"Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" is a song by the British rock band

Slade Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...

, released in 1978 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist

Noddy Holder Neville John "Noddy" Holder (born 15 June 1946) is an English musician. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the English band Slade, one of the UK's most successful acts of the 1970s. Known for his unique and powerful voice, Holder co ...

and bassist Jim Lea. The song failed to make an appearance in the UK charts.

Background

Having returned to the UK from the United States in 1976, Slade found themselves out-of-favour at the time of the UK's Punk rock explosion. Slade's waning success soon led to the band playing small gigs, including universities and clubs, but despite being successful at filling small venues, their new records were barely selling. "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" was released in October 1978 and was one of the band's string of singles to fail to chart during this period. "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" featured the return of Lea's electric violin; the first time on a Slade single since 1971's "

Coz I Luv You "Coz I Luv You" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1971 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK, giving the band their ...

". The song was originally recorded in June 1978 under the working title "I've Been Rejected". In July, the band re-recorded the song as "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" at Portland Studios in London. In a 1979 fan club interview, Lea said of the song: "The comment on "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" is that it was different for Slade, but it was ordinary compared to everything else that was going around at the time. But I really dig the record myself!" He further added: "It's great on record, but it's us thinking, it's not us being ourselves."

Release

"Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" was released on 7" vinyl by Barn Records in the UK, Belgium and Germany. The B-side, "It's Alright Buy Me", was exclusive to the single and would later appear on the band's 2007 compilation ''

B-Sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

''. In France, the A-side and B-sides were switched, with "It's Alright Buy Me" becoming the A-side.

Critical reception

Upon release, ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' described the song as a "more mellow Slade", adding: "they're in dire need of a hit and this could be the one". In a review of the live album '' Slade Alive, Vol. 2'', ''Superpop'' commented: "...one complaint though, they did not include "Rock 'n' Roll Bolero", a classic no doubt." Geoff Ginsberg of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

retrospectively stated in a review of the bootleg album ''Gospel According to Noddy!'': ""Rock N Roll Bolero," is heard here (by many) for the first time. Even more amazing is the B-side, "It's All Right By Me," which is unbelievably catchy and just cooks."

Formats

;7" Single #"Rock 'n' Roll Bolero" - 4:04 #"It's Alright Buy Me" - 3:20

Personnel

;Slade *

- lead vocals, rhythm guitar, producer *

Dave Hill David John Hill (born 4 April 1946) is an English rock musician. He is the lead guitarist, a backing vocalist and the sole continuous member in the English band Slade. Hill is known for his flamboyant stage clothes and hairstyle. Early life B ...

- lead guitar, backing vocals, producer * Jim Lea - electric violin, bass, backing vocals, producer *

Don Powell Donald George Powell (born 10 September 1946) is an English musician who was the drummer for glam rock and later hard rock group Slade for over fifty years. Early life As a child, Powell joined the Boy Scouts where he became interested in the ...

- drums, producer ;Additional personnel *

Chas Chandler Bryan James "Chas" Chandler (18 December 1938 – 17 July 1996) was an English musician, record producer and manager, best known as the original bassist in The Animals, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He ...

- producer of "It's Alright Buy Me"

References

{{Authority control 1978 songs 1978 singles Slade songs Songs written by Noddy Holder Songs written by Jim Lea Song recordings produced by Jim Lea Song recordings produced by Noddy Holder Song recordings produced by Dave Hill Song recordings produced by Don Powell