Who is your favorite Glam Rock band?

I feel like you're already retreating into your own little bubble with these niche takes on the genre—views that maybe only you really hold 🙂. It’s the same deal with everyone mentioned here; they all have a signature sound that belongs solely to them, and it isn't just Sweet. At the end of the day, if you want to actually make it big on the main stage, you pretty much have to be different—more unique than everyone else.

Then again, I get where you're coming from. I have my own specific ways of looking at certain things in music that are hard to explain in a debate—even though they make perfect sense to me.

Charles Ramos4 said:Now you're just getting all deep into your own niche theories and personal takes on the genre that only exist in your head 🙂 Every single one of those bands mentioned has their own signature sound that nobody else can touch—not just Sweet. At the end of the day, if you actually want to make it big on the main stage, you just have to be different/unique from everyone else.

But look, I get where you're coming from. I've got my own weird ways of looking at certain musical things that are a total pain to explain in a debate, even though they make perfect sense to me.

Like, I'm telling you, strictly from a musical standpoint, the ones I listed have that specific "candy" sound—this weird, glitchy mix of rock and bubblegum pop. To me, those are the two defining traits.

So yeah, Sweet and Slade are front and center, while T. Rex sounds more like some kind of rock, funky, sexy guru band to me.

The others (Bowie, Roxy Music, Queen, etc.) are definitely unique too, but they aren't the true representatives of that specific vibe.

Whatever, man, that's just my take.

Patrick Martin said:to reiterate, if we are looking strictly at the musicality, those acts I mentioned possess that particular "candy" sound—which I suppose is this peculiar fusion of rock and bubblegum pop. In my view, those two qualities define them musically.

So, you have Sweet and Slade right at the forefront, whereas T. Rex feels more like a sort of rock, funky, sexy guru band to me.

The others (Bowie, Roxy Music, Queen, etc.) are certainly unique, but they don't quite strike me as the true archetypes,

but hey, that's just how I see it.

Regarding T. Rex, people claim Marc Bolan is the father of Glam rock, but personally, I feel T. Rex, Sweet, and Slade occupy a similar space; still, I'd say blockbuster by Sweet is the ultimate Glam rock anthem.

I was just browsing Wikipedia, and it mentions that Abbe, Queen, KISS, and the like are also categorized as Glam rock groups, though I don't really perceive them that way myself.

Patrick Martin said:I'll say it again—musically speaking, the ones I listed have that specific candy sound. It’s this weird mix of rock and bubblegum pop... those are basically the two main traits for me.

So, you've got Sweet and Slade right at the front, while T. Rex feels more like a funky, sexy, rock guru kind of band to me.

The others (Bowie, Roxy Music, Queen, etc.) are definitely unique too, but they aren't the true representatives.

I don't know, just my opinion.

Look, I'm not hating on your take, but I think you're making a mistake right out of the gate by ranking or grouping glam rock bands based on their sound. That's kind of like saying whether a band belongs in metal depends on how long the members' hair is. 😁 It's the fashion style, not the sound, that defines if you're part of glam rock—just like sound defines metal, not the hair or the clothes.

If the way they dress wasn't the foundation of glam rock, these artists (Bowie, KISS, ABBA, Slade) would never even be mentioned in the same breath.

Charles Ramos4 said:I suppose I don't have any real quarrel with your perspective, though I can't help but feel you might be making a bit of an error right from the jump by trying to categorize or rank Glam rock bands based solely on their sound. It feels a little like if we were deciding whether to classify certain bands as metal strictly based on how long the members' hair was. 😁 I’d argue that it's really the fashion style, rather than the actual sonic profile, that defines whether someone belongs to the Glam rock movement—just as sound defines metal, not the length of one's hair or their choice of clothes.

If the way these artists dressed wasn't the very foundation of Glam rock, I doubt performers like >, >, >, or > would ever even be mentioned in the same breath.

I mean, I guess that’s true, although when the term Glam rock comes up, my mind immediately jumps to >, >, and >, especially when I think about songs like >.

I might be veering a bit off-topic here, but I honestly feel like that killer disco pop-rock from the 70s and 80s is basically the sister genre to Glam rock.

For me, this stuff is just absolute gold.

Take Sweet, for example.

I grew up listening to them like a total brat—honestly, my old man used to blast them on the car stereo constantly—so they've been burned into my brain forever.🤷

I'm not entirely sure if the New York Dolls fall under the umbrella of glam rock—sonically, they seem to lean much more toward punk

Regardless, I thought they were absolutely brilliant... "Looking for a Kiss and Jet Boy" is a total classic

Rebecca Wilson74 said:I’m really not sure if the New York Dolls actually fall under the glam umbrella... strictly speaking, their sound feels much more aligned with punk.

Regardless of how you categorize them, I always thought they were absolutely brilliant... tracks like Looking for a Kiss and Jet Boy are absolute classics.

I suppose one could argue that Glam rock is more about the overall fashion style and visual presentation—which is certainly evident with them—rather than being a specific musical genre in itself; even Wikipedia mentions that they are classified as a glam punk group alongside various other rock styles.

Personally, I've always been a fan, and I find that their sound constantly reminds me of the Ramones.

Ramones New York Dolls - Personality Crisis

So many bands coming out of CBGB drew their inspiration from them—especially when it comes to the sound. To me, they were essentially the cornerstone of punk—alongside Iggy and the Stooges. In terms of their fashion style, they definitely lean into that glam rock vibe.

It’s interesting because the punk movement didn't actually adopt much of the New York Dolls' glam aesthetic. It's a shame they burned out so early; they really were a fantastic band.

Suicide Squad - Sweet "Ballroom Blitz"