27; glam rock
1992 film Wayne's World
After Mercury's death, the remaining members of the band staged a memorial concert for him. This concert, a release of Greatest Hits, and the appearance of "Bohemian Rhapsody ♫" in the ? all contributed to a resurgence in popularity for the group in the early 1990s.
gay, bisexual, and heterosexual
Bowie is on record in several different publications stating that is he ?; clearly, he embraces sexual ambiguity his personal life, as well. (He has been married to the model Iman since 1992, however.)
Queen
During the 1970s, the British band ? combined the drama and intellectualism of progressive rock with the theatrical components of glam rock. Led by singer and songwriter Freddie Mercury, Queen also included guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon, and drummer Roger Meadows-Taylor. The group's music contained studio techniques such as overdubbed guitar parts, and the recordings often featured four-part vocal harmony. Mercury was a flamboyant stage performer, often wearing extravagant costumes onstage or performing without a shirt. He used a bottomless microphone
blues-oriented style
During the early 1980s, Queen lessened the drama of their recorded music. They shifted toward an increasingly ? in "Crazy Little Thing Called Love ♫" (1980) and a funk-inflected sound in "Another One Bites the Dust ♫" (1980). Queen did not abandon its glam roots, however; the band joined with David Bowie in 1981 to record the hit single "Under Pressure ♫."
"Bohemian Rhapsody ♫,"
The most famous single from A Night at the Opera was ? which was a self-contained story.The song unfolds in a series of sections that tell the tale of a murderer. The "role" of the murderer in the song is played by Mercury. The elaborate vocals in the song were created by overdubbing the voices of Mercury, Meadows-Taylor, and May. The group also created a video to promote the song, which was relatively uncommon in the 1970s; not until the advent of Music Television (MTV) in 1981 did musicians began creating music videos on a regular basis for the singles they released.
Bottomless microphone
microphone stand that is not attached to a base and which must be carried by the singer during the performances
rhapsody
a form found in classical music where a piece has an irregular form, but all of the individual sections within the form are related to each other
theater, performance, and theatricality.
glam rock was its emphasis on ?. Whether the music sounded like heavy metal, the blues, or piano-based pop, the unifying feature of all glam rock is the performers' commitment to the performance and to theater. As we will see, glam rockers valued showmanship above all else.
gender and sexual orientation
Glam rock offered a place for performers to explore expressions of
Alice Cooper
, for example, was a heterosexual ex-football player from Michigan who would wear leather, women's clothing, and heavy makeup onstage while decapitating dolls and faking his own execution; his mixing of makeup and violence played with stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. David Bowie, in character as Ziggy Stardust, wore futuristic costumes that completely obscured his gender. Other singers embraced glitter in the most literal sense: Elton John's costumes frequently included sequins, feathers, and masks.
The Man Who Sold the World
, on the cover of his 1971 album ?, Bowie wore a dress and a wig and reclined on a daybed, holding the queen of hearts card in his hand. During a promotional tour in the United States, he wore the same dress during interviews with the press that he wore on the album's cover. The cover was banned in the United States
Mercury
By using a bottomless microphone, ? was free to travel the full length of the stage. Mercury was able to encourage crowd participation on a grand scale: during a 1985 performance at Live Aid, Mercury engaged over 70,000 people into clapping and singing with him.
AIDS in 1991
Like Elton John, Freddie Mercury was gay and closeted until the 1980s. Although critics and reporters frequently speculated about Mercury's sexual orientation, particularly in light of his onstage showmanship and his affinity for opera, Mercury remained mum on the subject. Mercury died of ?, only a day after announcing that he had the disease. At the time of his death, he was living with his male partner of several years.
Gary Glitter.
Paul Francis Gadd recorded a few singles in the early 1960s under the stage name Raul Raven, but when the glam movement took off in the early 1970s, he took a new stage name:
Station to Station (1976)
. On the cover of his Aladdin Sane (1973), Bowie was pictured from the collarbones up, with dyed orange hair and a brightly colored lightning bolt painted on his face. During the live shows for the album, Bowie would wear a variety of costumes, including a loincloth, and engage in provocative acts, such as simulating sex on stage. In the album ?, Bowie introduced a new character, the Thin White Duke. The Duke was an unambiguously masculine character, wearing a crisp shirt and pants with a waistcoat, always with a pack of French cigarettes prominently displayed. To Bowie, though, the Duke was "a nasty character indeed," an amoral, soulless figure. The tour for Station to Station came to be known as the White Light Tour because the stage and Bowie were frequently bathed in white light.
David Bowie
As a teenager, David Robert Jones played saxophone with a jazz band called George and the Dragons. Jones became increasingly interested in the British blues revival movement, and in 1963, he began singing with a blues band called the Hooker Brothers. During the 1960s, Jones also participated in London's Mod scene, singing with bands such as the Manish Boys and the Lower Third. As part of the Mod movement, Jones began wearing androgynous clothes during his performances. In 1966, Jones had to change his name because the Monkees and Davy Jones were becoming increasingly popular. He chose Bowie, after the knife, because he wanted his music "to cut like a knife through lies." When David Robert Jones became ?, one of the most important figures of the glam rock movement was born.
"glitter rock"
Backed by a band that was alternately called the Glittermen and the Glitter Band, he recorded hits such as "Rock and Roll (Part Two) ♫" (1972) and "Doing All Right with the Boys ♫" (1975). "Rock and Roll (Part Two) ♫" (commonly known as "Hey") had some crossover success in the United States, and today, it is used as a sports anthem during which fans can shout "hey!" during the choruses. Gary Glitter embraced the opulence of glam rock. He owned dozens of glitter suits and pairs of silver platform boots. In the United Kingdom, the term ? was often applied to the most over-the-top of the glam artists, thanks to Glitter and to the sparkly costumes that he donned during his performances.
"(Bang a Gong) Get It On ♫"
The 1971 album Electric Warrior featured songs with both innuendo and overtly sexual lyrics. The single ? from this album was the group's only single to achieve commercial success on the American charts. Bolan appeared in concert wearing glitter, sequins, and sky-high platform boots
Kiss
The members of the American band ? were able to combine the hard edge of heavy metal with the theatricality of glam rock. Although rumors abounded that the group's name was an acronym for various occult-related statements, such as Knights in Satan's Service, the members of the group maintain that their name is simply Kiss, with no other meaning implied
Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
are two famous examples of classical rhapsodies
"Rock 'n' Roll Suicide ♫."
he final track on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is?. The song describes the final demise of the rock star Ziggy Stardust, and it features a compound meter. The song begins with Bowie accompanied by only a guitar, and the song builds in intensity and instrumentation until it reaches the climax and therefore, the "fall" of Ziggy Stardust.
funk ("Fame ♫," 1977), electronic ("Sound and Vision ♫," 1977), and pop ("China Girl ♫," 1983)
Since the 1970s, Bowie has recorded music in dozens of different styles and genres, including ?. By the early 1980s, he had largely abandoned the glam look and aesthetic.
"Crocodile Rock ♫"
John's early songs were solo ventures, he began employing a backup band during the early 1970s. John and his piano were always at the center of his sound. Following in the wake of nostalgic songs such as Don McLean's "American Pie ♫" (1971), John's ? is a nostalgic song about the early days of rock and roll. In the song, John describes the days "when rock was young" and describes a fictional rock and roll dance craze called the Crocodile. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time) ♫" (1972) addresses feelings of loneliness and isolation experienced by an astronaut, which was a common theme in the music of glam rockers.
Elton John
British singer-songwriter ? (born Reginald Dwight) also participated in the glam rock aesthetic. Pianist John wrote most of his songs in collaboration with lyricist Bernie Taupin, and together, they created dozens of hits songs for John in the 1970s. His first hit single in the United States was "Your Song ♫" (1970), which appeared on the album Elton John. John followed this eponymous album with six more that went to number one on both the American and British pop charts, including Honky Chateau (1972) and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
American space program
Glam rockers embraced themes of science fiction, space travel, and isolation. The rise of the ?, culminating with the 1969 moon landing, created heightened interest in themes such as outer space, alternate universes, and the loneliness of space travel. Glam rockers were also interested in themes borrowed from literature, mysticism, and mythology.
elaborate costumes and heavy makeup
Guitarist Paul Stanley, guitarist Ace Frehley, bassist Gene Simmons, and drummer Peter Criss all wore ? during their stage performances. By wearing makeup, leather pants, platform-heeled boots, and sequined codpieces, the members of Kiss flaunted the lines between masculinity and femininity in their costumes. The band members never appeared in public without makeup until 1983, which increased the sense of theatricality and mystery surrounding their onstage personae. Each member of the band had his own makeup design and persona to accompany the makeup; for example, Ace Frehley was the Spaceman and Gene Simmons was the demon.
The Man Who Sold the World
Homosexuality was decriminalized in the United Kingdom in 1967, which removed some of the stigma and permitted an increased (but limited) acceptance for those who did not identify as heterosexual. The decriminalization of homosexuality did not translate into instant acceptance. For example, the cover of David Bowie's album? was banned in the United States because Bowie wore a dress on the cover, which some critics claimed meant that Bowie was promoting homosexuality.
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972).
In the early 1970s, Bowie formed a band called the Spiders from Mars. The band's personnel frequently shifted, but guitarist Mick Ronson was one of the few consistent members of the group. One of Bowie's most memorable and enduring characters was Ziggy Stardust, whom he introduced to audiences in the album?. According to Bowie, Ziggy Stardust was "a totally credible plastic rock star." Ziggy Stardust was an alien who had come to the planet Earth, became a star, and then buckled under the weight of his own celebrity. Bowie played the role of Ziggy Stardust wearing futuristic, androgynous clothing and heavy makeup.
David Furnish
John and Taupin have collaborated on over 30 albums during their careers. His music and live performances during the 1970s were very much influenced by the glam aesthetic. For example, he would often sport sequin-encrusted glasses, enormous feathered costumes, and shiny, brightly-colored suits. He has performed in cat costumes, Minnie Mouse costumes, and, during a performance at Dodger Stadium, a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform made entirely of sequins. ohn's sexual orientation was the subject of much speculation during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly since his performances were so flamboyant and his costumes so lavish. Although he claimed to be straight and even married a woman in the early 1980s, by 1988, he came out as gay. He has been with his partner, ?, since 1993.
Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park
Kiss was one of the most aggressive bands of the late 1970s in terms of marketing and commercialism. They were featured in a pair of Marvel comic books. Fans could buy Kiss dolls, pinball machines, board games, trading cards, and Kiss Your Face Makeup kits. In the mold of the Beatles and the Monkees, the members of Kiss starred in a full-length film called ?, which debuted on NBC in 1978. Critics trashed the film, but it was one of the most-viewed television programs of the year.
"Rock and Roll All Night ♫"
Kiss's live shows were spectacles, complete with levitating drums, fire breathing, and pyrotechnics. Their music is largely blues-based in style, and all four members of the band sing. Kiss's songs typically include catchy choruses that practically beg audiences to sing along, such as "Detroit Rock City ♫" (1976) and "Hotter than Hell ♫" (1974). Kiss's early albums were not particularly commercially successful. With the release of their live version of ? in 1975, though, both the single and the album on which it appeared, Alive, became huge hits. Alive was a live album that contained songs from the group's earlier albums, and the popularity of the live album led to a spike in sales of Kiss's earlier albums on which many of those songs had originally appeared.
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Led by British guitarist and singer-songwriter Marc Bolan, ? was an acoustic duo that performed folk rock and the occasional blues or rockabilly cover. In the early 1970s, Bolan began performing on electric instruments, and he shortened the band's name to T. Rex. He also added bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend to the band. During a 1971 appearance on the British television show Top of the Pops, Bolan had placed glitter under his eyes. The band's appearance and Bolan's glitter was the first major performance of the glam rock era.
"Space Oddity ♫."
One of his earliest characters was an astronaut named Major Tom, whom Bowie created for the 1969 single ? Inspired by both the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey (the name of the song is a play on the film's title) and the 1969 American moon landing, Bowie created a character who preferred to live in space, alienated from humanity, rather than returning to Earth to live among people. The song juxtaposes folk-like strummed acoustic guitar and electronic instrumental effects. "Space Oddity ♫" was Bowie's first major hit on the British popular music charts.
A Night at the Opera
Queen's most ambitious project was the 1974 album ?. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive album that had ever been produced by any group. The album includes songs that were written by all four members of the band, including Meadows-Taylor's "I'm in Love with My Car ♫," Deacon's "You're My Best Friend ♫," and May's "39 ♫." According to May, "39 ♫" was a song in the style of "sci-fi skiffle," and it addressed themes of loneliness and isolation experienced by astronauts who have been away on a voyage. The songs on A Night at the Opera were very diverse in style, tone, and subject.
