#Gary glitter full album series

What people miss out on is the fact the whole Glitter thing comes from Mike Leander. We're the musicians that played on parts of the records. A lot of people who criticise us for playing these songs donвЂ™t really know the whole depth of the story. 'For me when we play we are carrying on the work and legacy of Mike Leander. Glitter Band bass player John Rossall co-wrote some of the songs and continues the band to this day, but he knows his place in the scheme of things. He played all the instruments himself till he came up with the dark and strange rock & roll of 'Rock n roll part 1 and 2'. This does not detract, though, from Mike Leander who created these deceptively simple records, slowing down Burundi drums played in shuffling three fours and copying their tribal power with two drum kits and adding massive drones from the guitar bass and a brass section. We are certainly not making any case for Gary Glitter here, he merely grunted along on these records - his creative input was zero. Yeah thatвЂ™s right the sick dog of pop Gary Glitter, the fallen star, the convicted paedophile whose every movement is the concern of the tabloids. In the 70s Leander created the Glitter Band and one of the decadeвЂ™s biggest pop stars Gary Glitter. This is unfortunate to say the least as Leander himself had a brilliantly original musical mind and, unlike the equally genius Meek, never murdered anyone. Leander died ten years ago at the age of 55 and is now mainly forgotten or his legacy forever tainted by his association with Glitter. 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. In short, he was a pop genius and should be lauded in the way that Joe Meek is. Musically the story had become about Gary Glitter but in reality it should be about the band's producer Mike Leander. People come to the gigs and they understand that the band and the songs are quite separate from the whole situation.' But when we do play people really appreciate what we are doing.

#Gary glitter full album series

'It seems like every time we get a series of gigs together and some sort of comeback is on the cards, he will get arrested and we lose a lot of shows. The Glitter BandвЂ™s own career has been stymied by the situation. Even then he insisted on staying in a hotel whilst we had to share digs in bunk beds behind the stage. Glitter was difficult to work with even when we first met him in 1964/65 when we were his backing band in the Starr Club in Germany. We were not even that close when we were working with him. The tabloids ring all the time looking for stories but I have nothing to tell. 'I've not even spoken to Gary for 30 years and every day I have to speak about him. The band have become entangled in Gary GlitterвЂ™s new world and they feel unfairly tarred with the same brush as their former singer, as John Rossal their new leader wearily explains. A fabric that has been torn by Paul Gadd's fall from grace. It's a sound that is part of the fabric of British pop culture. They were also a massive influence on The KLF/Timelords who collaborated with GG, Ed.) ( 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. It's a sound that is so distinctive that it causes the Pavlovian exhortation: 'Ah! The Glitter beat!' They are the last living link to the brilliant producer Mike Leander, who created the Glitter Band sound which has influenced so many people in pop from The Fall to The Smiths to Marilyn Manson, Adam And The Ants, Bow Wow Wow and Killing Joke and anyone else who cops that droning guitar over a tribal beat. The Glitter Band's unique sound is well appreciated by the cognoscenti of alternative music makers. They may have played on some of popвЂ™s great records and had a whole career of their own, but now they have to spend every day fending off tabloids and defining themselves against the actions of their former front man.