T. Rex released the standalone single “Hot Love,” a major early marker of British glam rock’s shift toward glittering pop swagger and amplified boogie.
“Hot Love” began a six-week run at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, helping establish Marc Bolan and T. Rex as glam-era pop superstars.
T. Rex released “Get It On,” a riff-driven glam/boogie hit that became one of the era’s defining singles and boosted the band’s international profile.
“Get It On” reached No. 1 in the UK, reinforcing glam rock’s commercial breakthrough and cementing T. Rex’s chart dominance in 1971.
Electric Warrior arrived as a landmark glam-rock album, pairing flamboyant style with concise rock ’n’ roll songwriting and major chart success in Britain.
“Metal Guru” was released ahead of The Slider and became a signature T. Rex glam single, blending pop hooks with Bolan’s mythic lyrical style.
Roxy Music’s self-titled debut brought art-school experimentation into glam’s visual and musical language, helping broaden the movement’s scope beyond boogie rock.
David Bowie released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, framing glam rock around a fully realized persona, narrative concept, and striking stage aesthetics.
The broadcast of Bowie’s “Starman” performance on Top of the Pops became an iconic glam-rock TV moment, bringing Ziggy’s androgynous, futuristic image into British living rooms.
Mott the Hoople released “All the Young Dudes,” written and produced by David Bowie; its success helped reposition the band as key participants in the glam-rock surge.
Slade released “Mama Weer All Crazee Now,” a stomping glam/hard-rock anthem that helped define the era’s crowd-chanting, working-class party aesthetic.
Bowie released “The Jean Genie,” a major glam single that bridged Ziggy’s theatricality with a bluesy rock riff and pointed toward Aladdin Sane.
Sweet’s “Block Buster!” arrived as their major UK breakthrough, exemplifying the Chinn/Chapman hitmaking approach within early-1973 British glam rock.
Roxy Music released “Pyjamarama,” a UK Top 10 single that underscored glam’s crossover with art rock and studio experimentation.
Slade issued “Cum On Feel the Noize,” one of glam rock’s definitive singalong anthems and a template for later hard-rock and metal crowd-chorus songwriting.
T. Rex released “20th Century Boy,” widely regarded as a glam-rock high point: muscular guitar, a strutting groove, and pop immediacy without losing edge.
Roxy Music’s For Your Pleasure deepened glam’s art-pop dimension with more elaborate production and persona-driven songwriting; it was also their last album with Brian Eno.
Aladdin Sane was released in the UK, expanding Bowie’s glam vision with sharper, road-tested material and the iconic lightning-bolt cover image.
Slade followed their biggest 1973 hit with “Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me,” continuing their run of UK No. 1 glam/hard-rock singles built around chant-ready hooks.
At the Hammersmith Odeon, Bowie announced the show would be the “last” for Ziggy Stardust, effectively ending the Spiders from Mars era and closing glam’s most famous persona-driven chapter.
Sweet released “The Ballroom Blitz,” a high-energy glam anthem that became one of the genre’s most recognizable singles and a major international hit.
Roxy Music released Stranded, their first album without Brian Eno and their first UK No. 1 album—signaling how glam aesthetics could persist even as lineups and styles shifted.
Glam Rock in Britain (1971–1974)
