Return to Base (1979)
Return to Base is Slade's eighth studio album, released by Barn Records on 1 October 1979 and produced by Slade. The album failed to chart, continuing Slade's period of low popularity. Forced to play at small halls and clubs around the UK, the only income they were reliant on was Noddy Holder and Jim Lea's songwriting royalties. Their recent releases had sold poorly and they were no longer drawing in large audiences.
Following the band's revival at the 1980 Reading Festival, a number of tracks from Return to Base would reappear on the band's next studio album We'll Bring the House Down (1981).
Background
Having returned to the UK from the United States in August 1976, Slade found themselves out-of-favour at the time of the UK's punk rock explosion. The band's 1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade proved a commercial failure while their tour that spring had shown that they could no longer fill large venues. Slade's waning success soon saw them revert back to playing small venues, mainly universities and clubs. The band's tours often ran at a loss, with the band having to bring their own PA and lightshow.
In addition, the band's new records were barely selling. Now on manager Chas Chandlers' label Barn rather than Polydor, singles such as "Burning in the Heat of Love", "Give Us a Goal" and "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" were all chart failures, along with the band's second live album Slade Alive, Vol. 2, which was the sequel to their critically acclaimed and commercially successful Slade Alive! (1972).
During 1979, the band began recording their eighth studio album Return to Base. The lead single, "Ginny, Ginny", was released in May 1979 but failed to chart, although it did enter the UK Top 200. Return to Base followed in October but also failed to chart, as did the second single released later that month, "Sign of the Times". The band continued to tour into 1980, but prior to their last-minute call up for the 1980 Reading Festival, they were on the verge of disbanding. Following their comeback, the band's commercial fortunes were revived with the release of We'll Bring the House Down in 1981, which featured a number of tracks from Return to Base.
Speaking of the album in a 1979 fan club interview, Dave Hill said: "I'm very satisfied with it. It's got a mixture of different types of songs on it, all of which adds up to it being a good album! My favourites are the rock 'n' roll one "I'm a Rocker" and the instrumental one "Lemme Love Into Ya" – probably because of the way that they come over on stage more than anything else." In a 1980 fan club interview, Noddy Holder said: "Over the last couple of years me and Jim have been writing a lot of songs, but we haven't known which way to approach them really. With Return to Base we were really pleased with the album, we thought that it turned out really well, but it didn't sell. Everyone around the band was saying to us that we weren't coming up with as good songs as we used to, but me and Jim knew that we were, we knew that we were coming up with strong songs. Some of the songs on Return to Base we thought were some of the best songs that we'd ever written. There only seemed to be me and Jim that had confidence in the songs; people like Chas, Dave and Don said that they didn't think our songs were as strong, some of them they did but some of them they didn't. But we ourselves thought that they were. Thus it was a case of getting the album down; and in our minds it turned out to be a great album."
Recording
The band aimed to record twenty songs, with the best eleven being put onto the album. In a 1979 fan club interview, Don Powell confirmed that seventeen tracks had been recorded at that time. The album was recorded over a period of six weeks and saw the band producing themselves for the first time. In a 1979 fan club interview, Hill said: "We each took it in turn to produce certain parts ourselves – which makes it the first album we have solely produced ourselves."
By the time of the album's recording, disagreements between the band (particularly Jim Lea) and producer/manager Chas Chandler had reached a climax. Recalling the situation in the 1984 biography Feel the Noize!, Holder said: "Jim was becoming more and more involved in that side of things. He wanted to produce the group and he didn't think that Chas was coming up with the goods." However, Chandler felt the band's current material was not as strong as their earlier work: "They felt that a great sound was the all important thing. I've always felt that the song comes first and you craft your sound to suit the song... not the other way round." Although Chandler offered to cut ties with the band completely, an agreement was struck that he would remain as manager while they produced themselves. Chandler said: "I agreed to this because if I refused I felt I would have been kicking them when they were down."
During the recording of Return to Base, Slade were persuaded by engineer Andy Miller to record a song he had co-wrote with Bernie Frost. The song, "Another Win", was recorded by Slade but remained unreleased. In 2011, the song emerged on the internet through the Slade in England website.
Release
Title and packaging
The album title is a line from "Sign of the Times". In response to how the album's title was decided, Hill said the band "had a whole list of suggestions for the title, and Return to Base is from one of the lines in the song "Sign of the Times"." In a late 1979 fan club magazine, it was stated that the album's title also described the band's actions of the time. Both Lea and Hill lived in Wolverhampton while Holder and Powell lived in London. By the album's release, all members were living in Wolverhampton.
Dressed in a plain red sleeve with the stark black title in a battered typeface, the album cover was intended to reflect a no-nonsense, back-to-basics, "never-say-die" attitude, although it was noted that "it ended up looking as threadbare as much of the public assumed Slade to be." Upon asking if the album's artwork had been designed, Hill replied "It's still being done, but I understand that it is going to have a photo of a ticker-tape message on the front saying "Return to Base", in computer-like lettering. But it should be a very basic cover – so that it ties in with the "basic" reference in the title."
Success in Belgium
While the album continued the band's commercial woes in the UK, the album became a big success in Belgium during 1980, reaching No. 1 there. The album's initial UK-only release saw many copies of the album being purchased by Belgian fans as an import. The album soon climbed to No. 1 on the Telemoustique chart, a weekly rock chart compiled by public votes. It also topped the Belgian radio station Impedance's daily chart on several occasions. As a result of the interest in the album, the album was released in the country by Warner Bros. in 1980. The album went on to become a big hit there, as did the Belgian-only single "I'm a Rocker".
In a 1980 fan club interview, Holder spoke of the success in Belgium: "What happened in Belgium was that Return to Base was available on import, and it started to climb the import charts. I don't know why, it was as much a surprise to us as it was to anybody. Warner Bros. Records then said to us, due to it starting to show some action, would we want to release it over there as a major release. We thought "why not?" – and now it's the number one album over there!" Speaking of "I'm a Rocker", Holder said: "That was the track getting the most airplay from the album. But it's not just a case of that applying in Belgium – we've had so many people writing to us asking why we've not released it as a single. "I'm a Rocker" is not even one of our songs though – it's a Chuck Berry number."
Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
Retrospective reviews
Song information
Track listing
1. Wheels Ain't Coming Down (Noddy Holder, Jim Lea) - 3:36
2. Hold on to Your Hats (Holder, Lea) - 2:33
3. Chakeeta (Holder, Lea) - 2:27
4. Don't Waste Your Time (Back Seat Star) (Holder, Lea) - 3:29
5. Sign of the Times (Holder, Lea) - 3:57
6. I'm a Rocker (Chuck Berry) - 2:47
7. Nut Bolts And Screws (Holder, Lea) - 2:31
8. My Baby's Got It (Holder, Lea) - 2:34
9. I'm Mad (Holder, Lea) - 2:47
10. Lemme Love into Ya (Holder, Lea) - 3:39
11. Ginny, Ginny (Holder, Lea) - 3:39
Personnel
Slade
Additional personnel
Following the band's revival at the 1980 Reading Festival, a number of tracks from Return to Base would reappear on the band's next studio album We'll Bring the House Down (1981).
Background
Having returned to the UK from the United States in August 1976, Slade found themselves out-of-favour at the time of the UK's punk rock explosion. The band's 1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade proved a commercial failure while their tour that spring had shown that they could no longer fill large venues. Slade's waning success soon saw them revert back to playing small venues, mainly universities and clubs. The band's tours often ran at a loss, with the band having to bring their own PA and lightshow.
In addition, the band's new records were barely selling. Now on manager Chas Chandlers' label Barn rather than Polydor, singles such as "Burning in the Heat of Love", "Give Us a Goal" and "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" were all chart failures, along with the band's second live album Slade Alive, Vol. 2, which was the sequel to their critically acclaimed and commercially successful Slade Alive! (1972).
During 1979, the band began recording their eighth studio album Return to Base. The lead single, "Ginny, Ginny", was released in May 1979 but failed to chart, although it did enter the UK Top 200. Return to Base followed in October but also failed to chart, as did the second single released later that month, "Sign of the Times". The band continued to tour into 1980, but prior to their last-minute call up for the 1980 Reading Festival, they were on the verge of disbanding. Following their comeback, the band's commercial fortunes were revived with the release of We'll Bring the House Down in 1981, which featured a number of tracks from Return to Base.
Speaking of the album in a 1979 fan club interview, Dave Hill said: "I'm very satisfied with it. It's got a mixture of different types of songs on it, all of which adds up to it being a good album! My favourites are the rock 'n' roll one "I'm a Rocker" and the instrumental one "Lemme Love Into Ya" – probably because of the way that they come over on stage more than anything else." In a 1980 fan club interview, Noddy Holder said: "Over the last couple of years me and Jim have been writing a lot of songs, but we haven't known which way to approach them really. With Return to Base we were really pleased with the album, we thought that it turned out really well, but it didn't sell. Everyone around the band was saying to us that we weren't coming up with as good songs as we used to, but me and Jim knew that we were, we knew that we were coming up with strong songs. Some of the songs on Return to Base we thought were some of the best songs that we'd ever written. There only seemed to be me and Jim that had confidence in the songs; people like Chas, Dave and Don said that they didn't think our songs were as strong, some of them they did but some of them they didn't. But we ourselves thought that they were. Thus it was a case of getting the album down; and in our minds it turned out to be a great album."
Recording
The band aimed to record twenty songs, with the best eleven being put onto the album. In a 1979 fan club interview, Don Powell confirmed that seventeen tracks had been recorded at that time. The album was recorded over a period of six weeks and saw the band producing themselves for the first time. In a 1979 fan club interview, Hill said: "We each took it in turn to produce certain parts ourselves – which makes it the first album we have solely produced ourselves."
By the time of the album's recording, disagreements between the band (particularly Jim Lea) and producer/manager Chas Chandler had reached a climax. Recalling the situation in the 1984 biography Feel the Noize!, Holder said: "Jim was becoming more and more involved in that side of things. He wanted to produce the group and he didn't think that Chas was coming up with the goods." However, Chandler felt the band's current material was not as strong as their earlier work: "They felt that a great sound was the all important thing. I've always felt that the song comes first and you craft your sound to suit the song... not the other way round." Although Chandler offered to cut ties with the band completely, an agreement was struck that he would remain as manager while they produced themselves. Chandler said: "I agreed to this because if I refused I felt I would have been kicking them when they were down."
During the recording of Return to Base, Slade were persuaded by engineer Andy Miller to record a song he had co-wrote with Bernie Frost. The song, "Another Win", was recorded by Slade but remained unreleased. In 2011, the song emerged on the internet through the Slade in England website.
Release
Title and packaging
The album title is a line from "Sign of the Times". In response to how the album's title was decided, Hill said the band "had a whole list of suggestions for the title, and Return to Base is from one of the lines in the song "Sign of the Times"." In a late 1979 fan club magazine, it was stated that the album's title also described the band's actions of the time. Both Lea and Hill lived in Wolverhampton while Holder and Powell lived in London. By the album's release, all members were living in Wolverhampton.
Dressed in a plain red sleeve with the stark black title in a battered typeface, the album cover was intended to reflect a no-nonsense, back-to-basics, "never-say-die" attitude, although it was noted that "it ended up looking as threadbare as much of the public assumed Slade to be." Upon asking if the album's artwork had been designed, Hill replied "It's still being done, but I understand that it is going to have a photo of a ticker-tape message on the front saying "Return to Base", in computer-like lettering. But it should be a very basic cover – so that it ties in with the "basic" reference in the title."
Success in Belgium
While the album continued the band's commercial woes in the UK, the album became a big success in Belgium during 1980, reaching No. 1 there. The album's initial UK-only release saw many copies of the album being purchased by Belgian fans as an import. The album soon climbed to No. 1 on the Telemoustique chart, a weekly rock chart compiled by public votes. It also topped the Belgian radio station Impedance's daily chart on several occasions. As a result of the interest in the album, the album was released in the country by Warner Bros. in 1980. The album went on to become a big hit there, as did the Belgian-only single "I'm a Rocker".
In a 1980 fan club interview, Holder spoke of the success in Belgium: "What happened in Belgium was that Return to Base was available on import, and it started to climb the import charts. I don't know why, it was as much a surprise to us as it was to anybody. Warner Bros. Records then said to us, due to it starting to show some action, would we want to release it over there as a major release. We thought "why not?" – and now it's the number one album over there!" Speaking of "I'm a Rocker", Holder said: "That was the track getting the most airplay from the album. But it's not just a case of that applying in Belgium – we've had so many people writing to us asking why we've not released it as a single. "I'm a Rocker" is not even one of our songs though – it's a Chuck Berry number."
Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
- Shortly before the release of the album, the Slade fan club newsletter editor Dave Kemp stated: "Having heard the rough copy of it, all I can say is that it's amazing, totally different to anything Slade have done before, you'll love it."
- Record Mirror stated: "Assuming that the title should be taken to mean that the group are trying to visit the territorial war grounds of their golden years in the singles charts I reckon they are in for a shock. I expect a little more than references to Big Brother, Stereo, Radio etc, in the otherwise catchy "Sign of the Times" and the reflection of "Born to Run" in "Wheels Ain't Coming Down". On "Nuts Bolts & Screws" and "My Baby's Got It" Slade start to rock, but there's nothing here to distinguish them from any other rocking combo. I wasn't expecting another "Cum On Feel the Noize" or "My Friend Stan" but just something a little more inspired. From a new band this would be a fairly good debut, from Slade I want more."
- Sounds wrote: "Slade have managed to pull a fair to impressive performance out of the bag with this one. Sure to new wave lugs it sounds dated, but Return to Base still rocks like a good un', utilising standard rock 'n' roll/hard rock foundations for commendable displays of tightness and old time rock bite. Noddy's got one of the all time classic rock voices as he belts through ten steamy originals and one Chuck Berry cover. Slade may have stood still, but their own brand of rock shout clout still sounds good to these biased ears."
- Wolverhampton Express and Star stated: "Slade haven't had a big hit for some time now, but it would be silly to write them off just yet, to judge by their new album Return to Base. There is definitely a Sixties feel to some of the songs, though others are vintage Slade. Most striking thing about the album is its variety, for Slade have loosened up a bit for this one and included much more variety of mood. It certainly pays off. Another striking factor is the guitar playing of Dave Hill, who has really been allowed to branch out on this disc. In all, it's an album which will please Slade's still huge army of fans, both for its fidelity to the Slade sound and for its inventiveness and freshness."
- In May 1980, Jon Young of New York magazine Trouser Press reviewed the album and stated: "On Return to Base, seven of the eleven cuts connect in every possible way, for a batting average of .636. If it had been released in 1973, the classic "Nuts, Bolts and Screws" would've easily topped the UK charts. Okay, there's nothing here quite as wonderful as "Cum On Feel the Noize". But whose fault is that? This kind of music isn't meant for a vacuum! It's meant to be enjoyed! Give Slade some encouragement! You will be glad that you did!!"
Retrospective reviews
- Geoff Ginsberg of AllMusic retrospectively noted: "Return to Base marks Slade's low ebb in terms of popularity and morale. The band's future prospects looked grim, at best, and this album did nothing to change that. Having said that, Return to Base is not half bad. It contains about five classic Slade numbers, and several throwaways. Certainly not a high point for the band, but they kept on keepin' on, no matter how bad things got. Secure in the knowledge that practically no one had ever heard the thing, Slade eventually redid the record as We'll Bring the House Down, a fully realized project."
- In 2010, Classic Rock described the album as "overlooked". Colin Harper of Record Collector said: "Searching for the UK zeitgeist, 1979's now abjectly obscure Return to Base ironically had a pleasingly diverse, reinvigorated musical palette."
Song information
- "Wheels Ain't Coming Down" tells the tale of a near-death flying experience suffered by Holder and Lea when travelling to Los Angeles. The track was later released as a single in 1981 and peaked at No. 60.
- "Hold on to Your Hats" is a mid-tempo track influenced by a more rock 'n' roll sound. The track uses backward reverb effects and features a question and answer technique between Holder and Hill and Lea during the chorus.
- "Don't Waste Your Time (Back Seat Star)" is an acoustic-based ballad, later described by Holder in 1988 as a "surrealistic social comment".
- "Sign of the Times" is a ballad based on technological revolution. It later featured as the B-side to Slade's 1981 hit single "Lock Up Your Daughters".
- "I'm a Rocker" is a cover of the Chuck Berry track. The song was released as a single in Belgium in 1980. Holder was made aware of the song when it was played on BBC Radio 1. Holder then suggested the band start to play it live. It was then recorded for Return to Base.
- "My Baby's Got It", is a track influenced by rock 'n' roll and boogie rock.
- "Lemme Love into Ya" is a minor-key ballad which became a regular inclusion in the band's live act. It was voted No. 2 of the top three Slade album tracks in the Slade Fan Club Poll of 1979. The song was soon re-worked into the song "Poland", which Lea recorded as a solo venture under the Dummies. His version was released as a single under the pseudonym Greenfields of Tong in 1982 on Speed Records.
- "Ginny, Ginny" was originally named "Jeanie Jeanie" and was issued on a yellow vinyl as a single in hope of interesting buyers. Lea also recorded his own version of the song with the Dummies.
Track listing
1. Wheels Ain't Coming Down (Noddy Holder, Jim Lea) - 3:36
2. Hold on to Your Hats (Holder, Lea) - 2:33
3. Chakeeta (Holder, Lea) - 2:27
4. Don't Waste Your Time (Back Seat Star) (Holder, Lea) - 3:29
5. Sign of the Times (Holder, Lea) - 3:57
6. I'm a Rocker (Chuck Berry) - 2:47
7. Nut Bolts And Screws (Holder, Lea) - 2:31
8. My Baby's Got It (Holder, Lea) - 2:34
9. I'm Mad (Holder, Lea) - 2:47
10. Lemme Love into Ya (Holder, Lea) - 3:39
11. Ginny, Ginny (Holder, Lea) - 3:39
Personnel
Slade
- Noddy Holder - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, producer
- Dave Hill - lead guitar, backing vocals, producer
- Jim Lea - bass, piano, synthesizer, backing vocals, producer
- Don Powell - drums, percussion, backing vocals, producer
Additional personnel
- Andy Miller – engineer
- Dave Garland, Mark O'Donoughue – assistant engineers
- George Peckham – cutting engineer
- Eric Massey – art direction