3 Forgotten Glam Rock Bands That Deserved Arena-Level Fame

Glam rock saw a pretty incredible boom in the 1970s. Tons of bands popped up in the US and across the pond. And, unfortunately, some genuinely fantastic glam rock bands didn’t get nearly as famous as they should have and have been more or less forgotten by modern-day rock music fans. I think they deserve to be remembered. Let’s take a look at a few forgotten glam rock bands that deserved arena-level fame back in the day!

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Silverhead

Silverhead was an English glam rock outfit that formed way back in 1972. Fronted by Michael Des Barres, this band released two stellar albums while together, along with three live albums and one compilation album after their breakup. Sadly, their breakup came fairly soon after they formed, and the band disbanded in 1974. They were also in the middle of working on a third album that year, which makes their end even more tragic. While Silverhead had quite a bit of success in Japan, they never quite reached a level of popularity that they deserved in the UK and the US. I recommend giving their self-titled 1972 album a spin.

Iron Virgin

Another glam rock group from across the pond, Scottish glam rock outfit Iron Virgin formed in the year 1972. They were known for their niche stage costumes. The looks ranged from A Clockwork Orange getups to (American) football uniforms, complete with iron chastity belts. Sadly, a lot of elements were not in the band’s favor when they formed. Their first single, a cover of “Jet” by Paul McCartney, got knocked from any possible chart success when McCartney issued the song as a single in 1974. The band released a few more singles, like “Rebels Rule”, from their sole album of the same name. Sadly, they didn’t find much commercial success, despite inspiring the likes of The Runaways with their music.

Angel

Angel is still together today, following their breakup in 1981 and two reunions. Known for dressing in all white, a notable diversion from glam rock looks from their era in the late 1970s, Angel was first discovered by Gene Simmons of KISS. They were signed to his label, Casablanca. This entry on our list of forgotten glam rock bands really deserved more success than they were afforded. But they weren’t completely ignored during their heyday. Albums like On Earth As It Is In Heaven from 1977 and White Hot from 1978 made it to No. 76 and No. 55 on the Billboard 200, respectively.

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