GLAM ROCK HAS BEEN getting a bit of a re‑evaluation lately, and rightly so. We’ve already spotlighted T. Rex’s ‘Ride A White Swan’ and ‘Hot Love’—two records that didn’t just chart well, but changed the temperature of British pop. They were the spark that lit the fuse.
This week we turn to another band who helped define the era: The Sweet, a group who combined bubblegum pop, heavy riffs, and a theatricality that pushed at the edges of what the Establishment thought acceptable. Steve Priest, in particular, delighted in winding up the moral guardians of the day. Their 1973 hit ‘The Ballroom Blitz’ is pure adrenaline—born from a real incident in which the band were bottled offstage in Scotland. They turned chaos into art, as glam bands so often did.
We’ve also been marking the centenary of the 1926 UK General Strike, and last time featured Billy Bragg’s take on ‘Which Side Are You On?’—a song originally written by Florence Reece during the brutal 1931 Harlan County coal wars. Bragg connected the American struggle to the UK miners’ strike of 1984–85, showing how these battles echo across generations.
Since then we’ve come across Natalie Merchant’s version. Merchant—best known from 10,000 Maniacs—approaches the song with a slow‑burn intensity. It starts almost as a whisper and builds into something resolute and defiant. It’s a reminder that protest songs don’t need to shout to hit hard.
There’s also something for the Bowie devotees. ‘Sorrow’, released in 1973, comes from Bowie’s Pin Ups album—a collection of covers paying tribute to the bands he loved as a teenager. The song itself began life with The McCoys in 1965 before being picked up by The Merseys. Bowie’s version is the definitive one: a lush, soulful vocal with that unmistakable sax weaving through it. Glam Rock may have been his aesthetic at the time, but this track shows how deep his musical vocabulary already was.
If you want to explore Bowie further, we’ve gathered reviews of his work here:
https://countercultureuk.com/?s=david+bowie
And as always, we end with a question. The final track this week is U2’s ‘With Or Without You’. Without looking it up, which album did it originally appear on?
THIS WEEK’S TRACKLIST
David Bowie – ‘Sorrow’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nTmPFtJS4c
Bowie takes a mid‑60s pop tune and transforms it into a smoky, melancholic masterclass. The arrangement is deceptively simple, but the vocal phrasing is pure Bowie—elegant, yearning, and unmistakably his.
Emma Bunton – ‘What Took You So Long’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX1Df_sjdzY
A bright, early‑2000s slice of pop with a Motown‑tinged bounce. Bunton leans into a warm, melodic vocal that shows why she was always the most quietly versatile of the Spice Girls.
Johnny Cash & Joe Strummer – ‘Redemption Song’
https://youtu.be/C7nFi2Lbq24?si=sUVuzEqIyl-SDwpG
Two giants of music—country and punk—meeting on common ground. Their version of Marley’s classic is stripped back, raw, and deeply human. A late‑career highlight for both men.
Dave Edmunds – ‘Girls Talk’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uEXJNS1llg
Written by Elvis Costello, Edmunds’ version is punchier and more polished. A perfect example of the late‑70s moment when pub rock, new wave, and power pop all overlapped.
Eurythmics – ‘Here Comes The Rain Again’ (Live)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko8Ec7ojahU
Annie Lennox at her most commanding. The song blends synth melancholy with orchestral drama, and in live form it becomes even more atmospheric.
Led Zeppelin – ‘Immigrant Song’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XO9RAkURQw...
A thunderous two‑minute blast inspired by the band’s tour of Iceland. Robert Plant’s Viking‑war‑cry vocal and Jimmy Page’s relentless riffing make it one of rock’s most recognisable openers.
Natalie Merchant – ‘Which Side Are You On?’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcaPvCLue7g...
Merchant’s interpretation honours the song’s roots while giving it a haunting, contemporary edge. A reminder that the labour struggles of the past are never as distant as we think.
The Sabrejets – ‘Lightnin’’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU6x4oFDt0g...
Belfast rockabilly with bite. The Sabrejets channel the spirit of 1950s rebel music but with a modern ferocity that keeps it from ever feeling nostalgic.
The Smashing Pumpkins – ‘Tonight, Tonight’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOG3eus4ZSo
A sweeping, orchestral anthem from the Mellon Collie era. The strings elevate it into something cinematic, while Billy Corgan’s vocal gives it emotional weight.
The Sweet – ‘The Ballroom Blitz’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lTwA5xMeTM...
A glam classic born from real‑life mayhem. The Sweet turn a hostile gig into a high‑energy, tongue‑in‑cheek celebration of rock‑and‑roll chaos.
The Tourists – ‘So Good to Be Back Home Again’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWaFcZGp-2c...
Before Eurythmics, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were part of The Tourists. This track is pure new‑wave sunshine—jangly guitars, bright harmonies, and a melody that sticks.
U2 – ‘With Or Without You’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXL2nYTNvyc
One of U2’s defining songs. Built around the then‑new Infinite Guitar, it’s a slow, atmospheric build that captures longing, tension, and release.
