Sonic Sunday: Glam Slam

Watch out, everyone. I'm attempting to create another recurring topic. Actually, it's more of a resurrection of my long-dead feature, "What's in BeckEye's Ear," but I added download links and came up with a spiffy new title. It's not that I'm a giant Bangles fan, but I do go wild for puns and alliteration. Well, I don't think "Sonic Sunday" is really a pun on "Manic Monday." It's something...I'm just not sure what you call it.

Aaaaaanyhooo....I've been in kind of a glittery mood ever since Beth posted a song from the Velvet Goldmine Soundtrack on one of her recent Friday Mix Tapes. It reminded me of how much I love Glam Rock.
Crunching guitars + pop harmonies + theatrical vocals + bombastic lyrics + androgynous swagger = Awesomeness. So, break out your platform boots and draw a fake beauty mark on your face; then download these gems and stomp along.

(Click any link to download the song. Mp3s are available for a limited time, so get 'em while they're hot!)

1. "20th Century Boy," T. Rex - Led by the Patron Saint of British Musicians, Marc Bolan, T. Rex pretty much created Glam Rock. All image and raunchiness, it was intended to be disposable fun, but it turned into a whole movement. Although they were Gods in the U.K., T. Rex's only big hit in the U.S. was "Get it On (Bang a Gong)," a song I've never liked. I forced myself to like The Power Station's cover only out of loyalty to John Taylor, but now that I'm all grown up I can drop the charade. I only discovered this song in the late '80s. but it quickly became a favorite. It's one that I never get tired of.

2. "Little Willy," Sweet - Now, a song I am sick of is Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz," which I refuse to post even if it is one of the glammest Glam Rock songs ever. "Little Willy" is a much better song. Actually, I've always preferred "Love is Like Oxygen" to both of them but, unfortunately, I don't have it. Here's what bugs me about this band - are they called Sweet or The Sweet?? I've seen both and have never found a definitive answer.

3. "Ashes to Ashes," David Bowie - Bowie was different than most of the glam musicians in that his image was glam, but his music was much more cerebral and artsy. I'd like to think that he was the only one who had sex with Mick Jagger too, but he probably wasn't.

4. "All The Way From Memphis," Mott the Hoople - Mott was never the huge success here that they were in the UK, so most of us bloody Americans only know them for the classic "All The Young Dudes." The first time I heard this song was when some crappy '80s hair metal "supergroup" covered it. I put "supergroup" in quotes because it consisted of the drummer from RATT, and some other dudes I don't know. I think there was a chick from Vixen and maybe a guy from Dokken? I don't know. Who cares. Anyway, they didn't really do anything special with their version, so why bother with it? Stick with the original.

5. "Calling Dr. Love," KISS - It's been suggested that the New York Dolls were the only true American glam band, but I think KISS fits the bill. At least pre-makeup removal KISS. I mean, they dressed up in crazy costumes, wore kabuki makeup, sang raunchy songs and put on over-the-top live shows. If all that doesn't qualify them as a glam band, I don't know what does. While it's true that Paul Stanley was the much more theatrical vocalist, I just love this Gene Simmons-sung tune. My Dad recently had a doctor named Dr. Love. I never found out if he could breathe fire or not.

6. "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)," Joan Jett - This is another example of me not having access to the song that I really wanted. In this case, it's Gary Glitter's original version. I can't find it for free and I refuse to pay for it. I'm not giving this guy any money to support his kiddie porn addiction. Joan Jett does a pretty faithful cover, and when it first came out I had no idea it wasn't her song anyway, so I can live with this.

7. "Lady Xanax," Duran Duran - The Double D were part of the "New Romantic" movement, which was heavily influenced by the British glitter scene. Aside from Nick Rhodes, none of the guys got too into wearing girly makeup and their music was a lot more artsy and synth-heavy than Glam Rock. Still, they have a few songs that I feel fall into the glam category, and this one is chief among them. This is from 2000's Pop Trash, which was absolutely panned by critics but loved by me.

8. "2HB," The Venus in Furs - This is a cover of a Roxy Music song by a fictional band featured in Velvet Goldmine. I've never liked Roxy Music or Bryan Ferry, so I much prefer this version. Plus, it reminds me of Velvet Goldmine, which is a good thing. Not because it was a good movie, because it really wasn't. But any movie where Ewan McGregor gets nekkid is worth watching - more than once.

9. "Bones," Radiohead - Okay, now don't all yell at once that Radiohead aren't "glam." I know they're not really, but Thom Yorke's voice has a very theatrical quality to it, which gives a lot of their songs a glittery sheen. (If you don't believe me, listen to "2HB," above. That's Thom on lead vocals.) On a side note, since everyone loves misheard lyrics, I'll admit that when I first heard this song I thought the simple chorus line, "When you've got to feel it in your bones" was "You've got to see my alien bones." Thom Yorke is kind of a weird guy, so I thought it made perfect sense.

10. "In The Meantime," Spacehog - Often considered a "neo-Glam" band, Spacehog is arguably one of the greatest one-hit wonders ever. I have never been able to figure out the chorus to this song, but that's never kept me from singing (or mumbling) along to it. I suppose I could Google the lyrics but I've gone this long without understanding it so I figure, why bother now?

11. "Seen The Light," Supergrass - I love these guys. They aren't really glam either, but they're British and they've got the right attitude. They certainly borrow from some glam influences. All British bands love Mott the Hoople and T. Rex. It's like royal law or something. And they really lay down the law here, because this could have easily been a T.Rex song.

12. "Wailing Wall," Vic Thrill - You may have heard me mention this band before. They're local to NYC and I've known the singer for a few years. He used to be in one of my favorite bands, The Bogmen, before going in a totally different direction with what was being called "electro-clash" at the time. Yeah, it has keyboards and computer effects, but the snarling guitar and oh-so-catchy beat put this very near glam territory. Plus, the guys were all wearing makeup and obsessing over aliens at the time, so that counts for something.