Of the 12 titles on Ambrose Slade there are four originals by Noddy Holder and company, something that would change when Chas Chandler took over a year later. However, this album of tasteful covers is charming, even if Holder has trouble reaching the notes on the Beatles' "Martha My Dear" or Marvin Gaye's often covered but still somewhat obscure "If This World Were Mine." He does an impressive John Kaye, and the inclusion of two tracks from the first Steppenwolf album indicate the real influence behind Slade. They were Britain's Steppenwolf. "Everybody's Next One" and "Born to Be Wild" sound great in the hands of these U.K. rockers, the essential keyboards ripped away from "Born to Be Wild" giving us a garage rock version full of life. If only Jim Lee put some wild and crazy violin on this to replace the missing keys. Slade Alive doubled the length, turning "Born to Be Wild" into one of their hard rock show stoppers, but the original incarnation here has more charm. Following that Steppenwolf classic with the Ted Nugent/Amboy Dukes' masterpiece "Journey to the Center of the Mind" is brilliant -- the two songs both hit in July of 1968 and both had a similar vibe, although "Journey to the Center of the Mind" is almost a note for note copy on this Fontana debut where some of the other songs display signs of what Slade would evolve into. Bringing a post-Denny Laine Moody Blues single to the world, Justin Hayward's "Fly Me High" (credited to T. Hayward here), and Jeff Lynne's "Knocking Nails Into My House," from his Idle Race/Move period, was a very classy idea. Two instrumental originals by the group open each side, "Mad Dog Cole" on the second, the innovative "Genesis" on the first. Hearing "Genesis" alongside early Steppenwolf is a trip; they take "Everybody's Next One" and totally transform it to the British rock sound of early Pink Floyd or Kaleidoscope U.K. -- it is quite amazing, actually. And though they would inspire Quiet Riot the way they were influenced by Steppenwolf, including Frank Zappa's "Ain't Got No Heart" gives another indication of what they were listening to. This album could be the Alice Cooper group during their Easy Action phase, when Cooper copped Zappa and British riffs the way Ambrose Slade was combining American Top 40 and underground with their brand of guitar-oriented pop. Frank Zappa never sounded this commercial on his own. Slade bassist Jim Lee should have employed a bit more of Velvet Underground bassist John Cale's insanity on the violin. He brought an exciting element to his playing while Lee goes by the book on "Martha My Dear." Though they would later become a bit more contrived, Slade, still, are a better musical group than they were given credit for. This debut, with informative liner notes by Peter Jones documenting the contribution by recording manager Jack Baverstock and noting Slade's original name, Inbetweens, is worthwhile because it is as entertaining as it is historical. Listen to how musical the Holder/Lee original "Pity the Mother" is to hear how inspired and truly underrated these artists were and still are. ~ Joe Viglione

Rovi