We'll Bring the House Down

the song

We'll Bring the House Down is the ninth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 13 March 1981 and reached No. 25 in the UK. The album was produced by Slade, except "My Baby's Got It" which was produced by Chas Chandler. The album was the first studio album released by the band after their successful appearance at the 1980 Reading Festival. In order to capitalise on their revival, Slade quickly compiled this new album, made up of some new tracks and some recycled ones, mainly from their failed Return to Base album of 1979.

Since their return from the US in late 1976, Slade had struggled to achieve much chart action in the UK. Regardless, the band continued to record and tour. Their 1977 theatre tour, which followed the unsuccessful Whatever Happened to Slade album, saw a drop in audience numbers. The band found themselves playing small gigs after that, including universities and clubs. The band's tours often ran at a loss, bringing their own PA and lightshow, while the band's new material, released through manager Chas Chandler's Barn Records sold little. After the commercial failure of their May 1980 extended play Six of the Best, the band had almost called it a day. However, their fortunes changed when they were offered a headlining slot at the Reading festival in August 1980, following a late cancellation by Ozzy Osbourne. The band's performance in front of the 65,000 strong crowd saw Slade back in the public eye. The music press began to take an interest in the band again, while heavy metal followers also began deeming the band 'cool'. In September, the band released the extended play Alive at Reading, which featured three songs recorded at the festival. It reached No. 44, giving the band their first chart action in years. The band's former label Polydor did not take long to jump on the band's new found success either, releasing the compilation Slade Smashes! in November. It reached No. 21 and soon achieved Gold status in December for selling over 200,000 copies. The album's sleeve featured a new Slade logo designed by Chandler. According to the band, the 'fist' bursting through the shield on the sleeve was to signify "four royal bastards".

"We'll Bring the House Down", Slade's first hit single since 1977, is described by AllMusic as an "absolute must hear". "Night Starvation" originally appeared on Six of the Best and was also released as a promotional single in the UK during 1980. "When I'm Dancin' I Ain't Fightin'", taken from Six of the Best, is described by AllMusic as "pure classic Slade". For its inclusion on We'll Bring the House Down, the song was remixed by the band at Portland Studios. "Nuts Bolts and Screws", taken from Return to Base, was the other song to be remixed at Portland Studios for inclusion on the album. "Lemme Love into Ya" had also been re worked into the song "Poland", which Lea recorded as a solo venture. His version was released as a single in 1982 on Speed Records under the name Greenfields of Tong. "Lemme Love into Ya" was voted #2 of the top three Slade album tracks in the Slade Fan Club Poll of 1979.