A band known for continuously producing hit after hit, until their eventual release of the notorious Fox on the Run, The Sweet was just one of those bands who came to define the 70s, specifically in terms of style. You would know them from Ballroom Blitz, but The Sweet was more than just a single song. Though most notably, Wizzard is where the make-up side of glam really began to take form with Wood becoming one of the most visual male performers of the decade. Previously a member of Electric Light Orchestra, Wood brought over his experience to Wizzard, injecting orchestral soul and sweet vocals to a fantastical band. And it just so happens to be the band’s Father Christmas lookalike lead, Roy Wood, who truly cemented the band in the glam rock history books. Speaking of glam rock bands tied specifically to Christmas, Wizzard arises most notably in reference to their single, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday. Between the latter single and their holiday hit, Merry Xmas Everybody, Slade knew how to craft a unique identity in a genre that was already dripping with unique identities all around… I just doubt their English teachers would have been that proud. ![]() It was the rock star characteristics that Slade emulated that pushed them close to the top their riffs, their energy and, of course, their horrendous and complete disregard for the English language with cooky titled hits like Cum on Feel the Noise. Soon came Get It On and, well, the rest is history…īursting from their plainer 1960s personas, Slade’s 1971 chart topper, Cuz I Luv You, erected the band as glam icons with their silky style and truly memorable hairstyles. ![]() Their 1970 hit, Ride a White Swan was enough to land them a place in the zeitgeist, but it was not until their next single, Hot Love (which, by the way, was written in 10 minutes) that they truly shaped the genre. The dandy sounding vocals of Bolan and the band’s inherent oozing of coolness led them to pioneer status in the newly labelled genre that was glam rock. Perhaps where it all started, Marc Bolan and his band, T-Rex, surfaced come the concluding chapters of the 1960s British music scene and, seemingly, changed rock entirely by the turn of the decade. Glam redefined musical identity and, to celebrate that fact, we have decided to recall a few of these ultra-theatrical rock icons to understand their success, their style and, most importantly, their identities in an ever-evolving music scene that champions the flamboyant. Taking the once overly masculine male rock star persona and donning him with loud costumes, make-up, hairstyles, platform shoes and, of course, glitter, glam promised to push the boundaries of rock long after the British Invasion’s departure. ![]() Beyond combining art rock, cabaret, 1950s rock and roll, bubble-gum rock and even science fiction, glam became best known for its revaluation of music identity by playing with gender roles and subverting gender norms. ![]() That ingredient being identity.Įnter glam rock (or “glitter rock” in the United States), a fresh subgenre of rock which saw the diverse and the obscure bubble to the surface. In the wake of this psychedelic hippie rock, music was missing a crucial ingredient that gave it it’s oomph. The Summer of Love, that brought with it the notorious British Invasion of bands, has long since greyed and turned the once vibrant and colourful land of English rock monochrome.
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