Gypsy Roadhog

1977 single by Slade

"Gypsy Roadhog"

UK/European cover of "Gypsy Roadhog".

Single by Slade
from the album  Whatever Happened to Slade
B-side| "Forest Full of Needles"
Released| 21 January 1977
Genre| Glam rock, hard rock
Length| 3:20
Label| Barn
Songwriter(s)| Noddy Holder, Jim Lea
Producer(s)| Chas Chandler
Slade singles chronology
| "Nobody's Fool"
(1976)  | "Gypsy Roadhog"
(1977)  | "Burning in the Heat of Love"
(1977)

|
|

Audio sample

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Alternative Cover

Belgian cover of "Gypsy Roadhog".

"Gypsy Roadhog" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1977 as the only single from the band's seventh studio album Whatever Happened to Slade. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 48 in the UK.[1]

## Background

[edit]

Having returned from the US in late 1976, Slade found the UK music business much changed from when they had left in 1975 to try and crack the American market. Punk rock had exploded to become the dominant influence on youth culture and the music press. Upon their return, the band began recording their new album Whatever Happened to Slade, and in January 1977, "Gypsy Roadhog" was released as the lead single. After performing the song on the children's television show Blue Peter, complaints about the song's lyrics saw the song largely removed from the Radio 1 playlist.[2] As a result, the single stalled at No. 48, and remained in the charts for only two weeks. Whatever Happened to Slade was released in March but failed to chart.[3]

The song's lyrics depicted the tale of a cocaine dealer in America. In a 1989 interview on Sky by Day, Holder recalled the song and its banning: "The song was all about a cocaine dealer in America, but it was actually an anti-drug song. The next day in all the newspapers, Keith Richards had just been arrested for cocaine and there's all things in the paper about using silver spoons and everything. Blue Peter went berserk when they found out the song was about cocaine, 'cause it had already gone out then. Radio One banned the record and it sank without a trace."[4]

## Release

[edit]

"Gypsy Roadhog" was released on 7" vinyl by Barn Records in the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Germany.[5] It was the first Slade single to be released on Barn, which was owned by the band's manager Chas Chandler.[6] The B-side, "Forest Full of Needles", was exclusive to the single and would later appear on the band's 2007 compilation B-Sides.

## Promotion

[edit]

The band performed the song on Top of the Pops, Supersonic and also Blue Peter. In a 1986 fan club interview, Lea recalled that the BBC demanded Slade alter the words for the performance of the song on the show. Despite the change of lyrics, complaints were still received and the single received little play on Radio 1.[7] The band's performance on Top of the Pops would not surface again until January 2012 when it was fully played on BBC4.[8]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Upon its release, Barbara Carthorse of Record Mirror awarded "Gypsy Roadhog" a three out of five rating and wrote, "Slade return to the fold and just as if there had been no musical progression in the last two years. They could be in the same league as Quo if they tidied up their sound."[9] New Musical Express said the song makes "all the right sounds and even has a toe tapping beat", but failed to live up to the band's previous work. They concluded, "It could give them that desperately needed American hit, but as far as these isles are concerned, it's just the latest step in their continuing irrelevance."[10] Melody Maker felt the song was "above average" and had "chart potential".[11] Anna Knop of the Dalkeith Advertiser commented that Slade had returned "in fine storming style" with the single, which "seems to mix the best of the old Slade with the best of the new".[12] Brian Kelly of the Skelmersdale Reporter gave the song a rating of 3 out of 10 and was negative in his review, remarking that the "belted-out piece of horrible noise sounds like it took about as long to record as it probably did to write – about five minutes". He continued, "All I can wonder is how on earth they have the nerve to come back to the [UK] with such unadulterated dross! If they want to take up where they left off music wise, they'll have to do better than this."[13]

## Track listing

[edit]

7" Single

1. "Gypsy Roadhog" - 3:20
2. "Forest Full of Needles" - 3:30

## Chart performance

[edit]

Chart (1977)  | Peak
position

|

UK Singles Chart[1] | 48

## Personnel

[edit]

Slade

* Noddy Holder \- lead vocals, rhythm guitar
* Dave Hill \- lead guitar, backing vocals
* Jim Lea \- bass, backing vocals
* Don Powell \- drums

Additional personnel

* Chas Chandler \- producer

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "SLADE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
2. ^ Powell, Don; Falkenberg, Lise Lyng (11 October 2013). Look Wot I Dun: Don Powell of Slade. ISBN 9781783230006.
3. ^ Whatever Happened to Slade - Salvo 2007 remaster booklet liner notes
4. ^ "Noddy Holder Interview - Sky By Day 1989". YouTube. 10 January 2011. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
5. ^ "ALL Discography @ www.collectadisc.co.uk". Collectadisc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
6. ^ "Barn Label Discography - UK". 45cat. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
7. ^ "1986 - Slade Fan Club www.sladefanclub.com". Sladefanclub.com. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
8. ^ "SLADE - Gypsy Roadhog (TOTP 1-20-1977)". YouTube. Retrieved 23 June 2012.[dead YouTube link]
9. ^ Carthorse, Barbara (22 January 1977). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 9\. ISSN 0144-5804.
10. ^ "1977 Press Cuttings". Slade Scrapbook. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
11. ^ "1977 Press Cuttings". Slade Scrapbook. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
12. ^ Knop, Anna (3 February 1977). "Focus on Sound". Dalkeith Advertiser. p. 8. Retrieved 25 February 2024 - via British Newspaper Archive.
13. ^ Kelly, Brian (26 January 1977). "A judgement based on 'More Than a Feeling'". Skelmersdale Reporter. p. 5. Retrieved 25 February 2024 - via British Newspaper Archive.

* v
* t
* e

Slade

* Dave Hill
* Don Powell
* Noddy Holder
* Jim Lea
* John Berry
* Russell Keefe
* Steve Whalley
* Steve Makin
* Craig Fenney
* Trevor Holliday
* Dave Glover
* Mal McNulty

Studio albums|

* Beginnings (Ambrose Slade, 1969)
* Play It Loud (1970)
* Slayed? (1972)
* Old New Borrowed and Blue (1974)
* Slade in Flame (1974)
* Nobody's Fools (1976)
* Whatever Happened to Slade (1977)
* Return to Base (1979)
* We'll Bring the House Down (1981)
* Till Deaf Do Us Part (1981)
* The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome (1983)
* Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply (1984)
* Rogues Gallery (1985)
* Crackers (1985)
* You Boyz Make Big Noize (1987)

Live albums|

* Slade Alive! (1972)
* Slade Alive, Vol. 2 (1978)
* Slade on Stage (1982)

Compilations|

* Coz I Luv You (1972)
* Sladest (1973)
* Slade Smashes! (1980)
* Slades Greats (1984)
* The Slade Collection 81–87 (1991)
* Wall of Hits (1991)
* The Slade Collection Vol. 2, 79–87 (1993)
* The Genesis of Slade (1996)
* Feel the Noize – Greatest Hits (1997)
* Get Yer Boots On: The Best of Slade (2004)
* The Very Best of Slade (2005)
* Slade Alive! – The Live Anthology (2006)
* B-Sides (2007)
* Rockers (2007)
* In for a Penny: Raves & Faves (2007)
* Live at the BBC (2009)
* Merry Xmas Everybody: Party Hits (2009)
* Cum On Feel the Hitz: The Best of Slade (2020)

Box sets|

* The Slade Box (2006)
* When Slade Rocked the World (2015)

Extended plays|

* Six of the Best
* Alive at Reading
* Xmas Ear Bender

Singles|

* "You Better Run" (The N' Betweens)
* "Wild Winds Are Blowing"
* "Shape of Things to Come"
* "Know Who You Are"
* "Get Down and Get with It"
* "Coz I Luv You"
* "Look Wot You Dun"
* "Take Me Bak 'Ome"
* "Mama Weer All Crazee Now"
* "Gudbuy T'Jane"
* "Cum On Feel the Noize"
* "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me"
* "My Friend Stan"
* "Merry Xmas Everybody"
* "Everyday"
* "When the Lights Are Out"
* "The Bangin' Man"
* "Far Far Away"
* "How Does It Feel"
* "Thanks for the Memory (Wham Bam Thank You Mam)"
* "In for a Penny"
* "Let's Call It Quits"
* "Nobody's Fool"
* "Gypsy Roadhog"
* "Burning in the Heat of Love"
* "My Baby Left Me - That's All Right"
* "Give Us a Goal"
* "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero"
* "Ginny, Ginny"
* "Sign of the Times"
* "Okey Cokey"
* "We'll Bring the House Down"
* "Wheels Ain't Coming Down"
* "Knuckle Sandwich Nancy"
* "Lock Up Your Daughters"
* "Ruby Red"
* "Rock and Roll Preacher (Hallelujah I'm on Fire)"
* "(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie"
* "My Oh My"
* "Run Runaway"
* "Slam the Hammer Down"
* "All Join Hands"
* "7 Year Bitch"
* "Myzsterious Mizster Jones"
* "Little Sheila"
* "Do You Believe in Miracles"
* "Still the Same"
* "That's What Friends Are For"
* "You Boyz Make Big Noize"
* "Ooh La La in L.A."
* "We Won't Give In"
* "Let's Dance '88"
* "Radio Wall of Sound"
* "Universe"

Video|

* Slade in Flame
* Wall of Hits

Related articles|

* Discography
* List of songs recorded by Slade
* The Dummies
* A Day in the Life of the Dummies
* "Shooting Me Down"
* Keep On Rockin' (Slade II album)
* Therapy (James Whild Lea album)

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