British rockers Slade were undoubtedly one of the most influential and popular young groups of the 1970s, but they certainly got off to a slow start. Originally forming in 1966 and calling themselves 'The In-Betweens', they released a grand total of one recording: a single entitled "You Better Run". They changed their name to 'Ambrose Slade' by the end of the decade, and then shortened the name to its current form. However, their name wasn't the only thing that changed by the turn of the decade: the band members also grew their hair long and joined the ranks of other glam rock bands of the era. Within just a year or two, the group achieved its first taste of success with a modest hit in 'Get Down and Get With It', which peaked at #16 on the UK pop charts. During the next four years, the band's popularity skyrocketed, and their achievements included 11 Top 5 hit singles---a truly astounding accomplishment.

Comprised of musicians Dave Hill, Noddy Holder, Jim Lea, and Don Powell, Slade was indeed a cultural phenomenon of its generation. Unfortunately, most American music fans aren't as familiar with the group, but there's no argument that the band was a huge success. In fact, the only bit of trivia that may register with American fans is that two of Quiet Riot's biggest hits ('Cum On Feel The Noize' and 'Mama Weer All Crazee Now') are actually Slade cover songs. While the group was never as big as, say, The Beatles (but who is, besides for Elvis?), they travelled down a similar path on at least one occasion: the movie industry. While The Beatles have participated in films including Yellow Submarine and Help!, Slade's only venture into film was entitled Slade in Flame, released in 1975. Essentially, it's the rags-to-riches story of the band 'Flame' (played by you-know-who), featuring all the necessary elements of a Behind The Music tale of success and failure: chart-topping hits, rabid fans, an agent who takes advantage of the group's success, and more!

At times, the film walks the lines between harsh reality, dramatic tension, and the obligatory helping of comedy. By no means is it a comedic effort like This Is Spinal Tap, nor does it go for the jugular like Pink Floyd's The Wall. Instead, Slade in Flame is a well-balanced film that captures the band at their charismatic best, treating viewers to a generous slice of 70s nostalgia that has aged surprisingly well. Achieving a certain degree of success upon its initial release (along with the soundtrack album), it has since remained a fan favorite over the past three decades.

Of course, since the band hasn't enjoyed the same success here in America, the movie is still relatively obscure around these parts. For the past several years, Slade in Flame been almost unobtainable in home video format, especially taking into account the necessary PAL/NTSC conversion between Europe and the US. Fortunately, this tile is now available on DVD from the good folks over at Shout Factory (the distributors of the recent Freaks and Geeks set). While it's not nearly as comprehensive as other classic releases, it's somewhat of a miracle that this film is available on DVD, period. This release features the original 86-minute feature, although there's a big mystery concerning the visual presentation (how's that for a tease?). Ladies and gentleman, prepare for entry into a 30-year time warp: this is Slade in Flame.

For this DVD, Shout Factory has chosen to release Slade in Flame in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The problem is, this movie was originally shot in Panavision (2.35:1), which makes a noticeable difference: several shots now seem slightly cramped, although it's nowhere near as bad as a pan-and-scan hack job. Apparently, this DVD is an exact port of the British release, so I guess this is the best we're going to get. As far as overall image quality goes, Slade in Flame looks surprisingly good in many areas, but it won't consistently knock your socks off. Although a good portion of the scenes look relatively soft and don't feature a terribly high amount of image detail, this is a relatively clean print that retains the 'aged' look of the film. In any case, I doubt this film could look much better, and it's certainly a modest step up from any other version previously available. If not for the incorrect aspect ratio, this would have been a excellent video transfer; as it stands, it's only a decent one.

As far as music-related films go, Slade in Flame is one of the better examples of celebrities crossing over into movie roles, and not embarrassing themselves in the process. This is a film that has aged very well in the last 30 years, and really stands tall as a true musical classic. Those who are new to the band might want to pick up a few albums before jumping right in, but the $19.99 price tag makes this disc an easy choice for any serious fans of the genre. Although the problem with the film's aspect ratio is perhaps this DVD's most glaring error, it's still a well-rounded disc that holds its own ground. Recommended.