The Best albums of 1998
Bolan or Bowie? Sex Pistols or The Ramones? Guns ´n Roses or Faster Pussycat? Enuff znuff or Beatles? Poison or Pretty Boy Floyd? The Agony of choice. Well, life is full of tough choices. If you don't like the challenge of debate, if you aren't rigid in your convictions and firm in your beliefs, then you can stop reading this and continue with your daydreaming. It's time to choose the best ten albums reviewed in Glitzine during 1998. A task for the passionate, the true fans who would very well raise their fist and yell "I'd sell my soul for the American Heartbreak CD!!!" or "I'd choose Hollywood Teasze every day, every moment of my life!!". To value, judge, label and compare releases is difficult, if not impossible. Pointless? No! The top-ten list below sums up the year perfectly. It contains 1998 most glamorous and emotional moments. The best lines, the rawest riffs, the most pounding drums, the snottiest attitudes and the most outrageous looks, are all included. The List bares the potential and prospects within glam/sleaze rock.

Sit down, grab yourself a slice of cherry pie and a six pack of beer.  Here's the ten best albums reviewed in Glitzine during 98 (some of the albums was released at the end of 97. Demotapes are excluded from this list). Do you remember? *Drum roll* Hey Ho! Let's Go!!!

1     Hollywood Teasze - No Flakes

Hollywood Teasze, Germany's glamdolls finally release their long-awaited second CD... Wow! This release really smokes! Hollywood Teasze has matured in some areas but they still play the poppy glampunk we all want to hear... This follow-up is a phenomenal achievement. More mature but still simple punkpop that works better than anything else.

Visit the Hollywood Teasze Website


2     American Heartbreak - What you Deserve

"What You Deserve" contains seven crotch-huggin ballsbusting glamtastic punkpop songs... American Heartbreak should score big with "What You Deserve". They punch harder than D-generation, Backyard Babies or most of the other glampunks of today. Your heart will be broken... the american way.

Visit the American Heartbreak Website



3     The Mistakes - Angry Youth

Todd Wiltse, formely of legendary The Zeros but better off alone, has formed one of the most outrageous punkbands since the immortal Glamour Punks... The Mistakes has got the tools and toolbox as well. Looks, attitude and songs is all there like an A-bomb waiting to blow. I don't know if they'll attract the true punks but glitterpunks, as myself, loves Mistakes. It's significant for our way of life.

Visit the Mistakes' Website



4     Backyard Babies - Total 13

Backyard Babies second full-length CD is pedal-to-the-metal mangle, hold on tight or you'll fall off!... If "Diesel and Power" was a proper dinnerparty of Ramones, Iggy Pop and Dogs D'amour, "Total 13" is a couple of hours later when some of Ramones friends have gatecrashed the party and turned it into a ballroom blitz. This release is much more punk than the previous which I personally think is a step downhill but I won't sue for a divorce, I'll stick around as long as these babies shot with this caliber. Great band, great songs and great attitude, buy now or forever hold your peace.

Visit Backyard Babies' Websites 1 and 2



5     Space Age Baby Jane - The Electric Light Parade

Space Age Baby Jane is Sweden's brightest stars at the moment. From Borlänge (of all places) this project is destined to conquer every planet... "The Electric Light Parade" contains 11 quality pop/glitterrock songs. Anyone into 70's glitterrock with a 90's twist (similar to The Conscience Pilots and early Manic Street Preachers) should buy a ticket to the space parade.



6     Mother Mercy - Love at First Bite

Some people claim that glam lost it's metal touch during the late 80's. That the "Pretty-Boy-look" of Poison and Pretty Boy Floyd etc, was a sellout and that glam's more darker side got disappeared in the mess of lipgloss. Mother Mercy is a band with the ambition to bring the more heavy metal injected glam back... Mother Mercy could be Motley Crue's successors.

Visit the Mother Mercy Website



7     The Bomb Pops - S/T

The Bomb Pops is the perfect fusion of 77punk and glam. A superb collection of attitude, abuse and amusement... f you want your punk to be fun, furiuos and filled with hooks, you'd better check this band out. I can garantuee you that these bombs rather blast than pops.

Visit the Bomb Pops Website



8     The Pink & The Black - Glam/Goth Compilation

This must be the first glam compilation in at least ten years, without doubt one of the most promising projects in the history of glamrock... "Pink and Black" do have some unnecessary songs (D'Molls, The Zeros) and many of todays best glambands are missing (Guttersluts, Revlon Red, Romeo's Dead, The Mistakes) but it's still an extraordinary ride through every state of glamrock, from pop to punk. It contains lots of quality and potential. Some of these underground bands will breakthrough if there's any justice in the world (there isn't though). Buy it and support subculture heroes!

Available at Delinquent Records



9     Pretty Boy Floyd - A Tale of Sex, Designer Drugs...

"Leather Boyz..." turned my life around. I will try to not be too dramatic but it's impossible to overestimate the importance of that particular album. PBF saved glamrock as Poison and Motley Crue turned to Bruce Fairbairn and Bob Rock respectively... "A Tale..." is a really good five song EP from the former gods of glam. PBF still rock! I welcome this second CD with open arms. Recommended for fans of glamourous popmetal.

Available at Delinquent Records
Visit PBF's Website



10     Paradise Alley - Heartbreakers & Homewreckers

Paradise Alley holds the glamflag of UK high... This is 80's glam with lots of "oohhhhh's" and "Na na na's", like a hybrid of Poison and Quireboys. If you miss those days you'd better take a walk down Paradise Alley because it's just as good a trip as memory lane.

Available at Delinquent Records



11    Romeo's Dead - So Far ( A Two-song single, not comparable to the others)

San Francisco's finest do everything right on their path to stardom... I haven't heard a weak song from this band So Far (!). Be a part of the beautiful mess and get yourself some trash from Romeo's Dead. If Romeo's Dead had a full-lenght of songs with such starquality as this single, it would have been the best album of 98!

Visit the Romeo's Dead Website


Worth mentioning: The Loving Dead - "S/T", Jetboy "A Day in the Glamorous Life" and  Little Rebel "Full Rebel Jacket". The Albums on the list pretty much make out the year of 1998. Good or bad? I'd call it average but many things indicate that glamrock is getting ber and ber. Kepp reading Glitzine for the best coverage

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