How Brits hear Oasis and Blur (and Slade?) differently than Americans

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George -- I didn't mean to suggest that Slade's catalog bears a striking resemblance to Oasis'. I just meant that I can hear Liam G. singing that specific sneering vocal, and in the three chords of that song and the simple style of the lead playing, I can hear Noel G.

57 7th (calstars), Monday, 25 April 2005 20:15 (nineteen years ago) link

Where is the blues in Oasis's music, exactly? Not in the vocals, not in the beat, not in the guitar leads, near as I can hear.

That is exactly what makes it sound typically English rather than American.

There is some blues in album tracks such as "Colombia" and "Fade In-Out" though. Plus several of their most recent ones.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 25 April 2005 20:22 (nineteen years ago) link

There is definitely a lot of Slade in Oasis. Loud guitars for starters (yes, they turn up their amps a lot more than Beatlesque pop bands usually do, because, basically, in terms of songwriting, Oasis are a Beatlesque pop band, and not at all rock'n'roll. And that was the case with Slade too)

T.Rex are kind of different because Marc Bolan always had this boogie base that made his songwriting considerably different from particularly Slade. Slade had a lot of that highly melodic archetypical English Music Hall thing about them, while Bolan, with his empasis on boogie and blues, always sounded a lot more American (even though the glam, camp and kitchen sink approach in his image and lyrics was typically English)

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 25 April 2005 20:27 (nineteen years ago) link

Loud guitars for starters

Here we have that cross-the-waters divide thing. Loud guitars in Oasis? Not compared to Slade or even what I think of as "loud guitars" bands.

basically, in terms of songwriting, Oasis are a Beatlesque pop band, and not at all rock'n'roll. And that was the case with Slade too)

Slade was not at all rock and roll? Ha-ha. Nice try. "Rock and Roll Preacher," "We're Really Gonna Raise the Roof," "We'll Bring the House Down," "Lay it Down," "Good Time Gals," "Know Who You Are," "Gudbuy T' Jane." Not to mention all the covers of American rock and roll songs like "Move Over," "Let the Good Times Roll," "Born to be Wild..."

George Smith, Monday, 25 April 2005 20:47 (nineteen years ago) link

George, none of those are the classic singles known in England, save 'Gudbuy T'Jane'. (The korrekt speling gives them away). What exactly do you consider a 'loud guitar' band? And I mean in chart topping, platinum selling terms.

The point of similarity between Oasis and Slade is that both managed to appeal to people who didn't like actually like music all that much- 'Morning Glory' is the biggest selling album in the UK ever, bar none. And they didn't soften up their sound either. In fact when they attempted to, the rot set in sharpish (well, with that and the nose-up). Britain loved Slade so much that 'Merry Xmas Everybody' was still in the charts in March. Only last year it was voted best ever Xmas song on one of those poxy C4 Top 100 shows. To this day Slade are beloved in a way Bowie and Bolan, seen as rarefied or distantly symbolic of an era, are not. "Slade in residence' by Vic and Bob, Noddy Holder selling bar snacks (right now! on the telly next door!)- the public know who Slade are even now. And you could imagine the same happening to the Gallaghers- Noel is clearly the new Noddy, more entertaining talking than singing. But not Blur. They're in the worthy box, the sort of band who inspire parents to say 'You used to like them, didn't you?' to their grown up kids.

(But whoever compared Oasis to Crazy Horse was closest. Lots of marijuana, long long guitar solos and all played at a pace even the most befuddled could keep up with- now that was the true, forgotten sound of the early nineties.)


snotty moore, Monday, 25 April 2005 20:56 (nineteen years ago) link

>What exactly do you consider a 'loud guitar' band?<

At Slade's time? Well, Alice Cooper, maybe? Nazareth? Aerosmith? Kiss? Geir and Snotty, Slade were a METAL band -- at least as far as their guitars were concerned (and later, as far as Quiet Riot and Twisted Sister were concerned.) They were way BETTER than Kiss, but it was the same genre. And no way do Oasis fit with that company.

>The point of similarity between Oasis and Slade is that both managed to appeal to people who didn't like actually like music all that much<

Again, this has absolute zero to do with how the two bands sounded (though I'm glad you mentioned "Merry Xmas Everybody", which answers a question I asked upthread: You consider Slade a ballad band, right? That's completely bizarre; what percent of their songs were ballds??

xhuxk, Monday, 25 April 2005 21:08 (nineteen years ago) link

Or if Aerosmith and Kiss aren't British enough for you, how about The Sweet? (They had chart-topping Brit hits in the '70s, right?)

I have no idea who I'd consider a loud guitar band that's topped charts in the England in the '80s and '90s; I don't keep up with Brit charts, but I also kind of assume Brits don't much like loud guitars anymore. (The Wildhearts? Therapy?? Motorhead? Though as I said, Girlschool sound closer to Slade to me. Did they have UK hits?)

xhuxk, Monday, 25 April 2005 21:19 (nineteen years ago) link

The point of similarity between Oasis and Slade is that both managed to appeal to people who didn't like actually like music all that much

wow, that's snobbish and fucking retarded...

M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 25 April 2005 21:21 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh wait, I have it: Def Leppard!! (I'd have a way harder time arguing with somebody who thought Def Leppard sounded like Slade sometimes than somebody who thinks that Oasis sounded like Slade.)

xp

xhuxk, Monday, 25 April 2005 21:25 (nineteen years ago) link

Def Leppard sounded like Slade sometimes!

scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 25 April 2005 21:28 (nineteen years ago) link

can't argue with you, scott!

xhuxk, Monday, 25 April 2005 21:32 (nineteen years ago) link

did the jesus and mary chain and my bloody valentine have hits in the u.k. cuz they were pretty loud guitar bands. live especially.

scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 25 April 2005 21:33 (nineteen years ago) link

i was trying to think of loud uk guitar bands that had hits in the 80's and 90's.

scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 25 April 2005 21:34 (nineteen years ago) link

radiohead had some loud guitars, didnt they? louder than any oasis i've heard (which, admittedly, is not much).

AaronK (AaronK), Monday, 25 April 2005 21:43 (nineteen years ago) link

It's odd that everyone is focusing on guitars when the obvious difference between Oasis & Slade is that one singer is a whiney twit and the other is one of the greatest rock singers ever! It's easy enough to add distortion to your guitar but that doesn't automatically give you power and energy. Loud guitars don't automatically rock.

walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 25 April 2005 21:46 (nineteen years ago) link

i liked the guitars on wonderwall, but i never really paid that much attention to oasis. their best stuff was the first album/singles, right? i was always more of a suede man myself.

scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 25 April 2005 21:51 (nineteen years ago) link

and of course, a fan of my favorite band of the 90's, Denim.

scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 25 April 2005 21:52 (nineteen years ago) link

That's true (Def Leppard and the Wildhearts frequently rocked; My Bloody Valentine and Radiohead never did), but I do talk a lot about the difference between the singers upthread as well. I was also going to say that this comment struck me as completely ridiculous:

>Noel is clearly the new Noddy, more entertaining talking than singing<

But then, I have never really heard Noddy talk. He would have to be UNBELIEVABLY entertaining talker to be more entertaining than he is as a singer, though.

xp

xhuxk, Monday, 25 April 2005 21:53 (nineteen years ago) link

(And again, Walter's post could have easily been about the rhythm sections as much as the singing. To say Slade were "not at all rock and roll" is complete idiocy. Fact is, there have been very few bands in human history who were MORE rock and roll than Slade.)

xhuxk, Monday, 25 April 2005 21:57 (nineteen years ago) link

The point of similarity between Oasis and Slade is that both managed to appeal to people who didn't like actually like music all that much

Now I get it. You mean Slade and Oasis to Brits are like Styx and Nightranger or Damn Yankees are to Yanks. Although Styx, Nightranger and Damn Yankees all were louder guitar bands than Oasis.

George Smith, Monday, 25 April 2005 21:57 (nineteen years ago) link

Loud guitars don't automatically rock.

Damn right.

I get the impression in this thread that Slade would have been thought not be an influence on or like Oasis if they had been more of an abject failure like they were in the States. Slade did try in the US and it just wouldn't do. Maybe "Cum On Feel the Noize" is known but as such, mistakenly thought to be written by Quiet Riot. If "Run Runaway" actually charted years later, it didn't help them. And nothing from the early albums did anything although "Gudbuy T' Jane" is known to hard rock and some metal fans, Britny Fox, for example, covering it. And that was another US metal band that had a sound that was patterned on Slade.

George Smith, Monday, 25 April 2005 22:09 (nineteen years ago) link

Noddy Holder now advertises peanuts, for what it's worth.

Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 25 April 2005 22:15 (nineteen years ago) link

didn't bonnie raitt chart in the u.s. with runaway?

scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 25 April 2005 22:19 (nineteen years ago) link

As for Slade having "Beatle-esque" moments, outside of the stupid Merry Xmas hit single that seems to be a source of irritation and which was never heard in the US, "In Flame" has "How Does It Feel."
It fits the bill.

"In Flame" -- the record, not the movie, was released in the US but no one listened to it as far as I know. They opened for Black Sabbath in support of it, something Oasis wouldn't survive in the US if it were tried. Slade didn't do any Beatle-esque numbers from "In Flame" that night.

Noddy Holder now advertises peanuts, for what it's worth.

Alice Cooper advertised for cheap and clean hotel rooms a year or so ago. We'll trade you!

George Smith, Monday, 25 April 2005 22:20 (nineteen years ago) link

the status quo thing is a mystery. the u.s. loved foghat and nazareth.

scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 25 April 2005 22:21 (nineteen years ago) link

Well...did they? I mean, Americans loved Foghat, but how much did Nazareth actually get on the radio in the US, outside of "Hair of the Dog" and "Love Hurts"? I honestly don't know if I ever heard another Nazareth song on the air (okay...well, maybe "Holiday" for a couple months). Is my memory just going again? I know "This Flight Tonight" was huge in other countries, but did radio actually ever play it here?

As for post-Slade, Slade, Quiet Riot hit with "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" in the '80s too, didn't they? (And didn't some other metal band called the Mama's Boys, who I never heard, cover it simultaneously?)

xhuxk, Monday, 25 April 2005 22:29 (nineteen years ago) link

I can't figure it. It has something to do with manliness and perceptible British-ness, the average American d00d thinking Brit men might be fags because they sound funny to rural idiots. Or maybe the record company in the US and management just completely dropped the ball and squandered every opportunity that came their way. Hey, Humble Pie worked, too, and their heavy albums weren't as consistantly good or as tuneful and straightforwardly direct and rocking as Quo's best. They did have more blast, courtesy of Steve Marriott's voice.

George Smith, Monday, 25 April 2005 22:32 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah, Nazareth didn't have a ton of hits, but their albums were always available forever. how many chart hits did thin lizzy have? two? bad company were bigger than the both of them. but not Free.

scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 25 April 2005 22:35 (nineteen years ago) link

Chuck has something of a point. Nazareth really struggled after "Hair of the Dog," except for one moment, the Skunk Baxter-produced album that spawned "Holiday." They reversed away from their hard rock/metal sound and started doing dusty, slow, meandering things with no obvious riffs, hooks or tunes to draw people in. "Close Enough for Rock and Roll" wasn't nearly "close enough," for example, having some dreadful mini-opera on it about hitting the stage that didn't rock at all. Decades later you can kind of listen to it and find it amusing in its dreadfulness.

George Smith, Monday, 25 April 2005 22:37 (nineteen years ago) link

even suzi quatro hit the u.s. charts in the 70's. maybe status quo were the manic street preachers of the 70's. as far as uk success/us non-success. and isn't it true that foghat were losers in the u.k.? they were a much bigger deal here. but this is just going over old stuff from that kiss thread.

scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 25 April 2005 22:38 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah nazareth's 80's stuff ain't near as good as the 70's stuff. i've been listening to nazareth all day long. and thin lizzy. this thread has made me dig out my suzi records. they are going on next.

scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 25 April 2005 22:40 (nineteen years ago) link

But then, I have never really heard Noddy talk. He would have to be UNBELIEVABLY entertaining talker to be more entertaining than he is as a singer, though.

Actually, he is pretty entertaining. I watched the DVD of Slade In Flame (the movie) a while back and thought he was quite a good actor and the special feature interviews were fairly amusing. I suppose I might take it all differently if he were constantly on the TV over here but then Ozzy's recent overexposure hasn't dampened my love of Black Sabbath at all.

Alice Cooper advertised for cheap and clean hotel rooms a year or so ago. We'll trade you!

Even worse he was shilling back-to-school supplies for someplace like Target or Wallmart.

walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 25 April 2005 22:43 (nineteen years ago) link

Well, there was also the trend that you could still be a good draw even with little record sales and airplay. The Slade comp put out last year, "Get Your Boots On" or whatever, makes slight mention of this with regards to Slade in the States. They were a decent word-of-mouth draw although no one bought the records.

Paradoxically, the "Boots" anthology is kind of shitty with regards to what the US experience vis-a-vis vinyl was with Slade. The new compilation is predominantly their singles and the singles mixes and they don't sound like what was the vinyl experience in the US, the big easy to find catalog pieces being "Slade Alive," "Slayed" and "Sladest." And the mixes on those records are harder and heavier and that's how I remember them, so the Shout reissue basically sucked from my perspective because it portrayed a history and sound that just never existed in the US market for Slade. Shout should have just stuck with the "In Flame" DVD and worked on getting the rights to release the originals at a budget price.

George Smith, Monday, 25 April 2005 22:45 (nineteen years ago) link

And maybe Slade just plain didn't care if they ever appealed in the U.S. From the Brit version of "Slade Alive," the -US- version being the first Slade album I had. "Too hell with America..." -Don Powell, Sunday Mirror, 2/1/72"

Obviously left off the art for the domestic release in 72.

George Smith, Monday, 25 April 2005 22:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Def Leppard sounded like Slade sometimes!

Slade were generally an important influence on 80s hair/glam metal.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 10:48 (nineteen years ago) link


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