Back in the early seventies, he had the largest record collection of anyone I knew. While I was always one of those guys who had a lot of records, Wesley was one of those guys who had every record, and knew everything about every record. He changed me from your basic rock and roll fan to an avid rock and roll collector.
We shared an apartment together in the summer of 1973 and I learned a lot from him about collecting and the collector's world. We were both rock and roll fans and we both collected comic books. It was a great summer.
I often refer to it now as the summer of The Dark Side of the Moon - I can't tell you how many times we listened to that album over the course of that summer.
Or how many times we listened to Slayed.
It might be hard to believe now, but once you get two or three bottles of Boone's Farm in you, you can crank Slade up really loud, and while won't see God, you will see your apartment manager.
I never knew apartment managers could ask so many questions about incense.
Album: Slayed - Slade
Original Release: 1972
Label: Polydor
I don't know what else you should expect from a band who wore short plaid pants with suspenders, top hats, super-tall platform boots, and lots of glitter make up and whose lead singer is named Noddy Holder. They were actually punk before there was punk.
Even though Slade racked up an impressive list of top ten albums in the UK they were never able to achieve chart success in the United States. While they had a small (me, Wesley and a couple of other guys) but loyal following in the U. S. their main success was in England where they had several number one hits and consistently placed albums at the top of the charts.
Contrary to popular opinion, the group Slade was at the forefront of the glam-rock (if you remember glam-rock, then you are really old) movement in the early seventies. While Bowie and Bolan got all of the glam-rock press in the states, Slade was all over the charts in the UK. They had a total of 17 Top 20 hits and specialized in sing-a-long choruses and hard rockin' catchy guitar riffs. They invented the idea of misspelling words in song titles and had everybody 'stompin their hands, clappin their feet'.
During the early seventies the band released a string of huge-selling consecutive hit albums and singles. All of their early singles entered the charts at number one and their concerts were automatic sellouts. They even starred in their own movie Flame in 1974, a movie some critics consider to be the best depiction of the rock and roll business ever produced.
Managed by Chas Chandler, the former bass player for the Animals, and the original manager of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Slade became one of the most popular bands in England.
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