BraveWords had the honour to speak to legendary drummer Chris Slade this week for a Streaming For Vengeance chat that will air this Friday (July 19th at 3:33 PM EST), the same day The Chris Slade Timeline release their new album, Timescape, via BraveWords Records. Chris Slade launched the band, The Chris Slade Timeline, in 2012 to mark 50-plus years as a professional rock drummer, working with the likes of Tom Jones, Manfred Mann's Earthband, Gary Moore, Gary Numan, Denny Laine, Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, David Gilmour, Uriah Heep, Asia and of course AC/DC.
In an excerpt from the interview, BraveWords asked if there was ever a gig that he regreted turning down.
“Yes. Elvis Presley. ‘Sorry Elvis I’m too busy.’ He asked me to play drums with him for one month originally in Las Vegas. And Gordon Mills (Tom Jones’ manager, who incidentally co-wrote signature song "It's Not Unusual") said to me, ‘Where is your Welchness. What are you doing?’ In the end, Gordon went to Col Tom Parker and said ‘You can’t steal our drummer.’ I would’ve loved to of done that. I said to Tom, ‘Look, you are great, what about having the drummer that played with you and with Elvis Presley!’ Because they were mates, they were friends and until Elvis died they were friends. And it was a mutual admiration society because Tom grew up with Elvis right from the start. I sort of came in halfway through. When I met Elvis, and I met him a few times. He gave a party for us and I have a picture of Elvis on one side and Tom Jones on the other. I call it ‘Who’s that with Slade.’”
Watch for more escerpts from the chat and tune in this Friday (July 19th at 3:33 PM EST) when Chris Slade is our special guest on Streaming For Vengeance.
The Chris Slade Timeline album, Timescape, can be pre-ordered here. The physical pre-order includes a limited edition postcard autographed by Chris Slade. Watch a video trailer below.
Chris Slade launched the band, The Chris Slade Timeline, in 2012 to mark 50+ years as a professional rock drummer. For this project, Slade took on phenomenal vocalists Steve Glasscock and Paul "Bun" Davis with the added stunning musical techniques of guitarist James Cornford along with keyboard and guitar player Michael J. Clark you most certainly have a band to be reckoned with and worthy to mark Slade’s illustrious musical career.
This is a concept for Slade that will include performances from a varied set list from Tom Jones, Manfred Mann’s Earthband, Uriah Heep, The Firm, ASIA, MSG, David Gilmour, Gary Moore along with a fair degree of AC/DC numbers and many surprises to be unwrapped along the way.
"After all these years recording and playing with some of the world’s greatest rock musicians such as Tom Jones, Manfred Mann's Earthband, Gary Moore, Gary Numan, Denny Laine, Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, David Gilmour, Uriah Heep, Asia and of course AC/DC.
Timescape tracklisting:
Disc 1:
"Sundance"
"We Will Survive"
"Joybringer"
"Living The Dream"
"Freedom Song"
"Back With A Vengeance"
"Questions"
"Time Flies"
"End Of Eternity"
Disc 2:
"The Razors Edge"
"Free"
"Blinded By The Light"
"July Morning"
"Thunderstruck"
"Big Gun"
"Hells Bells"
"High Voltage"
Trailer:
The Chris Slade Timeline is:
Paul "Bun" Davis - vocals
Stevie Gee - vocals, bass
James Cornford - guitar, vocals
Mike Clarke - keyboards, guitar, vocals
*Andy Crosby play bass on "Sundance", "Back With A Vengeance", "Questions"
About Chris Slade:
Slade started his career at the age of 16 with Tom Jones before he changed his name to Tom Jones, this included World tours and recording throughout the 60's.
Chris Slade was a founding member of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in January of 1971. He was to spend seven years with the band, recording eight albums and achieving three UK Top Ten singles in the process: "Joybringer" (No. 9, October 1973), "Blinded By The Light" (No. 6, September 1976 & a multi million selling #1 in the USA) and "Davy’s On The Road Again" (No.6, June 1978). After 'Earthband' he spent two years with Uriah Heep, a Year with Gary Numan, and a year with David Gilmour in 1984.
He later teamed up with Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers and bassist Tony Franklin to form The Firm. They produced two excellent albums for Atlantic in 1985 and 1986 that gave them a few radio hits including "Radioactive" and "Satisfaction Guaranteed".
Then Chris joined Gary Moore, taking over from Cozy Powell just four days before the start of the 1989 After The War tour. It was at one of Gary Moore’s gigs in The UK that Malcolm Young saw Chris Slade play. After the tour it was Chris’s intention to put together a band with ex-Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay. But the call from AC/DC scuppered those plans as he was destined to tour and record with them over the course of the next five years, playing on their acclaimed Razors Edge album, and giving a killer performance on their concert DVD Live From Donington.
After his stint with AC/DC Chris joined the prog-rock band Asia, who (even with the many personnel changes over the years) had still been managing to churn out some excellent music. Chris recorded with them on their 2000-2004 studio recordings, Aura and Silent Nation, and put forth his 'trademark' energy-filled live performances on all the subsequent tours that ensued over five years in total.
In the 21st Century, for a period of five years, Slade played drums for German guitarist Michael Schenker before forming The Chris Slade Timeline in 2012.
