"The Bangin' Man" 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 1974 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, and produced by

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 ...

. It reached No. 3 in the UK, remaining in the charts for seven weeks. The song was certified UK Silver by BPI for sales over 250,000 that same year.Slade Fan Club Newsletter August - September 1974

Background

After the release of "

Everyday Everyday or Every Day may refer to: Books * ''Every Day'' (novel), by David Levithan, 2012 Film * ''Every Day'' (2010 film), an American comedy-drama starring Liev Schreiber and Helen Hunt * ''Everyday'' (film), a 2012 British drama direct ...

" as a single in March 1974, the band soon returned to the studio to record a follow-up. Returning to a more rock-based sound, "The Bangin' Man" was released in June 1974. It reached No. 3 in the UK, giving the band their twelfth UK hit. "The Bangin' Man" was written while the band were touring Australia. The song's lyrics refer to Slade's tour manager Graham "Swinn" Swinnerton, who had the job of waking each band member up in their hotel rooms, ready to head on to the next destination of their tour.

Release

"The Bangin' Man" was released on 7" vinyl by Polydor Records in the UK, Ireland, across Europe, Scandinavia, Yugoslavia, America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The B-side, "She Did It to 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 ...

''. Although the song was a non-album single elsewhere, "The Bangin' Man" was included on the United States Warner Bros. Records release of '' Slade in Flame'' in 1975.

Promotion

No music video was filmed to promote the single. The band performed the song on the UK ITV show ''Supersonic'' and the German TV show ''Disco''. The band also performed the song on the Dutch AVRO TV show ''

TopPop ''TopPop'' is the first regular dedicated pop music television series in the Dutch language area. The Netherlands broadcaster AVRO aired the programme weekly, from 22 September 1970, to 27 June 1988. Presenter Ad Visser hosted for its first fift ...

''. The song was not performed on the UK music show ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' due to a BBC strike.

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 "dramatically direct commercial song" with "plenty of space for guitar work". ''

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

'' commented: "Slade are getting very good at getting the details right these days. All the playing is excellent; strong direct drumming, forceful bass and some lead guitar that would knock spots off some of our guitar heroes, and Noddy is singing better than he has ever before." In a retrospective review of ''Slade in Flame'', 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 ...

said the song was "definitely one of Slade's best, and worth seeking out on a greatest-hits CD."

Track listing

;7" Single #"The Bangin' Man" - 4:10 #"She Did it to Me" - 3:16

Chart performance

Personnel

;Slade *

- lead vocals, rhythm guitar *

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 * Jim Lea - bass, backing vocals *

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 ;Additional personnel *

- producer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bangin Man 1974 singles Slade songs Songs written by Noddy Holder Songs written by Jim Lea Song recordings produced by Chas Chandler 1974 songs Polydor Records singles