The Glam Rock Wars.

[Wat_Tyler]

Poll question: The Glam Rock Wars.

Who best captures that which was 'Glam'?
Gary Glitter has forfeited his position in this poll, obviously.

I'm going with Roxy, myself.

[Beware the Beast Man]

1. Why Poison, of course!

:evilgrin:


Honestly, though, I'd have to go with Sweet.

[Wat_Tyler]

2. Nonsense.

Everybody knows it's E'nuff Z'nuff.

Fuck it - I am not trawling the net for photos of that lot.

[Balbus]

24. I have to concur - Poison

[tigereye]

28. nah, that's too late...

you need the early stuff...

[Joe Power]

3. T-Rex, The Dolls, and The Sweet are all deserving.

But I went with T-Rex. Btw, where is David Essex?

[Wat_Tyler]

10. Did he do any glam other than 'Rock On?'

I'm not that familiar with his career, other than Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds.

[Joe Power]

17. Yes, he did

Just not very well, I guess. ;)

[Wat_Tyler]

18. Apparently the 'Stardust' movie is rather good.

[dolo amber]

4. I picked Bowie

cos he had a special place in my little 5 yr old heart during that time (I thought he was pretty :D)...

But thanks for getting "Killer Queen" stuck in my head, you asshat. x(

[Magrittes Pipe]

5. Prettier than you'll ever be.

:loveya:

[Wat_Tyler]

11. Aw. Don't stop me now.

I'm having such a good time.

I'm having a ball.

[flvegan]

6. Stryper

Seems appropriate to mix in-yer-face Christianity with glam.



I admit it, though...when I was little, I loved them. I thought the drummer was a girl, albeit a very pretty one.

[Spider Jerusalem]

7. I vote for Bowie.

Not just because Bowie circa 1971 embodies "glam", but because his artistic influence was greater than any of the other glam rockers. Bowie's sexual ambiguity and androgyny was adopted by the late-'70's/early '80's goth scene, the New Wave...quite possibly the biggest post-punk influence, really. That gets my vote.

[sendero]

9. Bowie..

... is seriously underestimated IMHO. He's even broken my "eight year" rule that says nobody does vital pop music for more than 8 years.

Bowie did not originate glam, but he was it's total embodiment IMHO.

[Wat_Tyler]

12. He's not underestimated in my book.

He's the best artist on the list, but I think Roxy pip him for Glam Power.

[sendero]

19. It's hard to keep the chronology straight...

... but I think Bowie was well into glam before Roxy took it up. Certainly before "For Your Pleasure" Bowie was doing it. I've seen enough of Ferry to be easily sold that he could not top Bowie in his depictions.

Of course, Bowie is said to have ripped it from Marc Bolan, and that is probably true.

Fact is, even though I'm an Enophile of the highest order, I never found Roxy very compelling - so my knowledge of who did what when is not that great :) and of course, being "first" is not necessarily being "best".

[Wat_Tyler]

20. Bowie precedes Roxy Glam-wise, but Bolan was the originator.

Although, Bowie and Visconti played a few gigs as proto-glam outfit The Hype in '69 - so it's not clear cut. Conventional wisdom has it that Bolan is the original Glamster.

[ProfessorGAC]

26. A Conventional Wisdom With Which I Disagree

Bolan was the first who started the whole glitter on the clothes, the whole band and the overall image was far less cultivated than Bowie.

Bolan might have been the proto-glitter rocker, but Bowie is the godfather of glam.
The Professor

[Wat_Tyler]

31. I agree, at least in terms of clothes and visual style.

But I think, musically, Bolan is an originator of the style - resuscitating 50's riffs and rhythms with a Glam sheen.

[XNASA]

39. It's difficult to discern the inventor. At least by release dates.

The first Roxy album was released in June 72, no exact date available. (Wat, this will blow your mind. The producer? None other than Prog Rock demi-god Pete Sinfield).

Ziggy was released on June 6th, 72 and Slider on July 21, 72.

Anyway you slice it, the Summer of 72 was a very good.

[Wat_Tyler]

40. Electric Warrior, from the year before would fit in the Glam mode.

I think the first glam single would be either T-Rex's 'Hot Love' from 1970, or Bowie's 'The Prettiest Star' (written with Bolan, IIRC) of the same year.

[tigereye]

29. I voted for the Dolls

but Bowie certainly epitomized it, for a time. Not sure which was the earliest glam band.

[Wat_Tyler]

32. Doesn't seem like anyone's sure, really.

[tigereye]

73. we need one of those rock and roll tree genealogies

[Magrittes Pipe]

8. I also chose Roxy.

Look up "glam" in the dictionary, and you'll see the band pictures from For Your Pleasure.

[Wat_Tyler]

13. I believe that picture of Eno was used as a template

for many of the characters in 'The Dark Crystal'.

[XNASA]

14. Roxy. But where's Jobriath?

It's just not fair to include Bowie. Sure, he was Ziggy, but he was just a character. You could put Bowie in any poll, in any category for that matter, and he could win the poll.

Musically, The Sweet are strong contenders.

But what about this guy?



He should be at the top of the list.

[Wat_Tyler]

16. Did he have more than one record?

All I know about him is that he was massively hyped as 'THE NEW BOWIE!!!!!' then commercially fell flat on his face.

You're right about Bowie, but if I'd excluded him, every post in this thread would be 'you forgot Bowie!'.

[XNASA]

27. He released two Glam albums.

"Jobriath" and "Creatures of the Street". I think that they were realeased within a year of each other, around '73.

He recorded a few disco songs afterwards, tragically died alone and penniless.

Hey....Moz loves him. :shrug:

[Wat_Tyler]

30. Morrissey Hates It When His Friends Become Successful.

So he must love Jobriath.

[redqueen]

15. Had to go with Bowie

[auburngrad82]

21. I went with Roxie but I liked 'em all

Especially "Other". What was that hit he had? Can't remember the name...

[Wat_Tyler]

22. I believe it was called 'Smartass'.

#4 for three weeks in August 1973, IIRC. }(

[ProfessorGAC]

23. While A True Glitter Boy, Back In The Day. . .

. . .and being a big fan of Slade, Roxy, Mott, and T-Rex, there would have been no glam movement were it not for Bowie's influence. So, despite my nostalgiac sense for all things glam, there really is no other choice.
The Professor

[Wat_Tyler]

34. I wonder what Tony Visconti's part in it was?

The fact that he was both Bowie and Bolan's producer at the time suggests that he had some influence over the form.

[ProfessorGAC]

46. Probably So

Remember that Visconti was the one who told Bowie if he wanted to be treated like a superstar he needed to act like one, and this was before Bowie total sales of his first 3 albums hadn't hit 500k in the U.S. (160k or so per album)

But, Dave was riding in limos, flying chartered jets, being seen in the hottest of hot spots. Tony appeared to be correct in his outlook, so very likely he is a BIG influence.
The Professor

[Wat_Tyler]

48. Yeah - Bowie had had some small success in the US.

Comparatively, TMWSTW and Hunky Dory had done better there than in the UK (still, very minor success), but even when Ziggy hit, it still didn't do as well as you might've thought (500k or so) due to Bowie being presented as a superstar. Which, with Diamond Dogs and Young Americans, he became.

[ProfessorGAC]

53. Actually. . .

. . .his first U.S. gold album was PinUps. He did that just after Aladin Sane, with the same band, except with David Sanbourn on sax. It's a collection of British Invasion hits, but in radically different style. That was the first Bowie album i remember anyone other than me having in their collection. It was at that point when Bowie came to Chicago and had to play the bigger rooms. (Arie Crown, instead of the Uptown.) His crowds double in less than a year!

Diamond Dogs did even better, and the 1984 tour played almost fully sold out. (Until someone stole the set trucks just after the Chicago shows.) Young Americans really flipped out even more of the country when he dropped the glam and embraced soul. After that, he was viewed as more than a one-trick pony. He has endured ever since.
The Professor

[Wat_Tyler]

58. Ah - thanks for the detail.

Bowie peaked commercially in the US around Young Americans, by the time Station to Station came out, he was already looking Europeward.
The Berlin trilogy were not strong sellers in the US, IIRC, although he recovered commercially somewhat with Scary Monsters.

[ProfessorGAC]

69. You Are Correct

Scary Monsters was actually huge here, because of the advent of video. But, i think his biggest seller anywhere is Let's Dance.
The Professor

[Wat_Tyler]

70. Undoubtedly.

[Rabrrrrrr]

25. The Ramones!

[Wat_Tyler]

36. HOW COULD I FORGET THE 'MONES?

It's defenestration for me tonight, for sure!

[ProfessorGAC]

47. Ramones Were Glam?

Really? What part of the "glitter ethos" did they embrace? I always think of them as protopunk.
The Professor

[Rabrrrrrr]

74. (it was an insurance sketch)

(no, not an insurance sketch - it was a joke)

[Magrittes Pipe]

33. Y'know what surprises me?

I'm not Mr. Genrephile, by any means, so I never really considered that there could be so many great artists in a "glam rock" poll.

Bowie is, without question, a genius. But T-Rex, Roxy Music, the Dolls, The Sweet, Mott the Hoople... even Slade had their moments. Nice poll, SLB.

[Wat_Tyler]

35. Who's SLB?

Is that my Glam alter-ego?

Actually, Slade were occasionally great - check out 'Coz I Love You', alongside their original (and far superior) 'Cum On Feel The Noize'.

[Magrittes Pipe]

37. Whoops. Force of habit.

I'm on narcotics, cut me some slack.

I agree with Slade's occasional greatness. "Cum On Feel the Noize" is one of the finest singles of the period. That said, they didn't have the extended period of consistent greatness that, say, T-Rex or Mott the Hoople had.

[Wat_Tyler]

41. They made a movie - 'Flame'.

Both intentionally and unintentionally hilarious. Actually rather good, in a more-Tap-than-Tap way.

[asthmaticeog]

38. A little love for Slade...

Though they're far from the bast band in this poll, they need more respect than the likes of Quiet Riot could ever give 'em - the image of four pug-ugly lumpen motherfuckers dressed to the nines in plaid (save for the spaceman) is as indelible as any of that period of rock, and "Gudbuy T'jane" sorely deserves a spot in the classic rock radio rotation pantheon that it'll never get.

Slade fucking rocked. *hoists pint to Noddy Holder*

[Wat_Tyler]

42. Dave Hill - best fringe ever.

[asthmaticeog]

43. Yeah - Johnny Ramone took a lesson from that 'do, I suspect.

Ever seen pics of their early short haired days? They could have passed for the Fall.

[Wat_Tyler]

44. Nearly mods, in fact.

That must've been right after the Ambrose Slade skinhead days.

[XNASA]

45. Here is it. The rundown.

The abridged history of Glam. Starts with one entry, T-Rex, in 1970 and keeps going.

Enjoy.

http://www.doremi.co.uk/glam/1970.html

[Wat_Tyler]

49. Great. Thanks for that.

I had forgotten to include Wizzard, Roy Wood's post-Move outfit.

[XNASA]

51. I was a huge Move fan.....

But never a big Wizzard or ELO fan.

Actually, most of my influences can be traced back to the Move, at least stylistically. I really loved Shazam, Looking On and Message from the Country.

[Wat_Tyler]

52. It's got to be 'Fire Brigade' for me.

Great pop music, perhaps the exact point between Syd Barrett and the Beatles.

[ProfessorGAC]

50. I Didn't Say It Wasn't Conventional Wisdom

I just said i disagreed with it. Even as far back as Hunky Dory and MHSTW, Bowie was doing the full-on androgeny thing. Dyed hair, jewlery, etc. That's why i don't buy the T-Rex thing. Bolan and his boys broke big in England first, but i think the movement well-predates their first big splash.

So, the references proves wat_tyler's point about conventional wisdom. I still don't agree with it, no matter who the historian is. I know that TRex is generally thought as the first glam group. I just can't accept it. (My issue, i guess.)

I mean, i was living and breathing as a glitter-boy at the time. I knew the history as it was being made! I didn't have long hair and didn't wear beat up jeans or leather vests. I pissed my parents off by going full-bore glam!
The Professor

[XNASA]

54. I agree with your point about T-Rex.

I think the only Glam thing about Marc Bolan is that he was a model before he became a folkie before he became a full-blown Rock Star. T-Rex just seems too laid back to be glam. At least their first efforts do.

Now Sweet....there was a Glam Band. A proper Glam Band.

[ProfessorGAC]

55. Damn You!

Now you've got me going. The album Desolation Boulevard is one of my 10 favorites ever. Boy, those guys really deserved more attention, if only for that one masterwork. Every song a potential hit. Rocks hard! Great arrangements.

And, in 1975, i saw them live, and they could reproduce everything on that album. They were OUTSTANDING!

The Professor

[XNASA]

56. That's the second time someone's replied to one of my posts by saying...

"Damn You!" in the last two days.

:cry:

I am damned. Damnation.

[Magrittes Pipe]

59. Damn you!

You damnable cur!

[XNASA]

60. Make that thrice.

:cry::cry::cry:

[Magrittes Pipe]

62. Damn you!

You said "thrice."

[XNASA]

63. Alas. Now fourfold.

:cry::cry::cry::cry:

[Wat_Tyler]

64. Damn Hugh!

[chicagojoe]

57. I voted for Sparks. Do they still exist?

[XNASA]

61. They do!

And, they still play out I believe.

Great band.

[flamingyouth]

65. "I Predict"!

One of my favorite songs from high school! :D

[On the Road]

66. How Come These Guys Weren't Included?

:silly:

[Wat_Tyler]

67. Because Mud were terrible.

[johnnie]

68. No mention of The Alice Cooper band?

The Sweet is my pick. Although some of the other ones are right up there.
Skyhooks and Kiss were pretty Glam, but not until the mid 70s. Mott also played the Glam part pretty well, but it was Bowie's idea for them to do that. They were a standard rock band before "Dudes".

[XNASA]

71. Earliest known photo of Glam Rocker....

Wait. I'm sorry...

This is a photo of a Pram Rocker. Disregard.

[Wat_Tyler]

72. Insert your own joke about Gary Glitter here.