What are the best dance songs from the glam rock era?

September 18, 2005 3:14 PM

What are the best dance songs from the glam rock era?

I am putting together a DJ set for an upcoming glam night, but I don't really even have a good grasp on what the hell the genre is. I don't even own any tight silver pants!! Help me!!

posted by stokast to media & arts (21 comments total)

A few to get you started :

The Sweet - "Blockbuster" / "Ballroom Blitz"

T.Rex - "Get It On" / "20th Century Boy" / "Telegram Sam" / "Metal Guru"

Slade - "Cum On Feel The Noize" / "Mama Weer All Crazee Now"

Roxy Music - "Virginia Plain" (not, strictly speaking, 'Glam Rock', but superb anyhow)

Suzi Quatro - "Devilgate Drive"

Sparks - "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" (not really a "dance" song in the traditional sense, but you'd be surprised at the dancefloor mayhem I've seen it provoke).
posted by coach_mcguirk at 3:28 PM on September 18, 2005

the ones I like so far:

david bowie - suffragette city
sweet - the ballroom blitz
t. rex - 20th century boy
golden earring - radar love
mud - tiger feet
gary glitter - do ya wanna touch me

am i headed in the right direction?
posted by stokast at 3:32 PM on September 18, 2005

oops! looks like i am, according to coach_mcguirk. :)
posted by stokast at 3:33 PM on September 18, 2005

Rock and Roll, Part 2 -- Glitter.
Run Run Away-- Slade

and the soundtrack from Velvet Goldmine
and some Sweet

i'd actually play some Bay City Rollers too--bubblegum glitter pop --they stole a lot from Glam. (definitely Saturday Night)
posted by amberglow at 4:19 PM on September 18, 2005

Though I'm sure this thread will prove me wrong a thousand times over, glam rock doesn't strike me as a particularly danceable genre. I'm not saying you can't dance to it--I mean, it's not free jazz; it has a consisent beat and a melody--but to me glam rock was more about posing and strutting than dancing.

The Holy Bible of glam rock said it best:
We can't dance, we don't talk much
We just ball and play
But then we move like tigers on vaseline

Having said that, there's a great unreleased (though widely available) David Bowie song called "Sweet Head" whose chorus is built around that classic 50s sock hop rhythm. It's insanely danceable...in fact, as recently as last week I was listening to it and dancing around my mom's house like Dirk Valentine in the "Dance Commander" video.

It starts out a bit slow; if I were DJing, I might fade in on the first chorus. But once it warms up...oh man!

Also: Mott The Hoople's "All The Young Dudes" is pretty much essential glam rock, though it's not exactly going to burn up the dance floor. Maybe end on it?

I'm just curious--and I'm not trying to be a dick, I promise--but how did you end up DJing a glam rock night when you admittedly don't know much about the genre?
posted by Ian A.T. at 4:22 PM on September 18, 2005

also, if you can find it--the theme song to the movie "Foxes" (with Jodie Foster) "20th century foxes...."

and even maybe the Osmonds or DeFranco Family--they stole from glam too.
posted by amberglow at 4:27 PM on September 18, 2005

Rock and Roll, Part 2 -- Glitter.

Be aware that if you play this, miscreants might sing along, replacing the words "Rock and roll" with "Little boys," owing to Glitter being such a rampant pedophile that Thailand or Cambodia told him to leave and never come back.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:28 PM on September 18, 2005

Mott The Hoople - Roll away the stone
posted by fire&wings at 4:37 PM on September 18, 2005

Ian A.T.: It's normally an industrial/hardcore/goth night, but this time around they decided to turn it into a glam event.

I don't claim to be an expert in any of those genres either, but I'm pretty good at recognizing dance tracks.. I think that's why they trust me.
posted by stokast at 5:03 PM on September 18, 2005

In the age of Limewire and iPods everyone is a DJ.
posted by sourwookie at 5:08 PM on September 18, 2005

BTW: I just made a playlist of all these tunes. I'll be listening to this for weeks.
posted by sourwookie at 5:09 PM on September 18, 2005

How about Fanny's "Charity Ball"? Other favorites of mine include Stavely Makepeace's "Slippery Rock '70s," Iron Virgin's "Rebels Rule," Brian Eno's "Seven Deadly Finns," T. Rex's "Ride a White Swan," Suzi Quatro's "48 Crash"...

There are also a number of good compilations of "junkshop glam"--no-hit-wonders and ripoff artists of the glam era, whose stuff sounds amazingly great now. Velvet Tinmine and Clap Your Hands, Stomp Your Feet are a couple of 'em. There are a few on the U.K. label BPM.
posted by 88robots at 5:37 PM on September 18, 2005

If you do play some Bowie--and you really should--do include "John, I'm Only Dancing".

DO NOT, however, include "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)", the coked-out seven-minute disco remake dating from the "Young Americans" era. Like the Zappa cover of "Purple Haze", it's either the best or the worst piece of music I've ever heard. I have yet to decide which it is.

Other tracks to consider: by Bowie, "Cracked Actor", "Watch That Man", "Velvet Goldmine" (which is not on the "Velvet Goldmine soundtrack) and possibly "Diamond Dogs" or "Rebel Rebel". Anything danceable from Ziggy/Aladdin Sane/Pinups/Diamond Dogs, basically. He also covered "White Light/White Heat" and "Waiting for The Man" around that time, which are verrrrry glammed-up when compared to the originals.

By Roxy Music, "Do The Strand" and "Editions of You". By Brian Eno, "Needles in the Camel's Eye", which is on the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack, and possibly "Third Uncle" or "Blank Frank". "Seven Deadly Finns" is another good track, but it's hard to find.

Good luck with this. Glam never was a huge genre, and Ian A.T. is quite right when saying it's not very dance-oriented.
posted by Vervain at 5:57 PM on September 18, 2005

It's normally an industrial/goth night? Slipping 'Time Warp' in there somewhere might go over well.
posted by box at 7:12 PM on September 18, 2005

"Baby's On Fire" by Brian Eno. A classic of the genre.
posted by biscotti at 7:18 PM on September 18, 2005

"Fox on the Run" from the Sweet is very roller-rink dancy, and not as obvious. I'd put in a second vote for Eno's "Blank Frank." "All the Way From Memphis" is a danicer Mott the Hoople track. The Kinks "Sleepwalker" is another less well known song that would fit well.

Two biggies that no one has mentioned yet: Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" And the "Timewarp" from Rocky Horror.

Self link: I recently blogged about some more recent glam tracks from indie bands. The tracks by Bloom and the Snitches would fit particularly well.
posted by bendybendy at 7:19 PM on September 18, 2005

Nightclubbing, by Iggy Pop.
posted by klangklangston at 7:40 PM on September 18, 2005

normal greenbaum was hardly glam rock ... and i recommend that album highly

"black betty" by ram jam
"rebel rebel" by bowie is a must
"lust for life" by iggy pop
"i love rock and roll" by joan jett
"no more mister nice guy" by alice cooper ... there's several hits by them that would fit
"rock on" by david essex
"saturday night's alright for fighting" and "bennie and the jets" by elton john ... (come on, with those glasses, he WAS glam)
posted by pyramid termite at 9:13 PM on September 18, 2005

If we're going with Iggy Pop, I'd say there's a case to be made for "Penetration" (technically with the Stooges, but who's counting?). "Helen of Troy" by John Cale definitely fits the bill. Oh! Since the poster for the event says to dress like a sexy bitch, go with Bowie's "Queen Bitch". (Can't believe I missed that one.)

Both "The In Crowd" (Bryan Ferry) and "Night Club School" (Visage) are probably straying too far afield, but they could work. Guess it depends upon how long your set is.
posted by Vervain at 9:46 PM on September 18, 2005

vervain took the words out of my mouth. Espcecially re. 'John, I'm Only Dancing' & 'Editions of You'.
posted by anagrama at 2:55 AM on September 19, 2005

When it comes to marginal glam of the 70s, you may have some fun w/ The New York Dolls. I am trying to recall some danceable tracks (which aren't straight bluesy-rock)... a few unpopular songs come to mind, 'Private World', 'Lone Star Queen', and 'Don't Mess w/ Cupid'.
posted by jacobjacobs at 10:15 AM on September 20, 2005