With the release of 'Return to base', Slade were diversifying again. Their music became less complicated than on the previous release (Whatever happened to Slade). Acoustic guitars appeared again and some of the music was far more poppy than fans were used to. Songs like 'Chakeeta' and 'My baby's got it' showed a quite new approach from the group. The song 'I'm mad' was a real highlight of the album, with its Beatlesque hooks.

Slade had never gone down the 'country feel' road before and so, 'Don't waste your time (back seat star)' was a complete surprise to most. 'Sign of the times' was particularly radio friendly, with more mentions of radio dropped into three minutes than most commercial songwriters manage to fit on an album.

Slade's problem was that they were effectively dead in the water, but didn't know it. True, they could pack out shows in colleges and clubs, but these people weren't all being sensible and going out and buying their records - which were hard to find in shops, even if they tried. 'Return to base' went into the bargain bins and commands a quite respectable price today from dealers. A 12" 6 track EP selling at £1.49 sold feebly, despite having some really good songs on it. Their single version of 'The Okey Cokey' died a deserved death. It could have been the end of Slade.

The story of Chas Chandler being obliged to knock on Dave Hill's front door, to convince him to appear one last time with the all-but-disbanded Slade is often told. The group's appearance at the 1980 Reading Festival saved the band from dying out quietly without telling anyone. Fans had to wait until 1991 for that.

Reading made Slade popular again and they went out on the road, revitalised by their resurgence. An EP from the Reading show did quite well in the charts, but they needed to strike again quickly with an album, while they were still hot. Writing, rehearsing and recording a new set of material would have taken months, and so the band were forced to compromise somewhat and compiled the best rockers from their most recent Barn and Six Of The Best label recordings onto a new album, along with their current hit - which gave the album its title - 'We'll bring the house down'.

The new album (originally on their own Cheapskate label, distributed by RCA, who they were actually in negotiations with at the time for a new record deal) also did very well for Slade and helped to re-establish them as a chart act again for a couple of years. The greatest irony of their renewed success is that they weren't doing anything at all any differently in the bigger halls than they were in the clubs and universities. They remained resolutely SLADE.

Pure dumb luck rescued this excellent group from the bargain bins.

The CD reissue boasts improved sound quality, excellent packaging and adds in a couple of tracks not to be found on Slade albums elsewhere from the time. One is the excellent 'Not tonight Josephine', which they probably thought of as a quickly tossed-off B-side, but which was as good, if not better than anything they had released in recent years. The CD booklet tells the story of this period - where they were at their deepest despair with their career and then suddenly and deservedly raised to a new height of popularity again more fully.

1. We'll Bring The House Down
2. Night Starvation
3. Wheels Ain't Coming Down
4. Hold On To Your Hats
5. When I'm Dancing I Ain't Fightin'
6. Dizzy Mama
7. Nuts Bolts And Screws
8. My Baby's Got It
9. Lemme Love Into Ya
10. I'm A Rocker
11. Chakeeta
12. Don't Waste Your Time (Back Seat Star)
13. Sign Of The Times
14. I'm Mad
15. Ginny, Ginny

Bonus Tracks
16. Not Tonight Josephine
17. Okey Cokey
18. 9 To 5