The Glitter Band
Encyclopedia
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. They were unofficially known as the Glittermen on the first four hit singles by Gary Glitter from 1972 to 1973. The Glitter Band had seven UK
Top 20 hit single
s in the mid-1970s, and three hit album
s. They have existed on and off since with various line-ups and there are currently two bands featuring original members who use the name.
" 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. With a few changes in personnel, the Boston Showband became the Glittermen, and later The Glitter Band in 1973 who were: John Rossall (Sax, Trombone & Musical Director), Gerry Shephard (lead guitar and vocals), Pete Gill (Drums), Tony Leonard (Drums), Pete Phipps (Drums and Keyboards), John Springate (Bass & Vocals) and Harvey Ellison (sax). They backed Glitter in live performances, although in the studio Leander and Glitter played all the instruments
themselves apart from the brass section provided by Rossall and Ellison.
There are two versions of The Glitter Band still touring today. One featuring John Rossall and Harvey Ellison. The other featuring Pete Phipps and John Springate. Gerry Shephard died on 6 May 2003.
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 the Rossall/Shephard composition Angel Face, which met with Leander's approval, but not without some changes. The band, now working as a separate entity with Tony Leonard having replaced Gill, as well as continuing to back Glitter, played a few well-received live shows before their first single came out, mixing some 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 number four, 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". 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 realised 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 disassociate 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
. 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. They regrouped as The Glitter Band in 1980, with further sporadic releases followed in the 1980s on a variety of labels. Trevor Horn
played bass guitar for the band in this era. 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, including tours with Gary Glitter, until 2001 when they split up. Shephard and former drummer Tony Leonard formed one band, whilst Phipps continued to perform with his own band. John Rossall and Harvey Ellison also had a version of the group on the road making three bands in total, with the ownership of the Glitter Band name disputed. After Rossall was taken to court in 1983, an injunction banned him from using Glitter in his band name; A second legal ruling in 1997, after Rossall had persistently breached the first order, resulted in him receiving a one year suspended prison sentence which would come into force if he used the Glitter name again. Rossall was subsequently not allowed to use Glitter Band as part of his band's name. 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. Shephard and Phipps had previously guested on Denim
's Back In Denim (1992).
Pete Phipps and John Springate still perform live as The Glitter Band. In April 2010 The Glitter Band performed at Scala
, Kings Cross, London
where they were joined by special guests Angie Bowie and Adam Ant
. Rossall and Harvey Ellison also continue to tour with their band, The Glitter Band featuring John Rossall, releasing the album Glitteresque in 2008.
Springate and Shephard also wrote the UK's 2000 Eurovision Song Contest
entry, "Don't Play That Song Again" performed by Nicki French
.
Phipps and Shephard appeared in the Identity Parade line-up on the first episode of Never Mind The Buzzcocks
television show, recorded on 28 October 1996.
Live albums:
Compilations:
(1974), as themselves
Never Too Young to Rock (1975), as themselves
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, who initially worked as Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
's backing band under that name from 1973, when they then began releasing records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
of their own. They were unofficially known as the Glittermen on the first four hit singles by Gary Glitter from 1972 to 1973. The Glitter Band had seven UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Top 20 hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s in the mid-1970s, and three hit album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. They have existed on and off since with various line-ups and there are currently two bands featuring original members who use the name.
History
When Gary Glitter's first single "Rock and Roll Parts 1 and 2Rock and Roll (Gary Glitter song)
"Rock and Roll", also known as "The Hey Song", is a song performed by British glam rocker Gary Glitter that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter. Co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander, the song is in two parts: Part 1 is a vocal track reflecting on the history of the genre,...
" became a number 2 hit in the UK, his manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
Mike Leander
Mike Leander
Michael George Farr professionally known as Mike Leander was an arranger and record producer for Decca Records in the 1960s and Bell Records in the 1970s and worked with such artists as Marianne Faithfull, Billy Fury, Marc Bolan, Joe Cocker, The Small Faces, Van Morrison, Alan Price, Peter...
realised that he would need a backing band and contacted John Rossall who was then the musical director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
of the Boston Showband. With a few changes in personnel, the Boston Showband became the Glittermen, and later The Glitter Band in 1973 who were: John Rossall (Sax, Trombone & Musical Director), Gerry Shephard (lead guitar and vocals), Pete Gill (Drums), Tony Leonard (Drums), Pete Phipps (Drums and Keyboards), John Springate (Bass & Vocals) and Harvey Ellison (sax). They backed Glitter in live performances, although in the studio Leander and Glitter played all the instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
themselves apart from the brass section provided by Rossall and Ellison.
There are two versions of The Glitter Band still touring today. One featuring John Rossall and Harvey Ellison. The other featuring Pete Phipps and John Springate. Gerry Shephard died on 6 May 2003.
In 1973, Rossall approached Leander with the suggestion that the band record
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
some material without Glitter. Leander agreed, but rejected the first recordings. The band then went back into the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
and recorded the Rossall/Shephard composition Angel Face, which met with Leander's approval, but not without some changes. The band, now working as a separate entity with Tony Leonard having replaced Gill, as well as continuing to back Glitter, played a few well-received live shows before their first single came out, mixing some new songs with covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of 1950s and 1960s songs. In March 1974, Angel Face was released on Bell Records
Bell Records
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 by Arthur Shimkin in New York, the owner of children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny Bell who used the Bell name to issue risque novelty records. A...
, immediately hitting the chart, and reaching number four, 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
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
duties on hits such as the ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
"Goodbye My Love", "The Tears I Cried", and "People Like You". Sales dropped in 1976, with the advent of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
. Springate and Shephard saw the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
perform at the Notre Dame Hall in 1976, and realised even then that their time was up. The band switched to CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
and later Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, and changed their name to The G Band to disassociate 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
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. In 1979, Shephard and Phipps worked with former Sparks
Sparks
-People:*Sparks , people with Sparks as family name or given name*Sparks , a character in Enter the Matrix and The Matrix Revolutions-Places:United States*Sparks, Georgia*Sparks, Kansas*Sparks, Maryland*Sparks, Nebraska...
keyboard player Peter Oxendale, recording the US-only album Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. They regrouped as The Glitter Band in 1980, with further sporadic releases followed in the 1980s on a variety of labels. Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
played bass guitar for the band in this era. 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
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
, XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
, Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
and The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
1982-1985) reformed the band in 1987, and successfully performed in the UK and Europe, including tours with Gary Glitter, until 2001 when they split up. Shephard and former drummer Tony Leonard formed one band, whilst Phipps continued to perform with his own band. John Rossall and Harvey Ellison also had a version of the group on the road making three bands in total, with the ownership of the Glitter Band name disputed. After Rossall was taken to court in 1983, an injunction banned him from using Glitter in his band name; A second legal ruling in 1997, after Rossall had persistently breached the first order, resulted in him receiving a one year suspended prison sentence which would come into force if he used the Glitter name again. Rossall was subsequently not allowed to use Glitter Band as part of his band's name. With Shephard's death in May 2003, Leonard retired to concentrate on musical production activities in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, whilst both Phipps and Rossall continued on the road with their own bands. Shephard and Phipps had previously guested on Denim
Denim (band)
Denim is an American band based in Austin, Texas formed in 1970. 1980 saw some members of Denim join in a different project, "The Austin All-Stars". The All-Stars were a premiere party band in Austin, playing at the Steamboat on 6th street regularly...
's Back In Denim (1992).
Pete Phipps and John Springate still perform live as The Glitter Band. In April 2010 The Glitter Band performed at Scala
Scala (club)
Scala is a nightclub in London, England, near King's Cross railway station.-History:The Scala was originally built as a cinema to the designs of H Courtney Constantine, but construction was interrupted by the First World War and it spent some time being used to manufacture aircraft parts, and as a...
, Kings Cross, London
Kings Cross, London
King's Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. It is an inner-city district located 2.5 miles north of Charing Cross. The area formerly had a reputation for being a red light district and run-down. However, rapid regeneration...
where they were joined by special guests Angie Bowie and Adam Ant
Adam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
. Rossall and Harvey Ellison also continue to tour with their band, The Glitter Band featuring John Rossall, releasing the album Glitteresque in 2008.
Springate and Shephard also wrote the UK's 2000 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
entry, "Don't Play That Song Again" performed by Nicki French
Nicki French
Nicola S. French is a female English singer and dancer. She is best known for her 1995 dance cover version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", and for representing the United Kingdom in 2000 at Eurovision in Stockholm.-Career:French provided backing vocals on Rose-Marie's 1992 album, Emotional Exposure...
.
Phipps and Shephard appeared in the Identity Parade line-up on the first episode of Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
television show, recorded on 28 October 1996.
Singles
| Year | Title | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|---|---|---|
| 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" | - |
| 1976 | "Makes You Blind" | - |
| 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) | - |
The Glitter Band
- Hey (1974) UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#13 - Rock 'n' Roll Dudes (1975) UK #17
- Listen to the Band (1975)
- Makes You Blind (1975), Arista
- People Like You (1977)
Live albums:
- Live at the Marquee (1986)
- Glitz Blitz, Live! (1998), MCI
- Greatest Hits ...Live! (2001), Armoury
Compilations:
- Greatest Hits (1976) UK #52
- The Collection (1990)
- Pop Fire (1994), Pilz
- Let's Get Together Again (1996)
- 20 Glittering Greats (1998), Music Club
- Solid Silver: The Ultimate Glitter Band Vol. 1 (1998), Edsel
- The Best of the Glitter Band (1999)
- The Glitter Band: The Bell Singles Collection (2000)
- Greatest Hits (2002)
Film appearances
Remember Me This WayRemember Me This Way (film)
Remember Me This Way is a title of a 1974 motion picture documentary about the British glam rock star Gary Glitter.Filmed the previous year, the documentary follows Glitter through a routine of press conferences, radio interviews, photo shoots, concert rehearsals, and so forth...
(1974), as themselves
Never Too Young to Rock (1975), as themselves