Wheels Ain't Coming Down

"Wheels Ain't Coming Down"
Single by Slade
from the album Return to Base..../
We'll Bring the House Down
B-side Not Tonight Josephine
Released 27 March 1981
Format 7" Single
Recorded 1979
Genre Rock
Length 3:37
Label Cheapskate Records
Writer(s) Noddy Holder; Jim Lea
Producer(s) Slade
Slade singles chronology
"We'll Bring The House Down"
(1981)		 "Wheels Ain't Coming Down"
(1981)		 "Knuckle Sandwich Nancy"
(1981)
Audio sample
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"Wheels Ain't Coming Down" is a single from rock band Slade, released in 1981 from the album We'll Bring the House Down although it was originally featured on the previous 1979 album Return to Base.....[1] It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea. The single peaked at #60 in the UK, spending 3 weeks on the chart.[2] Although it was not a hit, the track kept enough momentum going.[3]

The first 20,000 copies of the single were in a picture bag.[4][5]

Background

The track was considerably lighter than the previous hit single We'll Bring The House Down as it was a previous Slade track and not new material for the time. Slade's comeback at the Reading festival in 1980 attracted many metal-band fans. The most likely reason for this track's failure to be a hit was likely due to not being heavy enough in sound as many new Slade fans were mainly interested in heavy metal.[6]

The meaning of the lyrics were based on a plane flight that Holder and Lea were on to Los Angeles where the plane looked as though it was going to crash.[7] The song's line "me and Midlands Misery" referred to Lea's nickname.[8]

The B-side, "Not Tonight Josephine" was previously the B-side to Slade's 1979 single "Sign O' The Times" from the album Return to Base.....[1] "Not Tonight Josephine" was later issued to CD via the 2007 compilation B-Sides and the remaster of "We'll Bring the House Down".

In a March 1981 interview with Daily Star, the newspaper wrote "The song called 'The Wheels Ain't Coming Down' was written about a ride had in a plane in America when Lea and Holder thought they had just 45 minutes to live." Holder stated "Jim and I were on the way to a radio station when the captain told us he could not get the wheels down to land. We were diverted to another airport for a crash landing. It's not a great feeling knowing you might have only 45 minutes left in life. We drank all the booze there was going. Happily the pilot brought the plane down safely."[9]

The single was recorded, mixed and cut at Portland Recording Studios.

Promotion

A promotional video was created for the single which has been officially unavailable since creation and wasn't even shown to promote the single at the time. It has surfaced on YouTube in recent years.

The single was not performed on UK or European TV at all although in 1980, the track was mimed on the Belgian TV show Generation 80 along with the band's Belgian hit single I'm a Rocker.[10]

Music video

Another Eric Boliski recording like the promotional film for We’ll Bring the House Down and Ruby Red. This film was given the same treatment as We’ll Bring the House Down - this time filmed on 10 March 1981, at the Southampton Gaumont, in the afternoon before the band's live gig there. The notable feature of this film was Powell playing the part of the aeroplane’s captain and saying the line ‘It’s O.K. folks the wheels are coming down’. The video was never released at the time of the single.[11]

Track listing

7" Single
  1. "Wheels Ain't Coming Down" - 3:37
  2. "Not Tonight Josephine" - 3:03

Critical reception

At the time of release, many reviews were overall negative.

Record Mirror stated "Slade might be able to bring the house down, but they're a bit stuck when it comes to flying on a plane when the wheels won't come down. Funny sort of thing to sing a song about really. Actually you wouldn't know it was Slade if it wasn't for the chorus. There's an uncharacteristic musical sophistication. Anyway keep your head low, because if this one lands it might bring all the houses down."

Sounds wrote three reviews around the time, one stating "After such a promising start Slade return to the mire with this disappointing follow up--a plane disaster song in case you didn't guess. On initial hearings the song is so corny in verbal content it almost has a kitsch value about it, but after a few hearings you realise its just plain bad. I don't think this will appeal to the punters who put the bands last single "We'll Bring The House Down" and compilation album in the charts." The second stated "Nowhere near the rebel rousing quality of 'House Down' and a blatant rip off of 'Free Ride'. Glossy Americanised heaviness and a smooth Holder vocal. Distinctly lacking in raucous glambamming." Finally, the third review from March 1981 stated "Dull, heavy-handed melodrama, follow-up to the surprise success of “We’ll Bore Your Pants Off”. Lots of whizz-bang sound effects but precious little inspiration. Hard work."[12]

One positive review came from Melody Maker which wrote "Marvellous to see Slade back on the tube, if only for the outlandish variety of head/hair pieces paraded by Dave Hill. "We'll Bring The House Down" was also wonderfully riotous: this is more tautly constructed, not so insanely vigorous. The chorus though is maddeningly infectious: No doubt it will be nagging us all silly for weeks."[13]

Geoff Ginsberg for AllMusic stated the track ranked among the band's best work.[14]

Chart performance

Chart (1981) Peak
position		 Total
weeks
UK Singles Chart[2] 60 3

Personnel

Additional personnel

References

  1. 1 2 "Slade Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  2. 1 2 "SLADE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  3. ↑ "Slade 1981 We'll Bring the House Down". My-rock-music.ru. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ Slade Supporters Club Newsletter March - April 1981
  6. ↑ Slade's remastered album We'll Bring The House Down booklet
  7. ↑ Noddy Holder, Vic Reeves and others. Does The Team Think, Episode 6., 21 February 2009
  8. ↑ "Jim Lea". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  9. ↑ "Related Links". Timesup.dsl.pipex.com. 2005-10-29. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  10. ↑ "SLADE @ www.slayed.co.uk". Crazeeworld.plus.com. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ "1981 Press Cuttings". Slade Scrapbook. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  13. ↑ "slade Wheels Aint coming down". Sladeinengland.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  14. ↑ Ginsberg, Geoff. "Return to Base - Slade". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
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