The
Pink and Black glam/goth compilation is one
of very few anthologies devoted to glamrock during the last decade. The Pink
disc features nineteen different glambands and two special guests - Dee Snider's
SMF and Pretty Boy Floyd. All in all this pink project causes chills
running up and down my spine. It brings me back to days of glamour, fun, teardrops
and sex action. All glamrockers have cried their make-up off through this mess
of a decade. The Earthquakes from Seattle caused fatal damage and the glamscene
haven't had a chance to recover (cheap shots, what did you expect?). Therefore
collections such as "Pink
and Black" really do make a difference or at least attempting to (which
is almost as admirable). However, what inspired Delinquent
Records to compile a collection of glambands? Nancy Chandler explains
Well, the truth is the collection entitled The Pink And The Black is a collection
of both goth (being The Black disk) and glam (being The Pink disk) bands. I
decided to use these two styles together because goth and glam bands are the
only bands left in the music scene who have image and incorporate it with part
of their lifestyle and music.
I was completely fed up with the Seattle/grunge/alternative scene which was
doing nothing for rock'n'roll except making it extinct!! I was so tired of so
much credibility and praise being given by the media to bands like Nirvana,
Matchbox 20, and the bands out now in the U.S. who look dirty and have no haircut
or image - or if they do it's flannel shirts and baggy pants and dirty tennis
shoes (that is nothing to look at from the viewpoint of a fan). And face it
- rock'n'roll is supposed to be sort of sexual or sensual and goth & glam
bands are the only styles giving attitude and image in the '90s! So I decided
to create a CD paying proper tribute to goth & glam together!
Glam- and Gothrock certainly are way above the rest when it comes to image and
putting up a show. Eventhough glam and goth often are opposites, both are theatrical
and a thrillto watch. Eventhough the opportunistic media decided to suckerpunch
glamrock, under the belt, there have been an impressive underground movement
feeding the starving fans. Was it difficult to find proper bands to fill the
CD?
Yes, but not so much because of the theme of 'The Pink And The Black', but
because bands never can get their tapes, contracts, fees, etc. into Delinquent
Records in a timely fashion. Bands always drag on and on. Then there are some
bands who change their mind at the last minute and then I have to find another
band to fill that spot and it goes round and round that way.
That is true. Too many great bands don't have the ambition or passion to grow
out of their garage. It's sad to hear those awesome demotapes, knowing that
the bands lack the most important thing to succeed. As a glamrock journalist,
I sometimes get the feeling that I'm more interested in promoting certain bands
than they are themselves. They are too busy being cool rockstars at the local
bar.
A selectionprocess always precede the final product. Which bands do fit and
which doesn't?
Because goth and glam bands are often accused of being too focused on their
image and not enough on their music - I picked only the bands who had well written
songs, with quality and commercial arrangement, delivery and musicianship. So,
recording quality of the song submitted is important - I hate to hear various
artists releases that are not consistant. One band is louder than the other
- or - two styles of bands are put next to each other that don't compliment
each other. I wanted the disk to flow (from one band to another) and be easy
to listen to; for instant start out with hardrockers and get everyones' attention
and then ease up into more pop/commercial and then into the punk stuff and then
into the experimental
music.
It's wise to not fall into traps of predjudices. Glamrock isn't focused on the
image, the music is the most important thing. Image is just a nice icing on
the cake. The both, do however, not stand in contrast to each other.
The Music on the Pink disc is very varied, stretching from the powerpop of
Garlic, the glampunk of The Beauty School Drop-Outs to the industry of Undercover
Slut.
Yes they are very much varied and I did want that on the CD mainly to give
the listen plenty of styles to listen to and also so that the it's not put together
to where it sounds like a whole disk of various bands playing the same song
(there's many goth comps that way, and ever more glam comps where all the bands
sound the same. I didn't want anyone to listen to the glam side (or the goth
side) and say "Didn't we just hear this band" or "Is this the
same song again"? I hate that in other label's releases and I wanted to
make sure Delinquent Records gives the listener plenty of choice, quality and
variety.
There are both positive and negative aspects of such a varied collection. The
Positive thing is that The Pink disc show glamrock from many different views.
The negative aspect is that the limits of the genre are maybe stretched too
far. It makes one wonder about definitions of glamrock. What has Undercover
Slut (Industry) together with Garlic (powerpop)? Why are they both considered
as glamrock?
I define glamrock as any type of rock'n'roll which is guitar-oriented, the
songs are positive and uplifting and fun!! Also, glambands do have image - the
band wears stage clothes, light or heavy make-up and doesn't go onstage without
doing their hair and giving the audience an exciting visual show as well as
music.
I consider all the bands on the Pink disk to be glambands.
During the '80s - I only thought of Pretty Boy Floyd, Poison, and bands like
that being glam. Now glam means alot more - glam is what all hardrock of the
'80s are considered now including bands like Twisted Sister, Ratt, and Cinderella.
Also, there is other new styles of glam. Such as Black Glam, which is what bands
like The Loving Dead is - actually Marilyn Manson, could be defined as Black
Glam. Undercover Slut from France deliberately calls themselves glam, even though
they have a total industrial feel - bringing about the catagory of Industrial
Glam, such as other bands like Lunatic Candy Kreep. Willow Wisp is a band that
falls into the catagory of Experimental Glam.
To place bands within certain genres is a rather pointless work of dedicated
fans. It is fun but it's also a way to concretize something as abstract as music.
I agree on some parts of Chandlers defintion eventhough I don't think the industrial-
, experimental- or black glam are neither guitaroriented, positive, uplifting
nor fun. There were however a darker side of glam that the glitzy glamrockers
of the eghties ignored. The Punk and decadence were exchanged for flash and
pop, a trade that glambands of today still have to pay for. The Conclusion still
have to be that the only thing, for example, Pretty Boy Floyd and Willow Wisp
have in common is an outrageous image.
Right now, glamrock is standing at a crossroad. Which path leads to stardom?
What lies ahead? Will glamrock comeback?
I think glamrock, image-oriented commercial hard rock, and glam metal will
be coming back b on the scene during the next 5 years. Kids who were too young
to enjoy the early '70s Bowie/Gary Glitter/Angel days & the mid to late
'80s with Poison, Motley Crue, Faster Pussycat, Guns'n'Roses are starting to
feel left out because their generation never got to fully experience glam.
The glam of the late '90s and into the year 2000 is not going to be limited
to the styles of the '70s & '80s. I mean it's not going to be the same kind
of glam - because regardless of the make-up and lipstick, multi-colored hair
and painted fingernails with outrageous costume - there's the music. We've all
been exposed to the industrial sounds of NIN and the alternative sounds of Bush,
and the raw rock/punk sounds of Smashing Pumpkins . So we'll
probably see alot of black glam and alot of techno glam, etc. Alot of the hybrid
bands mixing goth & glam together which I call The New Breed. And instead
of a Pink & Black 2 - next I will do a CD of the bands who are crossing
over this way.
I guess you all have read about the dispute considering PBF's "Saturday
Night". Rumors had it that the Pretty Boys has been taken off the
project but obviously it was false. Pretty Boy Floyd is on the disc. How did
this "scandal" affect "The Pink & Black" project?
Well first and foremost, Delinquent Records used the song in good faith
that the band had written it, or even if they hadn't written it, at least had
the professionalism and courtesy to acquire rightful use of the song. I hated
having to get legal and bring our law firm into the deal. It took some of the
fun out of the project for the label - it also put Delinquent Records in a tough
spot between fans of Pretty Boy Floyd. We received alot of mail that wasn't
so kind from their fans, who didn't know the whole story and were making decisions
about it without knowing all of the details.
And as far as getting things out in the open, I didn't want to air dirtylaundry
between Aeriel Stiles and Pretty Boy Floyd. It was hard for me to comment on
the whole mess without being liable for slander if I didn't answer a question
in a certain way. But it is all settled now, the song "Saturday Night"
by A. Stiles and T. Meagher will remain on the future pressings of The Pink
And The Black and Aeriel and his co-writer will gettheir rightful royalties.
That was a true mess and Glitzine was caught in the middle as Aeriel Stiles
personally got in touch with me to express his view. I wrote earlier that "Pink
& Black" is an admirable project but is it successful?
Delinquent Records continues to see The Pink And The Black gain new fans
and interests each week and interests in the sales, etc. is constantly renewing
itself and hopefully the label and the bands will continue to see more success
in the future. So, I feel that the success rate of "Pink & Black"
is still going . . . . and hopefully will continue for several more years!
Well that is as good a sign as any. Hats off to Delinquent Records for a really
good glamrock compilation.
Visit:
Delinquent Records
The Pink and the
Black website
or mail
glamrock-banner is taken from Delinquent Records