It's a sound that is so distinctive that it causes the Pavlovian exhortation: "Ah! The band include some Glitter songs in their set but Dominic said music producer Mike Leander was the real genius behind the Glitter sound. In 2000 he teamed up once again with Shephard to pen the UKs Eurovision entry, Dont Play That Song Again, performed by French. Joyce Gibson is a lifelong music fan, inherited from her dad and now passed on to her niece. Written by John Rossall and Gerry Sheppard, their debut single, "Angel Face," was an obvious close relation to the Glitter sound, a pounding, stomping number that raced to number four in Britain in March 1974, but it unquestionably possessed a charm all of its own. Although the band was not physically present on any of Glitter's own hits (according to the singer, Mike Leander alone played every instrument himself), the Glitter Band not only accompanied Glitter on his tours and television appearances, they also racked up seven hits of their own, six of them making the Top Ten. The Glitter Band are a glam rock band from England, who initially worked as Gary Glitter 's backing band under that name from 1973, when they then began releasing records of their own. Listen To The Band is musically ambitious compared to their previous albums, with the band trying to move away from the distinctive sound which made them famous, hoping to be taken more seriously. Harding, Luke (2000) "Glam rocker loses court fight to keep Glitter from halcyon days". Shes been buying records for over 40 years and going to gigs since the 70s (just!) [1][2] He stayed with them until 1981, recording their first four albums,[3] leaving the band after he injured his hand. Dr. John was a great influence on him and this is where the tribal double drummer sound came from. The Glitter Band sound was what attracted me to them back in the day. An utterly un-Glitter-like set, it was characterized by a truly audacious cover of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." We didnt know how people were going to react. With Shephard's death in May 2003, Leonard retired to concentrate on musical production activities in Norway, whilst both Phipps and Rossall continued on the road with their own bands. Saw the Glitter Band at Margates Dreamland Ballroom when they were at their peak. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Playing hard-stomping glam rock and roll with singalong choruses aswell as more straightforward romantic pop, the Glitter Group were named because of their association with glam idol Gary Glitter. I imagine somebody a bit more famous was doing it before them. Random Hold composed of David Rhodes, Bill MacCormick, David Ferguson, and Pete Phipps were described by a music journalist[who?] Phipps also continued to record with Glitter Band colleagues pursuing solo identities, such as with John Springate recording an album together in John's own Rock Star Studio and playing drums on the album Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, by Gerry Shephard and Peter Oxendale. "The Glitter Band" started life in 1972 as backing and session musicians for Gary Glitter, providing the backing music not only for Gary's chartbusters but also providing 'The Leader' with the unique powerful, and gutsy big beat for his concerts around the world. "It seems like every time we get a series of gigs together and some sort of comeback is on the cards, he will get arrested and we lose a lot of shows. Joyce Gibson is a lifelong music fan, inherited from her dad and now passed on to her niece. A major creative departure, "Goodbye My Love" climbed to number two, while the group's abilities as songwriters received another boost when labelmates Hello scored a European hit with a cover of the Glitter Band's own "Game's Up." The Glitter Band's second album might indeed have borne one of the era's most cringe-worthy titles, and a sleeve that wasn't much better. Even then he insisted on staying in a hotel whilst we had to share digs in bunk beds behind the stage. STAGEWEAR - Badass custom Stage Wear For Bands & More ForTheFly Customs. Could this be the most unlikely comeback in pop history? Co-written by Shephard, Rossall and Eddie Seago, its a fantastic throwback to their distinctive sound. John Rossall "The Glitter Band" started life in 1972 as backing and session musicians for Gary Glitter, providing the backing music not only for Gary's chartbusters but also providing 'The Leader' with the unique powerful, and gutsy big beat for his concerts around the world. Rossall is even talking of making a new album. The Glitter Band began its life as the backing group for now-disgraced rocker Gary Glitter, but soon established an identity of its own in the glam rock landscape. Read the choicest cuts from the Quietus archive: reviews, features and opinion, New Weird Britain In Review For November By Noel Gardner, Gary Glitter, Re-Writing Musical History & The Danger Of Censorship, John Robb On Massive Attack's Blue Lines - 21 Years On, Discussing Uganda: John Robb Visits East Africa, A Spotify Playlist To Celebrate The Launch Of Louder Than War, The Last Of The True Believers: Ian Astbury Interviewed, The Sea, The Sea: An Interview With Lankum, Use Your Days: An Interview With Gina Birch, The Horrors Of Britpop: An Interview With Heavenly, Maternity Beat: An Interview With Hedvig Mollestad. To find out more, click here. Its a fantastic record which has really stood the test of time definitely a glam rock classic. Peter Gill (born 9 June 1951) is an English former heavy metal drummer, formerly a member of The Glitter Band, Saxon and Motrhead. It was written by Springate, Shephard and Eddie Seago, who also ran the bands management company. So sad that they didnt get the recognition they deserved mainly due to Glitters horror charges saw them a few times and have Petes drumstick still. Something went wrong, please try again later. In 2009, drummer Pete Phipps (who had taken ownership of the name "The Glitter Band") and original bassist and vocalist John Springate put together a new version of the group with the addition of Dominic Rodgers on guitar and vocals, and Eddie Spence on keyboards and vocals. Get the best celeb gossip with the Daily Star Showbiz newsletter. Nowadays they have become music pariahs as the tabloids froth themselves into indignation over the sad and disturbing sexual tastes of their convicted paedophile former front man Gary Glitter. Phipps currently performs worldwide as The Glitter Band playing a variety of venues up and down the UK and on the Continent. Excerpts from an exclusive interview with drummer Pete Phipps which appeared in the November 2019 issue of the Beat. The band did a great job replicating Leanders sound live. In December 2013, John Rossall released a new single, a Glitter styled version of the classic "White Christmas". This was the start of a time when The Glitter Band toured the world amasing millions of record sales. Sadly this also sank without a trace. Shephard and Springate recorded a single under the moniker Air Traffic Control, but it got lost among the punk frenzy. RIP those no longer with us. Leander died ten years ago at the age of 55 and is now mainly forgotten or his legacy forever tainted by his association with Glitter. It also inspired me to write this article. This edition of the Glitter Band released a single in 2016 featuring new recordings of "Let's Get Together Again" and "People Like You and People Like Me." [12] Rossall and Harvey Ellison continued to tour with their band, releasing the album Glitteresque in 2008, which was subsequently withdrawn from circulation by their record company because of trademark infringement. I was never embarrassed that Id been a fan of theirs when I was so young, which wasnt the case with a lot of my childhood music idols. In 1973, Rossall approached Leander with the suggestion that the band record some material without Glitter. Playing hard-stomping glam rock with singalong choruses as well as more straightforward romantic pop, the Glitter Band were named for their association with glam idol Gary Glitter. Original Glitter Band bandleader John Rossall died on October 2, 2021, a year after releasing a comeback album, The Last Glam in Town; he was 75 years old. He had been around for ten years by that time and done loads of records and he was very keen to take the chance.". Sometimes when the odds are stacked up this high the creative juices can go crazy. Unfortunately, although the band had moved on, their fans hadn't. In the late 80s while I was studying at Portsmouth Polytechnic I went to see Gary Glitter play at the Guildhall. [3] In April 2010, The Glitter Band performed at Scala, Kings Cross, London where they were joined by special guests Angie Bowie and Adam Ant. He said: Gary was driving in limousines and flying first class and we were staying in bed and breakfasts and travelling in a Transit. Thank you Joyce. Although the band was not physically present on any of Glitter's own hits (according to the singer, Mike Leander alone played every instrument himself), the Glitter Band not only accompanied Glitter on his tours and television appearances, they also racked up seven hits of their own, six of them making the Top Ten. Classic Disco, and Angel Face / You Wouldn't Leave Me Would You?. However, at the end of 1974 Rossall took leave of the band to follow a solo career which unfortunately didnt result in any hit singles. no.4 in the UK charts, remaining there for 10 weeks. GARY Glitters former bandmates have spoken of their 20 years in the wilderness since the singer was unmasked as a paedophile. They were joined by Tony Leonard on drums and its a decent pop song, the sort of thing which was hitting the charts quite regularly in the early 80s, but a far cry from the Glitter Band in their prime. Peter William Phipps (born 5 August 1951 in Clapham, South London)[1] is a rock drummer, singer and songwriter known for his work with Gary Glitter, The Glitter Band, and later Eurythmics, XTC and Denim. The band provided Not content with applying looped rhythm tracks to teenage dance music (something you are more likely to associate with house music some twenty years later) Leander wrote these yob anthems and played all the instruments himself; quite some feat. In the 70s Leander created the Glitter Band and one of the decades biggest pop stars Gary Glitter. [9][10] Rossall was subsequently not allowed to use Glitter Band as part of his band's name, but was allowed to advertise his historical connections to the band. Sadly Gerry Shephard passed away on May 6th 2003. And Rossall has gone on record to say if Leander could play brass neither he nor Ellison would have featured either. He found an old guitar with a really bad action on it and put it through some really heavy fender tube amps till it was jumping off the floor and that was how that sound came about.". In August 2020 he released his first solo album of original songs entitled Wherever You Are. If Ive whetted your appetite for this most underrated and somewhat forgotten 70s band, you can buy a Box Set containing their four albums. Vid by me - enjoy!The Glitter Band are a glam rock band from England, who initially worked as Gary Glitter's backing band under that name from 1973, when they then began releasing records of their own. Im convinced it would have been considered a Power Pop classic had it appeared just a few years later. With Rossall away, John Springate and Gerry Shephard took over leadership of the Glitter Band. Zappa used two drummers in the Mothers in . He has recorded with: "LIVE-WIRE EURYTHMICS MAKE A SOULFUL NOISE IN CONCERT", Learn how and when to remove this template message, The Official Website for Pete Phipps and The Glitter Band, The Official Glitter Band Website The Glitter Band, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pete_Phipps&oldid=1117447212, This page was last edited on 21 October 2022, at 19:44. Originally called The Glitter Men, only Rossall and Ellison played on Glitters first two records every other instrument was played by Mike Leander. The Glitter Band: The Glitter Band - Hey! Copyright 2023 Founder Glitter Band member John Rossall recalls: "We backed the likes of Susan Maughan and Mike Preston to name a few and we went on to form the Boston Show Band in Hamburg. Mike used to get in the studio on his own with the engineer and play the drums for 20 minutes trying out different drum things and then say: 'Right, roll the tape. to the engineer and then record a section that he would then he would make a loop out of and copy it onto the 24 track. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. and enjoys writing about music when working full-time doesnt get in the way. nick_honest. He was trying to do a Johnny Congas type of thing and it developed from there. And there are two drummers on some major jazz records such as Miles's Bitches Brew or John Coltrane's Meditations. The single, written by Springate and Phipps, never made it past a few initial commercial pressings on the Epic label. A major creative departure, "Goodbye My Love" climbed to number two, while the group's abilities as songwriters received another boost when labelmates Hello scored a European hit with a cover of the Glitter Band's own "Game's Up." Albums include Hey!, Disco Discharge. This article on a British drummer is a stub. In late 1977, the group transferred to Epic for one final single, a cover of the Bee Gees' "Gotta Get a Message to You," but by 1978, the band had all but fallen apart. One of the identifying features of the glitter bands of the early Seventies was the drumming. He recorded Back in Denim (1992 and Denim on Ice (1996). The Glitterband certainly did use 2 drummers. Read Full Biography. Pete said Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, even cut the band from a fi lm made about him. Glitter Band. It again features the heavy Glitter sound and was another Rossall/Shephard composition. They have existed on and off since with various line-ups, and there are currently two bands featuring original members who use the name. However, they had their final chart hit early in 1976 with the reggae disco-tinged People Like You, People Like Me and the instrumental, funky B-side, Makes You Blind, written by Shephard, Leander and Phipps; their only US success, becoming a bona fide club hit and also reaching the lower end of the US Hot 100. Who knew the Glitter Band could do disco? Tony Leonard has now retired from the music business. As well as The Tears I Cried which kept to the Leander sound, it also included their first non-charting single, the ballad, Alone Again. He and Phipps also featured in the Identity Parade round in the first episode of Never Mind The Buzzcocks in 1996. Share. Thanks for your article, the Glitter Band really and truly deserved so much more recognition,they alone were brilliant musicians and writers. In 1979, Shephard and Phipps worked with former Sparks keyboard player Peter Oxendale, recording the US only album Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is as Oxendale and Shephard. Please whitelist our site in order to continue to access The Quietus. People come to the gigs and they understand that the band and the songs are quite separate from the whole situation.". Their cover of The Exciters Tell Him (previously covered in the UK by Billie Davis) was actually pressed up as a single by their record company, but the band, who didnt want to be known as a covers act, demanded they be destroyed. Written by John Rossall and Gerry Sheppard, their debut single, "Angel Face," was an obvious close relation to the Glitter sound, a pounding, stomping number that raced to number four in Britain in March 1974, but it unquestionably possessed a charm all of its own. [3][5] The band, now working as a separate entity with Tony Leonard having replaced Pete Gill, as well as continuing to back Glitter, played a few well-received live shows before their first single came out, mixing some new songs with cover versions of 1950s and 1960s songs. "It was nerve wracking. The bands third album, Listen To The Band, followed at the end of 1975. Gill was one of the two drummers in The Glitter Band, then formed part of the original line-up of Saxon in 1978. John Robb investigates. May 1977 saw the band release a final single as the Glitter Band, "She Was Alright". John Rossall was the leader of the Boston Show Band who had worked in Germany with one Paul Raven, and Mike Leander, his manager/co-writer. 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