📰 Genesis - Single: May. 1969
- Slade
- May 2, 1969
- 3 min read
Format: 7" Vinyl • 45 RPM • Mono • Commercial
Label: Fontana — TF 1015 / 267 936 TF
Country: UK
Release Date: 2 May 1969
Writers: Hill • Holder • Lea • Powell
Publishers: Ashton Music Ltd. • Flamingo Music Ltd.
What the Sleeve Shows
A classic late‑’60s Fontana single design, issued under the group’s early name Ambrose Slade. The commercial pressing features the standard Fontana blue‑and‑white label, with catalogue number TF 1015 and matrix details printed in the lower ring.
Promo copies exist with slight layout variations but retain the same minimalist house style.
The sleeve (where issued) follows Fontana’s generic company‑bag format — bold, modernist typography and circular die‑cut centre revealing the label.
The Story Behind It
Released on 2 May 1969, Genesis was the debut single by Ambrose Slade — the group who would soon become Slade.
Both sides were self‑written, showcasing the band’s early identity as a tight, blues‑leaning rock outfit before the glam era.
The single arrived one week before the album Beginnings (released 9 May 1969), from which both tracks were taken. Although neither the single nor the album charted, this period laid the groundwork for the band’s later transformation into one of Britain’s biggest ’70s acts.
Genesis and its B‑side Roach Daddy capture the raw, earthy sound of the band’s formative years — heavy riffs, garage‑rock energy, and the first hints of the songwriting chemistry between Holder and Lea.
The release also marks the final stage before the group’s rebranding:
Ambrose Slade → The Slade → Slade
within just over a year.
Track Listing
A — Genesis (3:13)
B — Roach Daddy (3:00)
📰 Promotional Edition Details
This release also exists as a UK promotional pressing, issued to radio, reviewers, and industry outlets ahead of the commercial single.
The promo retains the standard Fontana layout but features distinctive label text identifying it as a promotional copy.
No picture sleeve was produced for the promo edition — it was supplied in a generic Fontana company sleeve, consistent with late‑’60s UK industry practice.
📰 Manufacturing Notes
Format: 7"
45 RPM
Mono
Label: Fontana — TF 1015
Country: UK
Year: 1969
Pressed in limited quantities for pre‑release circulation
Identical audio mix and timings to the commercial issue
📰 Promotional Edition Details
This release also exists as a UK promotional pressing, issued to radio, reviewers, and industry outlets ahead of the commercial single.
The promo retains the standard Fontana layout but features distinctive label text identifying it as a promotional copy.
No picture sleeve was produced for the promo edition — it was supplied in a generic Fontana company sleeve, consistent with late‑’60s UK industry practice.
📰 Manufacturing Notes
Format: 7" • 45 RPM • Mono
Label: Fontana — TF 1015
Country: UK
Year: 1969
Pressed in limited quantities for pre‑release circulation
Identical audio mix and timings to the commercial issue
📰 Context — Taken from the Album Beginnings
Beginnings was released on 9 May 1969, one week after the single.
It mixed original material with an eclectic range of covers, reflecting the band’s wide influences:
Steppenwolf
The Amboy Dukes
Frank Zappa & The Mothers
The Moody Blues
Lennon–McCartney
Marvin Gaye
The album’s cover photo — shot on Pouk Hill in Walsall — became infamous after the band were forced to pose shirtless in freezing weather. The misery of the session later inspired the lyrics to “Pouk Hill” on their 1970 album Play It Loud.
📰 Discography Position
Singles:
1966 — You Better Run (as The ’N Betweens)
1969 — Genesis (as Ambrose Slade)
1969 — Wild Winds Are Blowing (as The Slade)
1970 — Shape of Things to Come
1970 — Know Who You Are (UK)
Albums:
1969 — Beginnings (US title: Ballzy)
1970 — Play It Loud
1972 — Slayed?
Chart Performance:
No UK chart entry for Genesis.
🧾 Sources
Fontana Records UK discography (1969)
Beginnings album documentation
Original single and promo label scans from your archive
© Copyright Notice
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders.
This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference.
No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
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