Return to base
Encyclopedia
Return to Base.... was an album by the British rock
group Slade
. It was released on 1 October 1979 and did not enter the charts. The album's cover didn't help matters either. It's said that the band were so low on money at the time they didn't have the funds to hire a photographer, so all the album got was a plain red cover with the title stamped at the top. The 1993 Polydor CD reissue added all four band member's signatures on the front cover.
At the time of the album's release, the band were receiving next to no money. Forced to play at small halls and clubs around the UK, the only income they were reliant on was Noddy and Jim's songwriting royalties. Their singles weren't selling, and they were no longer drawing in huge crowds; "We had to pay to park in the public area," recalls Jim Lea incredulously. "With no roadies we had to carry our own gear and there was even trouble getting into the backstage area!"
In fact their record company only pressed a total 3,500 copies of the "Ginny, Ginny
" single, virtually guaranteeing its failure to enter the charts.
Even the single that preceded it, "Sign O' the Times" failed to chart and most copies which were left were melted down, making the single extremely rare today.
Some of the tracks from Return to Base were included on Slade's next album We'll Bring the House Down
. The remainder tracks from Return to Base were included as bonus tracks on the 2007 reissue of We'll Bring The House Down.
The band aimed to record twenty song, with the best eleven being put onto the album. In the 1979 July–August fan club magazine, drummer Don Powell confirmed that seventeen tracks had been recorded at the time.
The album peaked at #830 for 1979 on rateyourmusic.
Despite being successful at live performances, the band's new records were barely selling. No longer released on Polydor records but instead on manager Chas Chandlers label Barn records, singles such as "Burning in the Heat of Love", Give Us a Goal
, "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" and "Ginny Ginny" were all chart failures. Even the live album Slade Alive, Vol. 2
was a commercial failure.
It was in this atmosphere that Slade's 10th album "Return To Base" was released, in October 1979. Dressed in a plain red sleeve with the stark black title in a battered typeface, the package was undoubtedly meant to reflect a no-nonsense, back-to-basics, never-say-die attitude. It ended up looking as threadbare as much of the public assumed Slade to be. It was also the first album to be fully produced by Slade, a simple phrase behind which lay a tempestuous tale of power struggles and artistic differences.
Disagreements between the group - especially bassist Jim Lea
- and their producer/manager Chas Chandler
had been brewing since the recording of Slade's 1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade and continued through 1978, coming to a head during the 1979 recording sessions for Return to Base. "Jim was becoming more and more involved in that side of things," vocalist Noddy Holder told Chris Charlesworth. "He wanted to produce the group and he didn't think that Chas was coming up with the goods." Chandler, for his part, was unimpressed with the group's current material and thought their priorities were upside down. "They felt that a great sound was the all important thing," he told Charlesworth. "I've always felt that the song comes first and you craft your sound to suit the song...not the other way round." The upshot was that Chandler offered his sever his association with Slade. The group's counter offer suggested he stayed on as manager while they produced themselves. "I agreed to this because if I refused I felt I would have been kicking them when they were down."
Return to Base disappeared without troubling the charts, as did their seasonal party single "Okey Cokey" (December 1979). A similar fate greeted the 12-inch E.P. "Six of the Best" (June 1980). Very good value at £1.49, it contained three tracks from Return to Base and three new tracks.
In August 1980, the band became popular once again after performing at the Reading Festival.
The album saw the band produce together for the first time which Hill was asked if any one member of Slade did the bulk of production work. Hill stated "No, we each took it in turn to produce certain parts ourselves - which makes it the first album we have solely produced ourselves."
In response to how the album's title was decided, Hill said "We 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 the November–December 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 whilst Holder and Powell lived in London. By the album's release, all members were living in Wolverhampton.
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."
Hill spoke of how he felt on the final album overall "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!" Hill also stated his favourite songs on the 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 spoke of the album. "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."
During the recording of "Return to Base", Slade were persuaded by Slade's engineer Andy Miller to record a song that was written by himself and Bernie Frost, both whom worked with Status Quo. The song titled "Another Win" was recorded by Slade and despite the song turning out fine, the song was never released and is still unreleased to this day. The song was later recorded by Status Quo, ending up appearing on a bootleg album only. In August 2011, the full track was unofficially made available via Slade In England.
Despite not being directly released in Belgium, Slade fans in the country were buying imports from Britain. As the album was not directly released, the album was unable to have "chart return" and qualify for the Belgium sales charts. As a result, the Belgian fans voted the album number one in the chart used by Telemoustique (the only Belgium rock weekly) which was compiled by fans voting for their favourite records.
The album also topped the daily chart on Belgium radio Impedance, a top twenty show that is compiled by listeners phoning the radio station with their votes for their favourite albums/singles. "Return to Base" topped this chart several occasions. As a result of the big reception, plans to release the album officially in Belgium via Warner Brothers Records were made. With these plans, the album was released officially in Belgium, eventually climbing to number one there.
In a 1980 fan club interview, Noddy 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 Brother 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!"
In a 1980 fan club interview with drummer Don Powell, Powell was asked about how he felt when he heard of the Belgian success. "When I heard the news I thought "what!". I mean, we have not been to Belgium; it must be at least six years since we've played there."
As a result of the album's success, an exlusive single to Belgium was released with Chuck Berry's "I'm a Rocker" being the a-side. The song topped the belgian charts. Holder was asked how it became chosen as a single. "Well that was the track that was 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."
Shortly before the release of the album, the Slade fan club newsletter editor Dave Kemp stated how he felt on the rough copy he had heard. "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."
The album was voted #2 of the top three Slade albums in the Slade Fan Club Poll of 1979.
. The track was later released as a single in 1981 after Slade's 1980 Reading Festival performance which put them back in the public eye. It peaked at #60. The track also became part of the band's live set list. Geoff Ginsberg for allmusic stated the track ranked among the band's best work.
. The track features a question and answer technique between Noddy Holder and the other band members Dave Hill and Jim Lea during the chorus.
In a late 1988 Slade fan club magazine, Holder stated the lyrics of the song was a "surrealistic social comment."
. Superpop magazine gave the song a rating of 2 out of 5.
The song was released as a single in Belgium, peaking at number one there.
In a 1980 interview, Holder spoke about the recording of the track and why it was chosen to record. "How we came to do the number came about due to me listening to Annie Nightingale
one Sunday afternoon, and she played "I'm a Rocker" by Chuck Berry. It was one of his new numbers, it's not an old Chuck Berry number. And I really liked it. Anyway, I mentioned to the others in the band that I'd heard a really great Chuck Berry number, and we thought no more about it. In the meantime I searched high and low for the record, I couldn't get it anywhere, absolutely nowhere could I get hold of that record. Then I found out eventually that it was available on a French import on Contour Records. And I managed to get a copy of the album that it's on, which is actually called "I'm a Rocker", from an import shop. Then after listening to it, we started to play it live on stage, first of all just as a jam at the end of the set. Then one night we went into the studio, we'd been all over the pub, and we had half an hour left at the end of a session, and we decided to record it, and we got it down in one take. The feel is there in that song, it's us, Slade - it's what we are all about. Obviously Belgium latched up on it, France is now, and Holland. Belgium is therefore a stepping-stone to Europe."
The song was re-worked by Lea, re-titled "Poland". It was released under the artist name Greenfields of Tong in 1982. It was also the b-side to the 1983 Sue Scadding single "Simple Love" which was written by Holder and Lea, produced by Lea. The "Poland" song also appeared on the 1992 album "A Day in the Life of the Dummies", a collection of all the demos and recordings that Lea recorded with his brother Frank Lea and wife Louise Lea, under the name "The Dummies".
"Lemme Love Into Ya" was voted #2 of the top three Slade album tracks in the Slade Fan Club Poll of 1979.
Record Mirror
stated "assuming that the title 'Return To Base' 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. At one time everyone loved Slade with those wonderful rocking melodies, and one of the best Christmas songs of all time, ensured them a permanent holding in the top ten. I accept that Slade are not the most intelligent of men but then that's not what I demand from my pop stars, but I do 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 the opener 'Wheels Ain't Coming Down'. Noddy's vocal prowess certainly hasn't dimmed on 'I'm a Rocker,' and 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'm Mad' is the nearest thing here to a hit single with its jump along beat and pure sixties chord changes, the production is by the band and Andy Miller which really is excellent, especially the little tricks like the backwards tremeloed guitar intro to 'Lemme love into ya' and the very ambient sound throughout. I wasnt 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."
In May 1980, Jon Young of New York magazine Trouser Press
reviewed the album. "Is Slade a burned-out embarrassment that ought to give up? No! Although the world would seem a more just place if the boize themselves were to blame for their commercial demise, it ain't so Joe... 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. Then there's a defiantly predictable reading of Chuck Berry's
"I'm a Rocker"; 50,000,000 cover versions can't be wrong!... Okay, there's nothing here quite as wonderful as "Cum On Feel the Noize
". But who's 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!!"
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group Slade
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
. It was released on 1 October 1979 and did not enter the charts. The album's cover didn't help matters either. It's said that the band were so low on money at the time they didn't have the funds to hire a photographer, so all the album got was a plain red cover with the title stamped at the top. The 1993 Polydor CD reissue added all four band member's signatures on the front cover.
At the time of the album's release, the band were receiving next to no money. Forced to play at small halls and clubs around the UK, the only income they were reliant on was Noddy and Jim's songwriting royalties. Their singles weren't selling, and they were no longer drawing in huge crowds; "We had to pay to park in the public area," recalls Jim Lea incredulously. "With no roadies we had to carry our own gear and there was even trouble getting into the backstage area!"
In fact their record company only pressed a total 3,500 copies of the "Ginny, Ginny
Ginny, Ginny
"Ginny, Ginny" is the first single of 1979 from rock band Slade which was the leading single from the album Return to Base..... It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea...
" single, virtually guaranteeing its failure to enter the charts.
Even the single that preceded it, "Sign O' the Times" failed to chart and most copies which were left were melted down, making the single extremely rare today.
Some of the tracks from Return to Base were included on Slade's next album We'll Bring the House Down
We'll Bring the House Down
We'll Bring The House Down is an album by English rock band Slade. It was released on 13 March 1981 and entered the UK charts at number 25. This was due to the Reading Festival success the previous year, when they had stood in for heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. Slade got exactly what they...
. The remainder tracks from Return to Base were included as bonus tracks on the 2007 reissue of We'll Bring The House Down.
The band aimed to record twenty song, with the best eleven being put onto the album. In the 1979 July–August fan club magazine, drummer Don Powell confirmed that seventeen tracks had been recorded at the time.
The album peaked at #830 for 1979 on rateyourmusic.
Background
With a three-quarters full 1977 theatre tour and after the unsuccessful 1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade, Slade were taking any gig they could. The band could still sell out performances at University student union bars and draw respectable crowds at small to average sized venues. However, it was only four years since the band had headlined Earls Court and even the earthiest band had to admit it was a bit of a comedown. Bassist Jim Lea however was unphazed. "I still thought the band was great," he told Chris Charlesworth in 1983, "We were playing as well if not better than we ever had...Now we had something to prove again." The band would prove their worth night after night in clubs and colleges up and down the country, often running at a loss bringing their own PA and lightshow.Despite being successful at live performances, the band's new records were barely selling. No longer released on Polydor records but instead on manager Chas Chandlers label Barn records, singles such as "Burning in the Heat of Love", Give Us a Goal
Give Us a Goal
"Give Us a Goal" is a single from English rock band Slade. It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea. The single was released in 1978 and failed to chart in the UK. The single was based on football....
, "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" and "Ginny Ginny" were all chart failures. Even the live album Slade Alive, Vol. 2
Slade Alive, Vol. 2
Slade Alive, Vol. 2 is a live album by the British rock group Slade. It was released October 27, 1978 and did not enter the charts.There were also plans to release Be as a single, but it never eventuated due to the steady decline in the group's fortunes.The album peaked at #778 for 1978 on...
was a commercial failure.
It was in this atmosphere that Slade's 10th album "Return To Base" was released, in October 1979. Dressed in a plain red sleeve with the stark black title in a battered typeface, the package was undoubtedly meant to reflect a no-nonsense, back-to-basics, never-say-die attitude. It ended up looking as threadbare as much of the public assumed Slade to be. It was also the first album to be fully produced by Slade, a simple phrase behind which lay a tempestuous tale of power struggles and artistic differences.
Disagreements between the group - especially bassist Jim Lea
Jim Lea
Jim Lea , is an English musician, most notable for playing bass guitar, keyboards, violin, guitar, and singing backing vocals in Slade.-Career:...
- and their producer/manager Chas Chandler
Chas Chandler
Bryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
had been brewing since the recording of Slade's 1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade and continued through 1978, coming to a head during the 1979 recording sessions for Return to Base. "Jim was becoming more and more involved in that side of things," vocalist Noddy Holder told Chris Charlesworth. "He wanted to produce the group and he didn't think that Chas was coming up with the goods." Chandler, for his part, was unimpressed with the group's current material and thought their priorities were upside down. "They felt that a great sound was the all important thing," he told Charlesworth. "I've always felt that the song comes first and you craft your sound to suit the song...not the other way round." The upshot was that Chandler offered his sever his association with Slade. The group's counter offer suggested he stayed on as manager while they produced themselves. "I agreed to this because if I refused I felt I would have been kicking them when they were down."
Return to Base disappeared without troubling the charts, as did their seasonal party single "Okey Cokey" (December 1979). A similar fate greeted the 12-inch E.P. "Six of the Best" (June 1980). Very good value at £1.49, it contained three tracks from Return to Base and three new tracks.
In August 1980, the band became popular once again after performing at the Reading Festival.
Recording
In the November–December 1979 Slade News magazine, Hill stated "the album took six weeks, on and off, to record."The album saw the band produce together for the first time which Hill was asked if any one member of Slade did the bulk of production work. Hill stated "No, we each took it in turn to produce certain parts ourselves - which makes it the first album we have solely produced ourselves."
In response to how the album's title was decided, Hill said "We 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 the November–December 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 whilst Holder and Powell lived in London. By the album's release, all members were living in Wolverhampton.
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."
Hill spoke of how he felt on the final album overall "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!" Hill also stated his favourite songs on the 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 spoke of the album. "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."
During the recording of "Return to Base", Slade were persuaded by Slade's engineer Andy Miller to record a song that was written by himself and Bernie Frost, both whom worked with Status Quo. The song titled "Another Win" was recorded by Slade and despite the song turning out fine, the song was never released and is still unreleased to this day. The song was later recorded by Status Quo, ending up appearing on a bootleg album only. In August 2011, the full track was unofficially made available via Slade In England.
Promotion
In reference to Slade's live shows which were the main promotion for the album, Hill was asked why the single "Sign of the Times" was not included in the live set. Hill replied "The reason for that is that at the moment we feel the act is just about right. We have added two numbers, that have worked very well, and we are now hoping to get "Sign of the Times" in on the next stretch of dates. Also at the moment we've got one slow ballad in the act, and on this tour we didn't want to have two."Release
Whilst the United Kingdom took little interest outside of Slade's fanbase, in Belgium, the album peaked at #1 on the telemoustique albums chart.Despite not being directly released in Belgium, Slade fans in the country were buying imports from Britain. As the album was not directly released, the album was unable to have "chart return" and qualify for the Belgium sales charts. As a result, the Belgian fans voted the album number one in the chart used by Telemoustique (the only Belgium rock weekly) which was compiled by fans voting for their favourite records.
The album also topped the daily chart on Belgium radio Impedance, a top twenty show that is compiled by listeners phoning the radio station with their votes for their favourite albums/singles. "Return to Base" topped this chart several occasions. As a result of the big reception, plans to release the album officially in Belgium via Warner Brothers Records were made. With these plans, the album was released officially in Belgium, eventually climbing to number one there.
In a 1980 fan club interview, Noddy 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 Brother 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!"
In a 1980 fan club interview with drummer Don Powell, Powell was asked about how he felt when he heard of the Belgian success. "When I heard the news I thought "what!". I mean, we have not been to Belgium; it must be at least six years since we've played there."
As a result of the album's success, an exlusive single to Belgium was released with Chuck Berry's "I'm a Rocker" being the a-side. The song topped the belgian charts. Holder was asked how it became chosen as a single. "Well that was the track that was 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."
Shortly before the release of the album, the Slade fan club newsletter editor Dave Kemp stated how he felt on the rough copy he had heard. "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."
The album was voted #2 of the top three Slade albums in the Slade Fan Club Poll of 1979.
Track listing
Wheels Ain't Coming Down
"Wheels Ain't Coming Down" is the opener from the album. It tells the tale of a near death flying experience suffered by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea when travelling to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The track was later released as a single in 1981 after Slade's 1980 Reading Festival performance which put them back in the public eye. It peaked at #60. The track also became part of the band's live set list. Geoff Ginsberg for allmusic stated the track ranked among the band's best work.
Hold on to Your Hats
"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 also featured on the band's next studio album We'll Bring the House DownWe'll Bring the House Down
We'll Bring The House Down is an album by English rock band Slade. It was released on 13 March 1981 and entered the UK charts at number 25. This was due to the Reading Festival success the previous year, when they had stood in for heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. Slade got exactly what they...
. The track features a question and answer technique between Noddy Holder and the other band members Dave Hill and Jim Lea during the chorus.
Chakeeta
"Chakeeta" is a more commercial sounding track on the album but the chorus probably wasn't what producer/manager Chas Chandler expected from the band who didn't agree with a lot of the material of the time. The track wasn't reused for Slade's next album We'll Bring the House Down.Don't Waste Your Time (Back Seat Star)
"Don't Waste Your Time (Back Seat Star)" is an acoustic-based ballad based on a fun loving girl who would wholeheartedly celebrated in Slade's oeuvre. The track wasn't reused for Slade's next album We'll Bring The House Down.In a late 1988 Slade fan club magazine, Holder stated the lyrics of the song was a "surrealistic social comment."
Sign of the Times
"Sign of the Times" is a ballad based on technological revolution. The track was issued as a single but failed to chart. It was later used as the b-side to Slade's hit single Lock Up Your DaughtersLock Up Your Daughters (song)
"Lock Up Your Daughters" is a single from rock band Slade which appeared on the album Till Deaf Do Us Part. It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea. The single was released in September 1981 and peaked at #29 in the UK, spending a total of 8 weeks on the chart...
. Superpop magazine gave the song a rating of 2 out of 5.
I'm a Rocker
"I'm a Rocker" is a cover version of a Chuck Berry track. Allmusic stated "The version of Chuck Berry's "I'm a Rocker" is catchy as all get out." James Parade for Record Mirror stated "Noddy's vocal prowess certainly hasn't dimmed on I'm a Rocker." The track was mimed on UK TV to promote the We'll Bring the House Down album which I'm a Rocker also appeared on. A video of the band at Portland Studios in London also showed the band recording the track.The song was released as a single in Belgium, peaking at number one there.
In a 1980 interview, Holder spoke about the recording of the track and why it was chosen to record. "How we came to do the number came about due to me listening to Annie Nightingale
Annie Nightingale
Anne "Annie" Nightingale MBE is an English radio broadcaster. She is most commonly known by the more informal name of Annie...
one Sunday afternoon, and she played "I'm a Rocker" by Chuck Berry. It was one of his new numbers, it's not an old Chuck Berry number. And I really liked it. Anyway, I mentioned to the others in the band that I'd heard a really great Chuck Berry number, and we thought no more about it. In the meantime I searched high and low for the record, I couldn't get it anywhere, absolutely nowhere could I get hold of that record. Then I found out eventually that it was available on a French import on Contour Records. And I managed to get a copy of the album that it's on, which is actually called "I'm a Rocker", from an import shop. Then after listening to it, we started to play it live on stage, first of all just as a jam at the end of the set. Then one night we went into the studio, we'd been all over the pub, and we had half an hour left at the end of a session, and we decided to record it, and we got it down in one take. The feel is there in that song, it's us, Slade - it's what we are all about. Obviously Belgium latched up on it, France is now, and Holland. Belgium is therefore a stepping-stone to Europe."
Nuts Bolts and Screws
"Nuts Bolts and Screws" is another rock-based track which allmusic states the track ranked among the band's best work. The track was reused for We'll Bring the House Down.My Baby's Got It
"My Baby's Got It" is a track influenced by rock 'n' roll and boogie rock. The track was reused for We'll Bring the House Down and was performed on the UK TV show Get It Together along with a cover of Okey Cokey in 1979.I'm Mad
"I'm Mad" is an acoustic-based track which portrays a man who is in thrall with his fantasies and dreams. Record Mirror stated "I'm Mad is the nearest thing here to a hit single with its jump along beat and pure sixties chord changes."Lemme Love into Ya
"Lemme Love into Ya" is a minor-key ballad which became used as part of the band's live set list. Record Mirror stated "The production is by the band and Andy Miller which really is excellent, especially the little tricks like the backwards tremeloed guitar intro to 'Lemme Love into Ya' and the very ambient sound throughout."The song was re-worked by Lea, re-titled "Poland". It was released under the artist name Greenfields of Tong in 1982. It was also the b-side to the 1983 Sue Scadding single "Simple Love" which was written by Holder and Lea, produced by Lea. The "Poland" song also appeared on the 1992 album "A Day in the Life of the Dummies", a collection of all the demos and recordings that Lea recorded with his brother Frank Lea and wife Louise Lea, under the name "The Dummies".
"Lemme Love Into Ya" was voted #2 of the top three Slade album tracks in the Slade Fan Club Poll of 1979.
Ginny, Ginny
"Ginny, Ginny" is the lead single from the album. The single failed to chart however according to the official Slade fan club newsletter of the time, the track had entered the UK best sellers top 200 chart. The track was originally named Jeanie and was covered by bassist Jim Lea's band The Dummies for their only album A Day in the Life of the Dummies. The single was issued on a yellow vinyl in hope of interesting buyers.Critical reception
At the time of release, reviews were overall mixed.Record Mirror
Record Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
stated "assuming that the title 'Return To Base' 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. At one time everyone loved Slade with those wonderful rocking melodies, and one of the best Christmas songs of all time, ensured them a permanent holding in the top ten. I accept that Slade are not the most intelligent of men but then that's not what I demand from my pop stars, but I do 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 the opener 'Wheels Ain't Coming Down'. Noddy's vocal prowess certainly hasn't dimmed on 'I'm a Rocker,' and 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'm Mad' is the nearest thing here to a hit single with its jump along beat and pure sixties chord changes, the production is by the band and Andy Miller which really is excellent, especially the little tricks like the backwards tremeloed guitar intro to 'Lemme love into ya' and the very ambient sound throughout. I wasnt 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."
In May 1980, Jon Young of New York magazine Trouser Press
Trouser Press
Trouser Press was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow Who fan Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" ...
reviewed the album. "Is Slade a burned-out embarrassment that ought to give up? No! Although the world would seem a more just place if the boize themselves were to blame for their commercial demise, it ain't so Joe... 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. Then there's a defiantly predictable reading of Chuck Berry's
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
"I'm a Rocker"; 50,000,000 cover versions can't be wrong!... Okay, there's nothing here quite as wonderful as "Cum On Feel the Noize
Cum on Feel the Noize
"Cum On Feel the Noize" is a rock song originally released by Slade in 1973.Written by Jim Lea and Noddy Holder and produced by Chas Chandler, "Cum On Feel the Noize" was Slade's fourth number-one single in the UK and their first to enter straight at number one...
". But who's 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!!"
Chart performance
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium Telemoustique Albums Chart | 1 | 12 |
Slade
- Noddy HolderNoddy HolderNeville John "Noddy" Holder MBE is an English musician and actor. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Slade....
- lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, producer - Dave HillDave HillDave Hill is an English musician, who is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist in the English glam rock group, Slade. The music journalist, Stuart Maconie, commented "he usually wore a jumpsuit made of the foil that you baste your turkeys in and platforms of oil-rig-derrick height...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals, producer - Jim LeaJim LeaJim Lea , is an English musician, most notable for playing bass guitar, keyboards, violin, guitar, and singing backing vocals in Slade.-Career:...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, piano, synthesizers, backing vocals, producer - Don PowellDon PowellDon Powell is a drummer who founded the English glam rock group, Slade.- Biography :As a child Powell joined the Boy Scouts where he became interested in the drums after being asked to join the band on a Sunday morning parade. After Etheridge Secondary Modern School he studied Metallurgy at...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, electronic drums, backing vocals, producer
Additional credits
- Andy Miller - engineer
- Eric Massey - art direction
- Dave Garland - engineer (assistant)
- Mark O'Donoughue - engineer (assistant)
- George Peckham - engineer (cutting)