| Glam punk | |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1970s, New York City |
| Derivative forms | |
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Glam punk is asubgenre ofrock music that began in the early to mid-1970s and incorporates elements ofproto-punk andglam rock. The genre was pioneered by theNew York Dolls, who influenced the formation of other New York City groupsthe Stilettos,the Brats andRuby and the Rednecks and bands in the United Kingdom includingHollywood Brats andJet. These bands largely began the early punk rock scene. The impact ofHanoi Rocks brought about a revived interest in the sound during the 1980s, seeing a revival with groups includingthe Dogs D'Amour andSoho Roses, and the pioneering ofglam metal. Through the 1990s, some groups gained significant commercial success reviving the sound of glam punk, notably theManic Street Preachers,Backyard Babies andTurbonegro.
The first band to merge proto-punk music with a glam rock aesthetic was theNew York Dolls, who formed in 1971.[1] Glam punk has been seen as a backlash to thehippiefolk music sensibilities of the 1960s.[2] The band immediately influenced the formation of many bands inNew York City's club scene of the time.[3] Their style was adopted by a number of New York bands, includingthe Stilettos,the Brats[4] andRuby and the Rednecks,[5] and subsequently was the catalyst for the city's early punk rock scene, which includedTelevision,Talking Heads,Patti Smith,the Ramones,Blondie andRichard Hell and the Voidoids.[6] The glam punk sound spread to other locations in the following years, where notable actsHollywood Brats,Jet andMilk 'N' Cookies formed.[1]Malcolm McLaren, who managed the New York Dolls in 1975, returned to England following the band's 1976 disbandment. There, he and his wifeVivienne Westwood used the New York Dolls, as well as other bands that they had seen while in New York, as inspiration forpunk fashion and the creation of theSex Pistols, who would largely popularise punk rock in the coming years.[7]
Finland'sHanoi Rocks led a revival of the glam punk sound in the 1980s,[8] whoAlternative Press writer Tim Stegall called "the revenge of the early '80s upon the world for the [New York] Dolls' mainstream commercial failure 10 years earlier".[9] During their residency in London at the beginning of the decade influenced the formation ofthe Dogs D'Amour,Soho Roses, Kill City Dragons and the Babysitters.[8] At the same time, Hanoi Rocks and the New York Dolls because the two most prominent influences on the emergingglam metal scene.[9] From within the glam metal scene, thesleaze metal subgenre emerged in the late 1980s, which saw an even more prominent glam punk influence in artists includingFaster Pussycat,Guns N' Roses,L.A. Guns andShotgun Messiah.[8]
Wales'Manic Street Preachers gained major commercial success in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s with the glam punk sound on their early albumsGeneration Terrorists (1991) andGold Against the Soul (1993), however following the 1995 disappearance of their guitaristRichey Edwards, the band began pursuing a more pop-centric sound.[10] With the release of their 1996 albumAss Cobra, Norwegian bandTurbonegro adopted a glam punk sound,Alternative Press named the album as a "classic album [which] made 1996 a crucial year in punk history".[11] In the following years, the band became whatKerrang! writer Jak Hutchcraft called "a cult phenomena in the rock world".[12] Sweden'sBackyard Babies' merger of glam and punk gained significant commercial success in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with their albumsTotal 13 (1998) andMaking Enemies Is Good (2001) receiving the awards for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album at theGrammy Awards and spots in the Top 5 of Sweden's music charts.[13]
In the early 2000s, the genre was a major influence on thepost-punk revival that includedD Generation,Toilet Böys andthe Strokes.[14]
The first and most potent example of glam punk, is the New York Dolls, they are often considered one of the creators of punk rock music in general. Though after the punk explosion in London during the 1970s happened the Dolls were considered "glam" in comparison. Which would lead to them been described as "Glam-Punk"...
Other more obscure groups from around this time such as Hollywood Brats, the Jook, Milk 'N' Cookies, Jet, and others can be heard on the compilation "Glitterbest: 20 Pre Punk 'n' Glam Terrace Stompers".
The rise of The New York Dolls spawned dozens of local bands. Elda Gentile got The Stilettos together with former Max's waitress, Debbie Harry, and Rick Rivets started gigging with The Brats, while a rash of Dolls copyists like Teenage Lust and The Harlots of 42nd Street threw themselves on the bandwagon and fell belly-up. Aside from Aerosmith, the most significant group of that time to be influenced by The New York Dolls was Kiss. Sure, Kiss wore make-up but by painting their faces like comic book characters or goofy animals, they defused any sexual threat.
The 1980s saw a re-emergence of the "Glam punk" styling with the band Hanoi Rocks. While playing in London the group influenced several other bands who played in a similar style; Soho Roses, Kill City Dragons, Dogs D'Amour, the Babysitters, etc.
Shades of "Glam punk" can also be heard in the "sleaze glam" subgenre of Glam metal, which emerged in the late 1980s. New York Dolls hugely influenced bands in the "sleaze glam" genre, such as Guns N' Roses, Faster Pussycat, L.A. Guns, Shotgun Messiah and others. Though these bands also incorporated "heavy metal" elements, not found in pure Glam punk.
The Manic Street Preachers, who are certifiable pop stars in England, have yet to attain commercial success in the States, but This Is My Truth... is a rock-solid effort that should further endear the band to fans of serious guitar pop. Though the Preachers took a 180-degree, glam-punk-to-Britpop turn after the strange 1995 disappearance of their troubled guitarist/lyricist/press magnet Richey James, the combo's emotional intensity remains a fever pitch.
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