In Flame - SLADE****

How Does It Feel/Them Kinda Monkeys Can't Swing/So Far So Good/Summer Song (Wishing You Were Here)/ OK Yesterday Was Yesterday/Far Far Away/This Girl/Lay It Down/Heaven Knows/Standin' On The Corner

It was a curious fact that as the songwriting skills of the glam rock group Slade improved their popularity declined. So their soundtrack album In Flame was never the huge smash they anticipated, despite the inclusion of two excellent UK hit singles Far Far Away and How Does It Feel. (US:93 UK:6)

“Almost Slade's swan-song so far as the UK album charts were concerned. Slade In Flame is a pretty good soundtrack when it was released, but sadly evidenced their fall from commercial grace.”

“This is a pretty solid set of typical Slade boogie-fare, leavened by the two best songs they ever wrote, the singles Far Far Away, a rousing yet affecting traveller's lament and especially the elegiac How Does It Feel, with its serious, thoughtful lyric and haunting piano motif.”

“Outstanding soundtrack for a murky but otherwise top cult movie. Slade hitting some kind of peak here and influencing all sorts of future music with yet another album full of great songs, gentle ballads and all out roof raisers.”

“With Flame Slade fully embrace the art of true pop song craftsmanship without losing their raw edge. This wasn't as successful as some of their previous albums but its still a rock & roll masterpiece.”

“The film surprised their fans (and detractors) with its gritty, realistic approach to working class life in Britain. The soundtrack album revealed new depth to the Slade sound, with emphasis on piano, acoustic guitars, and horn arrangements, but the riffs, stupidly singable choruses, and general joie de vivre are still here in spades.”

“Slade mania had hit its peak by the middle of 1974 and like many successful rock bands Slade entered the world of celluloid with their feature film debut Flame by the end of that year. The album was a departure from the band's recent success as it seemed much more serious with little if any of the gimmicky song misspellings or stompers that signified the band's heyday.”

“This is a great album, full of great big, full-throated tunes. The lead track, How Does It Feel benefits from a brass section and a lovely, delicate flute, as well as Noddy Holder showing the more melodic side to his voice.”