Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am: Glam Rock

Glam’s impact still reverberates

Imagine you were coming of age in the early 1970s, and you weren’t quite punk, because punk hadn’t been invented yet. But you wanted to make some kind of a statement. How might you do that? 

Glitter and feathered boas, of course. 

And a new sound – the one that started with Marc Bolan of T. Rex, that glorified decadence and theatre – the focus of this week’s episode.

Glam Rock burned hot and bright in the early ’70s, defying the conventions of the corporate rock of the time. Mixing crunchy guitar with glamorous (glam) clothes, Glam Rock was theater set to rock. 

And it gave us some of Bowie’s best music, along with Lou Reed, Queen, Mott The Hoople, and The New York Dolls. 

Here’s the full playlist from the episode: