Know Who You Are
"Know Who You Are" | ||||
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Single by Slade | ||||
from the album Play It Loud | ||||
B-side | "Dapple Rose" | |||
Released | 18 September 1970[1] | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 2:53 | |||
Label | Polydor Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jim Lea, Noddy Holder, Don Powell, Dave Hill | |||
Producer(s) | Chas Chandler | |||
Slade singles chronology | ||||
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"Know Who You Are" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1970 as a second and final single from their second studio album Play It Loud. The song was written by Jim Lea, Noddy Holder, Don Powell and Dave Hill, and produced by Chas Chandler. It failed to make an appearance in the UK chart.
Background
After their 1969 debut, Beginnings failed to break the band, then known as Ambrose Slade, into the UK charts, their new manager Chas Chandler encouraged them to begin writing their own material. He also believed they would benefit from a new look and the band soon adopted a skinhead image. Coinciding with this new image, Ambrose Slade changed their name to "The Slade" and released the failed single "Wild Winds Are Blowing" in October 1969. "Shape of Things to Come" followed in March 1970, but again failed to chart. With this, Chandler moved the band from Fontana to Polydor Records, believing a higher profile label would boost sales. The band then began recording material for their second studio album Play It Loud.[2][3]
The band's Polydor debut, "Know Who You Are", was released in September 1970, but was also a commercial failure, as was Play It Loud when it was released in November. Lead vocalist Noddy Holder, in his 1999 biography, recalled of the song's failure: "When it didn't make the charts, frustration started to set in. We couldn't understand why we weren't more popular by then. We had been with Chas for two years, slogging our guts out and still we hadn't had a hit."[4] Speaking to Goodtimes Magazine in 2015, bassist Jim Lea recalled: "We had no hits. Songs such as "Know Who You Are" or "Shape of Things to Come" were played on the radio only very infrequently."[5] Afterwards, the band dropped their skinhead image and would achieve their commercial breakthrough with their mid-1971 single "Get Down and Get with It".[2]
"Know Who You Are" developed from the band's 1969 track "Genesis", which was an instrumental written by the band and released as a single from Beginnings. During sessions for Play It Loud, the band revisited the song, with drummer Don Powell writing the lyrics. In his 2013 biography, Powell recalled: ""Know Who You Are" is the same as our old instrumental "Genesis", so Nod and Dave are credited for that one as well as Jim and myself. I wrote the lyrics for it and some of them are about Dave. I don't know how it came about, but the first line that I came up with was "H, old babe, sing a song to make out that your playing is easy.""[6]
Release
"Know Who You Are" was released on 7" vinyl by Polydor Records in the UK only.[7][1] The B-side, "Dapple Rose", was written by Lea and Powell. Also included on Play It Loud, Powell recalled of his lyrics in a 2009 fan forum interview: "I've always had a fondness for horses and where I lived with my parents there were some fields over the back and there were always gypsies camping there. They used to have these horses and donkeys and they always looked dead to me. They were not looked after which was sad."[8]
Following its lack of success, "Know Who You Are" was quickly deleted by Polydor and has since become a collector's item. The Rare Record Price Guide of 2014 valued the single at £80.[9] The song later received greater recognition when a live version was included on Slade Alive!, which became the band's first hit album when released in 1972.[10] In addition, the original studio version was included on the 1973 compilation album Sladest,[11] which topped the UK charts.[12]
Promotion
The band appeared on the UK show Disco 2 to perform "Know Who You Are" and the Play It Loud track "Sweet Box". The performance was broadcast on 31 October 1970.[13] Only a few performances from the show are known to survive, with Slade's performance having not been seen since its original airing.[14] The band also performed the song during a BBC studio session around the same time.[15]
Track listing
- 7" Single
- "Know Who You Are" - 2:53
- "Dapple Rose" - 3:31
Critical reception
Upon release, New Musical Express said: "A powerful item from the skinhead group, making its Polydor debut. The lyric is forcefully delivered, virtually snarled at times. It's a hard-hitting piece of philosophy with a walloping beat, which explodes into a wall of sound in the title hook. Insistent and gripping, but limited in its appeal."[16] Record Mirror felt the song had "chart chance" and commented: "Chas Chandler, ex-Animal bassist, states categorically that this group will make it. But then he's said that before. About Jimi Hendrix. Lost momentarily in a skin-head scene, this group is basically most musicianly. This is a strange, staccato sort of production... lead voice stamping, as in bovver boots, on the lyrics. Stark simplicity behind. The effect is very good indeed. Darned near slayed me."[17]
In a review of Play It Loud, New Musical Express noted: "Aggressive - that's what the music and vocalising of Slade seems to be, though they vary the volume with great skill, at times quiet, then turning it up and shouting at the listener as in "Know Who You Are"."[18] Joe Viglione of AllMusic retrospectively said: ""Know Who You Are" is a wonderful study here; the band is more proper dipping into that Yardbirds bag again on this original. By the time it was re-released on Slade Alive, only two years later, the song would become part of their glam success. But here, Noddy Holder is kept on key by Chas Chandler, and that restraint makes for an intelligent album of rock which draws from all of the aforementioned sources, Ten Years After, Sabbath, The Move, Yardbirds, as well as the Beatles, Steppenwolf, and Kaleidoscope U.K."[19] Dave Swanson of Ultimate Classic Rock commented: ""Know Who You Are" kicks off side two and remains one of the band's finest-ever songs. Showing off the band well on the way to their definitive sound, it's a Slade classic loaded with that dynamic tension the band would explore to greater success within the next year."[20]
In a review of Slade Alive!, Stephen Cook of AllMusic described the song as "MC5-esque".[21] In a review of Sladest, Gramophone said: "The historians are sure to be thrilled when hearing their initial recordings for the Fontana label and their first Polydor efforts, such as "Know Who You Are"..."[22] Terry Staunton of Record Collector stated: "In addition to the hits they’d already amassed, the album showcases a few of the ones that got away, such as the Quo-like boogie of "Know Who You Are"."[23]
Personnel
- Slade
- Noddy Holder - lead vocals, guitar
- Dave Hill - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Jim Lea - bass, backing vocals
- Don Powell - drums
- Additional personnel
- Chas Chandler - producer
References
- ^ a b "Slade - Know Who You Are / Dapple Rose - Polydor - UK - 2058 054". 45cat. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ a b Beginnings/Play It Loud - 2006 Salvo remaster booklet liner notes
- ^ Charlesworth, Chris (1984). Slade, Feel the Noize!: an illustrated biography. London: Omnibus Press. p. 31. ISBN 0-7119-0538-X.
- ^ Verrico, Lisa; Holder, Noddy (2010-12-15). Who's Crazee Now?: My Autobiography - Lisa Verrico, Noddy Holder - Google Books. ISBN 9781446407431. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ Ian Edmundson. "SLADE @ www.slayed.co.uk". Crazeeworld.plus.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-01. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ Powell, Don; Falkenberg, Lise Lyng (11 October 2013). Look Wot I Dun: Don Powell of Slade - Don Powell, Lise Lyng Falkenberg - Google Books. ISBN 9781783230006. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ "ALL Discography". Collectadisc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ "Don Powell interviews". Donpowellinterviews.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ Record Collector - Rare Record Price Guide 2014. Diamond Publishing Group Ltd. 2012. ISBN 978-0956063946.
- ^ Stephen Cook. "Slade Alive! - Slade | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ Paul Tinelli. "Sladest - Slade | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ "Slade | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ "Slade Timeline 1970 Slade In England". Sladeinengland.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ "SLADE @ www.slayed.co.uk". Crazeeworld.plus.com. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ New Musical Express - 19 September 1970 - Singles reviews
- ^ Record Mirror - 26 September 1970 - Singles reviews
- ^ New Musical Express - 19 December 1970 - Album reviews
- ^ Joe Viglione. "Play It Loud - Slade | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ "45 Years Ago: Slade Turn Things Up a Notch With 'Play It Loud'". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 2015-11-28. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ Stephen Cook. "Slade Alive! - Slade | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ "Gramophone - Google Books". 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ "Sladest - Record Collector Magazine". Recordcollectormag.com. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- v
- t
- e
- Dave Hill
- Don Powell
- Noddy Holder
- Jim Lea
- John Berry
- Russell Keefe
- Steve Whalley
- Steve Makin
- Craig Fenney
- Trevor Holliday
- Dave Glover
- Mal McNulty
- 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)
- Slade Alive! (1972)
- Slade Alive, Vol. 2 (1978)
- Slade on Stage (1982)
- 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)
- The Slade Box (2006)
- When Slade Rocked the World (2015)
- Six of the Best
- Alive at Reading
- Xmas Ear Bender
- "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"
- Slade in Flame
- Wall of Hits
- 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)