A change of record label also saw them signing with Bell Records. These were dropped after the failure of ' Boogiest Band in Town', their debut single (which was also on the soundtrack of the film Never Too Young To Rock), and their suits were exchanged for baseball shirts. Now signed to Polydor, the band members all adopted pseudonyms - Midge, Oil Slik (Kenny Hyslop), Jim Slik (Jim McGinlay) and Lord Slik (Billy McIsaac). They changed their name to Slik in November 1974, and linked up with the pop songwriters Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, who were also writing for the Bay City Rollers. They reverted to a four-piece band when Kevin McGinlay left in April 1974 to pursue a solo career, with Midge Ure becoming the band's lead vocalist. Birrel and Cairns then left in March 1972 and they recruited Kenny Hyslop on drums, Billy McIsaac on keyboards and Jim 'Midge' Ure on guitar. Deniston left shortly after this change and they were forced to continue as a four-piece outfit for almost a year, with Kevin McGinlay taking up guitar duties. Brian Deniston replaced Ian Kenny in December 1970 and Nod Kerr departed in May 1971, followed by Tortolano and they were replaced by Matt Cairns on drums and Robin Birrel on keyboards. Slik were formed as the Glasgow based band 'Salvation' in June 1970, comprising brothers Kevin McGinlay (vocals) and Jim McGinlay (bass), Nod Kerr (drums), Mario Tortolano (keyboards), and Ian Kenny (guitar). It was the first band with whom singer and guitarist Midge Ure began to experience musical success, before joining new wave band Ultravox. Initially glam rock, the band later changed their style to soft rock/ bubblegum. But can the visit to the chocolate factory last forever? Or is it just a temporary reprieve before Charlie must hang his head low and return to his poor, ailing family? Likewise, in James and the Giant Peach, the abuse James Henry Trotter suffers at the hands of his malicious aunts is made all the more tragic by the happy, bright child we see in the first few pages of the novel - that is, before his parents are trampled by a rhino.Slik were a Scottish pop group of the mid-1970s, most notable for their UK number 1 hit ' Forever and Ever' in 1976. From the bottom rung of despair, he is rocketed into a rapturous dream that is otherworldly. When Charlie Bucket, of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, momentarily escapes his derelict home, it’s to a paradise where all of his desires coalesce. The author presents childhood as an age when terror and wonder are bedfellows.

Fox, who uses little more than his own smarts to beat three dumb lugs at their own game, Dahl understood the power of mischief-making and how it can liberate us (not to mention enrich a story).ĭahl’s young heroes are capable, possessed by a zeal that forces them to shoulder their burdens more acutely. Dahl did this with humor, wit and passion. But the best children’s books contain more than a measure of sadness they confront the cruel realities of the world without weighing us down. Our understanding of the world would be imperfect without villains, without a bit of darkness. But this darkness in Dahl’s books serves a greater purpose.Īs children, we need to believe in not just big friendly giants, but ones who eat kids too. Fox are the personifications of obesity, greed and evil. , or the “Big Friendly Giant,” features child-eating monsters with names like Fleshlumpeater and Bloodbottler, and the three villains of Fantastic Mr. Indeed, almost all of his novels are suffused with a kind of morbid curiosity. The author, having served time as a pilot in World War II, was no stranger to human cruelty. His heroes are precocious, often lonely children whose guardians are at best neglectful and at worst horrifyingly abusive. Years later, I find myself wondering: Why was Dahl so dark?ĭahl’s books are as gilded with whimsy as they are filled with sorrow. These are the images that keep in a young mind: screaming matches, schoolyard humiliations, terrifying disciplinarians. But even more powerful than Dahl’s dazzling ability to construct musical sentences was the darkness on each page. I had never read anything like it before. Even at a young age, I noticed the way the prose danced. I’ll never forget the first time I read one of Roald Dahl’s books: I was in the first grade and my friend let me borrow his battered paperback copy of Matilda. The renowned children’s author undoubtedly has a way with words, but he’s also a master of confronting the difficulties of life.

Slik forever