| The Glitter Band | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Pop, glam rock |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Labels | Bell, CBS, Epic, Cherry Red |
| Associated acts | Gary Glitter |
| Members | |
| The Glitter Band: Pete Phipps John Springate Dominic Rodgers Marc Pearson Eddie Spence Lennie Clayton John Rossall's Glitter Band feat Harvey Ellison: |
|
| Former members | |
| Gerry Shephard (deceased) Tony Leonard |
|
The Glitter Band are a glam rock band from England, who initially worked as Gary Glitter's backing band, but in 1973 began releasing records of their own. They had seven UK Top 20 hit singles in the mid 1970s, and three hit albums.[1]
Contents |
History
When Gary Glitter's first single "Rock and Roll Parts 1 and 2" became a number 2 hit in the UK, his manager Mike Leander realised that he would need a backing band, and contacted John Rossall, who was then the musical director of the Boston Showband.[2] With a few changes in personnel, the Boston Showband became 'The Glittermen', and later 'The Glitter Band' who were: Gerry Shephard, John Springate, Pete Phipps, Tony Leonard, Harvey Ellison and John Rossall.[3] They backed Glitter both on record (although Glitter claimed that Leander played all the instruments himself[3]) and in live performances.
In 1973, Rossall approached Leander with the suggestion that the band record some material without Glitter. Leander agreed, but rejected the first recordings. The band then went back into the recording studio and recorded "Angel Face", which met with Leander's approval, but not without some changes.[2] The band played a few well-received live shows before their first single came out, mixing a few new songs with covers of 1950s and 1960s songs. In March 1974, "Angel Face" was released on Bell Records, immediately hitting the chart, and reaching #4, outselling Glitter's "Remember Me This Way". Further hits followed between 1974 and 1976, along with the release of four albums. Rossall left the band at the end of 1974; Gerry Shephard, John Springate and Pete Phipps taking over leadership, with Springate taking lead vocal duties on hits such as the ballad "Goodbye My Love", "The Tears I Cried", and "People Like You".[4] Sales dropped in 1976, with the advent of punk rock. Springate and Shephard saw the Sex Pistols perform at the Notre Dame Hall in 1976, and realized even then that their time was up. The band switched to CBS Records and later Epic Records, and changed their name to 'The G Band' to dissociate themselves from Glitter, but failed to find another hit single, and the name reverted to The Glitter Band by CBS in March 1977 for the release of "Look What You've Been Missing".
May 1977 saw the band release a final single as the Glitter Band, "She Was Alright". Finally Springate, Phipps and Shephard released "Gotta Get a Message To You" in September 1977, under the new name of 'Air Traffic Control'. The single, written by Springate and Phipps, never made it past a few initial commercial pressings on the Epic label. They regrouped in 1980, with further sporadic releases followed in the 1980s on a variety of labels. The band's profile was maintained with a slew of 'Greatest Hits' releases, mainly concentrating on their peak mid 1970s era.
Guitarist/singer Gerry Shephard and drummer/pianist Pete Phipps (Eurythmics, XTC, Genesis and The Stranglers 1982-1985) reformed the band in 1987, and successfully performed in the UK and Europe until 2001 when they split up. Shephard and former drummer Tony Leonard formed one band, whilst Phipps formed a new outfit. John Rossall and Harvey Ellison also had a version of the group on the road making three bands in total. 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.[2] Shephard and Phipps had previously guested on Denim's Back In Denim (1992).
John Rossall, Harvey Ellison, Phipps and Springate still perform live as The Glitter Band.[2]
Discography
Singles
| Year | Title | UK Singles Chart[1] |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "Angel Face" | #4 |
| 1974 | "Just for You" | #10 |
| 1974 | "Let's Get Together Again" | #8 |
| 1975 | "Goodbye My Love" | #2 |
| 1975 | "The Tears I Cried" | #8 |
| 1975 | "Love in the Sun" | #15 |
| 1975 | "Alone Again" | - |
| 1976 | "People Like You, People Like Me" | #5 |
| 1976 | "Don't Make Promises" | - |
| 1976 | "Lay Your Love on Me" | - |
| 1977 | "Look What You've Been Missing" | - |
| 1977 | "She Was Alright" | - |
| 1977 | "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" | - |
| 1981 | "Until the Next Time" | - |
| 1982 | "Heartbeat to Heartache" | - |
| 1984 | "Nothing at All" | - |
| 1985 | "Until the Next Time" (Re-issue) | - |
| 1989 | "Angel Face" (Re-recording) | - |
Albums
- Hey (1974) UK #13
- Rock 'n' Roll Dudes (1975) UK #17
- Listen to the Band (1975)
- Greatest Hits (1976) UK #52
- Paris Match (1977)
- People Like You (1977)
- Live at the Marquee (1986)
- The Collection (1990)
- Let's Get Together Again (1996)
- Glitz Blitz, Live! (1998)
- 20 Glittering Greats (1998)
- Solid Silver: The Ultimate Glitter Band Vol. 1 (1998)
- The Best of the Glitter Band (1999)
- The Glitter Band: The Bell Singles Collection (2000)
- Greatest Hits ...Live! (2001)
- Greatest Hits (2002)
- The Glitter Band featuring John Rossall
- Glitteresque (2008)
Film appearances
Remember Me This Way (1974), as themselves
Never Too Young to Rock (1975), as themselves
References
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 229. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c d Band biography on official fan club website
- ^ a b allmusic ((( Glitter Band > Biography )))
- ^ John Springate
External links
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