Universe (Slade song)
Encyclopedia
"Universe" is a single
from rock band Slade
which appeared on the compilation album Wall of Hits
. Like the previous single "Radio Wall of Sound
", it was written solely by bassist Jim Lea
. The B-side for the single was written by guitarist Dave Hill
with Wizzard
's ex-keyboardist Bill Hunt. The single was released in late 1991 for the Christmas market. Despite numerous TV performances and a promo video, the single failed to enter the top 100. This became the last single under the original band as Noddy Holder
effectively retired shortly after whilst bassist Jim Lea
followed the same path. Both guitarist Dave Hill
and drummer Don Powell
decided to carry their career on under the name of Slade 2. In 2007, Jim Lea remade this track for his solo album Therapy
.
The promotional music video for the track has been officially unavailable since creation however it has surfaced on youtube.
The single peaked at #755 for 1991 on Rate Your Music
.
charted well in the UK. This however was not to be. Holder has stated himself in his book Who's Crazee Now that although he was fond of the track, it was "too far from what people expected of us".
Bassist Jim Lea thought of the idea for the song just before heading out to a Indian restaurant for an evening meal. Like "Radio Wall of Sound", Lea had already recorded most of this track and had wanted to put strings on at EMI's Abbey Road studio in London, but as the studio was already booked, the strings were created with a synthesiser.
Holder stated in a 1992 interview his favourite track from the two 1991 singles "Radio Wall of Sound" and "Universe". "Universe without a doubt. I knew Radio Wall of Sound was more commercial, a good instant rock track, but I liked Universe even though I knew it was not such an instant song and it would take people time to latch on to it. I saw Universe as the stronger song and maybe if we had held it back for a while it may have been more successful but unfortunately it got lost in the Christmas market and there is just nothing you can do about it now."
Holder added his feelings of the two singles after they had been released "I think that everybody did a good job, we did a lot of TV, radio and press work around that period but it didn’t
translate into high sales of the two records. We had loads of radio play for Radio Wall of Sound so we can’t really complain about the exposure with that one, Universe was not so good but you can only put it down to not enough people buying it."
Holder was also asked who decided to release Universe. "It was the record company’s decision, the plan was always to do Radio Wall of Sound then the Wall of Hits album followed Universe to help carry the album along in the Christmas market, but we didn’t realise how late Universe was coming out, it was actually two weeks later than planned. I don’t know why, but by then we were into the Christmas mania season and not being such an instant track it lost out to the more popular records."
Both "Universe" and "Red Hot" was recorded at Rich Bitch Studios. "Universe" was mixed at Round House Studios whilst "Red Hot" was mixed at Rich Bitch Studios.
The b-side "Red Hot" was originally exclusive to the single, eventually being released on CD via the 2007 compilation "B-Sides". It was the first song to have a credit to Dave Hill since the 1981 album track "M'Hat, M'Coat" from the album "Till Deaf Do Us Part". As the single was released for the Christmas market, the band's most popular and best-selling hit "Merry Xmas Everybody
" was included. For the CD of the single, the 1977 single "Gypsy Roadhog" was added.
12" Single
Cassette Single
CD Single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from rock band 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...
which appeared on the compilation album Wall of Hits
Wall Of Hits
Wall of Hits was a compilation album by the British glam/hardrock group Slade. It was released November 11, 1991 and reached number 34 in the UK charts. It also included the last two singles recorded by the original lineup...
. Like the previous single "Radio Wall of Sound
Radio Wall of Sound
"Radio Wall of Sound" is a song by the English rock band, Slade, issued as a single in 1991. It was included on their compilation album, Wall of Hits....
", it was written solely by 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:...
. The B-side for the single was written by guitarist Dave Hill
Dave Hill
Dave 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...
with Wizzard
Wizzard
Wizzard was a Birmingham-based band formed by Roy Wood, former member of The Move and co-founder of Electric Light Orchestra. The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits states, "Wizzard was Roy Wood just as much as Wings were Paul McCartney."-Biography:...
's ex-keyboardist Bill Hunt. The single was released in late 1991 for the Christmas market. Despite numerous TV performances and a promo video, the single failed to enter the top 100. This became the last single under the original band as Noddy Holder
Noddy Holder
Neville John "Noddy" Holder MBE is an English musician and actor. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Slade....
effectively retired shortly after whilst 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:...
followed the same path. Both guitarist Dave Hill
Dave Hill
Dave 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...
and drummer Don Powell
Don Powell
Don 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...
decided to carry their career on under the name of Slade 2. In 2007, Jim Lea remade this track for his solo album Therapy
Therapy (James Whild Lea album)
Therapy is the debut album from English musician Jim Lea, best known as songwriter, producer, bassist and multi-instrumentalist for the rock group Slade.- Background :...
.
The promotional music video for the track has been officially unavailable since creation however it has surfaced on youtube.
The single peaked at #755 for 1991 on Rate Your Music
Rate Your Music
Rate Your Music is a metadata database where musical albums, EPs, singles, videos, bootlegs, and movies are rated and reviewed by users. This data is then used to generate recommendations for users and to create rated lists of albums...
.
Background
Before the release of "Universe", Polydor was in talk of a new studio album if both singles to promote Wall of HitsWall Of Hits
Wall of Hits was a compilation album by the British glam/hardrock group Slade. It was released November 11, 1991 and reached number 34 in the UK charts. It also included the last two singles recorded by the original lineup...
charted well in the UK. This however was not to be. Holder has stated himself in his book Who's Crazee Now that although he was fond of the track, it was "too far from what people expected of us".
Bassist Jim Lea thought of the idea for the song just before heading out to a Indian restaurant for an evening meal. Like "Radio Wall of Sound", Lea had already recorded most of this track and had wanted to put strings on at EMI's Abbey Road studio in London, but as the studio was already booked, the strings were created with a synthesiser.
Holder stated in a 1992 interview his favourite track from the two 1991 singles "Radio Wall of Sound" and "Universe". "Universe without a doubt. I knew Radio Wall of Sound was more commercial, a good instant rock track, but I liked Universe even though I knew it was not such an instant song and it would take people time to latch on to it. I saw Universe as the stronger song and maybe if we had held it back for a while it may have been more successful but unfortunately it got lost in the Christmas market and there is just nothing you can do about it now."
Holder added his feelings of the two singles after they had been released "I think that everybody did a good job, we did a lot of TV, radio and press work around that period but it didn’t
translate into high sales of the two records. We had loads of radio play for Radio Wall of Sound so we can’t really complain about the exposure with that one, Universe was not so good but you can only put it down to not enough people buying it."
Holder was also asked who decided to release Universe. "It was the record company’s decision, the plan was always to do Radio Wall of Sound then the Wall of Hits album followed Universe to help carry the album along in the Christmas market, but we didn’t realise how late Universe was coming out, it was actually two weeks later than planned. I don’t know why, but by then we were into the Christmas mania season and not being such an instant track it lost out to the more popular records."
Both "Universe" and "Red Hot" was recorded at Rich Bitch Studios. "Universe" was mixed at Round House Studios whilst "Red Hot" was mixed at Rich Bitch Studios.
The b-side "Red Hot" was originally exclusive to the single, eventually being released on CD via the 2007 compilation "B-Sides". It was the first song to have a credit to Dave Hill since the 1981 album track "M'Hat, M'Coat" from the album "Till Deaf Do Us Part". As the single was released for the Christmas market, the band's most popular and best-selling hit "Merry Xmas Everybody
Merry Xmas Everybody
"Merry Xmas Everybody" is a 1973 song by the English rock band Slade. Written by lead vocalist and guitarist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler, it was the band's sixth number-one single in the UK...
" was included. For the CD of the single, the 1977 single "Gypsy Roadhog" was added.
Formats
7" Single- "Universe" - 4:18
- "Red Hot" - 3:35
- "Merry Xmas EverybodyMerry Xmas Everybody"Merry Xmas Everybody" is a 1973 song by the English rock band Slade. Written by lead vocalist and guitarist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler, it was the band's sixth number-one single in the UK...
" - 3:43
12" Single
- "Universe" - 4:18
- "Red Hot" - 3:35
- "Gypsy RoadhogGypsy Roadhog"Gypsy Roadhog" is the lead single from the 1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade by rock band Slade. It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea...
" - 3:27 - "Merry Xmas Everybody" - 3:43
Cassette Single
- "Universe" - 4:18
- "Red Hot" - 3:35
- "Merry Xmas EverybodyMerry Xmas Everybody"Merry Xmas Everybody" is a 1973 song by the English rock band Slade. Written by lead vocalist and guitarist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler, it was the band's sixth number-one single in the UK...
" - 3:43
CD Single
- "Universe" - 4:18
- "Red Hot" - 3:35
- "Gypsy RoadhogGypsy Roadhog"Gypsy Roadhog" is the lead single from the 1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade by rock band Slade. It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea...
" - 3:27 - "Merry Xmas Everybody" - 3:43
Personnel
- Noddy Holder: Lead vocals and guitar
- Jim Lea: Bass guitar, piano, synthesizer and violin
- Dave Hill: Lead guitar
- Don Powell: Drums
Additional Personnel
- Producer on "Universe" - Jim Lea for Perseverance Ltd.
- Arranger on "Universe" - Jim Lea for Perseverance Ltd.
- Writer of "Universe" - Jim Lea
- Orchestral Arrangement on "Universe" - Edward Shermaur
- Engineer on "Universe" - Trevor Hallesy
- Mixers on "Universe" - Jim Lea; Trevor Hallesy
- Producer on "Red Hot" - Jim Lea for Perseverance Ltd.
- Writers of "Red Hot" - Dave Hill; Bill Hunt
- Engineer on "Red Hot" - Paul (The Bullet Boy) Talbot
- Producer on "Merry Xmas Everybody" - Chas ChandlerChas ChandlerBryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
- Writers of "Merry Xmas Everybody" - Noddy Holder; Jim Lea
- Producer on "Gypsy Roadhog" - Chas ChandlerChas ChandlerBryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
- Writers of "Gypsy Roadhog" - Noddy Holder; Jim Lea
- Photography - Ray Palmer
- Design - Allan D. Martin