🔘 Sign of the Times – Single: Oct. 1979

Label: Barn Records

Catalogue Number: BRO 85

Format: 7" Vinyl Single

Released: October 26, 1979 (UK)

A punk‑era Slade protest rocker — backed with the reflective Not Tonight Josephine.

Issued on Barn Records, the single marked a raw, socially aware turn during the band’s late‑’70s struggle for chart traction.

🔘 Overview

Sign of the Times was released on October 26, 1979 as the second single from Slade’s eighth studio album Return to Base. Written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, the track captured Slade’s attempt to respond to the shifting musical climate of the late ’70s — punk, recession‑era anxiety, and a tougher, stripped‑back rock sound.

The single arrived during a difficult commercial period for the band, preceding their dramatic 1980 Reading Festival comeback. BRO 85 was issued in a standard Barn Records sleeve.

🔘 Track List (Common Configurations)

7" Vinyl — BRO 85

A. Sign of the Times

B. Not Tonight Josephine

Written by: Noddy Holder, Jim Lea

Produced by: Slade

🔘 Release Details

Label: Barn Records

Formats: 7" Vinyl

Country: UK

Year: 1979

Notes:

- Second single from Return to Base

- Punk‑era Slade with social commentary

- Standard Barn Records sleeve

- No UK chart entry

🔘 Variants (Discogs‑Verified)

Variant 1

UK – Barn – BRO 85 (1979)

Format: 7" Vinyl (Paper Label)

Variant 2

UK – Barn – BRO 85 (1979)

Format: 7" Vinyl (Injection‑moulded label)

🔘 Chart Data (BBC / Official Charts Company)

Peak Position: UK — No Chart Entry

Weeks on Chart: —

Chart Run (Official Charts):

No UK chart position recorded.

🔘 Context & Notes

Recording Notes

A raw, back‑to‑basics production — Slade leaning into a tougher, punk‑aware sound with sharp lyrical bite.

Collector Notes

Paper‑label BRO 85 copies are preferred. Injection‑moulded variants are less common.

Legacy

A transitional Slade single — politically tinged, musically lean, and a precursor to their 1980 resurgence.

🔘 Related Material

Previous Single

Ginny, Ginny (1979)

Next Single

We’ll Bring the House Down (1981)

🔘 Discography (Selected, Chronological)

Sign of the Times — 1979

Not Tonight Josephine — 1979

🔘 Mini‑Timeline

Oct. 26, 1979 — UK single released

1979 — Return to Base era

🔘 Glam Flashback

Slade confront the late ’70s — gritty, urgent, and defiantly unpolished.

🔘 Tags

#Slade #SignOfTheTimes #1979 #BarnRecords #ReturnToBase #PunkEra #HardRock #NoddyHolder #JimLea #VinylArchive #SingleChronicle

🔘 Sources

Barn Records

Discogs

Official Charts Company

Contemporary music‑press documentation

Slade archival references