Wizzard came up on my YouTube feed today and as glorious as it was to hear them again after an absence of 40 years I thought it was about time that we slam in the glam and decide who is and who isn’t. Personally I don’t think Wizzard meets the criteria. What says you?
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Lemonhope says
It’s the beard.
Slug says
Yup. Theatrical make-up and spandex stage costumes might not necessarily equal glam, but beards certainly don’t.
Proper Glam: NY Dolls, Mott The Hoople, T.Rex, Roxy Music, Bowie (for a while)
Mock Glam: Sweet, Mud, (lowers voice) Gary Glitter
Not actually Glam at all: Wizzard, Slade
Slug says
And I do realise Phil Manzanera sported a beard, but the presence of Brian Eno in Roxy counts double and trumps the beard.
And yes, Steve Peregrin Took also had a bit of a beard, but …Marc Bolan. So T Rex are definitely allowed.
fatima Xberg says
Steve Took never was in T.Rex – the Beard Years were all Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Slug says
Yebbut he’s integral to the story.
Mike_H says
Steve Took belongs only in Hippiedom, not Glam. That phase of Bolan’s career does not need to be considered.
While Roy Wood’s beard was wild, Phil Manzanera’s beard was fairly neat and anyway he sported those fly-eye shades for a bit.
Alias says
I disagree, I would class every one of those bands as Glam. Sure, some were cooler than others, but were there rules about facial hair in Glam rock? I thought it was about playing rocking pop music without any political agenda, so in effect a 70s version of 50s rock ‘n’ roll. Of course you also had to look outrageous for the time, which all those bands did.
Diddley Farquar says
Course they were. Even Slade. Glam shouldn’t be confused with glamorous. They had the rock ‘n’ roll revival, big pop sound and the sparkly accoutrements. You could still be blokey and glam. I think of it as a bit of a precursor to punk and British metal.
Rigid Digit says
Blokey and Glam, and rockin like a good un – as much of the content of Cherry Red’s recent release will attest
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/oh-you-pretty-things-glam-queens-and-street-urchins-1970-76-3cd-clamshell-box/
Diddley Farquar says
That’s an interesting selection. Glam Shock and Awe is a great book and there is a playlist which has a lot going for it. Some of it is before and some aftermath. There’s a lot that wanders in and out of the genre. Lou, Alice Cooper etc.
Rigid Digit says
Yup, another vote for Somon Reynold tome.
Rory’s Dreamhome is possibly one of the saddest songs ever, and would put the willies up a lot of teeny bop glam fans
Moose the Mooche says
Oy vey… you might want to look at the thread you’re on and rephrase that.
Rigid Digit says
edith:
Somon = Simon
Rory = Roxy
saddest = maddest
“put the willies up” – yes I could’ve used a better phrase in the light of the thread content
Bluffing audio-carrot
yorkio says
There were also three fantastic compilations put together by, I believe, Bob Stanley:
Boobs: The Junk Shop Glam Discotheque
Velvet Tinmine
Glitterbest (UK Glam With Attitude 1971-1976)
God only knows where they dug them up from, but many of the bands have got that spiky, stompy edge that could easily have passed as punk just a few years later. But it’s quite a distinctive sounds – it could almost have been a NWOBGR!
I have to say that I’d not heard of virtually anyone on any of them either. Did anyone here ever have the good fortune to see Crushed Butler or Spunky Spider?
Moose the Mooche says
Glitterbest was the name of one of Malcolm McLaren’s dodgy ripping-off-the-Sex Pistols companies, wannit?
yorkio says
It was. I think I had a 12” of Anarchy on Glitterbest?
Moose the Mooche says
And a lot of the bootlegs that came out in the 80s.
Rigid Digit says
On a variety of labels (mostly based in Belgium), all of varying quality, and often a re-hash of already available stuff. The swindle continues …
Moose the Mooche says
When I was twelve I picked up the appalling “The Best of the Sex Pistols Live” which features one track that in Jon Savage’s words, “Is not, nor will ever be, the Sex Pistols”. An early lesson in… well, something.
Rigid Digit says
Sounds similar to a couple I have where it was a case of Dave Goodman clearing his vaults, and then getting some mates in to do sound alike tracks.
Twang says
Agree, glam was all about the clothes. Glamorous. Sparkly etc. Even Elton, Sweet and Chickory Tip were glam. Even Geordie were glam. Whatever happened to the lead singer?
Moose the Mooche says
Properly went to Doooseldorf to build houses for the Erics.
Rigid Digit says
A precursor to Punk? Makes sense. Punk as a thing was as much about the clothes as the music – Malcolm McLaren (probably more in am attempt to sell more trousers) spoke of the Peacock nature of young Punks, and it’s early adopters like Siouxsie and Marco Pirroni spoke in hushed tones about Bowie and T.Rex.
It’s effect was no doubt felt further with New Romantics and the blitz kids – dressing up to the nines but replacing Chuck Berry with a soul groove.
And as for British Metal – well, NWOBHM was more couched in a blend of Black Sabbath, Prog Rock and Punk – the true lineage is probably the American Hair Metal of the late 80s
Hawkfall says
I agree with the Hair Metal legacy: Kiss were influenced heavily by Slade ( you can hear it in Rock n Roll all Nite) and the first big Hair Metal hit in the US was Quiet Riot’s cover of Cum On Feel the Noize (not worth going over to YouTube for).
At the same time I think there was an influence on the NWOBHM: Girlschool were basically a Heavy Metal Glam band and then of course there’s Vardis and Siverwing, who I’m mentioning largely because I like the idea of them being mentioned in the same thread as Bowie and Roxy Music.
Mrbellows says
I like the cut of your jib! 😂
Mrbellows says
Glam WAS blokey, wasn’t it. I think that’s why it is so fondly remembered. For me there’s absolutely no doubt that Slade were Glam. Noddy’s mirrored top hat? Dave Hill,alone! Let’s face it, Slade layed!
Black Type says
Sweet were referred to as ‘hod carriers in high heels’ or something similar.
hubert rawlinson says
Bricklayers in makeup I believe
Speaking as an exbricklaying lecturer.
Vincent says
Glam wasn’t hippie. Hippie had beards. Manzanera was problematic, but bands often have their flashy hippie rock guitarist; Guthrie govern toured the world with some massive rap artist.
Mike_H says
The Ruts had a hippie guitarist. Paul Fox refused to cut his hair short, like the rest of the band.
dai says
Gary Glitter
Franco says
Yep. Sorry. It has to be Gary Glitter.
johnw says
Like all genres, they get a bit frayed around the edges. I don’t think Wizzard should really be included because I don’t think Roy Wood would be. In a similar line of thinking, Both Gary Glitter, and The Glitterband should be on the list. There’s a few others that haven’t been mentioned already as well. Suzi Quatro is one that springs to mind. This is one instance where I don’t think one of the answers is Sparks!
Johnny99 says
Can’t believe nobody has yet mentioned The Sweet or Kenny.
count jim moriarty says
Apart from Slug for Sweet…
Jaygee says
They killed Kenny you know
Slug says
And quite rightly too, The bastard offspring of the Bay City Rollers and Mud.
hubert rawlinson says
Having had a look at a list of ‘glam rock’ bands and having a look at Chicory Tip’s photographs I’ll suggest them if only for the costumes.
Moose the Mooche says
Sack the captioner. That’s not Le Freak, it’s just freaks.
hubert rawlinson says
Sorry moosey that was me, couldn’t be arsed typing out the full name.
Moose the Mooche says
I should think so. It was 100% inaccurate both as the bandname and, to say the least, as an adjective.
Hawkfall says
The keyboard players perm must be finished by now.
Lunaman says
Have an ‘up’.
Black Type says
‘Good Grief Christina.’ Reader, I bought it.
Their most memorable song, Son Of My Father, wasn’t glam and they weren’t dressing outlandishly at the time. They were definitely riding on the glamwagon, if you will, by the time of GGC.
Uncle Mick says
Glam down to its stack heeled boots…
Slug says
Indeed, but !976? Missed the glam bus.
Moose the Mooche says
Glam is dead by ’75. Bolan is too fat, Bowie is too thin, Ted Heath is on his uppers.
Moose the Mooche says
Jobriath? I understand that he made records as well as wearing silly clothes.
Jaygee says
Duffo
Black Type says
Morrissey was his biggest fan, natch. But even in his NME-darling pomp he couldn’t generate any interest in ol’ Jo.
Rigid Digit says
Sequins bolted to Chuck Berry riffs.
That’s a simplistic answer
Slug says
Maybe more Eddie Cochran than Chuck Berry, but here’s prima facie evidence of that theory.
Uncle Wheaty says
Gary Glitter and the Glitter band defined glam for me…with a little bit of Sweet on the side.
Slug says
This did reasonably well in their native West Germany in 1974, but disappeared off the radar in the UK. It’s a still a pretty decent effort at a glam stomper.
fitterstoke says
Many of the bands and tunes above seem wilfully obscure – if they weren’t on Top of the Pops every Thursday, do they count? So that’s:
Jean Genie
Metal Guru
Blockbuster
Can the Can
Take me Bak ‘ome
Virginia Plain (or even better, Pyjamarama)
Rock and Roll parts 1&2
All the Way from Memphis
…and so on…
Freddy Steady says
As usual…
fitterstoke says
Huzzah! Just listen to those drums…
Moose the Mooche says
MES wanted two drummers in homage to The Glitter Band. Not quite what he got, but still…
duco01 says
Re: “…two drummers in homage to The Glitter Band”
So … not in homage to the Grateful Dead, then?
Moose the Mooche says
Serious answer – the Mothers had two drummers as one point.
Mike_H says
Two drummers at a few points, in fact.
The Mothers Of Invention had Jimmy Carl Black to start with and added Billy Mundi, who was later replaced by Artie Tripp.
The 1973-’74 Mothers had either Chester Thompson or Ralph Humphrey according to which one was available at the time and occasionally both of them together.
GCU Grey Area says
Chester Thompson played with Genesis when Phil Collins stepped up to the mic full time, and although he was the sole drummer live on songs which had vocals all the way through, Collins would return to his drum kit on things like ‘I Know What I Like’, ‘Firth Of Fifth’ and ‘Los Endos’ and they’d play together.
Thompson replaced Bill Bruford, who played on the first post-Gabriel tour.
Adrian Belew and Bruford played drums together on several live tracks from the Discipline/Beat era. Separate kts for ‘Sartori In Tangier’, and a shared electronic set on ‘Waiting Man’.
Mike_H says
I didn’t know that about Belew and Bruford in the ’80s.
When Fripp paused King Crimson to try out different configurations in the late ’90s, Belew played an electronic kit (Roland V-Drums) on their ProjeKCt Two experiments. To pretty good effect.
He was a drummer before he was a guitarist, so I suppose it figures.
Jaygee says
The Allman Brosat their 70s peak always had two drummers. IIRC, the most recent Crimso touring line up had three
fatima Xberg says
Don’t know what all this has to do with The Fall citing The Glitter Band, but the Ringo Starr/Jim Keltner double-drum team played on a lot of recordings from 1969-1973 – and “Back Off Boogaloo might even qualify as Glitter Rock (in spite of the beards…).
Rigid Digit says
Adam and The Ants perhaps. Maybe even Wizzard.
I wish I could eat m’self fitter everyday
Alias says
Adam and The Ants definitely. When Gary Glitter was on This Is Your Life (Yes, really), Adam Ant was one of the guests and he credited him for the two drummer sound.
Jaygee says
Surely you mean Gary Glitter: This Is Your Life Sentence
Freddy Steady says
Those drums are non more glam.
Sniffity says
Can I ask, as one who’s never seen a live gig with two drummers, how it works?
Does one of them play the basic beat while the other does all the fancy fills, or do they take turns, or is there just a cacophonous clatter as they clash completely?
Gary says
Did Shane Fenton die in vain?
Jaygee says
Shane Fenton died for someone’s sins but not mine
retropath2 says
The Albion Band at their peak had two drummers in Dave Mattacks and Michael Gregory and it worked well as DM is a drummer who accentuates dropped beats, if you will, then coming in with a delayed clatter, with Gregory being more conventional. The same concept works well at Cropredy, where DM will often guest alongside Gerry Conway, who, as a, these days, somewhat dull and derivative 4 to the floor drummer, is the perfect starting point for DM to go full Mattacks.