Rossall shakes his head with sadness at the way Leander has nearly been forgotten. Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. They are one of the very few bands to start out backing a solo artist and go on to become successful in their own right an obvious comparison would be the Shadows. Just look at all the Christmas songs from the 70s still being played! . Trevor Horn played bass guitar for the band in this era. CUSTOM COMMISSIONS NOW OPEN! However, his 1975 single, I Was Only Dreaming, is a great glam tune and it really should have been a hit. [citation needed] The band produced several singles in this period including "Montgomery Clift" and albums The View From Here (1980) and Burn the Buildings (1981). i heard it was Mr Seago. In recent years the Glitter Band have been considered guilty by association for having had the temerity to start out backing the disgraced Gary Glitter. In 1981, the group released a new single, "Until the Next Time," maintaining a steady stream of further releases over the next five years. A major creative departure, "Goodbye My Love" climbed to number two, while the group's abilities as songwriters received another boost when labelmates Hello scored a European hit with a cover of the Glitter Band's own "Game's Up." [8][9] Phipps was also the drummer on Liquid Gold's hits which included "Dance Yourself Dizzy". Copyright 2023 Learn how your comment data is processed. They were joined by Tony Leonard on drums and its a decent pop song, the sort of thing which was hitting the charts quite regularly in the early 80s, but a far cry from the Glitter Band in their prime. The Glitter Band's second album might indeed have borne one of the era's most cringe-worthy titles, and a sleeve that wasn't much better. It was a real relief.". 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 as Oxendale and Shephard. In 1986, Phipps performed on Zipper an album written by Roger Chapman. As an experienced session drummer referred to as "The Human Timekeeper", the Memphis soul sensation performed with R&B legend Otis Redding (Try A Little Tenderness), nocturnal proto-funkster Wilson Pickett (In The Midnight Hour), blues idol Albert King (Born Under A Bad Sign) and seductive lothario Al Green (Let's Stay Together). There is a band on Back From The Grave 4 called Beep Beep & The Roadrunners who were using two drummers back in '62/'63. Rossall and Shephard came up with Angel Face. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Please read all descriptions thoroughly before purchasing. The band have become entangled in Gary Glitters new world and they feel unfairly tarred with the same brush as their former singer, as John Rossal their new leader wearily explains. Classic Disco, and Angel Face / You Wouldn't Leave Me Would You?. ", (Even the Cologne techno scene of the early 00s which featured the so-called 'schaffel' rhythm in triplet eights was in thrall to the Glitter beat. 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. "), Buoyed by the massive success of "Goodbye My Love," the Glitter Band selected another soft rocker for their next single, "The Tears I Cried," following through over the next 12 months with the similarly styled "Love in the Sun" and "People Like You, People Like Me." Finally a rather sub-par and generic sounding power ballad, Nothing At All, appeared in 1986 and again did nothing. I was so in love with Gerry RIP. They were unofficially known as the Glittermen on the first four hit singles by Gary Glitter from 1972 to 1973. Sometimes Smith hits the nail on the head, and even if he is exaggerating to make a point, The Glitter Band had an amazingly unique sound, a sound that has gone on to inspire an unlikely cross section of musicians. Yeah thats right the sick dog of pop Gary Glitter, the fallen star, the convicted paedophile whose every movement is the concern of the tabloids. nick_honest. Changing direction, Phipps first joined Ex-Directory a jazz rock band where he first met Vic Martin (who would later, with Pete, join the Eurythmics); this was then followed by a short period with a London based punk rock band called The Secret. Peter Gill (born 9 June 1951) is an English former heavy metal drummer, formerly a member of The Glitter Band, Saxon and Motrhead. One of them is a superb player too - Peter Phipps - and the man is a living metronome. Originally called The Glitter Men, only Rossall and Ellison played on Glitters first two records every other instrument was played by Mike Leander. On this particular evening one of his charges David Essex, who he was producing at the time, phoned in sick and in the downtime Leander invented the Glitter band sound. Early in 2001, along with shows with the Glitter Band, Santanarama and Glitz Blitz at a range of venues nationwide, Phipps made a return to playing some R&B with a South East-based band Desperate Measures. [7] Sales dropped in 1976, with the advent of punk rock. It also inspired me to write this article. [citation needed] One may play the rhythm while the other may play another style, or both may play the same rhythm.It is more common to have a main drummer with an auxiliary percussionist who plays Latin American percussion, toms . Get the best celeb gossip with the Daily Star Showbiz newsletter. A ballad, it was written by Shephard, and Springate sang lead. "For me the Glitter band were more influential than the Beatles," explained The Fall's Mark Smith recently. His imagination and sheer musical brilliance was key in the 60s colouring in records with amazing and imaginative use of strings, working with The Beatles, Marianne Faithful, Billy Fury and a whole host of other key players. Great band, great music. [1], The Glitter Band had seven UK Top 20 hit singles in the mid-1970s, and three hit albums. Bands With Two Drummers. Finally Springate, Phipps and Shephard released "Gotta Get a Message Back To You" in September 1977, under the new name of Air Traffic Control. He recorded Back in Denim (1992 and Denim on Ice (1996). The Glitter Band regrouped under their old name in 1980, around the same time as Gary Glitter himself moved back into focus. If he could have played brass then he would have done that as well.". John Springate went into record production in the 90s, becoming involved in the Hi-Energy dance scene and recording Nicki Frenchs hit cover of Total Eclipse Of The Heart. I too had forgotten just how good they were. If you love what we do, you can help tQ to continue bringing you the best in cultural criticism and new music by joining one of our subscription tiers. Peter Gill (born 9 June 1951) is an English former heavy metal drummer, formerly a member of The Glitter Band, Saxon and Motrhead . He said: We are suffering from the fallout and bad press because of his actions. The Glitter Band: The Glitter Band - Hey! Written by John Rossall and Gerry Sheppard, their debut single, "Angel Face," was an obvious close relation to the Glitter sound, a pounding, stomping number that raced to number four in Britain in March 1974, but it unquestionably possessed a charm all of its own. Further sporadic releases followed in the 1980s on a variety of labels. . Phipps also continued to record with Glitter Band colleagues pursuing solo identities, such as with John Springate recording an album together in John's own Rock Star Studio and playing drums on the album Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, by Gerry Shephard and Peter Oxendale. The band eventually announced they had broken up. Musically the story had become about Gary Glitter but in reality it should be about the band's producer Mike Leander. The best track on it is Look What Youve Been Missing which saw John Rossall return to songwriting duties with Gerry Shephard. Mike used to get in the studio on his own with the engineer and play the drums for 20 minutes trying out different drum things and then say: 'Right, roll the tape. to the engineer and then record a section that he would then he would make a loop out of and copy it onto the 24 track. Joyce tweets. In the late 80s while I was studying at Portsmouth Polytechnic I went to see Gary Glitter play at the Guildhall. Currently taking Commissions to begin in Early 2023. In 2009, drummer Pete Phipps (who had taken ownership of the name "The Glitter Band") and original bassist and vocalist John Springate put together a new version of the group with the addition of Dominic Rodgers on guitar and vocals, and Eddie Spence on keyboards and vocals. Broadcast on 31st January 2021 for Soul Radio USA's Virtual 70's and 80's New Year's Eve Party, this is an exclusive Interview with Pete Phipps lead drummer . In 2014 the song "Angel Face" was included on the soundtrack of the hit Spanish film The Face of an Angel. I imagine somebody a bit more famous was doing it before them. Theyll now never get together again as sadly Gerry Shephard died of cancer aged just 51 in 2003. Share. Its a fantastic record which has really stood the test of time definitely a glam rock classic. What people miss out on is the fact the whole Glitter thing comes from Mike Leander. Experimenting in the studio one night Leander did one of those rare things: he synthesised a whole new pop sound from some unlikely sources. They were unofficially known as the Glittermen on the first four hit singles by Gary Glitter from 1972 to 1973. We're the musicians that played on parts of the records. All rights reserved. This was the start of a time when The Glitter Band toured the world amasing millions of record sales. Sadly this also sank without a trace. Phipps was then asked to join Random Hold, a band he had already worked with a year or two before. In 1981, the group released a new single, "Until the Next Time," maintaining a steady stream of further releases over the next five years. Two further albums, Rock 'n' Roll Dudes and Listen to the Band, were equally courageous, with the group's ambition now so pronounced that they even brushed aside the first signs that their invincibility was cracking: the chart failure of the singles "Alone Again" and "Don't Make Promises.". Thanks for your article, the Glitter Band really and truly deserved so much more recognition,they alone were brilliant musicians and writers. He was also influenced by Osibisas rhythms. The funky Watch The Show is another Harvey Ellison composition and the only one which he sang lead on. (Hello also scored with another Hey-era staple, a cover of the Exciters' "Tell Him.") The band did a great job replicating Leanders sound live. Particular kudos should be paid to Gerry Shephard and the slide effect he used on his famous star guitar. By 1977, the band had started to fall apart. Tony Leonard has now retired from the music business. The line-up was John Rossall (trombone & the bands musical director), Gerry Shephard (lead guitar & vocals), John Springate (bass & vocals), Harvey Ellison (saxophone), & keeping thumping tight time at the back the twin drummers Tony Leonard & Pete Phipps. ~ Dave Thompson. To find out more, click here. days. Shortly afterwards, bubblegum glam group and Bell Records label mates Hello recorded their own version of Tell Him using the Glitter Bands arrangement and took it into the UK top ten. Shes been buying records for over 40 years and going to gigs since the 70s (just!) Evidence that the Glitter Band were capable of meeting greater challenges than the Glitter sound normally set was delivered in early 1975 with their fourth single, the soft rock ballad "Goodbye My Love." He then put this amazing droning guitar sound on it. The Glitter band, though, are trapped by history. Peter William Phipps (born 5 August 1951 in Clapham, South London)[1] is a rock drummer, singer and songwriter known for his work with Gary Glitter, The Glitter Band, and later Eurythmics, XTC and Denim. The Glitter Band released their debut LP, called Hey! In 1976, as Gary Glitter announced his retirement, the Glitter Band cut their last sonic links with the old sound. Gill later spent three years with Motrhead, 1984 to 1987, recording four new tracks for the compilation No Remorse, The Birthday Party and one full album, Orgasmatron. Then in 1971, he joined CBS band Heaven and supported Jeff Beck on tour in the UK and Germany. 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. Every day he would be in the studio producing session after session. Random Hold composed of David Rhodes, Bill MacCormick, David Ferguson, and Pete Phipps were described by a music journalist[who?] Original Glitter Band bandleader John Rossall died on October 2, 2021, a year after releasing a comeback album, The Last Glam in Town; he was 75 years old. It's a sound that is so distinctive that it causes the Pavlovian exhortation: "Ah! Also included is a rather ill-advised cover of the Rolling Stones Sympathy For The Devil their first cover version since the Hey! Gary Glitter - GGs Drummer (88-97) : THE ANIMAL *RARE FOOTAGE* - YouTube Here we have a very rare insight into being one of Gary's Backing musicians,Mr Martin (ANIMAL) Clapson Gives a Chat. Feel free to contribute! The band also toured extensively in the time Gill was a member. Listen To The Band is musically ambitious compared to their previous albums, with the band trying to move away from the distinctive sound which made them famous, hoping to be taken more seriously. 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. In March 1974, "Angel Face" was released on Bell Records, reaching number four in the UK Singles Chart, and outselling Glitter's "Remember Me This Way" that week, though this song ultimately peaked higher at #3. But when we do play people really appreciate what we are doing. VBTS May 22, 2005 #7 Jean-Baptiste Clamence @ May 23 2005, 01:15 AM wrote: This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. And there are two drummers on some major jazz records such as Miles's Bitches Brew or John Coltrane's Meditations. Producer Mike Leander kept the distinctive sound on many of the songs, but there is evidence of a slicker sound on a few of the tracks. I shall surely play them again now. 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