Any other fans of Glam Rock around here?

Lady StardustLady Stardust Posts: 79
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I'm really into Glam Rock as a music genre and wanted to see if we could have a thread dedicated to it. Which Glam Rock musicians do you have a fondness for? I'd like to see if anyone really obscure will be listed as I'm always looking for "new" artists and music to discover. :)
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,734
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    Glam rock was just before I was born (sorry) but I do find this blog entertaining for all sorts of obscure songs I've never heard before, many of them glam stompers that would appeal to you maybe.

    http://purepop1uk.blogspot.co.uk/

    Of known artists, T-Rex and Sweet appeal to me the most, but I really only know the big singles. Slade are 'okay', though I met Noddy and he's great. Bowie just doesn't appeal, but I think he's a 'you had to be there' kind of artist.
  • Lady StardustLady Stardust Posts: 79
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    Glam rock was just before I was born (sorry) but I do find this blog entertaining for all sorts of obscure songs I've never heard before, many of them glam stompers that would appeal to you maybe.

    http://purepop1uk.blogspot.co.uk/

    Of known artists, T-Rex and Sweet appeal to me the most, but I really only know the big singles. Slade are 'okay', though I met Noddy and he's great. Bowie just doesn't appeal, but I think he's a 'you had to be there' kind of artist.

    Interesting you say that, as I wasn't around when Bowie was really embracing glam rock. I was born in 1983 but I find I somehow connect more to musicians from before my time than I tend to with the current crop.

    Thanks for the link to the blog - I'll have to have a look.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,734
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    Interesting you say that, as I wasn't around when Bowie was really embracing glam rock. I was born in 1983 but I find I somehow connect more to musicians from before my time than I tend to with the current crop.

    Thanks for the link to the blog - I'll have to have a look.

    lol, oops, from the username and post I assumed you were someone who was around in the 70s! :o

    I always listen to people who say how powerful Bowie's appearance on Top of the Pops singing 'Starman' was... but to me it just seems like just another archive clip, so that's why I guessed his impact had as much to do with the world he was walking into as the music that we can listen to today.
  • mushymanrobmushymanrob Posts: 17,992
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    sorry...i didnt like it. i was 16 in 1973, so target age group, but i couldnt be doing with those naff fashions which in many ways detracted from the music, some of which was better then i wanted it to be.

    tbh in hindsight now i possibly like it more now then i did then, its worn quite well and in comparison to todays shite its good.

    i see '20th centuary boy' is being used again in a tv ad, i like that much more then i did then. but i prefered the more serious sounds of the 60's, to me glam seemed abit of a pisstake and for me seemed like a step backward, and not one i was willing to take.
  • Pandora 9Pandora 9 Posts: 2,350
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    I hated it .... men dressed in naff clothes and makeup ... soz :p
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,734
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    sorry...i didnt like it. i was 16 in 1973, so target age group, but i couldnt be doing with those naff fashions which in many ways detracted from the music, some of which was better then i wanted it to be.

    tbh in hindsight now i possibly like it more now then i did then, its worn quite well and in comparison to todays shite its good.

    i see '20th centuary boy' is being used again in a tv ad, i like that much more then i did then. but i prefered the more serious sounds of the 60's, to me glam seemed abit of a pisstake and for me seemed like a step backward, and not one i was willing to take.

    People who weren't around at the time are more likely to listen to the music because the fashions don't mean anything.

    The heavy drums, with clapping-type extra percussion and fuzzy guitar sound of glam seems pretty revolutionary - particularly from T-Rex and, sorry, Gary Glitter (though in this case let's just concentrate on Gary Glitter as a musical concept rather than a nonce). Even Alvin Stardust... he may have seemed like a joke to people watching on tv, but his songs like 'Red Dress' sound like a souped-up early rock n' roll that isn't that far from how Elvis might have developed if he hadn't gone cabaret.

    Adam and the Ants sound like a glam rock band to me, even though I know they were 10 years later.
  • Lady StardustLady Stardust Posts: 79
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    Quite surprised at the negative reaction to the genre. I thought Glam Rock had a steady cult following, but maybe I'm wrong?
  • bryemycazbryemycaz Posts: 11,735
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    Slade still have a following among the Classic Rock fans. Whilst their glory years were the Glam Era they managed to move beyond it.

    Sweet did too to a degree although at a cost. RIP Brian Connely.
  • mushymanrobmushymanrob Posts: 17,992
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    People who weren't around at the time are more likely to listen to the music because the fashions don't mean anything.

    The heavy drums, with clapping-type extra percussion and fuzzy guitar sound of glam seems pretty revolutionary - particularly from T-Rex and, sorry, Gary Glitter (though in this case let's just concentrate on Gary Glitter as a musical concept rather than a nonce). Even Alvin Stardust... he may have seemed like a joke to people watching on tv, but his songs like 'Red Dress' sound like a souped-up early rock n' roll that isn't that far from how Elvis might have developed if he hadn't gone cabaret.

    Adam and the Ants sound like a glam rock band to me, even though I know they were 10 years later.

    im not so sure, there were heavy drum sounds in the early 60's (sandy nelson).. and alvin stardust was a failed early 60's act (shane fenton, had a few minor hits).

    some call it light hearted fun, others did see glam as a joke, steve preist in sweet dressing as a woman, pouting etc, as i see it, glam was a joke, its like they were too embarrased to act like an adult. roy wood (wizzard) declared that he uses his make up to hide behind because he felt insecure.
    Quite surprised at the negative reaction to the genre. I thought Glam Rock had a steady cult following, but maybe I'm wrong?

    i think its much smaller then others from the 70's, punk, mods, two tone, prog rock, heavy rock, hell even disco all of which were much bigger. i think these other genes were taken more seriously... even two tone ska, which was goodtime fun music for ordinary kids, was honest.
  • Lady StardustLady Stardust Posts: 79
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    i think its much smaller then others from the 70's, punk, mods, two tone, prog rock, heavy rock, hell even disco all of which were much bigger. i think these other genes were taken more seriously... even two tone ska, which was goodtime fun music for ordinary kids, was honest.

    I love classic rock the most, and see glam as more novelty music than anything...but it's fun, I think. I've been enjoying watching old performances on Youtube.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,734
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    im not so sure, there were heavy drum sounds in the early 60's (sandy nelson).. and alvin stardust was a failed early 60's act (shane fenton, had a few minor hits).

    some call it light hearted fun, others did see glam as a joke, steve preist in sweet dressing as a woman, pouting etc, as i see it, glam was a joke, its like they were too embarrased to act like an adult. roy wood (wizzard) declared that he uses his make up to hide behind because he felt insecure.

    Just been Youtubing... yes the Sandy Nelson sounds a bit like prototype glam, it's from 1961, amazed it took so long for people like Bolan and Glitter to pick up from that.

    Shane Fenton's stuff sounds very dated... have you ever heard the song 'Bobby Dazzler' by First Class? It's about someone who wants to be a pop star, and changes his image to fit all the different crazes and fads of the 60s and 70s... maybe they were having a pop at Stardust?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x62pvYYFons

    (I found it on a blog, it's a genius song!).

    As for Roy Wood, I think some of his stuff - 'Rock And Roll Winter' for example - is quite sophisticated, maybe he was more for the music than performance.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,734
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    Was this the first 'glam rock' single?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2HnQKAWoGI

    I first heard it on Bolan's greatest hits, was surprised it was from 1969 as it sounds four or five years ahead of its time.
  • PointyPointy Posts: 1,762
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    I'm a massive Bowie fan and I have a lot of love for Roxy, Slade and T-Rex. Bowie was the towering creative giant of glam however. In my opinion, Bowie's best glam-era album is Aladdin Sane. It's an amazing listen. :)
  • ElectraElectra Posts: 55,660
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    Pointy wrote: »
    I'm a massive Bowie fan and I have a lot of love for Roxy, Slade and T-Rex. Bowie was the towering creative giant of glam however. In my opinion, Bowie's best glam-era album is Aladdin Sane. It's an amazing listen. :)

    Roxy weren't glam though. They were Art Rock. File alongside Velvet Underground, not Sweet
  • Deep PurpleDeep Purple Posts: 63,255
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    Glam rock was the in thing for a couple of years or so, so many of the artists around went for it, mainly in a jokey way. No one really took it seriously, and the music was very wide ranging.

    Bowie, Elton John, T. Rex, Slade, Mott the Hoople, Sweet etc all had their own sounds.

    I went to see Sweet, because they were playing locally just for a laugh really, because rock music was my thing.

    I was actually taken aback by how good they were, because they were really a rock band, with a contract to dress up silly, and make hit singles.

    Their albums, and the B sides of the singles were very different to what many remember them for.
  • bryemycazbryemycaz Posts: 11,735
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    Glam rock was the in thing for a couple of years or so, so many of the artists around went for it, mainly in a jokey way. No one really took it seriously, and the music was very wide ranging.

    Bowie, Elton John, T. Rex, Slade, Mott the Hoople, Sweet etc all had their own sounds.

    I went to see Sweet, because they were playing locally just for a laugh really, because rock music was my thing.

    I was actually taken aback by how good they were, because they were really a rock band, with a contract to dress up silly, and make hit singles.

    Their albums, and the B sides of the singles were very different to what many remember them for.

    Same with Slade really, They were a rock band bust because of the Glam gimmick you didn't know how powerful they were unless you saw them Live. They went on a tour with Quo who were not glam but they knew how good Slade were. Quo upped their game same as Slade did because both bands knew they were going have to be on the case.
  • mgvsmithmgvsmith Posts: 16,452
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    Electra wrote: »
    Roxy weren't glam though. They were Art Rock. File alongside Velvet Underground, not Sweet

    I don't think you can compartmentalise music and bands as simply as that. Roxy Music were Art House but they were a sophisticated Glam Rock group as well.

    T.Rex, Roxy, Bowie and Gary Glitter were my favourites at the time and in that order. My brother was a diehard Slade fan, I used to hate them, I think I still do.

    There has been a lot of talk recently about the liberating quality of Bowie and the agnostic attitude he and I would suggest Bolan, Eno, Mercury and others had to sexuality. I didn't recognise it at the time and I didn't like the clothes apart from the cheesecloth shirts but on reflection it was liberating.

    And the music stands up. Some of it was a kind of rediscovery of basic RocknRoll - T.Rex's 'Get it On', 'Jeepster', 'Baby Boomerang'...and Gary Glitter's 'Rock n Roll , parts 1 and 2' which whether we like it or not is a bold piece of nostalgia and restatement of what rock was about. Similar to David Essex's 'Rock On' which is a record which deserves that much overused epithet, underrated.

    For me the two greatest records of the time were T.Rex's 'Electric Warrior' and Roxy Music's first, the pink 'Roxy Music'. Roxy and Ferry were clued into that disruptive nostalgia just like T.Rex, Glitter and Essex....I didn't get into Bowie immediately because I was confused by the musical styles.
    But Bowie like Roxy developed into something more arty and less glammy. And then Queen turned up and you could hardly get any more glam than Queen! And, yes, Queen were glam rock.

    Add in Mott the Hoople, Be Bop Deluxe, Sparks and some lesser bands like Chicory Tip, John Kongos and Hello and glam doesn't sound as bad as some would suggest.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,734
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    mgvsmith wrote: »
    And then Queen turned up and you could hardly get any more glam than Queen! And, yes, Queen were glam rock. .

    Early Queen records - 'Seven Seas of Rhye' for example - sound like Sweet records, which is not a criticism, it's praise.
  • mgvsmithmgvsmith Posts: 16,452
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    Early Queen records - 'Seven Seas of Rhye' for example - sound like Sweet records, which is not a criticism, it's praise.

    Absolutely, Queen were a glam rock band who were wildly successful beyond the heyday of glam (71-75). I'm not sure when they stopped being glam, did they?
  • bryemycazbryemycaz Posts: 11,735
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    Early Queen records - 'Seven Seas of Rhye' for example - sound like Sweet records, which is not a criticism, it's praise.

    Queen are an oddity in Glam Rock, whilst tracks like that are Glamish. The first two albums contained a mix of Heavy Rock, Proto Metal and Art Rock. As well as some very nice ballads.
  • ElectraElectra Posts: 55,660
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    mgvsmith wrote: »
    I don't think you can compartmentalise music and bands as simply as that. Roxy Music were Art House but they were a sophisticated Glam Rock group as well.

    T.Rex, Roxy, Bowie and Gary Glitter were my favourites at the time and in that order. My brother was a diehard Slade fan, I used to hate them, I think I still do.

    There has been a lot of talk recently about the liberating quality of Bowie and the agnostic attitude he and I would suggest Bolan, Eno, Mercury and others had to sexuality. I didn't recognise it at the time and I didn't like the clothes apart from the cheesecloth shirts but on reflection it was liberating.

    And the music stands up. Some of it was a kind of rediscovery of basic RocknRoll - T.Rex's 'Get it On', 'Jeepster', 'Baby Boomerang'...and Gary Glitter's 'Rock n Roll , parts 1 and 2' which whether we like it or not is a bold piece of nostalgia and restatement of what rock was about. Similar to David Essex's 'Rock On' which is a record which deserves that much overused epithet, underrated.

    For me the two greatest records of the time were T.Rex's 'Electric Warrior' and Roxy Music's first, the pink 'Roxy Music'. Roxy and Ferry were clued into that disruptive nostalgia just like T.Rex, Glitter and Essex....I didn't get into Bowie immediately because I was confused by the musical styles.
    But Bowie like Roxy developed into something more arty and less glammy. And then Queen turned up and you could hardly get any more glam than Queen! And, yes, Queen were glam rock.

    Add in Mott the Hoople, Be Bop Deluxe, Sparks and some lesser bands like Chicory Tip, John Kongos and Hello and glam doesn't sound as bad as some would suggest.

    Roxy Music is my favourite band of all time. I've been a fan since the first album. They were not glam. They just get lumped in because of the way they dressed in 1972
  • bryemycazbryemycaz Posts: 11,735
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    mgvsmith wrote: »
    Absolutely, Queen were a glam rock band who were wildly successful beyond the heyday of glam (71-75). I'm not sure when they stopped being glam, did they?

    Around 1978 Freddie dropped the Arty /Glam Harlequin look and went for the Leather trousers and later in 1980 the Tash
  • mgvsmithmgvsmith Posts: 16,452
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    Electra wrote: »
    Roxy Music is my favourite band of all time. I've been a fan since the first album. They were not glam. They just get lumped in because of the way they dressed in 1972

    The whole thrust of the pink album is a nostalgic rediscovery and restyling of rock, just like Glitter, Bolan, Essex, Mud, were doing in their own way.

    'LadyTron' , 'If there is something', Remake/Remodel' are great examples of this reworking. Add in Ferry's love of glamour and the dressing up was all part of it.

    Categories are just categories, they don't have neat boundaries.
  • bryemycazbryemycaz Posts: 11,735
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    A lot of Glam stuff like Mud,Sweet, Slade, Suzi Quatro all seemed to have elements of the 12 Bar Riffs. That Status Quo were and are famous for. I find it kind of Ironic that Quo were doing that stuff first around 1969/1970 but because they were denim clad rockers it took till 1972 for them to have a big hit again.

    When the music was almost the the same (better IMO) as the Glam stuff. Rock N Roll music but with the guitars turned up loud.
  • Finny SkeletaFinny Skeleta Posts: 2,638
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    bryemycaz wrote: »
    Same with Slade really, They were a rock band bust because of the Glam gimmick you didn't know how powerful they were unless you saw them Live. They went on a tour with Quo who were not glam but they knew how good Slade were. Quo upped their game same as Slade did because both bands knew they were going have to be on the case.

    I've always felt that Slade hamstrung themselves with the Glam thing.

    If they had dressed more like Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd then I think they would get a lot more respect these days.
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