Dave Hill - So Here It Is

Slade, of course, was one of the leading glam bands in England in the early 70's, with a slew of good-time songs that were raucous rock'n'roll but also reminded one of pub sing-alongs (and they did some of those, as well). Dave Hill was the flamboyant lead guitarist/showman of the group and he tells his side of the story in this autobiography.

The book starts off very depressing as he talks about his mom and her mental health issues as well as general troubles at home followed by his his sister dying! He confesses to having depression issues himself and all in all, it is a bit of a downer.

But then he changes course and talks about his musical life and the encouragement he received from his parents. As a youth he plays in a few bands and eventually forms the N’Betweens which, after a few personnel changes, ends up corralling the members who would become Slade.

They work hard on the usual English circuit and in an odd twist they get a residency in the Bahamas, of all places - after doing a stint in Hamburg- and there the genesis of the group really forms and gels. It turns out that it was really a bit too good to be true but they eventually make it back home and start the slow journey to become a hitmaking pop group, with the help of ex-Animals Chas Chandler, hot off of his managerial work with Jimi Hendrix.

It took a couple of albums for them to feel their oats, but then they started a string of hit songs that was rarely rivaled in England. Like many of the glam bands, they could not transfer their British and European success to the States and when they tried, they lost their momentum back home. Funnily enough, he mentions an appearance on Midnight Special that they thought was lacking, but that is what made everyone I know in America a fan of theirs - I went out and bought Slayed! the next day!

In any case, there were a few years of ups and downs with a few more sporatic hits (including a couple in the States that I was never aware of - and a British TV appearance where he likens their fashion to the Long Ryders - I found it funny that he was even aware of this underground group!) before the band called it quits. Dave and drummer Don were not ready to give it all up, though, and so they formed Slade 2 and continued on and still play to this day!

He ends with another litany of health issues, which does bring things down a bit again, but throughout it all he does try to maintain a good attitude and he has a happy home life and is grateful that he can continue to play in the band.

Hill's writing style is quite conversational and while he's not exactly a gifted writer, he does keep one entertained throughout. Although it wasn't quite the fun'n'laugh-filled tale that I was expecting (their 70's interviews with the likes of Creem magazine were pretty hilarious!), it's still a nice journey back and I look forward to finding the other members' memoirs.