Glam rock

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Glam rock (also glam rock , glamor rock and glitter rock ) is a subgenre of rock music , the beginning of the 1970s, particularly in the British area was very popular.

Musical characteristics

The musical aspects include emphasis on rhythm as a reference to rock 'n' roll of the 1950s and often the integration of the keyboard. Opulence and glamor are important forms of expression both musically and in outfits. Glam rock (also glitter rock) can also be seen as a kind of counter-movement against music and performance forms by Pink Floyd , King Crimson , Yes and Genesis , which are represented as progressive rock or art rock . The term was created by British music journalists to define this type of performance and music in a rock journalistic way.

aesthetics

The glam rock aesthetic is characterized by shrill, glittering and often feminine costumes and stage presentations in which the musicians mostly play the role of the star in an ironic and exaggerated manner. Glam musicians often wear androgynous make-up and dress very fancy and flashy. Sexual ambiguity is often viewed as a kind of game with and against gender roles . Sexual presence is seen as part of the musical form of expression, with the emphasis being placed on transparency and transcending what is perceived as traditional.

Typical of the glam rock era of the early 1970s was a futuristic, androgynous aesthetic. This was derived in part from the then revolutionary films by Stanley Kubrick - A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey - (named by David Bowie as the source). Japanese influences from the Kabuki theater are also cited. On the other hand, there was a tradition of cross-dressing in British entertainment culture that was part of general popular culture. In addition, from around the mid-1950s onwards, other musicians, such as the American rock 'n' roll pianist and singer Little Richard , caused quite a stir on stage with flashy outfits, make-up and undulating hairstyles.

Glam rock was initially a predominantly British phenomenon. There had been a broad social discussion on the topic in the late 1960s in the course of a planned (and completed) legalization of homosexuality . Thus playing with gender roles was more acceptable here than in the USA, where cross-dressing and sexual ambiguity were considered suspect and offensive.

The start of the trend in the UK is often attributed to Gary Glitter . In other texts, Marc Bolan is named by T. Rex as the initiator, whose face was sprinkled with glitter in the spring of 1971 before a stage appearance. David Bowie in the role of his fictional character Ziggy Stardust was also a driving force in the development . In addition, the producer Tony Visconti , who worked not only with Bolan but also with Bowie, is credited with a large share in the development of the glam rock music style. The glam metal of the US band Van Halen (celebrated in particular by the singer David Lee Roth and the guitarist Eddie Van Halen ) paved the way to success (e.g. with You Really Got Me , 1978).

The term remained unknown in Germany for a long time. In the rock lexicon by Siegfried Schmidt-Joos and Barry Graves , expanded and updated edition from 1975, Glam Rock is missing in the subject index, which explains eleven different types of rock . The Brockhaus Encyclopedia , 19th edition from 1992, lists ten different rock styles under the heading of rock music , and here too there is no glam rock .

effect

Glam rock had a major impact on early 1970s rock in Britain (e.g. Roxy Music , Elton John , Slade , The Sweet , Mud , Suzi Quatro ), both in its musical return to the ferocity and dynamism of early rock ' n 'Roll as well as emphasizing the importance of each individual and each person's ability to be a star. This made him a forerunner of the British punk scene from 1977 . This is clearly expressed in a song by the London punk band The Clash , in which reference is made to the recently deceased Marc Bolan as well as to David Bowie and Gary Glitter:

“You owe me a move, say the bells of St. Groove,
Come on and show me, say the bells of old Bowie,
When I am fitter, say the bells of Gary Glitter,
No one but you and I, say the bells of Prince Far I. "

- The Clash: Clash City Rockers, 1977

David Bowie let his glam rock fictional character Ziggy Stardust "die" in 1973, but played with sexual ambiguity until the late 1970s. The glam rock movement ended in 1975/76 at the latest. But since the 1980s there have been several smaller revivals. Groups such as Suede , The Ark and Goldfrapp are recognizable inspired by the example of glam . Some artists and bands only did glam rock projects for one album or part of their careers, such as Marilyn Manson during the " Mechanical Animals era".

Glam rock in the movie

Glam rock stars can be seen in the concert films Born to Boogie (Marc Bolan and T. Rex, 1972), Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (David Bowie, 1973) and Slade in Flame (Slade, 1974).

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Siegfried Schmidt-Joos, Barry Graves: Rock-Lexikon Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH, Reinbek near Hamburg 1973, 1975, ISBN 3-499-16177-X
  2. ↑ Brockhaus Enzyklopädie , 19th edition, Vol. 18 Rad-Rüs (pp. 467-468), 1992, ISBN 3-7653-1118-9