As part of the ongoing Slade re-issue program The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome has been re-issued on orange splatter vinyl or on CD with 8 bonus tracks and an essay, My review is of the vinyl for this album that originally came out in 1983.
The A-side opens with Slam The Hammer Down that has a slow intro before opening out into a very NWOBHM rock anthem to lust.
The album then slams straight into In the Doghouse that's a domestic fight set against the sax and guitars battling away against the boogie, Noddy goes into some dodgy toilets, as they are wasting all their money again.
Run Runaway has an amazing drum intro before the riff comes in, that was often cut out when played on the radio, as this brilliant 80's anthem really gets going, as Noddy and the boys hope we can all run away on holiday and have some fun.
High And Dry is a straight ahead cock rock tune, hoping to make another conquest, as they let us know how they operate, as they go all hairspray metal.
My Oh My was and still is a huge hit for Slade, this is the full on wave your arms in the air, hold up your lighter slow ballad, it's still a great plea for love, even as the huge drums come in and it goes properly over the top.
Cocky Rock Boys (Rule O.K.) is a driving fist pumping ode to being a real cocky sod, a bit of a rogue, this should have been re-worked into a Hi-Nrg gay disco classic, but even like this it's about as macho a tune as it's possible to be, as such it hasn't dated particularly well.
The B-side opens with Ready to Explode. The Warm-Up, The Grid, The Race, The Dream which is Slade's rock opera about wanting to be a racing driver with the vocals alternating between the race commentator and the race car driver on their need for cheap thrills and maximum speed as they are dying to explode.
(And Now The Waltz) C'est la Vie is a slow love song, hoping to be allowed one more tryst before you go out the door, This is another full on lighters in the air ballad, full of windswept over the top imagery.
Cheap 'n' Nasty Luv is a very early 80's metal tune in favor of brief encounters that make one-night stands seem like long term relationships, as this does the red light stroll like the aids crisis isn't happening.
The album closes with Razzle Dazzle Man that has a quazi-symphonic intro before the stomping Rock gets going as Noddy tells you he's your man, well at least for the next ten minutes, this is as libidinous as the rest of the album, as the guitars have one last histrionic climax over the repeating chorus.
