Glam Rock : the beginning of shows and glitters

A genre that could be current, glam rock has marked a whole generation and much more.

So put on your best-sequined clothes and let’s discover this genre together.

DISCLAIMER: This post is based on some of my knowledge and is backed up and supplemented by research done before its writing. You can find the sources at the bottom of the page.

Note: Bands/ artists I quote in the posts, I only mention them to give you an idea of the sounds you find in the different genres. But I want to be clear that over time it has become more and more complicated to do it with style blends and so on.
In addition, my goal is not to categorize artists, but to present them to you so that you discover the different possibilities that there are in rock and metal. And even make you enjoy those genres.

WHAT IS ROCK MUSIC

Glam rock, or also called glitter rock, is a style of rock that appeared in the 1970s. It begins and develops in England, then spread in America afterward (although the scene is less than the English one).

Glam comes from glamorous and glitter from the clothes they wear.

It should not be confused with his most direct legacy, Glam Metal, which appeared in the 80s.

The genre appears in a complex societal context. It also follows the disappearance of several great rock figures such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison. It will allow young people who are a bit lost to belong to a community.

With this style, rock becomes a stage, a theater, and contradicts the very reason of rock. That of a representation of real life, authenticity, and sincerity. Some will even use glam rock to create a character/role, like David Bowie.

This theatricalization also corresponds to the passage of rock concerts from clubs, etc. to stadiums. This leads to the spectators being far (or very far) from the stage. It’s where the games of sound and lights, as well as special effects and other staging, come into play.

In addition, glam rock will have some link with the LGBTQ movement.

THE ORIGINS OF GLAM ROCK

Mark Bolan, leader of the group T. Rex, will start the genre and will emancipate as much the artists as the young people of the time.

The latter appears in Top of The Pops (a famous show in England on BBC) with sequins glued to these cheeks and relatively bright and colorful clothes.

He will be inspired by the basics of rock n’ roll for his music and the stage presence of artists like Mick Jagger or Little Richard.

After him, a wind of freedom breaks down and artists begin to dare.

The next flag-bearer of the genre is David Bowie, during the Ziggy Stardust period.

THE FEATURES OF GLAM ROCK

Appearance

Appearance has a central place in style!

The artists dress extravagantly, dare to wear sequins, rhinestones, gold, very colorful and/ or glittering clothes, dye their hair or wear wigs and wear compound shoes. Whether they are male or female. Androgenicity is at its peak with glam.

Some even go as far as ambiguity. Is it a man or a woman? Once seductive, then repulsive. Friendly one moment, pervert the other.

With this look, we move away from mods (see below) and psychedelic.

MODS

As an abbreviation for Modernists, mods are part of an English sub-culture (mod) that emerged in the late 1950s.

The mods are young people who have tried to differentiate themselves from their parents. Their favorite music is soul, rnb or ska. We can see some conflicts with another subculture: rockers. We find the mods during the Swingin’ London period (which I explain in this post).

They have a rather festive lifestyle with several codes:

Hairstyle

THE mods haircut is the French Line followed by the back comb.

(As I didn’t find any free images with these hairstyles, I invite you to search mods or mods hairstyles on the web to get an idea of what it looks like. If you are interested, of course.)

Clothing

These young people can be seen wearing 2-piece 3-button suits (preferably Italian) as well as Fred Perry polo shirts, Clarks shoes generally, and US Army parkas. As for the girls, the mini-skirt is very popular.

Means of transport

The mods like to move in Vespa GS160, Lambretta TV and SX200 covered by (too much?) headlights, mirrors, and chrome parts.

Drugs

Drug use is regular, and amphetamines are preferred.

Art

Art is also important. The visual is key and dance is a pillar of the movement. Mods are also often very good dancers. We can even see competition within the group in order to know which are the best. This is in order to appear either in TV shows or in clips. Many attend art schools.

The mods will also influence the music of the time both visually (with the use of the Royal Air Force roundel among others) and the musical influence of the bands.

Rhythm and music

The principle of glam rock is to return to simple music, but catchy and danceable.

We find the basics of rock n roll and even some of hard rock. The songs are short, with little, if any solos, experiments, and the use of major chords.

We can also see the repetition of riffs and choruses or parts of songs that the audience can repeat with the artist or bands.

Although there is a lot of rock in this genre, we can see that they are also closer to pop. Moreover, the genre is known to be at the crossroads between rock and modern pop.

Instruments

In glam rock, you can hear:

Guitars (usually electric),
A bass,
The battery,
A piano,

And sometimes

Brass instruments,
A (analog) synthesizer.

Lyrics

The genre deals with light subjects such as love, friendship, or party, but can also tell the story of the character they have created from scratch.

GLAM ROCK ARTISTS

Following in the footsteps of Mark Bolan (T Rex) and David Bowie, there are others: Gary Glitter, Elton John, Mott The Hopple, Sweet, Alice Cooper, Slade, The New York Dolls, Roxi Music, the Runaways (beginning) or Queen (beginning).

THE DECLINE

Glam rock is not really going to decline. Its influence is much more important than you might think. And for good reason, it will directly influence:

Punk: which appears right after glam rock (chronologically speaking). The only difference between the two movements is the mood (darker) and the political scope of the latter.
Glam metal: direct heir to glam rock! I remind you, do not confuse the two genres. The latter is more «heavy», is a little more of a caricature than glam rock, and it appears later. I talk more about it in a future article.
Current Pop: it is entirely influenced by glam rock, only instruments change.
It will also influence and still influence today the notion of concert/show and fashion.