The Stardust Kid

Glam-our

1. An air of compelling charm, romance and excitement.
2. Magic or enchantment. A sense of magical beauty and alluring charm.
3. A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are.
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I bought my first 7" record in September 1973. I was ten years old.
It was the Sweet's 'Ballroom Blitz'. I obviously had a lot of pocket money that week as I went out the next day to buy two more; 'Angel Fingers' by Wizzard and 'Life On Mars?' by David Bowie. That was only the beginning.

From the start glam rock was on a mission to be bigger, brighter, more flamboyant and more 'in your face' than any other style of music at the time. In the UK especially it became a musical, cultural and fashion statement. Lots of glitter, over the top costumes, platform boots, and not so subtle make-up were it's stock in trade.
It had some great music, (it also had lots of crap music) songs that would stand the test of time. But even at it's worst, it could still entertain, but with tongue firmly in cheek.

Glam rock gave pop back to the kids after years of progressive rock doodling and fret-wank. To many it was a beacon of light in a country that was literally in the dark.
In most respects glam rock is totally fake, but to young kids like me it was real and alive. It may have been 'Brickies in eyeliner' but to the kids it was 'stardust for the dudes'?

This blog isn't here to give total insight into the glam rock genre and it's protagonists, it's here to give a taste of the sights and sounds of that era. The forgotten A-sides and album tracks that weren't fully appreciated the first time, and the equally forgotten and long lost B-sides that were the flip-side of what glam was all about.

I have tried to restrict myself to sharing songs from the period 1971 - 1975, these are considered to be the main glam rock years, but I'm sure songs either side of these dates will sometimes creep in.

Others have walked through, and flirted with the glam world; the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart to name two. For every Bowie and Bolan there was an Alvin Stardust or Barry Blue.
But even some of these 'second generation' glam artists could produce a decent song or two.

Of course I am looking back on all this from the perspective of a 45 year old man; wife, child and all that comes with that, but when I write this blog I am ten years old again and it's perpetually 1973. So I guess I will always have my rose tinted specs firmly on when looking back at that time.

I have loved other music with a greater passion since, but not with the same youthful joy, or with such a sense of longing and nostalgia when I hear it played. And now 35 years after buying that first single I sit here writing this.

I think that maybe when you find yourself, like me, at 45 RPM in life, your mind naturally returns to the past and your own inner groove.

Anyway hope you like some of the stuff on here, please comment on any stuff you like/dislike or want to hear more of.

"Are you ready Steve? Aha!
Andy? Yeah!
Mick? OK!
Alright fellas, lets go"