The Dummies

The Dummies was a musical project formed by Slade bassist Jim Lea and his brother Frank Lea in 1979. Between 1979 and 1981, they released three singles and recorded a number of original and Slade songs, which were collected on the 1992 album A Day in the Life of the Dummies.

After returning to the UK from the United States in 1976, Slade found their popularity in decline. During the "lean years" of the late 1970s, the band continued recording and touring, but were met with limited chart success and resistance on radio. Jim Lea wished to find out whether it was his and lead vocalist Noddy Holder's songwriting or simply a reluctance from DJs to play Slade material. He recalled to Chris Charlesworth in 1984: "Slade were passé and couldn't get any radio play at all. I wanted to see whether I could get radio play on my own without people realising the Slade connection."^[1]

By this time, Frank Lea had already convinced his brother to record "When the Lights Are Out" as a demo in 1978. Frank took the recording to London where it gained the interest of a major record label, who requested a proper recording be made. The pair then re-recorded the song in March 1979, with Slade drummer Don Powell providing tambourine. However, when the song was presented to the record label, they opted not to release it.^[2] Deciding to release it themselves, the Leas then formed Cheapskate Records.^[3] Frank wanted to prove that any independent label, with the right promotion and distribution, could release a hit single. Released in December 1979, the pair chose the name The Dummies for their project.^[4] The single's B-side, "She's the Only Woman", was a 1975 recording by a band Frank Lea was in.^[5]

بعد طباعة ألف نسخة من الأغنية المنفردة، انطلق فرانك في جولة ترويجية في أنحاء بريطانيا سعيًا منه لبثها عبر الإذاعات. وقد نجح في إدراجها ضمن قوائم تشغيل العديد من المحطات الإذاعية المحلية. اختارها المذيع بول بورنيت من إذاعة بي بي سي راديو 1 كأغنية الأسبوع، حيث استمرت الإذاعة في بثها لمدة ثلاثة أشهر. كما اختيرت أيضًا كأغنية الأسبوع في إذاعة لوكسمبورغ . ^{[ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ]} مع ذلك، واجهت الأغنية صعوبات في التوزيع. وبحلول إعادة إصدارها من قِبل شركة باي ريكوردز في يناير 1980، كانت أغنية "When the Lights Are Out" قد انتهت فترة بثها الإذاعي، وبالتالي لم تدخل قوائم الأغاني الأكثر استماعًا. وفي أبريل، تم إصدارها في ألمانيا. ^{[ 9 ]}

أقنع البث الإذاعي المكثف للأغنية المنفردة الثنائي بتسجيل المزيد من المواد تحت اسم "ذا داميز" وإصدار أغنية لاحقة. ^{[ 10 ]} على الرغم من الإعلان في البداية عن نسختهم من أغنية " نوبوديز فول " لفرقة سليد كأغنية منفردة تالية، ^{[ 11 ]} إلا أن الفكرة أُلغيت بعد تسجيل المزيد من المواد. ^{[ 12 ]} إحدى الأغاني، " ديدنت يو يوزد تو يوزد تو بي يو؟ "، كتبها جيم وهولدر خصيصًا. بمشاركة زوجة جيم، لويز، في غناء الخلفية، صدرت الأغنية المنفردة في أغسطس 1980 عن شركة تشيبسكيت. ^{[ 13 ]} وحققت الأغنية المنفردة مرة أخرى بثًا إذاعيًا واسعًا. وُضعت على قائمة التشغيل "أ" لإذاعة بي بي سي راديو 1، وأُدرجت ضمن قائمة "أفضل الأغاني" على إذاعة لوكسمبورغ. ^{[ 14 ]} في سبتمبر، ظهر الثلاثي في ​​برنامج "ملتي-كولورد سواب شوب " على قناة بي بي سي 1 البريطانية لأداء الأغنية. ^{[ 15 ]} كما اختيرت كأغنية الأسبوع من مجلة ميلودي ميكر خلال ذلك الشهر . ^{[ 7 ]} مع ذلك، تسببت مشاكل التوزيع مجدداً في فشل الأغنية في دخول قوائم الأغاني الأكثر استماعاً. ورغم استمرار بثها على الإذاعات، عرض ديف روبنسون من شركة ستيف ريكوردز إصدار الأغنية، لكن المفاوضات تعثرت.

Of the songs recorded along with "Didn't You Use to Use to Be You?" were two further Holder-Lea compositions specifically written for the project; "Maybe Tonite" and "The Minute I Lost Control". Although the remaining songs were covers of Slade originals, one track, "Little Sheila", was not recorded by Slade until a few years later, when it featured on their twelfth studio album Rogues Gallery, released in 1985.^[16] "Maybe Tonite" was released as the band's third and final single in February 1981, which gained airplay but did not chart.^[17] Jim later recalled: "It proved that the songs I was writing were still viable. That was all I needed to know."^[1]

In May 1982, the Dummies recording "Poland", a reworking of Slade's "Lemme Love into Ya", was released by Jim Lea under the pseudonym Greenfields of Tong on Speed Records.^[18] Later in December that year, "Didn't You Use to Use to Be You?" was re-released on Speed Records under the new title "One Hit Wonder". Rather than the Dummies, the artist name chosen was the China Dolls.^[19] During the late 1980s, Frank was surprised how much second-hand copies of the Dummies singles were selling for. He decided to gather the Dummies recordings, which were released in 1992 by Receiver Records Limited on the album A Day in the Life of the Dummies.^[8][20][21]

• Jim Lea - vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
• Frank Lea - drums

Albums

• A Day in the Life of the Dummies (1992)

Singles

• "When the Lights Are Out" (1979)
• "Didn't You Use to Use to Be You?" (1980)
• "Maybe Tonite" (1981)