"Coz I Luv You"

I love SLADE.
I love Noddy's atrocious, mutton-chop sideburns.
I love Dave's crazy outfits (how did he ever stay on top of those platform boots).
I especially love the music.
Say what you must about Slade, but surely even the most ardent haters have to admit they produced among the CATCHIEST SONGS in history. "Cuz I Luv You?" "Mama Weer All Crazee Now?" "Take Me Bak 'Ome?" "Cum on Feel the Noize?" All classics.
So why didn't they make it big here in the U.S.?
I'll never know.
I do know that I have been experiencing some high-stress days recently. It's been hard to smile. It's been hard to sleep. But today I listened to Slade and things seemed better.
I also watched some clips on YouTube of the old "The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer" show -- some clips of the "Slade on Holiday" sketches. I couldn't stop laughing (see one of them here).
I don't have to trumpet the greatness of Slade: Plenty of their peers have done their own bit to champion this band.
In parting, here is what Noel Gallagher of Oasis (who surely patterned "Some Might Say" on Slade's sound) had to say:
"Slade was never pretentious. It was just music to them. Pop, rock, soul... it was all the same to Slade. They wrote great songs. And, besides, I'd like to raid their wardrobe."
Amen.