It’s not Christmas without Slade but we’re ok, at Keep Cardiff Live ‘cos we caught up with the living legend that is Dave Hill, just as he prepares to bring the band back to Cardiff, to play the Tramshed, on Friday, December, 3rd.
It was a real delight to chat with Dave, someone I’ve long admired. I first asked him who his guitar heroes were, in his early days and he gave me quite a list, including the ‘twangy’ Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry who was a ‘great influence in the growing up years’, Hank Marvin, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley, as an acoustic player. Hank Marvin was a particular influence for Dave. Marvin’s use of effects, notably a Wem Copycat ‘meant everything’ to Dave when he was young. He credits his dad for buying him his first echo chamber, a ground-breaking moment for him, at the time. He remembers fondly the ‘warm sound created by the analogue tape, echo machine’ and how it opened up a whole new range of sounds to him.
Dave Hill’s first electric guitar was ‘ a black Burns, Wild guitar featuring a tremolo arm’. ‘Fenders probably stayed in tune better’ but these were the days of ‘early development for guitars’ and anyway, all he wanted to do was to ‘twang away’. The Burns had a ‘spilt sound, three strings for treble and three for bass’. Again, it was his dad bought him the ‘wild guitar’ and as Dave laughingly says, the name alone was enough to justify its purchase! The Burns guitars were very popular at the time with even Hank Marvin ‘switching to a Burns Bison at one point’. Slade manager Chas Chandler, former member of The Animals, of course ‘knew a thing or two about guitars’ and wasn’t convinced by the recorded sound of the Burns, so Dave ‘went looking and found one in the window of a London guitar shop, on the corner of the road’. It was an SG shaped guitar and it ‘was right in the window’ and Dave ‘fell in love with it’. Dave didn’t have the cash to buy it so asked the guy ‘to keep it for a few days’ and headed ‘back to the midlands to get the cash’. Dave’s dad was told that Chas Chandler wanted him to get a better guitar, so having visited the bank, back they went with the wad of pound notes, to buy it. It was £600, ‘a lot of money in 1969’.
Hill’s penchant for outlandish looking guitars began soon after. The look of the guitars became an iconic part of the image, especially useful for the regular appearances on ‘Top of the Pops’. Perhaps, the best known of these guitars was the ‘Super Yob’. It was a totally bizarre looking musical instrument, looking ‘like something out of Flash Gordon’ but once seen, certainly never forgotten, much like Slade themselves! The super Yob thing grew from there, becoming Dave’s nickname and even making its way on to the number plate of his car! Its mirrored scratch-plate acting as a mirror, ‘reflecting light back on the audience’ became a regular part of the act.
Slade have apparently relished there visits to Wales, enjoying nights in ‘Cardiff, Swansea and even Barry Island’. Dave has great memories here and appreciates that the band have always been ‘well-loved in Wales’ and looking forward to their return this week, welcoming the chance to play the Tramshed for the first time.
As far as guitar parts are concerned, one of his favourites, due to its melodic nature was ‘My Oh My’ but there have been so many songs, over the years and lots of time and effort was put into ‘getting the guitar parts right’. Looking back, he’s fortunate, that there is not ‘not one song that he listens back to and wishes had been played any differently’. He acknowledges the input of his fellow guitarist, front-man, Noddy Holder and the ‘chemistry’ between the two musicians and friends as the two ‘worked on their parts’. He also notes the value of Chas Chandler’s input, on the guitar playing by the band.
Dave is proud of the legacy of Slade and their influence on many bands who followed in their wake. Noel Gallagher, formerly of Oasis, is famously a massive fan, insisting in Dave’s autobiography, that without Slade, there never would have even been a band called Oasis and that they were much more of an influence than even The Beatles! Gallagher lauds the relatability of the Slade material, as songs that could have been written at the end of his street, in a house just like his. What a beautiful accolade that is. Hill sees such comments as ‘special’ and ‘a great compliment’ and is ‘sometimes surprised by some of the bands who Slade influenced’ but even now, the band sell records and occasionally make the charts. One of Gallagher’s favourites, is apparently, ‘How does it Feel’, famously featured in the 1975 film, ‘Flame’. It’s also one of my favourite songs by the band but they had so many great songs, to choose from, it’s tough to know where to start. Dave also regards that song as a ‘special one that’s stood the test of time’.
It was an absolute pleasure to speak to such an influential, icon of music and I hope I get to speak to him again, on the next tour and maybe, as Dave whimsically says, at the end of our interview, ‘get to see each other some time’…
Slade play the Tramshed, Cardiff, on Friday, December 3rd
Steve Johnson (Slade fan) for Keep Cardiff Live