A Bit of Glam Rock (Part One)....

Not a term that will be familiar to a lot of Americans, "Glam Rock" was a music genre that seemed to epitomise the British rock scene of the early 1970's.   Encompassing a number of styles, including heavy metal, art rock, doo-wop, and the psychedelic sounds of the 60's, the acts were known for their outlandish appearance and clothes.  While the fashions may have not lasted, the music certainly has.

Undoubtedly the best known of all Glam Rock bands - and certainly the most durable - were the Wolverhampton-based Slade.  The group recorded seventeen Top 20 hits between 1971 and 1976, including six chart-toppers.  Their songs were inevitably written by the duo of Noddy Holder and Jimmy Lea, who were joined in the group by Don Powell, and the ultra-flamboyant Dave Hill.

Many Americans may not know it, but the classic by Quiet Riot (from 1983), Cum on Feel The Noize, was actually a cover of Slade's Number One hit from ten years earlier.  Their other Number Ones were : Coz I Luv You (1971), Mama Weer All Crazee Now (1972 - seen below), Take Me Bak 'Ome (1972), Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me (1973), and the ever-popular Yuletide classic, Merry Xmas Everybody, also from 1973.

One of the other great bands of the time was T. Rex, fronted by Marc Bolan.  The band had four releases that reached Number One in the UK Charts, Hot Love and Get It On (known as Bang a Gong in the US) from 1971, and from the following year, Telegram Sam and Metal Guru.  In the early hours of September 16, 1977, Bolan was killed in a car crash in Barnes, southwest London.  The car, driven by his girlfriend, hit a tree (which to this day remains a shrine to the singer).

Here are Marc Bolan's memorial plaques at Golder's Green Crematorium in North London.

          

The third band I'm covering today is Mud.  Apart from being one of my all time favourite groups, they were also local to me, being based in Mitcham, Surrey.  In fact, my mother worked with the father of Rob Davis, the group's lead guitarist, and who is today a leading record producer.

Having been around for a few years, Mud finally achieved a breakthrough in 1973, when Crazy (not the Patsy Cline number) reached No. 12 on the UK charts.  This was quickly followed by Hypnosis and Dyna-mite, which reached 16 and 4 respectively.  Now established as one of Britain's leading acts, Mud topped the charts in 1974 with Tiger Feet, still a classic forty years later.  Like Slade, they also had a Christmas Number One with Lonely This Christmas (also 1974), and a superb cover of Buddy Holly's Oh Boy attained the same position the following year,  More than most of the other "Glam Rock" bands, Mud often focused on harmonies based around Les Gray's Elvis-like vocals.

The group disbanded in 1979, with lead vocalist Gray pursuing a solo career.  After developing throat cancer, Les Gray died from a heart attack in 2004, and drummer Dave Mount passed away in December 2006.