Live At the BBC

No Slade fan should be without this stellar compilation boasting 36 tunes recorded between1969 to 1972 live on the BBC, replete with four hilarious Radio 1 jingles and household hits like the British glam anthem “Mama Weer All Crazee Now.” The collection opens with a spot-on cover of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett’s “Coming Home,” immediately exemplifying the uncanny live prowess of Slade before the band’s own heavy rocker “See Us Here” shines a spotlight on their tunesmith talents. They also turn Fairport Convention’s “It’s Alright Ma, It’s Only Witchcraft” into a platform boot-stomping goodtime jam while their take on The Moody Blues’ “Nights In White Satin” makes good use of a dramatic-sounding string section to stay curiously close to the original version, (though they opted out of the song’s weird spoken-word section). They even manage to improve on Moby Grape’s already near-perfect jam “Omaha,” giving it a rougher edge and harder attack. The last 12 songs were recorded live at the Paris Theatre in London on August 17, 1972.