retrospective reviews
- In the liner notes of the 2007 Salvo remaster of We'll Bring the House Down, writer Chris Ingham described the song as a "smart acoustic rocker about the trials of low-wage work".
Formats
7" single
- "Nine to Five" - 2:54
- "Don't Waste Your Time" - 3:29
Personnel
Slade
- Noddy Holder - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, producer
- Dave Hill - lead guitar, backing vocals, producer
- Jim Lea - bass, backing vocals, producer
- Don Powell - drums, producer