Scott of Thunder, have you ordered yet?

[uwe]

https://www.amazon.com/All-World-Stage-Slade/dp/B0B69FS758/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3AR3IC119MI6U&keywords=slade+all+the+world+is+a+stage+box+set&qid=1664462881&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=slade+all+the+world+i%2Caps%2C364&sr=8-1

[TBird1958]

 This just makes me smile............ 

[uwe]

Them kinda SLadies can swing! Heart moving.

[uwe]

Oh my, just listen to what Jim Lea does here at 02:15 ...

[TBird1958]

 That man can play like very few others - yet soldier on in utter obscurity (at least here in the States). The only other persons that could coax so much from an EB3 were Andy Fraser and Jack Bruce.

[uwe]

"Coax" is the right word. Even in Germany and among bassists, Jim Lea is an unsung hero. When I laud him as a bassist who influenced me, people either think I'm joking or give me that weird "call the funny farm ... NOW!"-look.

But he can always treasure that he impressed Frank Zappa of all people who witnessed a Slade gig by accident and lauded his bass playing backstage afterwards. Dave Hill thought Zappa was an impostor at first and wise-cracked "He looks a bit like Frank Zappa!" to which an overawed Jim Lea hissed underneath his breath "For God's sake, Dave, shut up, he is Frank Zappa." 

[westen44]

Slade gets such high praise here, I found this irresistible and ordered it.  Also, for a 5 CD set, this seems like a good price to me. 

[uwe]

The recordings are great, the packaging is loveless and incompetent, the "16-page-booklet" consists of just pictures of which only one has to do with the documented gigs (in this case the Reading Festival gig where - as a band on the brink of breaking up themselves - they had to stand in for Ozzy at the very last minute and went down so well it ignited their comeback career).

The recordings are a testament to just how good a well-honed and -oiled live machine they were. And Jim Lea is really their musical director.

There is also very little overlap between the various live recordings which span almost 10 years (lamentably, none of the info below is actually featured in the boxed set):

Slade Alive!, the classic 1972 live album.

Live At The New Victoria recorded on April 24 1975, captures the band before they went around the UK to promote their feature film, In Flame.

Live At The Hucknall Miner’s Welfare Club recorded on 26 June 1980, features songs from their new studio album at the time We’ll Bring The House Down, along with classics ‘Take Me Bak ’Ome’, ‘Gudbuy T’Jane’, ‘Everyday’ and the perennial ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’, at this point the band were prepared to quit altogether, yet you wouldn't know it from this electric live performance, but the location is of course telling for a band that in 1973 had played Wembley Empire Pool.

Alive! At Reading the third unreleased full live set, captures the band delivering a sensational live performance to over 80,000 people in 24 August 1980. As last minute replacements for Ozzy Osbourne, their set was arguably the highlight of the festival and led to Slade enjoying a renaissance in the Eighties. A 3-track EP was issued from this performance at the time.

Slade On Stage which documents their 18 December 1981 Newcastle City Hall show (the album was issued a year later in December 1982).

[uwe]

A fresh interview with Noddy Holder.

https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/noddy-holder-slade-all-the-world-is-a-stage-oasis-ozzy-osbourne-3306019

Re question 8, I would categorically like to state that not all Germans are alike, Himmel!

And a Jim Lea one with a great little story:

https://www.therockpit.net/2020/interview-jim-lea-slade-the-cum-on-feel-the-hitz-interview/

Jim: There was this guy there who used to ‘police’ it (Uwe: a music store), and there was nobody there because it was a Wednesday afternoon. And when he saw us he said “Hey, you boys! Put that guitar down! Put that guitar down!” And he came over just like some heavyweight school teacher! And he said “Can you play the guitar? If you can’t play the guitar you have to put it back right now!” So they pointed at me and said “Well he can play it” And I just managed to get out “Well I don’t really play” before one of them said “Here Y’Are Jim, you play.” And handed me the guitar. So I played and I was ever so nervous but I, you know, did whatever I could. It was a Blues thing and I played fast and hard, you know. And this guy just looked at me and said “How old are you?” and I said “I’m, err, fourteen.” He said “Fourteen?” he said “Son we’ve had them all in here, in this shop, everybody, The Moody Blues, Spencer Davis Group, everyone comes into this shop. But I’ve never seen anybody like you…You’ll be back!” (laughs)

Mark: (laughs) He knew he had a new customer!

Jim: I know! And when I got the job with the band I had this big Bill Wyman bass that was a bit too big for me really, but it had a thin neck so it was nice and comfy. But I went out and got a Gibson EB3, you know the model?

Mark: Yeah, a lovely bass.

Jim: Jack Bruce had one as well. So anyway there was a queue, but I got the bass in a polythene bag and he was filling in the things for what he’d just sold and he looked up and he just said “I’ve been waiting for you”

Mark: (laughs) That’s brilliant!

Jim: It was like the movies! (laughing) And he came to see Slade years later at Birmingham Town Hall and there was a sort of ‘meet and greet’ after the show where we were signing things for the fans and he came up and said “Do you remember me?” and I said “No I don’t” and he just said “Jones and Crossland” (the name of the now defunct store) I just laughed and said “Were you the guy that said put that guitar down?” He said “I’m glad you didn’t listen. That day when you came in you knocked my rocks off. I’d never seen anything like you, I thought this lad is gonna go places.” I always remember that, that’s a nice comforting story isn’t it? Going from nowhere to a God-like status (laughs) He said “You sounded like three people were playing at the same time!” (laughs)

And another two interviews:

https://www.eonmusic.co.uk/jim-lea-slade-eonmusic-interview-september-2020.html

https://scholasticperspectives.com/2020/10/07/mark-dean-interviews-jim-lea-formerly-of-slade/

[westen44]

The recordings are great, the packaging is loveless and incompetent, the "16-page-booklet" consists of just pictures of which only one has to do with the documented gigs (in this case the Reading Festival gig where - as a band on the brink of breaking up themselves - they had to stand in for Ozzy at the very last minute and went down so well it ignited their comeback career).

The recordings are a testament to just how good a well-honed and -oiled live machine they were. And Jim Lea is really their musical director.

There is also very little overlap between the various live recordings which span almost 10 years (lamentably, none of the info below is actually featured in the boxed set):

Slade Alive!, the classic 1972 live album.

Live At The New Victoria recorded on April 24 1975, captures the band before they went around the UK to promote their feature film, In Flame.

Live At The Hucknall Miner’s Welfare Club recorded on 26 June 1980, features songs from their new studio album at the time We’ll Bring The House Down, along with classics ‘Take Me Bak ’Ome’, ‘Gudbuy T’Jane’, ‘Everyday’ and the perennial ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’, at this point the band were prepared to quit altogether, yet you wouldn't know it from this electric live performance, but the location is of course telling for a band that in 1973 had played Wembley Empire Pool.

Alive! At Reading the third unreleased full live set, captures the band delivering a sensational live performance to over 80,000 people in 24 August 1980. As last minute replacements for Ozzy Osbourne, their set was arguably the highlight of the festival and led to Slade enjoying a renaissance in the Eighties. A 3-track EP was issued from this performance at the time.

Slade On Stage which documents their 18 December 1981 Newcastle City Hall show (the album was issued a year later in December 1982).

I've heard some complaints about the packaging, but I'm mostly interested in the CDs themselves.  Your summary here is very useful, however.

[uwe]

Some dick at the record company couldn't be bothered when other people would have done the liner notes gladly for free. Still, it's good that this stuff is finally out, even as just an afterthought.

[westen44]

My two favorite CDs from the set are Alive! At Reading and Live at the Hucknall Miners' Welfare Club.

From Louder Sound:

There’s Noddy Holder defying the laws of biology with a larynx made of sandpaper; Dave Hill convinced that if the same guy signed Hendrix and him then he himself must be a mean guitarist (at one show he bursts into a blast of Purple Haze); Jim Lea just about holding the gang together musically, bringing violins to thrashing mobs; and Don Powell somehow both keeping it grounded and racing ahead so the others have to turn it up from 11 to 9,000.

[uwe]

Hucknall Miners' Welfare Club - what better-named venue could you ask for?!

[Alanko]

There's an advert on the radio featuring the intro of Cum on Feel the Noize. I'd never really paid attention before, but the descending part is nonstop bass, right? The rhythm guitar seems to be playing some incredibly high inverted chords? The temptation would be to slam down some barre chords, but I think something more subtle is going on.

This is also interesting! Not the chords I thought I was hearing!

[westen44]

Hucknall Miners' Welfare Club - what better-named venue could you ask for?!

After listening to the Reading CD, I thought there couldn't possibly be a CD better than that one.  Then came the Hucknall Miners' Welfare Club which surprised me even more.  I think the unlikely name makes all of this even more unique.