'It was blazing': Noddy Holder remembers Slade's first place race to Christmas number one

Black Country icon Noddy Holder opened up about Slade's battle against their fellow Brummies and rivals for the top Christmas spot of 1973.

In an interview with BBC Radio Merseyside, the Walsall-born rocker said he wasn't aware that Wizzard was also creating a Christmas song for that year, saying "he obviously had the same idea as us".

When asked if Slade was aware Wizzard was also making a Christmas song Noddy said: "No no, we were big mates with Woody [Roy Wood] and Wizzard, we knew them really well.

"We didn't know what he'd been up to or that he was thinking of bringing a Christmas record out. But he obviously had the same idea as us from how John Lennon had done it the year before and made it cool.

"And of course, Elton John was doing the same thing, which we didn't know either."

Noddy then went on to say that the record company believed the group could go for number one again, making it three number ones in one year following the hit tracks Cum On Feel The Noize and Skweeze Me Pleeze Me.

He continued: "The record company was pretty sure we could get in at number one again, three in one year - no-one had ever done that, including The Beatles. It was blazing.

"The producer said the pre-sales just have to take it to number one – and it did. It went to number one on the first day of release, which Woody wasn't happy about. He got to number four."

Slade's hit Christmas single, Merry Xmas Everybody, shot to fame on its release, with many households still using the song as a staple of their festive playlist on Christmas Day.