Gary Glitter
Glitter

Rock And Roll ROCK!

Rock And Roll

Rock And Roll ROCK!

Rock And Roll

In 1972, a curly-haired man with rugged features caricatured himself by dressing in sequins, sparkles, and glitter, platform shoes, tank tops all open at the front (with the inevitable "tuft" of black and equally curly hair in proud display) and ventured into the world of rock. I know it sounds strange, but that was not trash ahead of its time... On the contrary, I would say: it was the ultimate, the highest expression of glam in history. Yes, because in a musically "prolific" period like that, it was enough to take a body, even the wrong one (not bulky but certainly not effeminate like Marc Bolan), put it in the "perfect" outfit, then apply the right sound and behold, someone with a face like a coal shoveler like Paul Francis Gadd becomes Gary Glitter, the coolest man in the galaxy. However, beware of mistaking him for another one of those "artists" who came out of a boardroom meeting...

The image certainly counted a lot, "overexposed" Gary for a decade to the point of turning him into an icon, but beyond this, Glitter should definitely be credited for his role. A role of innovator, of rock as well as glam itself.

His formula is an incessant martial drumbeat, never fulfilling, only useful to keep your foot tapping, a timbre and interpretation that would belong to starchild Peter Criss, as well as a minimalist guitar, present only between passages, between directional shifts, in the strongest moments. In this debut, however, what will be his revolution is still in its raw beginning. In fact, while on one side there are the "gems," the compositions that will reach us intact, on the other side there are the usual covers of old boogies and various doo-wop, as per glam tradition, especially the cruder ones. And the covers are "Baby Please Don't Go" by Muddy Waters, exacerbated among all those drumming hits, "The Wanderer" the warhorse of millions of glam rockers, of the Del-Satins. Even "Ain't That A Shame" goes from boogie to boogie-rock, while the ballad "Donna" by "La Bamba boy" Ritchie Valens, as well as the famous "The Clapping Song", remain faithful to the tradition.

"Filler-record" that hosts two (three) pieces breaking with the mainstream of the time, which Glitter defined as "the empire of the guitar solo." And the pieces? The two that are three? "Rock And Roll", which will make its way around the world and go down in history: the sung one - which will be followed by a "part 1" in parentheses - will tour Europe, and the instrumental one - "part 2", better known as "The Hey Song" - which for decades will be among the favorites of North American sports fans, in the NHL hockey arenas. The other track, which echoes and takes its style a step further is the famous "I Didn't Know I Love You (Till I Saw You Rock And Roll)": listen to it and tell me if you don't find something of that dark "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode.

A historical yet negligible record, as Glitter's style would improve in the future, starting with the subsequent "Touch Me," and since the two (three) super tracks can be found in any collection of his hits, among the myriad always in circulation. Indeed, his collections... The more you see them around, the more the common belief takes hold that the artist in question is musically finished, discredited, or has been artistically empty. Yet, I assert that many artists certainly drew from Gary Glitter, but never "inherited" in full measure: the result is that much of what you will hear in one of his hit collections will sound almost "fresh." Cover bands throughout Italy, get ready.