Editing Slade (section)

===Wilderness years (1977–1980)===
[[File:Slade 18041977 01 400.jpg|thumb|Slade performing in Norway in 1977.]]
Overall, Slade's American venture was seen as a failure, although the band felt improved and rejuvenated.<ref name="Charlesworth"/> The live success in many cities such as St. Louis, Philadelphia, and New York was not translated into US airplay, however, and the band returned to the UK at the beginning of 1977 to find that [[punk rock]] was the new popular style of rock and that they were largely forgotten and out of fashion.<ref>Slade's remastered album Nobody's Fools booklet</ref> Chandler decided not to renew the band's contract with [[Polydor Records]], instead signing them to his own record label, [[Barn Records]].<ref name="Charlesworth"/>

The band's first release with Barn Records was the single "[[Gypsy Roadhog]]", in January 1977. The track was performed on the children's show ''[[Blue Peter]]'', but complaints arose due to supposed drug references and the record was subsequently banned by the [[BBC]].<ref name="autogenerated3">Whatever Happened to Slade remastered booklet</ref> This in turn led to the single's stalling at number 48 in the UK chart.<ref name="officialcharts.com"/> The title of the subsequent album was taken from a piece of graffiti seen in London, and made reference to the band's current position in the public eye: ''[[Whatever Happened to Slade]]'' was released in March and failed to make any chart appearance in the UK.<ref name="Charlesworth"/> Chandler was reportedly disappointed in the material that Holder and Lea were writing, claiming that the album was not commercial enough, but despite its lack of mainstream success, the album was met with critical praise and support from the English punk movement of the time.<ref name="autogenerated3"/> Since their return to the UK, the band continued to tour but mainly in smaller venues such as universities and clubs.

"Burning in the Heat of Love", released a month later, also failed to chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/2014106 |title=Slade - Burning In The Heat Of Love / Ready Steady Kids - Barn - UK - 2014 106 |website=45cat.com |access-date=8 January 2018}}</ref> In October, the band released an amalgamation of two Arthur Crudup songs, entitled "[[My Baby Left Me#Slade version|My Baby Left Me/]] [[That's All Right]]" as a tribute to the recent death of [[Elvis Presley]]. The single proved to be a moderate success, peaking at number 32 in the UK.<ref name="officialcharts.com"/> Slade was unable to keep momentum for the next single, "[[Give Us a Goal]]", released in March 1978. Based on English [[football chant]]s, it was intended to appeal to fans of the sport but failed to make any impact,<ref name="Charlesworth"/> other than making the airplay-based charts of Radio Luxembourg and Manchester's Piccadilly Radio. It has however been used in successful advertising campaigns in recent years.

In August 1978, Holder was reportedly involved in a brawl with a bouncer (Desmond Brothers) backstage at The Stoneleigh Club in [[Porthcawl]], [[South Wales]]. The bouncer was later jailed for three months for instigating the attack on Holder, after he had told the club bouncers to stop hurting the kids in the crowd who were pushed up against the stage, during the show. Holder showed his mettle by performing the next night as planned, although he had a broken nose, at a club in [[Cleethorpes]], Lincolnshire. The story of the attack would later be written into the 1981 single "Knuckle Sandwich Nancy", which Holder insisted would be released as a single. The band said in contemporary interviews that RCA and Chas Chandler objected to the single's release, so it came out on the [[Cheapskate Records|Cheapskate]] label, rather than on RCA, the label that they were contracted to.

In late 1978, the band released "[[Rock 'n' Roll Bolero]]", which was another commercial failure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/2014127be |title=Slade - Rock 'n' Roll Bolero / It's Alright Buy Me - Barn - Belgium - 2014 127 |website=45cat.com |access-date=8 January 2018}}</ref> As the band were still a respected live act, and because the 1972 album ''Slade Alive!'' had been so successful, the group decided to release another live album. ''[[Slade Alive, Vol. 2]]'' consisted of performances recorded during the 1976 Autumn tour of America and the 1977 Spring tour of the UK.

In 1979, the band released a further three singles: "[[Ginny, Ginny]]", "[[Sign of the Times (Slade song)|Sign of the Times]]" and a cover of the party track "[[Hokey Cokey|Okey Cokey]]". All failed to chart. The Slade newsletter of the time announced that "Ginny, Ginny" had made the top 200 in the UK but not the official top 100.<ref>{{citation|title=From Roots To Boots!: Slade News Issue 4 |date=10 September 1950}}</ref> In October 1979, the band released a new studio album ''[[Return to Base]]'', the first album not to have Chandler as producer.<ref>{{cite book |title=Slade, Feel the Noize!: an illustrated biography |last=Charlesworth |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Charlesworth |year=1984 |publisher=Omnibus Press |location=London |isbn=0-7119-0538-X |pages=89–90 }}</ref> Disagreements between Lea and Chandler, centring on business problems and Lea's desire to produce Slade's material, had been brewing since the recording of ''Whatever Happened to Slade'' in 1977. Lea in particular disagreed with Chandler on production decisions. As a result, Chandler offered to sever his association with the band. Slade, not wishing to be rid of Chandler entirely, asked him to stay on for the time being as their manager, which Chandler agreed to do.<ref>We'll Bring the House Down remastered booklet</ref> The album was a failure in the UK but the following year it topped both the Telemoustique chart and the official album chart in Belgium.{{who|date=November 2011}} Released exclusively in Belgium, the album's version of [[Chuck Berry]]'s "I'm a Rocker" also made number 1.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sladefanclub.com/uploads/7/6/6/0/7660950/6602796_orig.jpg|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720214503/http://www.sladefanclub.com/uploads/7/6/6/0/7660950/6602796_orig.jpg|url-status=dead|title=6602796_orig.jpg (562x800 pixels)|archive-date=20 July 2012|access-date=27 September 2019}}</ref><ref>Supporters Club Newsletter September – October 1981</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://sladefanclub.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/6/0/7660950/3275309_orig.jpg |title=3275309_orig.JPG (561x800 pixels) |access-date=18 October 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715021744/http://sladefanclub.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/6/0/7660950/3275309_orig.jpg |archive-date=15 July 2012 }}</ref>

Slade's failures and lack of airplay led Lea to wonder if their material would be better received if recorded by another band. In late 1979, Lea formed [[The Dummies]] as a side project, with his brother Frank. They released three singles, which received plenty of radio airplay but sales suffered from distribution problems.<ref name="Charlesworth"/> In February 1980, Holder was briefly considered as a replacement for [[Bon Scott]], the recently deceased singer of [[AC/DC]]. Holder was said to have turned the position down, despite Slade's current situation, because of his loyalty to the band.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soundchecks.co.uk/articles/noholder.html |title=noddy holder interview – at |website=Soundchecks.co.uk |access-date=15 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050405014451/http://www.soundchecks.co.uk/articles/noholder.html |archive-date=5 April 2005 }}</ref> In mid-1980, Slade released their first [[extended play]] titled "[[Six of the Best (EP)|Six of the Best]]" which featured three tracks from the ''Return to Base'' album and three brand new rock tracks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rateyourmusic.com/release/ep/slade/six_of_the_best/ |title=Six of the Best by Slade : Reviews and Ratings |publisher=Rate Your Music |access-date=15 July 2011}}</ref> Even though it was being sold for a lower than usual price of £1.49, it still failed to sell enough to make a chart appearance. As a result, the band stopped working together and Hill started driving couples to their weddings in his own [[List of Rolls-Royce motor cars|Rolls-Royce]], to earn money. The business never really took off, as Hill only drove one couple (a pair of fans).<ref name="Charlesworth"/>

Hill later recalled that during this period Slade "played the difficult gigs, the gigs where people have [[In a basket|chicken in a basket]] and then go on the dancefloor" but noted that they "had an armour of fantastic songs so nobody was going to argue with [them]."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hattenstone|first=Simon|author-link=Simon Hattenstone|date=8 March 2021|title=Slade guitarist Dave Hill: 'I'd come out of work, put on my costume and suddenly I'd be Superman!'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/mar/08/slade-guitarist-dave-hill-stroke-depression-glam-rock|access-date=17 April 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>