🔘 Xmas Ear Bender – Single: Nov. 1980

Label: Cheapskate Records

Catalogue Number: CHEAP 11 / LYN 9116 / LYN 9117

Format: 7" Vinyl Single (Solid Centre / Knockout Centre)

Released: November 28, 1980 (UK)

A festive Cheapskate compilation single — mixing Slade’s Christmas classic, party cuts, and a live favourite.

🔘 Overview

Xmas Ear Bender was released on November 28, 1980 as a UK 7" single on Cheapskate Records (CHEAP 11). Cut at Lyntone (LYN 9116 / LYN 9117), the release functioned as a seasonal Slade “party single,” combining their perennial hit Merry Xmas Everybody with additional tracks from their independent‑label period.

Issued in Cheapskate company sleeves, the single appeared in both solid‑centre and knockout‑centre variants. It charted modestly, reaching No. 70 on the UK Singles Chart.

🔘 Track List (Common Configurations)

7" Vinyl — CHEAP 11

Side A

1. Merry Xmas Everybody (with The Reading Choir)

Written by: Noddy Holder, Jim Lea

2. Okey Cokey

Written by: Jimmy Kennedy

Produced by: Slade

Side B

1. Get Down And Get With It (Live)

Written by: B. Marchand

Mixed by: Mike Robinson, Slade

🔘 Release Details

Label: Cheapskate Records

Formats: 7" Vinyl, 45 RPM (Solid Centre / Knockout Centre)

Country: UK

Year: 1980

Notes:

- Seasonal Cheapskate compilation single

- Lyntone‑cut matrices (LYN 9116 / LYN 9117)

- UK‑only release

- Includes live and reissued material

- Standard Cheapskate sleeve

🔘 Variants (Discogs‑Verified)

Variant 1

UK – Cheapskate – CHEAP 11 (1980)

Format: 7" Vinyl (Paper Label, Solid Centre)

Variant 2

UK – Cheapskate – CHEAP 11 (1980)

Format: 7" Vinyl (Knockout Centre)

Variant 3

UK – Cheapskate – CHEAP 11 (1980)

Format: 7" Vinyl (Injection‑moulded label)

🔘 Chart Data (BBC / Official Charts Company)

Peak Position: UK — No. 70

Weeks on Chart: 1

Chart Notes:

- Brief seasonal chart appearance

- Entered Top 75 in early December 1980

🔘 Context & Notes

Recording Notes

A mix of studio and live material:

- Merry Xmas Everybody features The Reading Choir

- Okey Cokey produced by Slade

- Get Down And Get With It (Live) mixed by Mike Robinson & Slade

Collector Notes

Solid‑centre paper‑label copies are the most desirable. LYN‑stamped matrices confirm first‑run pressings. A quirky, transitional‑era collectible.

Legacy

A festive Cheapskate‑era curio — bridging Slade’s late‑’70s downturn and their explosive 1981 comeback.

🔘 Related Material

Previous Single

Sign of the Times (1979)

Next Single

We’ll Bring The House Down (1981)

🔘 Discography (Selected, Chronological)

Merry Xmas Everybody — 1973 / 1980

Okey Cokey — 1980

Get Down And Get With It (Live) — 1980

🔘 Mini‑Timeline

Nov. 28, 1980 — UK single released

Dec. 1980 — Peaks at UK No. 70

🔘 Glam Flashback

Slade ring in the season with a Cheapskate‑era party mix — festive chaos, live grit, and a choir for good measure.

🔘 Tags

#Slade #XmasEarBender #1980 #CheapskateRecords #Lyntone #MerryXmasEverybody #VinylArchive #SingleChronicle

🔘 Sources

Cheapskate Records

Official Charts Company

Discogs

Contemporary music‑press documentation

Slade archival references