Glam Rock

[SecondBass]

It's all too serious around here at the moment. So it's time for a bit of Glam Rock. I was about 7 when Glam Rock hit theses shores and it was perfect for the head-banging sprite that I was. Enough of all this serious David Bowie and Roxy Music stuff, real Glam was for the kids, so we had Wizzard, T-Rex and Gary Glitter.

Then the big rivalry - were you Sweet or were you Slade?

Slade was the group for the bangin man - banging drums, raucous vocals and bad spelling.

Sweet was the group for the potential NWOBHMs ten years later - fantastic drummer, great charismatic vocalist, four part harmonies that put Queen to shame and more make-up than Max Factor.

Happy to discuss the merits of all and the others hanging around - Suzi Quattro, Alice Cooper, Mud etc. But don't go confusing the issue with Kiss - they were just rubbish.

 

[Museo]

I preferred Slade as to me their hits are more memorable. I think there was a bit of rivalry between Sweet and Slade in the way that the bands looked and sounded - with Dave Hill of Slade looking odder by the minute.

My favourite Slade song is "Cum on feel the Noize" which was covered not too long ago by Oasis.

 

[SecondBass]

Slade songs more memorable? Oh the shame!

How can you say that when Sweet had songls like Blockbuster, Hell Raiser, Ballroom Blitz, Wigwam Bam and Little Willy? How does Gudbye T' Jane match up with these masterpieces? OK, I'll give you that Cum On Feel the Noize was pretty good though.

 

[Maya]

Glam Rock was a little before my time I am afriad, but I remember my mum was a Gary Glitter fan and she still has some some of those platform heels.

I have heard of Blockbuster though and it's all good fun - so I would choose Sweet as my preference.

 

[SecondBass]

Good choice, Maya.

Gary Glitter is, of course, more notorious recently for downloading child pornography from the Internet. It doesn't stop the fact that he was a great performer but it makes all the memories badly tainted.

 

[Pompey]

I was a Glam-Rock fan but I was definitely T-Rex, Marc Bolan was just such a performer. Out of Sweet and Slade, I would have to go for Slade because they were just so entertaining. Noddy knew exactly how entertain a crowd.

 

[SecondBass]

I accept that Noddy was a great entertainer but the overall group, Sweet, was better. The funniest thing to do with Sweet singles was to turn them over and listen the B-sides. The more sugary the song that Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman gave them, the more heads-down, no-nonsense mindless metal the band wrote for the flip-side.

 

[Moon Dog]

The Sweet! Desolation Blvd. is such a killer album. It's got it all, including strong hints of prog rock. I would rate them above T-Rex, Slade, Gary Glitter, Black Foot Sue, etc.

 

[Foxer]

Ive got to agree about the Sweet B sides, one of the best ever was Need a lot of lovin', pure quality

 

[Andrew Roussak]

I would say I absolutely prefer Sweet and Slade to all the bands mentioned, I like the choirs of Sweet, but I would say that Slade was melodically rather more interesting. Good Bye T'Jane is not the best example - what about Far,Far Away, Universe, Thanks For The Memory?

Then, I find Kiss not more rubbish as T-Rex anyway. I am not a fan of the both, but I still can listen to the music of Kiss, and when I hear T-Rex on the radio, I would normally switch off - I guess it is a matter of taste somehow.

 

[rojo]

My favourite Sweet tune is definitely Love Is Like Oxygen.

Why can`t a person like Sweet and Slade?

 

[doctortornface]

Saw them both live back in the 70's. Slade were really entertaining rocking out with their own brand of pop rock.And much as it pains me to say it Sweet were amazing live.Really heavy.At the time I thought I was much to "Underground" and cool to like these pop bands. So embarassing though it is....Sweet were serious live.