From the first sparkle to the last stomp – every key single that built the glitter empire, month by month. This is the timeline that turned grey Britain day-glo: the exact order the anthems hit the streets, the airwaves, and the bedroom walls. No filler, no hindsight – just the songs that defined glam as it happened. Date Artist Song Why It Matters February 1971 T.Rex Hot Love The first #1 with handclaps and glitter – glam is born July 1971 T.Rex Get It On The riff that made

The cosmic dancer who took a whispery hippie duo, plugged in the electricity, grew the curls, and accidentally invented glam rock overnight. One minute he’s a bongo-playing Tolkien elf called Tyrannosaurus Rex, strumming acoustic fairy tales about unicorns. The next he’s Marc Bolan in satin and glitter, getting it on straight to number one and turning every teenage bedroom in Britain into a shrine. The Glam Slam Essentials Electric Warrior (1971) – Album Release (1971) – UK #

The original shock rock pioneers – five Phoenix kids who terrified parents and invented rock theatre! The Alice Cooper Group (1964–1975) were the godfathers of shock rock: raw Detroit garage energy, vaudeville horror shows, and glam-tinged hard rock that influenced everyone from Kiss to Marilyn Manson. The Classic Line-Up (The “Killer” era) Vincent Furnier (“Alice Cooper”) – vocals, ringmaster of chaos Glen Buxton – lead guitar (the quiet riff wizard, died 1997) Michael Bruce

The eight-piece, face-painted, sax-wailing, rainbow-haired glam orchestra who made Christmas forever weird and wanted you to see their baby tonight. Roy Wood left ELO, grew the maddest beard in rock, slapped on war-paint thicker than Kiss, and assembled the loudest, campest, most joyous gang of glam lunatics Britain ever saw. The Glam Slam Essentials Wizzard Brew (1973) – Album Release (1973)One long, mad, prog-glam freak-out – “Wear a Silly Grin”, “Buffalo Station”. Not radi

The shock-rock king ditched the band, kept the guillotine, and turned his nightmare into a billion-dollar solo empire. The original Alice Cooper Group called it quits. Vincent Furnier legally became Alice Cooper, stepped out alone, and somehow made the horror show even bigger, broader, and more theatrical. The Glam-to-Goth Slam Essentials Welcome to My Nightmare (1975) – Album Release (1975)The first true solo masterpiece – title track, “Only Women Bleed”, “Department of Yout

The bubblegum-turned-glitter-booted stompers who gave us the ultimate teenage rampage soundtrack. They started as squeaky-clean pop pups churning out Chinn & Chapman bubblegum hits, but by 1973 they’d grown their hair, slapped on the makeup, zipped into satin, and turned into the loudest, campest, catchiest glam rock war machine on the planet. The Glam Slam Essentials Sweet Fanny Adams (1974) – Album Release (1974)The moment they went heavy – “The Six Teens”, “AC-DC”, “Set Me

The leather-clad, bass-slinging Detroit firecracker who kicked down the doors for every woman who ever wanted to rock harder than the boys. She was barely five-foot-nothing, but when she strapped on that bass, slapped on the black leather jumpsuit, and snarled “Can the Can,” the entire glam world stood up and took notice. The Glam Slam Essentials 1. Suzi Quatro (1973) – Album Release (1973) The debut that announced her arrival – “48 Crash”, “Glycerine Queen”, pure leather

The Black Country boys who made glam rock stomp, shout and spell badly on purpose! Slade were formed in Wolverhampton, England, in 1966 as The N’Betweens. By 1969 they’d become Ambrose Slade, then simply Slade under the guidance of manager Chas Chandler (ex-Animals, Jimi Hendrix discoverer). From skinhead boot-boy beginnings they exploded into the ultimate 1970s glam sensation – top hats, mirrors, misspelt song titles and the loudest live shows on the planet The Classic Line-

The bespectacled piano man who turned camp into rocket fuel and made the 70s sparkle brighter than his wardrobe. He didn’t just play glam – he detonated it in feather boas, 12-inch platforms, Donald Duck outfits, and glasses that could blind aircraft. One minute he’s a shy session musician, the next he’s the biggest pop star on the planet, outselling everyone with heartbreak ballads and honky-château boogie. The Glam Slam Essentials Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) – Album Re

The stomping, sax-blasting, silver-suited engine room that turned glam into a gang! Before they had a name, they were simply “the band” – the group of session musicians who gave Gary Glitter his trademark wall-of-sound stomp. When they stepped out front in 1974, they kept the glitter but added harmonies, horns, and pure bubblegum joy. The Classic Line-Up John Rossall – sax, vocals, ideas man Gerry Shephard – lead guitar, vocals (the pretty one) Pete Phipps – drums, vocals Ton