Released:15 May 1981
Till Deaf Do Us Part is the tenth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 13 November 1981 and reached No. 68 on the UK charts. [1] The album was produced by Slade. Although not as successful as We'll Bring the House Down earlier in the year,this album sold well.
The single "Lock Up Your Daughters" was a UK Top 30 hit –the band opening the 24 September edition of Top of the Pops with it –and became a staple at Slade concerts.
Various re-issues of the album on CD in the 1990s replaced the album's original artwork with a group photo. [2]
Following Slade's performance at the Reading festival in 1980,interest in the band was revived and the band were now able to fill concert halls once again. The band's 1981 album We'll Bring the House Down was also a success,reaching No. 25 in the UK,while the title track entered the UK Top 10. During the same year,the band continued their resurgence with the recording of Till Deaf Do Us Part. In May 1981,the band released the lead single "Knuckle Sandwich Nancy",however it failed to chart. The band had been confident that the up-tempo record was well-suited as a follow-up to "We'll Bring the House Down",but the band's manager Chas Chandler disagreed. The single was half-heartedly released on the Cheapskate label,with RCA handling marketing and distribution. [3]
The band blamed Chandler for the single's failure and decided to manage themselves from then on,ending a twelve-year partnership. However,this did not stop Chandler from negotiating a major record deal with RCA for them. In September,RCA released the second single from the upcoming album,"Lock Up Your Daughters". It reached No. 29 in the UK. In December,Till Deaf Do Us Part was released as the band's RCA debut and first album of all new material since 1979's Return to Base . It reached No. 68 and a few of the album's songs quickly became part of Slade's live set,including "Rock and Roll Preacher" which became the band's new opener. [3] In March 1982,"Ruby Red" was released as the third single,reaching No. 51 in the UK,while in April,"Rock and Roll Preacher (Hallelujah I'm on Fire)" was released in Germany,peaking at No. 49.
Shortly prior to the album's release,guitarist Dave Hill described the album to Sounds :"This album is a thumper and we want it loud. That's the direction we are heading for,like having a live show in the studio almost. It's got guts and melody. That is us really." [4] In a 1981 fan club interview,Holder spoke of the album's title and general theme:"It came about because everyone always says how loud we are. We based the album around volume,all the tracks are rock and it is a loud album. The track Till Deaf Do Us Part is all about bending your ear and being deafened. We've used a lot of organ on the album. That's basically the only difference. We think that it's a much better sound than we've ever had before. It's a solid rock album from start to finish,except for the instrumental piece –which is a slowish theme,but all the others are fast and solid rock. There's no acoustic rock on the album like songs such as "Don't Waste Your Time" and "Sign of the Times," which we have had on previous LPs." [5]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
Record Mirror | [9] |
Upon its release, Robin Smith of Record Mirror praised Till Deaf Do Us Part as "uncompromising entertainment guaranteed" and noted that the band's "old habit of writing classic material has been rekindled". He added, "Slade are a much-needed tonic and it's amazing in the sorry days of '81 that Britain hasn't made much more of them." [9] Peter Kinghorn of the Newcastle Journal stated, "Rousing, anything-goes happy rock may not be subtle, but it's effective." [10] Peter Trollope of the Liverpool Echo described it as Slade's "best album ever" and stated, "No frills, no fuss – honest boogie, and how well they can play. They've been away too long but Till Deaf should put them back in the big time." [11] Dave Murray of the Reading Evening Post noted the album includes "Lock Up Your Daughters" and "many more sing-along foot-stompers" and added that "the great thing is it actually sounds like a live recording". [12]
Ian Ross of the Liverpool Daily Post praised it as "just about the best hard rock album of the year, narrowly squeezing out on the last Def Leppard offering". He added, "The re-emergence of one of this country's finest pop bands has been one of the more pleasing things to come out of 1981. The Wolverhampton stompers have returned with a definite vengeance under a tongue-in-cheek heavy metal guise." [13] James Belsey of the Bristol Evening Post wrote, "One of the most welcome events has been the continuing revival of Slade's fortunes and their new album reflects their newfound confidence. Noddy Holder's maniacal master of ceremonies performance is magnificent, the band play better than ever and good rockers include 'Lock Up Your Daughters', 'It's Your Body Not Your Mind' and 'Ruby Red'." [14] John Coldstream of The Daily Telegraph , in a combined review with AC/DC's For Those About to Rock We Salute You , considered both albums to be the "best of the heavies this month" and noted they are "brutally honest, or rather, honestly brutal". [15]
Jon Young of Trouser Press wrote, "Slade hasn't left 1972, and rightly so! Their ingeniously simple, big-boom approach packs just as much punch today as it did at the height of the glitter era. Give 'em a cheer for persevering; they're stars, whether the records sell or not." [16] In a retrospective review, Geoff Ginsberg of AllMusic called Till Deaf Do Us Part Slade's "hardest-rocking album ever" and continued, "This LP shows a band with renewed enthusiasm and confidence. Their playing is at its fiercest and the material totally kicks ass. Recommended for rockers." [17] In 2004, Q placed the album at number 16 on their "20 Most Painfully Punning Album Titles of All Time" list. [18]
All tracks are written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, except "M'Hat M'Coat" by Dave Hill
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Rock and Roll Preacher (Hallelujah I'm on Fire)" | 5:45 |
2. | "Lock Up Your Daughters" | 3:27 |
3. | "Till Deaf Do Us Part" | 3:29 |
4. | "Ruby Red" | 2:53 |
5. | "She Brings Out the Devil in Me" | 3:27 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "A Night to Remember" | 3:54 |
7. | "M'Hat M'Coat" | 1:42 |
8. | "It's Your Body not Your Mind" | 3:04 |
9. | "Let the Rock Roll out of Control" | 4:00 |
10. | "That Was no Lady that Was My Wife" | 2:35 |
11. | "Knuckle Sandwich Nancy" | 3:14 |
12. | "Till Deaf Resurrected" | 1:05 |
Total length: | 38:41 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Funk Punk & Junk" (B-side of "Ruby Red") | 2:57 |
Total length: | 41:38 |
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Albums (OCC) [19] | 68 |
Chart (2024) | Position |
---|---|
Scottish Albums (OCC) [20] | 81 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [21] | 26 |
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [22] | 10 |
Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The British Hit Singles & Albums names them the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles. They were the first act to have three singles enter the charts at number one; all six of the band's chart-toppers were penned by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea. As of 2006, total UK sales stand at 6,520,171, and their best-selling single, "Merry Xmas Everybody", has sold in excess of one million copies. According to the 1999 BBC documentary It's Slade, the band have sold more than 50 million records worldwide.
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Nobody's Fools is the sixth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released in March 1976 and reached No. 14 in the UK. The album was produced by Chas Chandler.
Whatever Happened to Slade is the seventh studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 21 March 1977 by Barn Records, but did not enter any national album chart. By the time of the album's release, Slade's popularity was waning as were their record sales, which they acknowledged in the album's title. The glam rock movement, with which Slade was associated, had died, and the careers of other glam rock artists such as Mud, Gary Glitter and Sweet had hit the buffers. In Britain, where Slade had traditionally been most popular, the fashion of the day was punk rock. With this album, Slade stood their ground as a straight-ahead rock group; gone were their "glam" statements of the early decade.
Return to Base is the eighth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 1 October 1979 by Barn Records, and did not enter any national album charts. At the time of the album's release, the band's success had waned and were receiving little fortune. Forced to play at small halls and clubs around the UK, the only income they were reliant on was Noddy Holder and Jim Lea's songwriting royalties. Their recent singles had sold poorly and they were no longer drawing in large audiences. Prior to their last-minute call up for the 1980 Reading Festival, they were on the verge of disbanding.
We'll Bring the House Down is the ninth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 13 March 1981 and reached No. 25 in the UK. The album was produced by Slade, except "My Baby's Got It" which was produced by Chas Chandler. The album was the first studio album released by the band after their successful appearance at the 1980 Reading Festival. In order to capitalise on their revival, Slade quickly compiled this new album, made up of some new tracks and some recycled ones, mainly from their failed Return to Base album of 1979.
Slade on Stage is the third live album by the British rock band Slade. It was recorded at Newcastle City Hall on 18 December 1981 and released almost a year later in December 1982. The album, produced by the band, reached No. 58 in the UK.
The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome is the eleventh studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 3 December 1983 and reached No. 49 in the UK charts. The album was produced largely by bassist Jim Lea. The two UK Top 10 singles released from the album, "My Oh My" and "Run Runaway", were produced by John Punter.
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"Little Sheila" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1985 as the fourth and final single from the band's twelfth studio album, Rogues Gallery. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by John Punter.
"We'll Bring the House Down" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1981 as the lead single from their ninth studio album We'll Bring the House Down. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Slade. The band's first single to reach the UK Top 40 since 1977, the song peaked at No. 10 in the UK, remaining in the chart for nine weeks.
"Lock Up Your Daughters" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1981 as the second single from the band's tenth studio album, Till Deaf Do Us Part. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Slade. "Lock Up Your Daughters" reached number 29 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 75 for eight weeks.
"Let's Call It Quits" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1976 as the second single from their sixth studio album Nobody's Fools. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 11 in the UK, remaining in the charts for seven weeks.
"Ruby Red" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1982 as the third single from the band's tenth studio album, Till Deaf Do Us Part. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Slade. "Ruby Red" reached number 51 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 75 for three weeks.
You Boyz Make Big Noize is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1987 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Lea. Named after the band's 1987 album of the same name, the song reached number 94 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for the one week.
"Rock and Roll Preacher (Hallelujah I'm on Fire)" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1982 as the fourth and final single from their tenth studio album Till Deaf Do Us Part. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Slade. The song was released as a single in Germany only, where it peaked at No. 49.
"We Won't Give In" is a song by English rock band Slade which originally appeared on the soundtrack of the 1986 British drama film Knights & Emeralds. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Lea. In 1987, it was released as the fourth and final single from the band's fourteenth studio album, You Boyz Make Big Noize, and reached number 121 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Knuckle Sandwich Nancy" is a song by English rock band Slade, released by Cheapskate in 1981 as the lead single from their tenth studio album, Till Deaf Do Us Part. The song was written by band members Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, and was produced by Slade. "Knuckle Sandwich Nancy" failed to enter the UK Singles Chart, but did reach number 101 in the Record Business Bubbling Under Singles chart.
"Sign of the Times" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1979 as the second single from the band's eighth studio album Return to Base. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Slade.