Written as told to music journalist Lisa Verrico, Noddy Holder's autobiography is rich in his trademark humour. As the pages trace a life from playground ambition to the fulfilment of dreams, Holder's no-nonsense black country tone rarely wavers as he remembers everyday old days; shopping at Freddie Mercury's market stall, drinking with Phil Lynott, and singing with Sammy Davis Jr.

This is a definitive source of information for Slade fans. Although certainly a memoir rather than critical study (and all the more entertaining for that), a mention of each single, album and tour is included at the appropriate point in Slade history alongside recollections of the band's opinion of each. Noddy's description of the decline in Slade's popularity is sobering and his portrayal of the subsequent breakdown in relations between the band and management seems honest and true. While an occasional frank mention is made of past rock'n'roll excesses, the author has chosen not to write an exposé of the pop world at that time. Instead Noddy Holder has written the story he's sure his fans would want to hear--the inside story of Slade. --Helen Lamont