Glam Flashback: (Glitter Hits)

Alice Cooper’s 1979 resurgence wasn’t just a comeback — it was a reclamation of identity, artistry, and theatrical power.

Rod Stewart laughs, drinks, kicks a football, and dismantles his own mythology — all in one of CREEM’s most entertaining late‑70s features.

In 1978, Queen were untouchable — which made them the perfect targets for CREEM’s sharpest jokes and most affectionate jabs.

Punk didn’t arrive quietly — it kicked the door in. CREEM’s Spring ’78 spread captured the moment the future of rock stopped asking permission.

March 20, 1977. On the final night of the Dandy Tour, Marc Bolan stood on a Portsmouth stage for the last time in the UK — glittering, grinning, and surrounded by the chaos of punk’s new heroes. The Damned crashed into “Get It On,” and for twenty minutes glam and punk became one unstoppable force. It was the end of an era, but Bolan made sure it ended in celebration.

A vintage NME page from March 1971 featuring a large black‑and‑white photograph of Marc Bolan playing electric guitar in a shimmering jacket. The headline reads “BOLAN the DEFIANT,” with two bold pull‑quotes flanking the image. The surrounding text forms a dense, columned article typical of early‑1970s music journalism.

As “Hot Love” cracked the Top 5, the glitter began to stick — glam wasn’t just coming, it had arrived.

In early 1971, as T. Rex’s fame accelerated, Marc Bolan drew a firm line: fans came first. The Sheffield Fiesta cancellation wasn’t a stunt — it was a statement of principle.

On 19 March 1970, David Bowie played a quiet acoustic set at the Three Tuns — his final performance at the pub that had nurtured the Beckenham Arts Lab. Two days later, a small newspaper advert marked the moment in print, a fleeting reminder of a night that quietly closed one era and ushered in the next.