Glam Slam Chronicles (Everything)

Bowie storms Saturday Night Live – puppet bodies, giant suits, and pure art-rock chaos! David Bowie’s Saturday Night Live appearance on December 15, 1979 – one of the most bizarre and brilliant TV moments of his career. Backed by Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias in avant-garde drag, Bowie performed three tracks from Lodger: “The Man Who Sold the World” (in a giant cardboard suit) “TVC 15” (carried like a puppet) “Boys Keep Swinging” (with a puppet body and a cheeky finale) The surre

A Disco-Glam Double Dancing Return Released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK on December 14, 1979, on RCA Records (catalogue: BOW 4 / PB 9482), David Bowie’s “John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) (1975)” — the disco re-recording from the Young Americans sessions at Sigma Sound — was backed with the original “John, I'm Only Dancing (1972)” from the Ziggy Stardust era. Produced by Bowie & Tony Visconti (A) and Bowie (B), this glam-disco hybrid peaked at No. 12 on the Official Singl

A Victim Of Love Rock 'n' Roll Cover Released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK on November 23, 1979, on The Rocket Record Company (catalogue: XPRES 24), Elton John’s “Johnny B. Goode” was a high-energy Chuck Berry cover from *Victim Of Love*. Backed with “Thunder In The Night,” this Pete Bellotte-produced disco-rocker featured lacquer cut at Utopia Studios. Issued in standard (A/B designated) and no A/B label variants, with a 12-inch companion. No UK chart entry. A bold ‘70

David Bowie's Bowie and Iggy article in Rolling Stone November 15, 1979. IVE BEEN READING ROLLING STONE since the San Francisco days when Ralph Glea-son was holding forth, and there has never appeared, to my eyes, a more magical article than Chris Hodenfield's "Bad Boys in Berlin" (RS 301). David Bowie and Iggy Pop shine through the dead-end Berlin mist like angels in the night. BUDDY MARTIN Cambridge, Massachusetts I CAN'T BEGIN TO TELL you how impressed I was with Chris Hod

A Rock Anthem Revival Ian Hunter’s “Cleveland Rocks” 7-inch vinyl single, was released in the UK on November 2, 1979, on Chrysalis Records (catalogue: CHS 2390). Backed with “Bastard,” this high-energy rock anthem, written by Ian Hunter, was taken from from his fifth solo album, You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic. Produced by Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter. The song celebrates the city of Cleveland, Ohio, highlighting its vibrant spirit, and is regarded as an unofficial anth

A Punk-Era Protest "Sign of the Times" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in October 26, 1979 as the second single from the band's eighth studio album Return to Base. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Slade. Background Having returned to the UK from the United States in 1976, Slade found themselves out-of-favour at the time of the UK's Punk rock explosion. The band's 1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade proved a

SPARKS’ “TRYOUTS FOR THE HUMAN RACE”: A SYNTH-POP GEM FROM 1979 In the ever-evolving world of synth-pop and new wave, Sparks—the eccentric duo of brothers Ron and Russell Mael—were at the forefront of electronic music’s evolution in the late 1970s. Released on October 19, 1979, through Virgin Records in the UK (VS 289), the 7" single “Tryouts for the Human Race” / “Tryouts for the Human Race (Long Version)” was taken from their groundbreaking eighth studio album, No. 1 in Hea

Suzi Quatro’s two-page article, published in Rocky magazine on October 15, 1979.

Rod's Chart-Topping Legacy Rod Stewart’s Greatest Hits Vol. 1 LP, was released in the UK on October 12, 1979, on Riva Records (catalogue: ROD TV 1). This 10-track compilation gathered Stewart’s biggest hits from 1971–1978, showcasing his transition from Faces frontman to solo pop-rock superstar. Produced by various collaborators including Tom Dowd and Stewart himself, the album highlighted his raspy vocals and versatile style, peaking at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for five

Slade's Return To Base was released as an LP album in the UK by Barn Records (Chas Chandler's indie label, catalog NARB 003 on October...