4 British Acts That Defined the Glam Rock Movement

Glam rock livened up the music scene in the early to mid-70s with its flash and swagger. Some of the most beloved glam rock acts came from Great Britain, arguably at the center of that flourishing genre.

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While the heyday of glam rock didn’t last all that long, the music it produced holds up extremely well today. These four British acts made sure of that.

David Bowie

The thing about Bowie is that he generally tried on genres for a few albums before moving on to something different. While decadence would always be a background element in his music, he put it at the forefront in the albums he released in the first half of the 70s. The look he created when he recorded under his alter ego Ziggy Stardust influenced not only the musicians in the glam rock genre but also the fans listening to his music. And whatever you might think about the trappings of the style, it’s impossible to deny that Bowie reached some of his highest musical peaks during that time. Albums like Hunky Dory and The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars are all-time great rock albums, regardless of the categorization.

T. Rex

T. Rex originally went by the much bulkier name Tyrannosaurus Rex when they recorded in more of a folk vein in the 60s. Frontman Marc Bolan realized that moving those introspective, sometimes psychedelic lyrics in more of a pop-oriented direction could pay off, both artistically and commercially. He rechristened the band T. Rex in time for the release of the 1971 album Electric Warrior. Produced by Tony Visconti, who’d also turn out to be a key collaborator for David Bowie, the album proved an early landmark for glam rock. Bolan’s death in 1977 prevented us from seeing what he and his collaborators might have done outside the genre they helped to create. (Or if they might have revived it.)

Mott The Hoople

These guys only enjoyed a few brief years in the glam rock spotlight before they came apart. But those few years provided some of the most influential albums and songs of the glam rock era. The turning point for them came courtesy of (who else?) David Bowie. Mott The Hoople were about a half-decade into a career that wasn’t going anywhere and were considering quitting. Bowie, a fan, got wind of this development. He wrote “All The Young Dudes” for them, and they reformed behind a hit single. Lead singer Ian Hunter penned anthems like “All The Way From Memphis” and “Roll Away The Stone” before departing the band in 1974, thus ending Mott’s halcyon period.

The Sweet

Give credit to The Sweet for showing a great deal of resilience. They were lumped in with the bubblegum pop craze of the late 60s when they first formed. Most acts from that genre struggled to move on from it. But this quartet cranked up the guitars and the attitude to suit the glam rock era. They had secret weapons in songwriters Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, who provided them with a steady diet of ear candy. But these guys also developed as songwriters. “Fox On The Run”, one of their most beloved songs, came from all four members of the band. They even outlasted the heyday of glam. Check out their killer 1978 single “Love Is Like Oxygen” as evidence of that.

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