Glitter Band bass player John Rossall co-wrote some of the songs and continues the band to this day, but he knows his place in the scheme of things. He added: We separated in 1974 he hated the fact we recorded our own records.. In total, The Glitter Band had seven top 20 hits in the mid-1970s, including Angel Face which reached number four and Goodbye My Love, which went to number two in the charts. Support tQ's work by becoming a subscriber and enjoy the benefits of bonus essays, podcasts and exclusively-commissioned new music. Feel free to contribute! It met with instant success and reached. The year 2000 saw the founding of Santanarama, a six-piece tribute to Carlos Santana, and Glitz Blitz, a three-piece tribute to the 1970s. Guitarist/singer Gerry Shephard and drummer/pianist Pete Phipps (Eurythmics, XTC, reformed the band in 1987, and successfully performed in the UK and Europe, including tours with Gary Glitter, until 2001 when they split up. 1979 saw Sheppard and drummer Pete Phipps hook up with former Sparks/Jet keyboard player Peter Oxendale for the album Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, credited to Oxendale & Sheppard and released in the U.S. only. I too had forgotten just how good they were. The Glitter Band: The Glitter Band - Hey! This was the start of a time when The Glitter Band toured the world amasing millions of record sales. Dominic, 54, who joined the group in the late 1990s, said: Our records are not played on the radio any more.. Their choice of bandleader also reached back to that earlier era -- baritone sax player John Rossall had previously played with Leander's own eponymous orchestra, and with Glitter in the subsequent Boston International. The Glitter Band (originally - though briefly - called The Glittermen) were formed by producer Mike Leander in 1972 as backing and session musicians for Gary Glitter. They are the last living link to the brilliant producer Mike Leander, who created the Glitter Band sound which has influenced so many people in pop from The Fall to The Smiths to Marilyn Manson, Adam And The Ants, Bow Wow Wow and Killing Joke and anyone else who cops that droning guitar over a tribal beat. I find this terribly unfair as they were easily one of the best glam rock era groups and, unlike most of their peers, they wrote their own songs. I read in one of glitters bios, he really did only regard them as employees the piss tho? Phipps was a founder member of The Glitter Band (originally known as The Glittermen), who started as Gary Glitter's backing band, and went on to success in their own right, having six top ten singles in the UK in the mid-1970s. Some of the band continued to back Gary Glitter on live dates but he unceremoniously sacked them for cheaper musicians at the end of the 1980s a fact broadcasters really should bear in mind when trying to whitewash the band from music history. I shall surely play them again now. He was working on a David Essex session and when David had rung in sick with a cold Mike started work on this instrumental. The band, unofficially known as the Glittermen while working with the singer between 1972 and 1974, barely spoke to him, said Pete, 64. (wikipedia) A fabric that has been torn by Paul Gadd's fall from grace. He said: Gary was driving in limousines and flying first class and we were staying in bed and breakfasts and travelling in a Transit. Evidence that the Glitter Band were capable of meeting greater challenges than the Glitter sound normally set was delivered in early 1975 with their fourth single, the soft rock ballad "Goodbye My Love." The band only played with Glitter for two years before going alone and scoring a string of top ten hits. . ~ Dave Thompson. The Glitter Band's unique sound is well appreciated by the cognoscenti of alternative music makers. 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. He toured in the US and in the UK. Their choice of bandleader also reached back to that earlier era -- baritone sax player John Rossall had previously played with Leander's own eponymous orchestra, and with Glitter in the subsequent Boston International. Rossall adds: "The whole Glitter sound started on a Mike Leander instrumental. 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. 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. It was the twin drum's combined with Gerry's glitter 'Star' guitar with its . The name reverted to The Glitter Band in March 1977 for the release of "Look What You've Been Missing", co-written by John Rossall and Gerry Shephard. 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. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. It met with instant success and reached. Its a fantastic record which has really stood the test of time definitely a glam rock classic. 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. But original drummer Pete Phipps and bandmate Dominic Rodgers say their songs - recorded separately from Glitter's - are still not played on the radio. The Bostons carried on after Raven jumped on the glam bandwagon and became Gary Glitter. 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." Just look at all the Christmas songs from the 70s still being played! If you love what we do, you can help tQ to continue bringing you the best in cultural criticism and new music by joining one of our subscription tiers. Joyce tweets. Early in 2001, along with shows with the Glitter Band, Santanarama and Glitz Blitz at a range of venues nationwide, Phipps made a return to playing some R&B with a South East-based band Desperate Measures. In 2000 he teamed up once again with Shephard to pen the UKs Eurovision entry, Dont Play That Song Again, performed by French. Another single appeared in 1982, a Shephard and Springate song called Heartbeat To Heartache. 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. Also in 1984, Phipps returned to work with XTC in the studio to record the album Big Express. Also included is a rather ill-advised cover of the Rolling Stones Sympathy For The Devil their first cover version since the Hey! The potential is there and the talent is there- could the Glitter Band be about to use rock & roll to excise the ghost of Gary Glitter the bacofoil god with feet of clay? In December 2013, John Rossall released a new single, a Glitter styled version of the classic "White Christmas". With John Rossall having quit for a solo career, the remaining members signed with CBS and, shortening their name to the G Band, set to work on their most ambitious collection yet, Paris Match. The Glitter Band - ROCK ON! As an experienced session drummer referred to as "The Human Timekeeper", the Memphis soul sensation performed with R&B legend Otis Redding (Try A Little Tenderness), nocturnal proto-funkster Wilson Pickett (In The Midnight Hour), blues idol Albert King (Born Under A Bad Sign) and seductive lothario Al Green (Let's Stay Together). All rights reserved. VBTS May 22, 2005 #7 Jean-Baptiste Clamence @ May 23 2005, 01:15 AM wrote: The Glitter Band play Alfie Birds and The Oobleck, The Custard Factory, Birmingham on March 5. A new album, recorded live at the London Marquee Club, appeared in 1985, while a succession of hits collections (several featuring newly re-recorded material) kept their name alive on the record shelves. The decision to launch the Glitter Band as a recording act in its own right was made in late 1973. It again features the heavy Glitter sound and was another Rossall/Shephard composition. 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. 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." The Glitter Bands own career has been stymied by the situation. Following Ellison's death in 2017, Rossall continued to tour for the rest of his life. They guested on Denims glam rock themed 1992 album, Back In Denim with Shephard and his star guitar featuring in the video for Middle Of The Road. Drummers Pete Phipps and Tony Leonard eventually completed the line up. He would then go and overdub the bass, floor and small toms on one track; then the bass and the guitar. I didnt even like Gary Glitter all that much his songs were okay but I far preferred watching his backing band on Top Of The Pops and from a very early age had a little crush on the saxophonist, Harvey Ellison. "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. 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. Gary Glitter - GGs Drummer (88-97) : THE ANIMAL *RARE FOOTAGE* - YouTube Here we have a very rare insight into being one of Gary's Backing musicians,Mr Martin (ANIMAL) Clapson Gives a Chat. They have existed on and off since with various line-ups, and there are currently two bands featuring original members who use the name. Shes been buying records for over 40 years and going to gigs since the 70s (just!) Gill was one of the two drummers in The Glitter Band, then formed part of the original line-up of Saxon in 1978. The Glitter Band sound was what attracted me to them back in the day. 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. Performing with bands like Decrepit Birth, Abysmal Dawn and Vale of Pnath, his fervent and incredibly clean technique elevates every song that he records or performs. It became their biggest hit in early 1975, reaching No.2. Your email address will not be published. An utterly un-Glitter-like set, it was characterized by a truly audacious cover of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." They were unofficially known as the Glittermen on the first four hit singles by Gary Glitter from 1972 to 1973. John Rossall looks worn out at the very mention of the disgraced singer. Buoyed by the massive success of "Goodbye My Love," the Glitter Band selected another soft rocker for their next single, "The Tears I Cried," following through over the next 12 months with the similarly styled "Love in the Sun" and "People Like You, People Like Me." Leander agreed, but rejected the first recordings. A lot of people who criticise us for playing these songs dont really know the whole depth of the story. The band eventually announced they had broken up. Great tunes still memorable unlike the depressing whiny songs of todays artists who wont be remembered in 50 years time. Instead of hitting the cymbals, drummers such as Dave Mount of Mud thumped out the rhythm with. He played all the instruments himself till he came up with the dark and strange rock & roll of 'Rock n roll part 1 and 2'. But Pete said since Gadd was revealed as a paedo in the 1990s, they have been frozen out because of their association with him. It may not be PC but I still love Gary and the Glitter Band music. In the late 80s while I was studying at Portsmouth Polytechnic I went to see Gary Glitter play at the Guildhall. The Glitter Band spent five years backing up the singer until they split away under Leanders steady tutelage to have their own hits which of course meant that they fell out with the leader of the gang in 1977 and have never spoken to him since then but his ghost is ever present. In August they had a top 20 summer hit with the non-album song, Love In The Sun. The single, written by Springate and Phipps, never made it past a few initial commercial pressings on the Epic label. 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. Bell Records signed the Glitter Band as a new artist, and Angel Face was released on 1st March 1974. Prior to leaving, Rossall featured with his bandmates in a plot free 1975 film, Never Too Young To Rock, which is only worth watching for their live performances and a couple of seconds of their painful acting, which is still better than most performances from the actual actors in the film. Finally Springate, Phipps and Shephard released "Gotta Get a Message Back To You" in September 1977, under the new name of Air Traffic Control. And while the band's original sound was firmly cut in the style of their namesake, by the end of their career, they'd developed into a wholly original and utterly captivating act in their own right. Fond memories of the 70s come to mind. 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. May 1977 saw the band release a final single as the Glitter Band, "She Was Alright". In recent years the Glitter Band have been considered guilty by association for having had the temerity to start out backing the disgraced Gary Glitter. He called Rossall, who took him up on the offer, on the understanding that at some point his band would get to record their own material. In 1974, Mike Leander reluctantly allowed the Glitter Band (as they were now known) to make a record as promised. Please read all descriptions thoroughly before purchasing. 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. The Glitter Band were poppy enough to catch the ear of my 10-year-old self, but distinctive and different enough also to hold my attention over the years. 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. 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