Still the Same (Slade song)

Background

Following the band's moderate success with the 1985 album Rogues Gallery, the band started recording their next album in 1986. The band hoped that the album, if it could become a commercial success, would catapult the band to where they felt they belonged. The song "Still the Same" was chosen as the album's leading single, where it was released in February 1987. The key decision was to avoid the Christmas period of 1986, as the band's 1973 festive hit "Merry Xmas Everybody" had often given Slade the image of being a Christmas only band. As a result, Slade usually exploited the seasonal attention by releasing new product. Although this benefited the band in some ways, Slade's connection with the festive season had not allowed Slade to develop the commercial and artistic credibility that they felt they deserved. This led the band and their record label, RCA Records, to hold back "Still the Same" from release until two months after Christmas. The song was chosen by the record company as a single, as they hoped the track's anthemic sing-a-long style would reproduce the success of "My Oh My" - a power ballad hit the band had in 1983. Released over a year since the last Slade single "Do You Believe in Miracles", which caused rumours of the band's split, "Still the Same" failed to become a big hit, largely due to lack of radio play, and peaked at #73 in the UK, lasting a total of four weeks in the Top 100. This immediately raised the question of whether the single would have done better at Christmas, although, despite the radio-friendly sound, the song's lyrical message was not a happy message. Writer Chris Ingham, who wrote the notes for Slade's remastered CD releases via Salvo, described the song as being "about a couple's inability to evolve", and as a result was not festive fare. The song has been reported as being personal to Holder, with the lyrics dealing with his own marriage to Leandra Holder, which ended in 1984 largely due to his touring commitments with Slade.

The song's producer John Punter had worked with the band since 1983, when he produced the two hit singles "My Oh My" and "Run Runaway". He produced the majority of material on the Rogues Gallery album and would also produce the You Boyz Make Big Noize album track and future single "Ooh La La in L.A." as well.

In the Slade International Fan Club Newsletter of April–June 1987, fan club editor Trevor Slaughter spoke of the song's lack of success, noting "Well, what a great pity it was that Slade's last single only reached #73 in the UK charts. "Still the Same" had a weekly chart progression of 91, 74, 73 and 86, which by Slade's standards was very disappointing. The single did do a little better in some of the other charts though." The newsletter highlighted that the song peaked at #14 on the Sounds magazine's Hot Metal 60 Chart, with Slaughter stating "Not bad considering it was a ballad." As reported from a Slade fan in West Germany, the song went straight to #2 on the German "NDR 2" radio station - one of the country's most popular. Later in the Slade International Fan Club newsletter of July–September 1987, it was revealed by Slaughter that in Germany the latest single "Ooh La La in L.A." had reached number two in the playlist charts, with "Still the Same" at number four. However both songs did not make a chart appearance on the German Singles Chart. Holder had revealed this originally in a fan club interview published within the same newsletter, when he was interviewed on 24 June 1987 at the Crest Hotel in Walsall. With the latest album released throughout Europe, Holder was asked what sort of a reaction he'd had from the media. Holder stated "Well, we've had some good reviews and we've had a couple of so-so reviews. The reviews we've had in the press have been on the whole very favourable. We've had a good feedback from Europe as well, particularly Germany and Scandinavia. In Germany at the moment, "Ooh La La in L.A." is at no. 2 on the radio playlist, and "Still the Same" is at no. 4, so things certainly seem to be doing well over there."

Within the Slade International Fan Club Newsletter of April–June 1987, Slaughter detailed the reason for the single's lack of radio one airplay, as the single was B-Listed and not A-Listed on the radio's playlist. He stated "As so many of you have written in to tell us, the main reason that the record didn't go higher in the UK charts is because it just didn't get the Radio One airplay. Some of you have suggested that we organise a petitioning of the Radio One DJs in the same way Dave Kemp did in 1980 with Slade's "Alive at Reading '80". Unfortunately, this introduction of the playlist at Radio One makes this idea a complete waste of time. It is no longer the DJs who decide which records should be 'A' listed, but an independent panel of the producers of the various Monday-Friday 'Strip shows', covering Mike Smith through to Bruno Brookes. Of the 100+ new releases each week, only ten records are 'A' listed, and are designated 'Chartbusters'. "Still the Same" was only 'B' listed, so didn't pick up very much airplay on Radio One at all. All we can do is hope that RCA have made a better choice for the next Slade single, and that the Radio One playlist panel pick it up as a 'Chartbuster'."

On 27 March 1987, guitarist Dave Hill was interviewed at Music Works Studio by fans Trevor Slaughter and Nomis, where the band were recording the future single and title track "You Boyz Make Big Noize". This interview was published in the Slade International Fan Club Newsletter of April–June 1987. In the interview Hill was asked to speak about the single and the possible reasons why it didn't get higher in the UK charts. Hill revealed "Yeah, "Still the Same" is basically being regarded as a flop in terms of what was expected of it. I think the record company were mostly disappointed, as it was more them than the group who chose it. It was always up for a single though, right from the demo stage. We have a situation at Radio One at the moment where they now run this playlist. There have also been a few changes in the people who run the programmes. We brought this record out, in not the usual Christmas period, which on the face of it seemed to me to be a feasible idea as an attempt to get away from the 'Slade only exist at Christmas time' situation. On listening to opinion since though, it seems to have been regarded as another "My Oh My" type of song, which perhaps should have come out at Christmas. Everyone can say what they like now, and if it was a hit, they'll all be saying what a great idea it was. When "My Oh My" was released, it was just as slow to take off, but as soon as we got the radio play, it rocketed. "Still the same" did virtually the same as "My Oh My" chart-wise in its first few weeks, but at the point where "My Oh My" picked up the radio play, "Still the Same" was dropped completely, especially by Radio One."

In the same interview Hill was asked about the present position on the upcoming release of the new album and next single. He stated "Well, the album was supposed to be released towards the end of April, but in view of the fact that "Still the Same" wasn't a hit, RCA may wait a little longer until the next single peaks before releasing the album. As you know, Roy Thomas Baker has produced two songs, "Love is Like a Rock" and "That's What Friends Are For". "That's What Friends Are For" looks to be the next single, mainly because there's a certain person up at RCA who is going wally over it." In the same interview again, Hill was asked if he could talk through each song on the album, and for "Still the Same" he stated "The last single, which in my view deserved to go much higher in the charts than it did."

On 13 February 2008, an interview with Powell took place by Lise Lyng Falkenberg, the writer of Powell's biography Look Wot I Dun: Don Powell of Slade. The interview consisted of fan questions asked from Ian Edmundson's unofficial Slade fan forum, where one fan from Bournemouth had asked "If you could have a hit record again, what style would you prefer to record ballad or rock and why?" Powell replied "Rock. Because that's really where we come from. I enjoy the ballads, especially "My Oh My", "Still the Same" and a few of those, but I would prefer a rock song."

Recording

The song was recorded at Air Studios, which was used around the same time to record the song "Wild Wild Party". The song was first officially mentioned in the Slade International Fan Club newsletter of September–December 1986, where editor Trevor Slaughter noted that "At the time of writing, Slade are putting the finishing touches to the five recordings that are described by the band and RCA as 'potential singles'." One of these was "Still the Same". In the Slade International Fan Club newsletter of June–August 1986, Holder was interviewed on 5 June 1986 when Slaughter met Holder at a hotel in London. Holder revealed "Well, at the moment Jim is producing the album, but we haven't started on the singles material yet because RCA want us to get a producer in for them. We have sent out the demos to four or five producers, but we haven't heard anything definite back from any of them yet." He also noted "I can't see the album getting released until September or October. Hopefully we'll have a single out before then though. We've got about five or six tracks that are possible singles which we haven't even started recording yet." On 18 September 1986, Lea was interviewed at the Roundhouse Recording Studios in London by Slaughter, and this was published in the Slade International Fan Club newsletter of September–December 1986. When asked if Lea would be prepared to divulge the titles of some of the tracks for the new album, he stated "Yeah, there's a ballad called "Still the Same", which will definitely be on the album. There's a song called "Ooh La La in L.A.," and also one called "That's What Friends are For"."

On 9 January 1987, drummer Don Powell was interviewed at his flat in London by Dave Kemp and Jenny Gamble, just after Slade had finished recording the new album. The interview was published in the Slade International Fan Club Newsletter of January–March 1987. He mentioned the song by revealing "We finished the album yesterday, actually. We spent yesterday piecing it together and sorting out the running order. We know exactly which tracks will be on the album - all of which is new material. The new single "Still the same" is also on it as well. The single will be out at the end of this month."

Release

"Still the Same" was released on 7" and 12" vinyl via RCA Records. The single was released in the UK, Germany and Portugal only. The initial European only release may have escalated to further countries if the single was a commercial success.

The single's b-side "Gotta Go Home" was originally exclusive to the single, before eventually being released on the 2006 four-disc box-set compilation The Slade Box, the 2007 compilation B-Sides and as a bonus track on the 2007 Salvo remaster of You Boyz Make Big Noize.

In the UK and Germany only, a 12" vinyl version of the single was also release, featuring an exclusive extended remix of "Still the Same". It would later appear for the first time on CD on the 2007 Salvo remaster of You Boyz Make Big Noize.

In the UK, a special limited edition commemorative version of the single was issued to mark and celebrate Slade's 21st anniversary. The commemorative single, which used the same front artwork design as the normal single version, featured the addition of "21" highlighted on the front cover, along with the words "Slade - twenty one years and still making more noize than anyone else." Two versions of the single was released. One featured just the two tracks of the normal 7" release, whilst another version was issued as a commemorative double pack single. This added a bonus 7" vinyl featuring the album tracks "The Roaring Silence" as the a-side and "Don't Talk to Me about Love" as the b-side. Both tracks were first officially released on this special single, although "The Roaring Silence" would be included on the You Boyz Make Big Noize album, whilst "Don't Talk to Me about Love" would be re-used as a b-side for "Ooh La La in L.A.". The double pack featured gatefold picture sleeve which highlighted the same 21 years 'logo' seen on the front cover, and a photograph of the band circa 1970 as skinheads, with each individual members autograph in each corner of the sleeve. As revealed in the Slade International Fan Club Newsletter of April–June 1987, the commemorative single was retailing at the same price as the standard single, making "The Roaring Silence" single completely free.

Both 7" and 12" versions of the single came with a full colour picture sleeve which featured a basic design of the band and song title highlighted on a black backdrop with a white border. The back cover of the commemorative pack only featured a photograph of the band holding a flag with "Slade" written on it. Another photograph from this session would be used for the artwork of the following "That's What Friends Are For" single. The sleeve design was handled by Quick on the Draw.

Following the song's original release as a single and on the You Boyz Make Big Noize album, the song would also appear on several Slade compilations. It appeared on the 1991 compilation The Slade Collection 81-87. A re-packaging of the compilation was released by Salvo in 2007, which merged the release with the 1993 follow-up compilation The Slade Collection, Vol. 2 79-87. The Salvo double CD release was titled The Collection 79-87. Following this, the song also appeared on the 2005 Polydor compilation The Very Best of Slade and the 2006 Salvo four-disc box-set compilation The Slade Box. Additionally the song has also appeared on unofficial Russian 2CD+DVD set Anthology 1969-1991 Volume Two and the unofficial 2008 Russian digipak two-disc compilation Greatest Hits, released by Star Mark.

Promotion

As with the rest of the singles from the You Boyz Make Big Noize, and unlike the singles from the previous Rogues Gallery album, the single did not have a music video created to promote it. This was due to its initial lack of success upon release. In the Slade International Fan Club newsletter of January–March 1987, Slaughter revealed that a music video for the new single was planned, and advised fans to "keep an eye out for it". However, in the Slade International Fan Club newsletter of April–June 1987, Slaughter noted "As the single didn't get into the top 60, a video wasn't made."

The band appeared on two UK TV shows to perform and promote the song. The band mimed the song on the Tom O'Connor Show on 9 February 1987, where the band also mimed their 1984 hit single "Run Runaway". Since appearing unofficially on YouTube in August 2010, the performance on the show has gained over 40,000 views. A photograph of Hill, Lea and Holder, along with Lea's wife Louise, was taken by Russell Bailey, backstage at Blackpool Sand Castle whilst promoting "Still the Same" on the show, as well as a photograph of Bailey with the four band members, and these two photos were published in the Slade International Fan Club newsletter of April–June 1987, whilst Bailey also published an article in the same newsletter speaking of his experience of the show on the day Slade appeared, where he saw the band rehearse the two songs twice before performing at the opening and closing of the show.

Bailey revealed "I couldn't resist writing in to inform everyone about a super day I had with the Tom O'Connor Roadshow at the Sand Castle Blackpool on Monday 9 February 1987. I set the video timer and rushed over to Blackpool on the train. I only heard the evening before that Slade would be on the show. At about 9:30am, I arrived at the venue, having walked about two miles along the promenade in the rain. As I walked through the main entrance, a security guard told me that the doors didn't open until 12:00 noon, so I asked him how much the entrance fee was. "Haven't you got a ticket?" he replied. I said not, and was told that all the tickets had gone and that I was wasting my time. I was feeling totally hacked off and was about to make my trip back to the station when Dave Hill suddenly walked by. I explained my situation to him and he went promptly to the guard on my behalf. Dave asked if I could be let in as his guest and that I was a big fan of the group. Eventually the guard agreed, on condition that Dave organised Slade's autographs for him to take to his daughter. Dave took me to a coffee bar at the back of the hall where we briefly chatted, but he had to go and rehearse. The band ran through "Run Runaway" and "Still the Same" twice each. Just before the show went on the air a member of the film crew asked if I'd like to sit at the front. I said yes and he put me with the guests. The show opened and closed with Slade. I asked the floor manager about the possibility of me going back stage to meet the band, which was what Dave had suggested to me earlier. I gave the man my name so he could ask Slade if it was O.K. He returned and took me to a dressing room where I was met by Dave, Don, Nod, Jim and Lou Lea who all made me feel very welcome. It was a day to remember and it goes to show that Slade do look after their fans. I even got my face on T.V.!"

The other show that the band mimed on was the BBC1 children's television show Saturday Superstore on 14 February 1987, where the band performed on an outdoor stage. For both shows Holder used his Ovation 12 string guitar, which he would also use when promoting other material during the year from the You Boyz Make Big Noize album, on the shows The Krankies Elektronik Komik and Get Fresh.

In Holder's interview published in the Slade International Fan Club newsletter of July–September 1987, from 24 June 1987 at the Crest Hotel in Walsall, Slaughter had noted "With there being quite a few different Slade records out this year, we got Nod to tell us about the sort of promotion he has been involved with for those records." Holder had stated "From about March 'till about two or three weeks ago, I have been doing radios and interviews solid. There have been loads of Slade specials in different parts of the country. We also did a couple of TV's for the "Still the Same" single."

In relation to advanced publicity of the single within record stores, one fan from Wakefield wrote to the fan club asking "What happened to any advanced publicity of the single "Still the Same", as there were no posters or stickers in my local record store?" The question was published in the Slade International Fan Club newsletter of April–June 1987 within the 'Questions & Answers' section. The fan club replied "We asked Noddy Holder about this recently, and he assures us that there were "Still the Same" posters put up, though these were concentrated mainly on the London area. The situation on publicity appears to be that the more a record appears to be climbing, the more money is spent on promoting it. As soon as it starts to drop, the promotion of all kinds is immediately dropped. That is not just the situation with Slade, all bands have this problem. From the point of view of the record company, it would be throwing good money after bad to heavily promote a record that's on its way down."

Formats

1. "Still the Same" - 3:53
2. "Gotta Go Home" - 3:18

1. "Still the Same (Extended Version)" - 5:33
2. "Gotta Go Home" - 3:18

1. "Still the Same" - 3:53
2. "Gotta Go Home" - 3:18
3. "The Roaring Silence" - 2:48
4. "Don't Talk to Me About Love" - 2:28

Critical reception

Doug Stone of Allmusic, reviewed the You Boyz Make Big Noize album and stated "Slade's headiest daze long gone, the band amazingly squeezes out sparks like "Still the Same" (not Bob Segar's pap, Slade wrote most of the record.): always tunefully tight, but loose enough to sing in the pub."

On 3 January 1988, American newspaper Record-Journal, a daily newspaper of Meriden, Connecticut in America, gave the You Boyz Make Big Noize album a B grade and wrote "You Boyz Make Big Noize, produced by Queen/Cars boardman Roy Thomas Baker, proves that these rocking old-timers still have what it takes in the world of pop metal. Songs, such as side one's "Still the Same" resplendent in its anthemic arrangement and heavenly harmonizing chorus, is not only a hook-filled, powerful tune, it's a primer for anybody who wants to be Jon Bon Jovi someday."

In the Slade International Fan Club newsletter for July–September 1987, several fan reviews were posted based on the album. Slade fan J. Illsley stated "In my view the heavier songs on the album are the best. Forget the ballads unless they have the same content and guts approach as "Still the Same"."

In the Slade International Fan Club Newsletter of July–September 1988, fan club editor Paul Lythe revealed that the fan club had an opinion poll based on non-Slade fans only who gave their views on the You Boyz Make Big Noize and title track single. For the poll Lythe asked twenty people aged between 18 and 52, with varied musical tastes, to listen to the album as least twice before making comments and chose their three best tracks. The three most popular tracks, in order, were "That's What Friends Are For," "Still the Same" and "We Won't Give In". Lythe noted that "It is very noticeable that the slower tracks seem to be the most popular choices..." It was revealed that 75% of the people put at least one of the four album singles into their top three, whilst 45% put two of those singles in their top three. It was concluded by Lythe that "This must surely prove that the lack of airplay is the main reason for the lack of success last year!!"

In the booklet of the 2007 Salvo remaster of the You Boyz Make Big Noize album, the writer Chris Ingham spoke of the song in relation to not releasing the single for Christmas 1986 but after the new year inside, stating "Chosen by the record company, who hoped the record's anthemic sing-a-long style would reproduce the success of "My Oh My", it stiffed, immediately raising the question, would it have done any better at Christmas time? Probably not. On the bombastic surface "Still the Same" sounds like a defiant cry of individuality and constancy, but underneath its a sad, resigned little song about a couple's inability to evolve; hardly festive fare."

Cover versions

In 2003, the track was covered by Belgian band Mama's Jasje, appearing on their fifth studio album Zwart Op Wit. The track was titled "Voor Jou Alleen" which translates to "For You Alone". As a result of the changed lyrics, Peter Van Laet also received a writing credit. The song became a hit in Belgium, peaking at #4. The band had been involved with Slade before, when for their 2000 album Pop Model, Lea put forwards three English tracks that were lyrically re-written for the album; "Samen Door Het Vuur," "Wie Ben Jij?" and "Laatste Dag Van De Lente". These songs were originally titled "Together Through the Fire," "Who are You?" and "Last Day of Spring" respectively. Although Lea's own versions of two of these songs have never been released, he would later record "Together Through the Fire" as "Big Family" for his 2007 debut solo album Therapy, after performing the song live for a charity event at the Robin 2 venue in Bilston, in 2002.

Personnel

Additional personnel