Glitter (Gary Glitter album)

Glitter
Studio album by
Gary Glitter
ReleasedOctober 1972
Recorded1971–1972
StudioMayfair Studios, London
Genre
Length37:45
LabelBell
ProducerMike Leander
Gary Glitter chronology
Glitter
(1972) 		Touch Me
(1973)
Singles from Glitter
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideC[2]

Glitter is the debut studio album by English singer Gary Glitter, produced by Mike Leander, and released by Bell Records. Two tracks, "I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock and Roll)" and "Rock and Roll", the latter a song in two parts, achieved success as singles; each spent time amongst the top 40 singles in both the US and UK.

The album featured, in addition to including the two singles, other original songs that generated fan support, including "Rock On!", "Shaky Sue" and "The Famous Instigator", as well as Glitter's versions of "Baby, Please Don't Go" (written and first performed by Big Joe Williams) and "The Wanderer" (first recorded by Dion DiMucci & the Del-Satins). The disc was a best-seller, reaching a high of number eight on the UK Albums Chart.

The album was the first by Glitter to achieve commercial success and presaged his 1973 album Touch Me. The album was also reissued in 1996 as a picture disc that was limited to 5,000 copies, which, along with containing the 12 tracks from the original album, also included four bonus tracks, which were "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)", "It's Not a Lot", "Just Fancy That" and "Thank You Baby for Myself".

2009 re-issue

The album was reissued in 2009 under Airmail Records. This time it contained the 12 tracks from the original album and five bonus tracks: "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)", "Just Fancy That", "I Love You Love Me Love", "Hands Up! It's a Stick-Up", and "Remember Me This Way".

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Rock and Roll Part 1" (Gary Glitter, Mike Leander) – 3:04
  2. "Baby, Please Don't Go" (Big Joe Williams) – 2:53
  3. "The Wanderer" (Ernie Maresca) – 2:44
  4. "I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock and Roll)" (Glitter, Leander) – 3:22
  5. "Ain't That a Shame" (Glitter, Leander, Edward Seago) – 2:39
  6. "School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)" (Chuck Berry) – 3:07

Side two

  1. "Rock On!" (Glitter, Leander) – 3:32
  2. "Donna" (Ritchie Valens) – 4:18
  3. "The Famous Instigator" (Glitter, Leander) – 3:24
  4. "The Clapping Song" (Lincoln Chase) – 3:13
  5. "Shaky Sue" (Glitter, Leander, Seago) – 2:21
  6. "Rock and Roll Part 2" (Glitter, Leander) – 3:00
  • Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–12 on CD reissues.

1996 CD bonus tracks

  2. "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" (Glitter, Leander)
  3. "It's Not a Lot (But It's All I Got)" (Glitter, Leander)
  4. "Just Fancy That" (Glitter, Leander)
  5. "Thank You Baby for Myself" (Glitter, Leander)

2009 CD bonus tracks

  2. "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" (Glitter, Leander)
  3. "Just Fancy That" (Glitter, Leander)
  4. "I Love You Love Me Love" (Glitter, Leander)
  5. "Hands Up! It's a Stick-Up" (Glitter, Leander)
  6. "Remember Me This Way" (Glitter, Leander)

Charts

Chart performance for Glitter
Chart (1972–1973) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[3] 8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] 36
UK Albums (OCC)[5] 8
US Billboard 200[6] 186

Certifications

Certifications for Glitter
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[7] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[8] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b AllMusic review
  2. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: G". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 126. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Gary Glitter – Gary Glitter" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of December 2, 1972". Billboard. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Cash Box Magazine" (PDF). Billboard. 15 December 1973. p. 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2021 – via World Radio History.
  8. ^ "British album certifications – Gary Glitter – Glitter". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 March 2024.