With this album, Slade stood their ground as a straight-ahead rock group; gone were their "glam" statements of the early decade.

Punk rock had now exploded and had become the dominant influence on youth culture and the music press.

[4] According to the Slade Fan Club, the band hoped to record a total of 16 tracks and pick the best to release on the album.

[12] They also noted "the songs and playing [on the album] are pretty much out of sight, with monster riffs and a different production style.

[12] "Gypsy Roadhog", the album's single is a tale of the exploits of an American cocaine dealer.

"[12] "Dead Men Tell No Tales" features a slower tempo and has lyrics based on the 1949 gangster film White Heat, starring James Cagney.

Titled by Chandler after a piece of graffiti spotted painted on a London bridge, Whatever Happened to Slade, while intended as a defiant, ironic comment on their absence from UK shores, was more likely received as a virtual admission of how far the group's star had fallen, and few people, except perhaps a fraction of their old fan base, were in the mood to contradict them.

[17] Upon release, Sheila Prophet of Record Mirror felt the album was "worth giving a spin".

She felt most tracks were "solid, rocking numbers" but not as "distinctive" as the band's earlier hits.

Pete Makowski of New Musical Express described the album as "high energy on a primeval scale", with "strong tunes", "lotsa potential singles" and "interesting" lyrical content.

[20] Tony Ciarochi of Fairbanks Daily News-Miner said the album "definitely packs punch", displaying "fairly basic rock 'n' roll" but with "British humor and sarcasm", which makes it a "refreshing change from some of the more bland sledgehammer rock grounds dominant in America.

"[21] In a retrospective review, Geoff Ginsberg of AllMusic felt the album had "a bit of the Hotter Than Hell, early-Kiss sound", but was "still pure Slade".

He described the songs as having "monster riffs and a different production style", concluding "this is a great record".

[19] In 2010, Classic Rock considered the album "superior: reputation cementing" and wrote: "Whatever Happened to Slade tempers their established qualities with righteous indignation.

"[citation needed] Colin Harper of Record Collector felt the album "showed muscle", had US stadium boogie as a "prime influence" and featured Holder's "least charming lyrics".

[23] All tracks are written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, except "My Baby Left Me: That's Alright" by Arthur Crudup