Don Powell biography

Don Powell and I have signed with Omnibus Press. You can already pre-order the hardcover edition of Don's biography on Amazon.co.uk:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Look-Wot-Dun-Powell-Slade/dp/1783050403

Sladest

Last year Salvo re-released Slade's compilation album "Sladest" and as such a review is long overdue. My excuse is, that I didn't get my review copy until now, but better late than never as they say…

"Sladest" was originally released in 1973, just before Slade had their greatest hit ever, "Merry Xmas Everybody", so that particular song is not featured on the album. Instead you'll find a pleasant mix of hits and more obscure songs from Slade's past before they reached fame. Fourteen songs all in all from the first single they made with their manager Chas Chandler "Wild Winds Are Blowing" (1969) to Slade's number one hit Squeeze Me, Pleeze Me (1973) compiled in a non-chronological running order.

Salvo's version includes four bonus tracks: the three 1973 tunes "My Friend Stan", "My Town", "Kill 'Em At The Hot Club Tonight" and a rare studio recording of Slade's cover version of Ten Years After's "Hear Me Calling". If you're a Slade, fan you've probable heard all of the songs on the album before, but this studio recording that was recently discovered on a vinyl acetate, is something new and well worth the price of the album, more tightly structured and with an interesting double vocal from Noddy Holder and Jim Lea.

The album comes complete with photos, original liner notes by Bob Houston from 1973 and new liner notes by Chris Ingham. As usually the tracks are beautifully remastered by Tim Turan at Turan Audio.

So close...

I visited Don yesterday and we got the last few things in place regarding his biography. I have to make a few changes, then I guess the book is ready for the proof reader. Yay!

Slade on German TV

Slade were on the German TV show "Fernsehgarten" on ZDF yesterday. They performed "My Oh My" and "Far Far Away" as can be seen here:
http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/beitrag/video/1376470/My-Oh-My#/beitrag/video/1376470/My-Oh-My
http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/beitrag/video/1376470/My-Oh-My#/beitrag/video/1376478/Far-Far-Away
Thanks to Jürgen and Wilf for the info.

Don Powell biography blog

You're now able to follow the progress of Don Powell's biography here: http://www.donpowellbio.blogspot.com

New Q&A

 There's a new fan forum Q&A up on my Don Powell interview blog.

2011 index

May:
New Q & A, May 4
Don Powell biography blog, May 4

July:
Slade on German TV, July 4

Don and John

Don Powell is performing at the John Lennon Memorial concert in "Train", Aarhus, Denmark on December 8th. Check it out: http://www.train.dk

Don Powell on stage

Tomorrow Don Powell is on stage with musicians from the Danish theatre Team Teatret in a charity event called “Kunsten Stiger” at MCH (Messecenter Herning Kongrescenter) in the Danish town of Herning. The event that includes performances from Danish actors, dancers and musicians is in aid of the Parkinson Society. Don & Co. are going to perform modern jazz versions of “How Does It Feel?” and “Far Far Away” complete with cello, trumpet and a female singer. The Danish TV station DR2 is going to tape the event, but as of yet I don’t know when it will be aired. Tickets are available through www.billetnet.dk

Don and I going through the finished bio manuscript last month

Happy birthday, Don

It's Don Powell's birthday today, so...happy birthday, Don! How come I've been humming The Beatles' "When I'm Sixty-Four" all day? Speak soon! :-)

The Guv'nors album featuring Don

Don and The Guv'nors, 2007

Don, Mash and Jonah in the studio

The Guv’nors: “The Pint of No Return”

In 2006 I was approached by Danish rock band The Guv’nors. They had a vision of Don playing drums on their next album and could I arrange for Don to play with them? Of course I could and on January 7, 2007 we went to Smart’n’Hard studios in Aarhus, Denmark, where Don recorded a few tracks with the band. Now The Guv’nors have finished the album with the title “The Pint fo No Return.”

“The Pint of No Return” is a co-production between Trueforce Records, Longshot Records and Contra Records and it comes as a vinyl LP (mine is yellow!) with an additional CD. On the LP you’ll find 12 tracks, whereas the CD boasts 15 tracks.

All songs on the album are self-penned except for the 2 cover-songs: ”Striptease” by Lendager/Dehnhardt – a major hit by the Danish seventies glam-band Walkers – and Slade’s ”Raining In My Champagne” featuring Don on drums. You’ll find ”Raining In My Champagne” on the vinyl LP only, whereas the CD offers you 4 tracks that are not included on the LP, namely ”Sorry We’re From Denmark”, ”Ich Tanze Nur Für Sekt” and 2 bonus tracks in Danish: ”Rockband” and ”40, Fed og Færdig”

The Guv’nors consists of Sonnyboi (vocal), Smidt (guitar), Mash (guitar), Rune P (bass) and Jonah (drums) and together they produce a sound that is best described as working class rock’n’roll. This is hard rock with traces of AC/DC. You’ll detect some Angus Young riffs and pretty neat guitar solos and the efficient rhythm section combined with the raucous front vocal makes the music perfect for head-banging!

The album is raw and energetic. “Skiing in Hamburg” sports great guitar-work and “Sorry We’re From Denmark”/”The Pint of No Return” is damn good rock’n’roll. I found it difficult to sit still to “Ain’t Nobody In” and of course it was great to hear Don on drums on “Raining In My Champagne”.

Very fittingly for a rock album Soren Sonne Hald’s lyrics are mostly about sex’n’drugs’n’rock’n’roll (and football!), but you’ll also find lyrics about losing your youth and trying to cope with being a young, rocking soul trapped in the body of a middle-aged man. Quite becoming, I think.

The album is available in Europe at: http://www.contra-net.com and in the USA at http://www.longshotmusic.com. More info, go to: The Guv'nors.

P.S. I’m pleased to see that 2 of the photos that I shot of Don and the Guv’nors at the studio in 2007 have ended up on the inner sleeve of the album. Thanks for the mention, guys. I had so much fun that day!

Party Hits album

Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody Party Hits album

In November 2009 Slade’s ”Merry Xmas Everybody Party Hits” album was released through Universal. Now – almost 3 months later - I finally got my review copy. People have said, ”You can’t review a Christmas album in February!”, but of course I can! As it says in the liner-notes of the album: ”Slade is not just for Christmas”, so why not?

The album consists of 20 tracks whereof 4 are ”festive” songs. Apart from Slade’s Christmas-hit “Merry Xmas Everybody”, you’ll also find Coots/Gillespies ”Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”, and Slade’s own ”Here’s To,,,” as well other party-tunes such as ”Let’s Have A Party” (Baxter/Friend/Haynes) and ”Okey Cokey” (Kennedy).

On the album you’ll also find some of Slade’s greatest self-penned hits: “Mama Weer All Crazee Now”, “’Coz I Luv You”, “Gudbuy T’Jane”, “Cum On Feel The Noize” and “Skweeze Me Pleeze Me”, but also songs less known. Of cover songs you’ll find “Let The Good Times Roll/Feel So Fine” (Lee), “My Baby Left Me/That’s Alright” (Crudup), “Let’s Dance” (Lee) and “I’m A Rocker” (Berry) as well as self-penned ones such as “We’re Really Gonna Raise The Roof”, “Hey Ho Wish You Well”, “Do You Believe In Miracles” and “All Join Hands”. My two favourite songs on the album (both self-penned Holder/Lea tracks) are “My Oh My (Swing Version)” from 1985 and “Standin’ On The Corner” from 1974. Those two songs show the versatility of the band.

If some of you are thinking that ”Merry Xmas Everybody Party Hits” sounds a bit like Slade’s 1985 album “Crackers”, you are not entirely wrong. The new album has a few more songs and some of the “Crackers” songs have been replaced by others, but all in all the new album has the same party-feel to it like the old one. And if nothing else, it proves that Slade is not just for Christmas – although this album is gonna come in handy at any Christmas party!

2010 index

February:
February 6: Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody Party Hits album
February 16: The Guv'nors: "The Pint of No Return"

September:
September 10: Happy birthday, Don

October:
October 16: Don Powell on stage

November:
November 25: Don and John

Don backstage before the concert

John in tartan

Dave in red

Mal in red

Slade on stage

Look at those faces!

Mal and Don

Heartfelt

Dave playing two guitars

Sticks in the air!

Dave and Don

Applause

Don is back for the encores

Don and Chris Savage

"Mad" bass player John Berry

Don w. Christmas hat during MXE

A sulking Mal with festive Heidi plaits

John in his Christmas gear