Under Cover: Oasis Feel Slade’s Eternal ‘Noize’

Most people in the U.S. know 'Cum on Feel the Noize' as the only big hit for Quiet Riot. The L.A. metal rockers begrudgingly covered the British band Slade's 1973 classic when their producer suggested it. It became a Top 10 hit in the States, something Slade never managed with the original version a decade earlier.

Flash-forward to February 1996, when Oasis put their own spin on the song. The Gallagher brothers were making big waves in America at the time, but it was nothing compared to their status in their homeland, where they were Beatles-sized huge.

Throughout the '70s, Slade were one of the biggest bands in the U.K. From 1970-1975, they had an unprecedented run of 17 consecutive Top 20 singles, with six of those reaching No. 1. Plus, they had two chart-topping LPs during the era.

But foot-stomping classics like 'Coz I Luv You,' 'Mama Weer All Crazee Now' and 'Gudbuy T'Jane' failed to make a dent in the U.S. charts. 'Cum on Feel the Noize' even entered the charts at No. 1, something that hadn't happened in the U.K. since the Beatles did it in 1969.

Oasis reclaimed 'Cum on Feel the Noize' from Quiet Riot, and brought it back home to England. The song was included as the B-side to the 'Don't Look Back in Anger' single, which hit No. 1 overseas. It didn't even crack the Top 40 in the U.S., despite heavy alternative radio and MTV play and a growing interest in Britpop.

"I thought Oasis did a great version of it," Slade singer Noddy Holder told Classic Rock magazine in 2006. "When it was out, they invited me to go and see them play when they did their home gig in Manchester. I went to the show, and they encored with 'Cum on Feel the Noize.' It was a great buzz for me to see 40,000 kids from a new generation going mad to a tune that I'd written 20 years before."

Slade finally had their own Top 20 hit in the U.S. with 'Run Runaway' in 1983, the same year Quiet Riot took it into the Top 5.