March 22, 1972 - Bravo Magazine

Continued from page 5

Slade boss Noddy Holder swears by an unusual talisman:

Father's chamois brings me luck!

Holder Powell™ is written on the large brass plate on the second-floor apartment door. Noddy Holder, guitarist, and Don Powell, drummer of Slade, have lived here for a year. Their apartment is on Crawford Street, a few hundred meters from London's famous Kings Road.

I ring the bell. A boy in a canary-yellow corduroy jacket and white velvet trousers opens the door. It's Noddy.

Come in. Man!" he says with a grin, and after a meaningful look, adds: "Don't mind the mess. We're still not properly furnished."

We both make our way over suitcases, carpet rolls, and boxes into the living room, where Don Powell is currently enthroned on a large velvet sofa, studying "Melody Maker," the well-known English music magazine.

Don't think we're messy!" says Don, laughing. "But since we entered the big business with our first hit, "Get Down and Get with It," our peace and quiet is over: gigs, studio sessions, interviews—we can only furnish our apartment in installments."

On the wall behind the sofa, I spot a large picture frame. The photo inside shows the four Slades as they looked two years ago: with brush-style hair, leather jackets, and high-heeled boots. And next to the picture hangs an object that looks like an old window cloth.

"Well, that's from our famine years," says Noddy, pointing to the photo. Back then, we called ourselves skinheads and performed almost exclusively at the St. George Club in our hometown of Wolverhampton because we hardly got any gigs in other cities. Because of our hair, all the club owners thought we were terribly raucous and violent, like the biker gangs in Wolverhampton who had the same haircut.

"Grow your hair, boys," said Chas

We just wanted to distinguish ourselves from the countless groups with long manes! What we earned each month back then was only enough to pay the rent here. The five-room apartment costs us 900 marks."

Don Powell digs out more photos from an old biscuit tin. One shows the boys with former Animals bassist and Jimi Hendrix manager Chas Chandler, who

In 1970, Slade met during rehearsals at Fontana Studios in London and took them under his wing. After the contract was signed, Chas gave the four "skinheads" tickets for a holiday to the Bahamas and some good advice. "Grow your hair, boys," said Chas. "You won't get an old dog out of the woodwork with a shaved head."

Noddy Holder (21), Don Powell (21), Jimmy Lea (19), and Dave Hill (19) did as they were told. They flew to the Bahamas and began growing a mat.

There, Slade had the experience that would decisively influence their style. They saw concerts by the American bands "Canned Heat" and the Doors, who had one thing in common: they were the first representatives of heavy rock the four boys from England had ever seen. Both groups played on huge amplifier systems that had been brought in on trucks. Slade realized that compared to this hurricane of sound, their music was nothing but a quiet murmur.

When we flew home four months later, we swore to ourselves: from now on, we'll make music that'll blow the brains out of people back home. As you can see, we were successful. "Coz I luv you," our first heavy single, made almost all the charts in Europe.

Noddy points to the cleaning rag next to the picture on the wall. "And do you know what that is?" he asks me with a smile. "It's my father's chamois, a window cleaner by trade. Dad wanted me to earn my living like him. Now the thing hangs here as a talisman to bring us luck!"

Photos: W. Heilemans

Jörg Flemming

This is what Slade looked like two years ago when they called themselves "Skinheads": Guitarist Noddy Holder. Bassist Jimmy

Lea, drummer Don Powell and lead guitarist Dave Hill