glam rock
Sign in to savestyle of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter
AI overview
Glam rock is a style of rock music that emerged in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s, characterized by performers wearing flamboyant costumes, makeup, and hairstyles including platform shoes and glitter. The genre was significant for bringing theatrical visual spectacle to rock music, making appearance and performance style as central to the art form as the music itself.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Other names
- Glitter rock
- Stylistic origins
- Rock and roll bubblegum pop art rock hard rock cabaret 1950s pop psychedelic rock science-fiction
- Cultural origins
- Early 1970s, United Kingdom
- Derivative forms
- New Romantic punk rock gothic rock synth-pop post-punk Britpop
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
Glam rock (also known as glitter rock) is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the hairstyles, makeup, and flamboyant clothing of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diverse sources, ranging from bubblegum pop and 1950s rock and roll to cabaret, science fiction, and complex art rock. The flamboyant clothing and visual styles of performers were often camp or androgynous and have been described as playing with other gender roles.
The UK charts were inundated with glam rock acts from 1971 to 1975. The March 1971 appearance of T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan on the BBC's music show Top of the Pops—performing "Hot Love"—wearing glitter and satins, is often cited as the beginning of the movement. Other British glam rock artists included David Bowie, Mott the Hoople, Sweet, Slade, Mud, Roxy Music, Alvin Stardust, Wizzard and Gary Glitter. In the United States, the scene was much less prevalent, but US artists such as New York Dolls, Sparks, Suzi Quatro, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and Jobriath achieved success in the UK and/or US. Glam rock declined after the mid-1970s, but influenced other musical genres including punk rock, post-punk, gothic rock and glam metal. The new romantic movement, which began as an underground fashion subculture movement in nightclubs in the late 1970s before becoming mainstream in the early 1980s, was also inspired by the visuals of the glam rock era.