VA - The 70s Glam Pop Album (2021)

THE perfect celebration of the Glam Rock and Pop period of the early 1970s.

On 2LP vinyl - featuring a value-packed 34 tracks, it’s time to dust off those platform heels, find those patched jeans, and paint the stars on your face.

Side One kicks off in suitably royal style with Queen’s era-defining ‘Killer Queen’ into Sweet’s #1 ‘Blockbuster’, T. Rex with ‘20th Century Boy’ and the loudest of all anthems ‘Cum On Feel The Noise’ from Slade. The Rockier side of Glam is represented by Cozy Powell, Golden Earring’s epic ‘Radar Love’ and Alice Cooper’s ‘Schools Out’ and Side One closes with Mott The Hoople’s timeless David Bowie-written ‘All The Young Dudes’.

Retro Rock ‘n’ Roll fused with Glam-Pop kicks off Side Two with Elton John’s mega hit ‘Crocodile Rock’ and The Rubettes sing-a-long favourite ‘Sugar Baby Love’. Essential Glam hits from Mud, Barry Blue and Hello are included alongside huge #1’s from Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and David Essex - plus the song that ushered in the short-lived dance “craze" ‘The Bump’ from Kenny and the pop sensations of the time - Bay City Rollers with ‘Shang-A-Lang’.

Side Three's first tracks are five of the glam period's biggest chart hits. Sweet with ‘Ballroom Blitz’ is sounding as fresh today as it did in 1973, the first lady of Glam Suzi Quatro with the #1 ‘Devil Gate Drive’, Wizzard with their #1 ‘See My Baby Jive’, Mud’s #1 and the biggest selling single of 1974 ‘Tiger Feet’, Alvin Stardust’s ear-worm ‘My Coo Ca Choo’ and there’s still room for 3 unique pop classics from the period - Mungo Jerry’s #1 ‘In The Summertime’, Leo Sayer’s debut single ‘The Show Must Go On’ and the irrepressible ‘Hooked On A Feeling’ by Blue Swede - huge back then, and recently rediscovered from its use in the film ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’.

The final side is all about the upbeat energy of the pop. ABBA were introduced to the world in May 1974 winning Eurovision with ‘Waterloo’ in full glam costumes and that undeniable classic leads this side. With 10cc’s ‘Rubber Bullets’, Pilot’s ‘Magic’ and Jigsaw’s ‘Sky High’ all serving up examples of perfect pop, martial arts hit the UK in the early 70s like a phenomenon and Carl Douglas’ celebration of it ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ hit #1 in 1974. David Bowie’s collaboration with other artists didn’t stop with the earlier mentioned ‘All The Young Dudes’ and Lulu had a huge hit with a version of his ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ - which he also produced - as he also did for Lou Reed with the ground-breaking ‘Walk On The Wild Side’.

So many great tracks on the album - but the two songs that close the collection are truly worthy of the word ‘iconic’ and two bands that have continued to be inspirational to successive generations of pop… Roxy Music’s debut ‘Virginia Plain’ still sounds incredibly fresh and urgent every time you hear it - as does the genre-defying ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us’ from Sparks - and anyone who witnessed Sparks’ first TV performances in 1974 will never forget them, two true originals.

For fans of the era ‘The 70s Glam Pop Album’ is an essential for the collection - but also for fans of original, brilliant, pure-pop - this album will be a joyous voyage of discovery.