Getting Slade Banned from Capital Radio

In 1976 Capital Radio in London there used to be a daily countdown of the Top Ten songs - as voted on the telephone by the Capital Radio listeners. (You had to ring an answerphone and basically cast your vote by leaving a message with the message you most liked).

They would play all the Top Ten Songs between 5pm and 6pm each day - finishing with the No1. just before 6pm.

When Slade released "Let's Call It Quits" in February 1976 - me and my mate Raj Advani thought that we needed to do something to get the record in the Top Ten. Well, we took matters into our own hands and voted scores of times each day.

We were both still at school and would use the public phone boxes at Marylebone Station before school, in the morning break, at lunchtime and after school. Each call cost 2p in those days (and we would change up about £1 each day morning into 2p's - ready for the day's calls).

We soon got the record into the Capital Top Ten. It eventually got stuck at No.2 - trailing to C W McCall's song "Convoy" (Which was dreadful)

Matters then became an obsession - we were voting every spare moment that we had. We were now using all our  efforts to get the record to No.1. We would call the message line and use all different types of accents (so that we didn't get caught - as each listener was only allowed to vote once per day). I became a master of voting for Slade in Cockney, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Brummie, Geordie, Scouse and even Jamaican accents!

However, me and Raj weren't that good - we got caught out. This wasn't suprising - because Capital must have been wondering why the record was being voted for so much by the public - especially as they weren't buying it in the shops. (The single only peaked at No.11 based on sales).

One day the DJ on Capital announced that the record was now banned - as Slade's record company had been caught out as being "under-hand". Well, it wasn't the record company making all the calls - it was me and Raj!

I wrote to the DJ admitting guilt -but the Drive Time Show wouldn't budge. They had banned the record and that was that! I was gutted - but at least I now had money to spend on lunch every day and not starve myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember The Return of the Top Hat ?

I found this photo the other day of Nod at Watford Baileys on the 1979 tour.

I'd forgotten that he had a new Top Hat custom made for him. Instead of being covered in circular mirrors - it had just one - in the middle of the hat.

Nod wore the new hat for that tour only. A photo of the hat is below.

Jim's Nickname

I think most people know that Jim's nickname is "Midland Misery". Nod even mentioned the nickname in the lyrics to "The Wheels Ain't Coming Down" in 1981.

However, there is some confusion as to exactly how Jim obtained this name.

Some people think that he was given it by the road crew - due to his somewhat pessimistic outlook on life. However, this is not true.

Jim explained it to me years ago. Apparently in about 1973 the band were in Chas's office in South Molton Street looking through their fan mail. One fan had drawn this large card with sketches of each band member. She had labelled each member with an appropriate name. For example, under Dave Hill's drawing she had called him The Silver Man.

Under Jim's picture she called him Midland Misery - because he never smiled in his photos.

The band fell about laughing when they saw it - and the nickname has stuck with Jim ever since.

Please, please "Give Us A Goal"

I remember hearing about the filming of the "Give Us A Goal" promotional video.

Chas had arranged to use Brighton FC for the location. I think that Chas lived nearby - and he had contacts with the Directors of the club.

The band recorded the "live" performance of the song in the half time interval of a match.

The "footie" bits were recorded in the February time 1978 - when it was freezing.

Despite Slade have skinhead roots and being part of the football terrace culture - the band weren't at all into football. I know that Don used to ocassionally look out for the results of Wolves and Nod would know little bits that were going on with Wolves and Walsall - but that was about it.

None of the band were sporty - and none had played football since school.

Whilst filming the "footie" bits - the band used the Brighton pitch on a training day. Several of the Brighton players, including their top striker, Peter Ward, were used in the filming.

The camera crew tried to set up an action shot of one of the band actually scoring a goal. But, no matter how hard they tried, nobody could score.

Dave complained about the cold - and was running around with a woolly bobble hat on his head to keep warm - but not doing much else.

Eventually, Don managed to scramble the ball into the net. Hallelujah! The filming crew could call it a rap - and everyone could go home!

I was given an exclusive customised "Give Us A Goal" whistle by Chas's secretary - Susie Ching. Chas had had a box of about 10 whistles made for promo filming. The whistles were quality metal ones - with special "Give Us A Goal" ribbon. I recall that on the "Give Us A Goal" tour that fans would turn up a gigs with football whistles - and I wore this special one to the Southgate Royalty show in London (on 4 April 1978 - Dave Hill's birthday). Linda Dowsett - a girl fan from Mildenhall, Suffolk, begged me it give it to her. How could I refuse? Shame that I did - as I've never seen one of these whistles again.