Blockbuster a Tribute to Glam Rock

The 9th in our tribute series. The 4 disc CD-Boxset comprising of 54 covers of the Glam era by bands across the world. Including an appearance by legendary producer Tony Visconti.

The Great Britain of the 70s could be a drab, monochrome place. The buzz of the Summer Of Love had long faded and in its place, it seemed, came the escalating tensions in Northern Ireland, economic and political crisis and a sense that the nation’s moment had passed. Glam rock (or “glitter rock”, as it was better known in the US) added a rare splash of colour and sparked a very different kind of cultural evolution. In part a reaction to that turgid zeitgeist of the time, and in part further evidence that the music scene still had some solid boundaries to press against.
It was working class scene and a response to the prevailing musical landscape that had grown more statesmanlike and serious. The glam rockers could see that the world wasn’t changing despite the efforts of the previous flower power movement, instead they wanted to escape it, creating a rich, out-there theatricality that strayed thrillingly close to performance art territory. However, They clearly wrote from direct experience, in the language of their brethren in the Different (working) Class: “Doc Martens and Crombies
The dancehalls of 70s Britain enjoyed it’s penchant for short, simple and loud guitar based tunes with anthem-like choruses, strongly prevalent in the glam rock hits of the day. It is those shouted choruses, like chants on the stadium terraces, cheering on the footy team, that resonate as a primal call to arms. The Glam scene acted as a proto punk movement sharing it’s unashamed desire to break fashion norms and push the boundaries of British society in the 70’s.

Blockbuster focus’s on the classic 1970’s era of Glam Rock. We’ll be splitting the style into a handful of scenes. The first rocknroll revival of Mud, Sweet and Mott the Hoople. The second generation of song writers like Roxy Music, T-Rex, Bowie, Elton John. The third generation of teen pop idols like ABBA, Bay City Rollers. We’ll also include American garage rock, Iggy Pop, New York Dolls, Lou Reed. Also, the sophisticated crossovers like Queen and Electric Light Orchestra.

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