The Slade Collection 81-87 (1991)

The Slade Collection 81-87 is a compilation album, released by RCA/BMG in March 1991. It contains seventeen tracks spanning the band's RCA years from 1981 to 1987, including three live tracks from Slade on Stage. A follow-up album, The Slade Collection Vol. 2, 79-87, was released in 1993.

Critical reception
Contemporary reviews

• "OK, there are two or three numbers so corny that you'll reach for the sick bag, but other than that, this is fine pop." - Hi-Fi News & Record Review
• "This epitomy of fun rock homes in on the latest Slade chantalongs, but also dusts the glitter off a few Seventies golden oldies. Nothing suave or subtle here, but behind the showman image Noddy and the boys have penned some darn good stuff in their elongated time." - Andrew Hirst of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner. (Hirst also placed the compilation at number 7 on his end of year list for the newspaper's "Top 10 Compilations" reviewed during 1991.)
• "In career terms, Slade's rise from the ashes in the '80s was pretty remarkable. They even made a couple of good records. 'Run Runaway' is as brilliantly silly as hard rock gets. The root of it all was the paternity suit filed by the West Coast glam metal scene. Thus Slade's inevitable swerve towards shiny pop metal was mollified by a certain jolliness about the turn of events. Relevance is a distant concept here, but it's hard to begrudge the old chaps a second bite of the cherry." - Russell Brown of Select (two out of five star rating)

Retrospective reviews

• "For casual fans wishing to supplement the storming, sleazy fun of Feel the Noize, The Slade Collection: '81-'87 contains all of the best latter-day tracks the group recorded, including "My Oh My" and "Run Runaway." Even in this condensed state, the material on '81-'87 isn't as compelling as it was between 1970 and 1975, but this compilation is certainly the best way to sample an inconsistent era." - Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic

Track listing
1. Run Runaway (Noddy Holder, Jim Lea) - 3:46
2. Everyday (Live) (Holder, Lea) - 3:16
3. We'll Bring the House Down (Holder, Lea) - 3:36
4. Ruby Red (Holder, Lea) - 2:55
5. (And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie (Holder, Lea) - 3:26
6. Do You Believe in Miracles (Holder, Lea) - 4:13
7. Still the Same (Holder, Lea) - 4:15
8. My Oh My (Holder, Lea) - 4:13
9. All Join Hands (Holder, Lea) - 4:16
10. Wheels Ain't Coming Down (Holder, Lea) - 3:38
11. 7 Year Bitch (Holder, Lea) - 4:20
12. Myzsterious Mizster Jones (Holder, Lea) - 3:38
13. Lock Up Your Daughters (Holder, Lea) - 3:30
14. Me & the Boys (Holder, Lea) - 2:42
15. Gudbye to Jane (Live) (Holder, Lea) - 4:41
16. Mama Weer All Crazee Now (Live) (Holder, Lea) - 3:00
17. Love is Like a Rock (Mark Avsec;,Donnie Iris, Marty Lee Hoenes, Albritton McClain, Kevin Valentine) - 3:38

Personnel
Slade

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

Production

• John Punter - tracks 1, 6-9, 11-12
• Slade - tracks 2-4, 10, 13, 15-16
• Jim Lea - tracks 5, 14
• Roy Thomas Baker - track 17

Other

• Paul Robinson - compiler
• Wildlife - design

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