Five years on from the release of his critically-acclaimed glam comeback album, The Last Glam in Town, and four years on from his tragic passing, new music from Glitter Band founder, John Rossall, has recently been hitting the airwaves.
The stream of glowing reviews for Last Glam in Town were a surprise even to Rossall. When I interviewed him back in 2020, he told me: “It’s like I’ve written them myself almost! It’s a surprise. The reviews everywhere – it’s been beyond my wildest dreams really.”
What people may not know, however, is that before he died John Rossall recorded a follow-up album to Last Glam In Town. John’s close friend and former PR, Anne Street, has worked tirelessly to get that final album released and made available to fans. While that wish so far remains unfulfilled, a track from the album and an accompanying video has been officially launched via You-Tube and has also been picking up enthusiastic airplay on Heritage Chart Radio and many other stations, including Kim Smith’s show on Radio Northwich and Jan Bjerrum’s show on Sunshine Radio.
The single ‘Not Good Enough’ is a collaboration between John Rossall, David Philp and Mark Standley. The video celebrates John’s Blackpool heritage – with colour and black and white segments marking a nod to both his 1970s Glitter Band heyday and his 1960s early career in the Boston Show Band. The video was created by Dave Forward of Manchester band, The Cathodes, who posted the video to his own YouTube channel.
Anne Street explained the background to both the single and the unreleased final album in a recent announcement on Facebook:
“When John was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in March 2021 he set about spending all his remaining time writing and recording a final glam album. He hoped to see it released before he died, but his record label procrastinated over the final mixes and this delay has continued. A renowned Dutch DJ and producer more recently offered to do the final mix free and for the benefit of John’s family, but record label would only agree if paid!
Meanwhile, John had collaborated with David Philp on one track, and Mark Standley was credited too. David as co-writer was eventually allowed to bring out his final mix which John had approved in 2021.
I met up with David at his home in Beverly Hills, L.A., June 2024, and we discussed the importance of getting this song out for John’s fans and as a tribute to John’s memory. It features both John Rossall and David Philp. However, David had to overcome all sorts of publishing hurdles and it’s finally ready.”
While the song is yet to receive an official release so that fans are able to purchase it through the main digital platforms, Anne Street remains hopeful that this can happen in the near future.
“It’s a fab, glamtastic song and hoping you’ll enjoy it,” she added.
The track entered Mike Read’s Heritage Chart Radio in the Top 40 following release. Currently at No. 38, it is expected to rise higher. The You-Tube video is also featured on Mike’s Heritage Chart TV Showfor Talking Pictures.
And so to Butlins again for another music weekend. Although I’ve been to many such weekends over the years, with the demise of theGiants of Rock Weekend at Minehead and the Rock & Blues and the Great British Folk weekends at Skegness, my main reason for visiting Butlins these days is for the ever-popular We Love the 70s weekend. And, handily for me, this one is available at the Bognor site so it’s just a shortish trip along the Sussex coast from Hastings, rather than a mammoth cross-country trek.
Again, I doubled it up with some volunteering for the learning disability charity I volunteer for. Gig Buddies is a great project that matches up an adult who has a learning disability with a volunteer so they can go out, stay up late and have fun. And because it’s all done through volunteering, there are no budget constraints, rotas or timesheets to worry about in terms of paid support staff. Myself and my fellow 70s music fan and very good friend, Daniel, have been gig buddies for several years now but we only did our first Butlins weekend together last year. It was a brilliant success and a shed-load of fun so we were both really keen to do it again this year.
Darren (left) and Daniel (right) enjoying the funfair at Butlins
The line-up this year was the usual mixture of tribute acts, covers bands, original 70s bands (although usually with no more than one or two members from their glory years these days), and the odd genuine bona fide 70s legend.
Tribute acts
In the first category we had Elton John, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Abba tributes among others. We also had a couple of slightly-more-than-tribute-acts, in the shape of Mud II, which evolved out of original Mud singer’s Les Gray’s backing band and Quo Connection, the majority of whom had worked with original Status Quo drummer, John Coghlan, in John Coghlan’s Quo prior to his retirement. Very much at the rockier end of this weekend’s entertainment, Quo Connection were definitely one of the highlights for me, pulling off convincing renditions of classic-era 70s Quo songs like ‘Caroline’, ‘Down Down’ and ‘Whatever You Want’.
Quo Connection
Covers bands
In the second category, Glam Rock UK blasted out an entertaining selection of glam covers each evening – great if you weren’t particularly fussed about one of the bands on the main Centre Stage or were just looking for a late-night boogie after you’d caught the bands you really wanted to see.
Actual 70s bands
In the third category this year, bands included The Glitter Band (with original vocalist John Springate and original drummer Pete Phipps), The Bay City Rollers (with Stuart Wood now clocking up 50 years as a Roller) and Racey (still with original members Phil Fursdon on guitar and Clive Wilson on drums).
The Glitter Band were a late replacement for Slade who had to bow out as Dave Hill is currently unwell but they were definitely the glam highlight of the weekend for me. With John Springate back fronting the band, he joked at one point that he was the only original glam singer still around these days. And with Marc Bolan, Brian Connolly, Les Gray and Alvin Stardust no longer with us, Noddy Holder retired and Gary Glitter safely put away in prison – he’s certainly not wrong.
John Springate – The Glitter Band
The Glitter Band may have only one drummer these days but Pete Phipps has been pounding that glitter beat since the early days. And while there’s no brass section anymore either, Springate paid tribute to sadly now-departed members Harvey Ellison and John Rossall, along with late guitarist Gerry Shepherd. And with that signature Glitter Band sound, they pumped out many of the band’s best-known tracks, including hits like ‘Angel Face’, Just For You’ and ‘Let’s Get Together Again’. And they even thew in a few Gary Glitter numbers as well, including ‘Rock and Roll (Parts One and Two)’ and ‘Leader of The Gang’. If anything could be classed as guilty pleasure it’s these but they were undoubtedly glam classics back in the day – and probably would still have been even if Mike Leander (producer, songwriter and the genius architect of the glitter sound) had never set eyes on Paul Gadd in the first place and found himself a different frontman.
True legends
The final category I mentioned was bona fide living legends and Leo Sayer definitely fitted into this. With the cavernous new Studio 36 complex absolutely packed out for his early evening slot, he delivered a performance of sheer class. While the rest of the weekend was about enjoying some great, fun gigs at a holiday camp this was at another level altogether – a stunning show that just oozed professionalism, charisma and quality song-writing. The atmosphere in the auditorium as he reeled off hit after hit was simply incredible and I suspect everyone there shared that same feeling that they were in the presence of a true legend.
Leo Sayer
And Daniel’s verdict? He awarded ten out of ten for every artist we saw (plus ten out of ten for the food and the chalet and the swimming and the funfair!) Both of us are looking forward to coming back next year.
The farewell tour of glam hero and Glitter Band founder, John Rossall, due to kick off in Blackpool on 4th July, has sadly had to be pulled on health grounds.
Following a hugely well-received comeback album in 2020 John shared news with fans earlier this year that his condition was terminal but vowed to say a special goodbye to fans with a final farewell tour.
In an update shared on his Facebook page today, however, John Rossall’s backing band made the following announcement:
“We all travelled up to Manchester to rehearse John Rossall’s Farewell Tour yesterday. Very sadly it has become apparent that John is not well enough for the upcoming shows. It has been a difficult decision for us all, it is with deep regret and sadness that all shows are now cancelled. You should hear from the venues regarding refunds but please contact them directly if not. We are sure you will, like ourselves, send your love and very best wishes to John, Julia and his family at this very difficult time.
Thank you for your continued support. Dave, Chris, Bob and Corrie”
It’s desperately sad that John can’t say goodbye to fans in the way that he had hoped but he can be very proud of his contribution to UK popular music and in particular taking critics by surprise and going out on such a high point with the incredible Last Glam In Town album last year.
As I said in my review last Autumn it was genuinely the first great glam rock album since the 1970s.
“All tribal beats, honking brass, fuzzed-up guitar, sing-along choruses and enough handclaps and chants of ‘Hey’ to last you a lifetime, The Last Glam In Town is a modern masterpiece of the genre.”
When I interviewed John last year he was immensely touched by the swathes of positive reviews: “It’s like I’ve written them myself almost! It’s a surprise. The reviews everywhere – it’s been beyond my wildest dreams really.”
Best wishes to John and his family and thank you for the music you’ve given us.
I’ve been following Bristol-based acapella group The Longest Johns since they sent me their first album to review back in 2016. Following the tiktok sea shanty viral sensation that is ‘Wellerman’, however, they now find themselves in the Top 40 – with a lovely rather dumbstruck announcement on their Facebook page giving their reaction as follows: “BY POSEIDONS BEARD! It’s only gone top 40! We did it everybody, thank-you to all our families, the mod’s and the fantastic discord community, Thank-you to Anna for singing it with us and thank-you to EVERYONE who bought Wellerman and got a (Can’t believe i’m typing this) SEA SHANTY IN THE CHARTS. Ohhhh!!”
2020 was looking like a terrible year for glam veterans, Slade. Guitarist Dave Hill sacked drummer Don Powell from the continuing (ie: post- Jim and Noddy) version of the band. Bass-player Jim Lea had his prized guitar stolen and Noddy Holder exchanged a few sharp words about his former song-writing partner Jim in press interviews. All that was put to one side, however, as all four original members expressed their joy at their greatest hits compilation Cum On Feel The Hitz going straight in at No. 8 in the UK album charts back in October. This was the band’s highest ranking in the UK album charts since Slade In Flame was released back in 1974!
Only a few short years ago the wheels well and truly seemed to be finally coming off the AC/DC machine. Rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young had tragically passed away, drummer Phil Rudd was sentenced to home detention after an unedifying case involving drugs and threatening behaviour, vocalist Brian Johnson ended up being replaced by Axl Rose following major hearing problems and bass-player Cliff Williams saw the writing on the wall and decided he, too, had had enough. However, with Stevie Young replacing his late uncle, Malcolm, the classic post-Bon Scott AC/DC line-up (or as near as humanly possible to it anyway) was resurrected and a brand new album Power Up ended up reaching No. 1 in twenty-one countries.
Glitter Band founder member, John Rossall, released a wonderfully menacing twenty-first century reboot of classic 70s glam rock with his The Last Glam In Town album. Released back in October last year, it picked up favourable reviews everywhere. All tribal beats, honking brass, fuzzed-up guitar, sing-along choruses and enough handclaps and chants of ‘Hey’ to last you a lifetime, The Last Glam In Town is a modern masterpiece of the genre. “It’s like I’ve written them myself almost!” he told me when I interviewed him late last year. “It’s a surprise. The reviews everywhere – it’s been beyond my wildest dreams really.”
While there has been no big Charlatans comeback (their most recent album was back in 2017), Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties have been one of the bright spots throughout the pandemic. The idea was a simple one: an album and a time would be chosen and fans would converge on social media to exchange their memories, reactions and appreciation of said album. Soon there was a queue of artists eager to get involved and, for me, one of the highlights was when they featured the album by Heavy Load, a band which was composed of people with and without learning disabilities, of which my current boss was the former bass-player. You can find out more about Heavy Load, the award-winning film of the same name that was made about them and the charity that they inspired here.
Tim Burgess // Piknik i Parken // The Charlatans // 2019-06-13 18:19:07 // Grünerløkka, Oslo, Photo credit: Tore Sætre / Wikimedia
Following the release of his highly acclaimed new album ‘The Last Glam In Town’ I talk to former Glitter Band legend, John Rossall. Our chat covers glam rock, show bands, growing up in Blackpool and, of course, John’s new album and the prospect of touring again post-Covid.
The last glam in town – that’s quite a statement isn’t it?
People have their own perspectives and thoughts on it. I just wanted to do an album. I’ve not done one for years and years, well forty-odd years, of original songs. But, yeah, I think it’s a bit of a statement really.
It’s such an authentic sound on the album that really captures the original spirit of glam. What was the experience like in the studio, making a glam rock album in the 2020s rather than the 1970s?
Well, for a start in the 70s you were actually in the room with somebody. If anybody was going to record something, they actually came in the studio to do it. You couldn’t have a guitar player playing his part in, say, Berlin and the drummer drumming in Stockholm. That’s a change. That took me a while to get used to.
Clearly it worked! Did you find the technology helped you create that glam sound even though it was recorded in a completely different context?
In some ways it did. But you have to write the song first before you worry about the technology. But I knew what I wanted to do before I started recording. I wanted to update what we did – the Glitter sound, basically. I wanted to bring it right up to the twenty-first century. It’s not been played on radio stations for quite a long time and I kind of wanted to update it. Make the drums a bit more powerful and make one or two subtle changes. But the main ingredients of it, the original production – I wanted to keep some of that magic in it.
You must be very encouraged with the reviews so far?
Yes, I am. It’s like I’ve written them myself almost! It’s a surprise. The reviews everywhere – it’s been beyond my wildest dreams really.
Tell us about some of the people you collaborated with on the album.
I had a few people. Apart from my touring band – that was the basic bottom line – but I had different guests on different songs. For instance, Jon Robb from the Membranes, we got together. I wanted to take the Glitter thing to a bit of a dark side, an almost avant-garde thing. And I found that the most challenging thing, to update it in that way but keep the roots of it still there, you know. Also, I worked with Robert Lloyd from the Nightingales. I recorded three songs with him and also Mark Standby, who’s a long-time collaborator. He was in my band about twenty years ago. He lives in Berlin now. I got Bob Bradbury from Hello to write a song for me. I wanted him to do one where we produce a kind of tribal feel with the drums. And then I got Michael (Wikman) from Sweden who plays the drum track on that. Of course, not forgetting Alan Merrill from the Arrows who wrote ‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll’ who wrote a song for me (‘Equaliser’) not long before he passed away, a couple of months later.
That was written especially for you for this album, was it?
Yes. We knew each other quite well in the 70s, obviously. But you know, over the years you kind of lose touch, like you do. But in the last five years we reconnected and did about three short tours in the UK. And the magic – he was still the same guy. I really enjoyed the tours we did with him and it’s so sad he never got to hear the finished thing. He actually plays guitar and does backing vocals on there.
Some of the songs on the album are really personal to you, aren’t they, like ‘Blackpool Rocks’?
Well there’s quite a lot of songs about Blackpool that I learnt when I was growing up. Most of them by the great legend George Formby – ‘My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock’ and ‘Cleaning Windows’ and all that kind of thing. But I kind of wanted to do one that went over my childhood. I grew up in Blackpool. My dad was in quite a famous Blackpool band in the Empress Ballroom. He played there for twenty years and as a kid, aged about 10 or 11, I used to go down there about once a week. And I used to stand at the side of the stage. Of course, I liked swing bands when I was about 10, 11, 12. And because he worked at the Tower Company, Winter Gardens we used to get a lot of free tickets to the summer season shows. And the whole atmosphere of Blackpool in the 50s was amazing. And that’s what basically the song is about. My childhood, Blackpool in the summer and my dad, who was still my mentor, even after all these years. So that’s what that was about. I was quite happy when it was done although it was one of the hardest songs to write on the album, actually.
If we can now go back to the very early days of your career. You were leading the Boston Show Band in the late 60s and early 70s and they morphed into the Glitter Band. We tend to think of show bands as mainly an Irish thing, but you were an English band working in Germany, weren’t you?
My first professional job, earning a living, was in an Irish show band. And I lived in Ireland for a few years. And then I joined the Mike Leander Show Band, which was an eleven-piece band, back in 1965. We did an eleven-week tour, an old-fashioned kind of package tour with the Bachelors headlining and people like Susan Maughan. And then the band disbanded and I didn’t know what to do and I thought I’ll start my own band. And that’s what I did a few months after that. Got an act together, got some guys together and we went across to Germany in 1966 and we stayed there for about nearly six years. Of course, there were personnel changes, people leave, somebody wants to settle down and when they got home sick, they’d want to go back to the UK. But I enjoyed doing it. We worked together with Paul Raven (Gary Glitter) during that time. And we kind of split really beginning of 72. We were touring the UK quite heavily. And myself and Harvey Ellison, the other sax player in the band, we had laid some notes down on ‘Rock and Roll (Part 2)’ in December of 71 and we thought the record had fizzled out. Then I got a call from Mike Leander around about the beginning of June of 72. And he asked whether we’d like to re-acquaint ourselves and work with Paul Raven again with ‘Rock and Roll (Part 2)’. And I thought yeah, we’ll do that. We were doing quite well and had some records as the Boston Showband at that time and I did make it a condition – and I liked the idea of Mike Leander producing – I did make it a condition that we would get to do a record after a reasonable amount of time, which we did.
And how many albums did you do with the Glitter Band then?
I did two.
People wouldn’t necessarily think show band to glam rock as the obvious route. But there were parts of the show band sound that became an integral part of the Glitter Band sound weren’t there?
The main thing was that most bands and groups around, they were just guitars and drums and maybe keyboards. Not a lot of them had sax and brass so that was correct. And, of course, in my very early days as a teenager in Blackpool I was playing in brass bands. And ‘Angel Face’ that’s got a kind of brass band feel about it, with the drums and the way the brass section goes especially in the middle eight. Some of those ideas, of course are apparent on the new album. As I said, I only did two albums with the Glitter Band back in the 70s, but this album is kind of the album I missed out on – that I wanted to make. Because when I left, I felt I had unfinished business with the band. I wanted the band to do something in America. We’d done it in the UK and Europe but to me the job was only half done. And I left.
So, this album isn’t just a career renaissance for you it’s actually a career highlight in terms of albums then?
Yeah, it is. When I started making the album it never entered my head, I was going to make a 70s album or a glam album. It’s just me. I’m the guy who wrote those songs in the 70s. And I’m a lot older now and more mature obviously – I hope! And I write songs now. And it’s people who are listening who put you where they think you should be. And it wasn’t a nostalgic album either. I just wanted to make a brand new statement and update the Glitter sound and do some fun songs. And that’s what this is about – having fun really, nothing serious.
You left the Glitter Band in the mid-70s for a solo career. For those who are maybe not familiar with your career since then do you want to just briefly sum up what you did musically between the Glitter Band and now with this album?
Well I did a couple of singles which were quite decent, but I was quite unlucky actually. One was playlisted everywhere. A song called ‘It’s No Use You Telling Me No’ a song I did with Twentieth Century Fox. And lo and behold just as it was coming out, they decided to close their UK office down. And we tried to buy the master back to give it to another record company, but they wouldn’t let us have it. And I was quite disillusioned. Then I went to Sweden for quite a few years. I was relatively unknown there. I thought my music was done but after a couple of years it never really leaves you. And I got a band together – Swedish guys – with the idea of just playing a few gigs, getting together at the weekends just for a bit of fun. But then I started getting invitations to go to Germany playing festivals. Big festivals, a couple of trips to the UK and, of course, it like reawakens you – the hunger. So, we were touring, quite a bit and shows in the UK. Not with any original music just mainly the old hits. And about two years ago I thought it would be nice to go on tour, make a new album with some brand-new songs and that would give me something new and creative. Well, of course, I got the album bit done and I should be on tour really now but obviously I’m not.
Yes, that’s something that’s affected every musician.
That’s the luck again! It strikes!
So, what are your plans now this album is out and assuming at some point venues reopen and we can start seeing live gigs again?
Hopefully, we’ll still tour the album, albeit next March, April, May – whenever we’re allowed to and it’s safe to do so, of course. That’s my immediate plan. Of course, the album’s only been released a couple of weeks so it’s still early days for it. We’ll have to see how we go with the album, really, and then that will decide what I do. But if it remains the same as now, I’ll probably go out and promote the album and do some shows. I still enjoy playing live. It’s still a great feeling you know.
And still going out there playing music. You could be the Jerry Lee Lewis of glam rock. The last glam standing?
Yes well. If the cap fits, yes!
Anything else you want to say?
Well I just hope people give it a chance, give it a good listen to and go out and buy it obviously. And I hope I can perform it next year on some live shows. I know through social media that people really want me to tour the album and that’s what I’ll try to do. So, all I want to say is I hope everyone gets through this alright and we can carry on and life gets back to something a bit like more like normal for us all.
Thanks to Claire Moat and Anne Street for their assistance in arranging this interview.
From Slade’s Til Deaf Do Us Part in the early 80s New Wave of British Heavy Metal boom, to Sweet’s melodic, prog-inspired masterpiece Sweet Life in the early 00s, there have definitely been some great albums from glam rock artists who subsequently managed to reinvent themselves once the allure of sequins and silver platforms began to wane. But, really, has there been anything approaching a great glam rock album since the 1970s? Look no further Glitter Band alumni, John Rossall, has just released one.
All tribal beats, honking brass, fuzzed-up guitar, sing-along choruses and enough handclaps and chants of ‘Hey’ to last you a lifetime, The Last Glam In Town is a modern masterpiece of the genre.
Rossall was part of the original Glitter Band back in the day, playing not only on a string of the shamed Leader’s early hits but going on to record a succession of Glitter Band favourites without their now-disgraced and unmentionable frontman. Rossall subsequently left in 1974 for a somewhat uneventful solo career. I’ve seen him numerous times over the past couple of decades wowing the crowds with a selection of hits from both Glitter (the man) and Glitter (the band). Last Glam In Town, however, is something else altogether – a whole new album of superbly-crafted songs that capture the vibrance, assertiveness and pure fun of glam in its heyday.
Longtime collaborator Mark Standley along with members of Rossall’s touring band, post-punk outfit the Nightingales (whose lead singer, Robert Lloyd, sings two songs), and John Robb of punk legends the Membranes (who also provides vocals on two tracks) all feature on the album alongside Rossall.
Among the album’s ten glam-filled tracks, highlights include the wonderfully menacing album opener ‘Fear of a Glam Planet’ and ‘Blackpool Rocks’ a tribute to Rossall’s home town and his father and musical hero, Bob Rossall, who returned to Blackpool after serving in the Second World War and played in Blackpool’s Empress Orchestra for two decades.
Another track ‘Equaliser’ was written by Rossall’s old friend Alan Merrill of Arrows, writer of the glam anthem ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’, who gifted the song to Rossall before tragically passing away from Covid back in March. Alongside the original material, the album also contains a suitably glammed-up cover of the Honeycombs ‘Have I The Right’ and concludes with an energetic cover of one of the Glitter Band’s biggest hits, playfully retitled here as ‘Let’s Get Together Again (Again)’.
For inspired and original glam rock with energy, joie de vivre and twenty-first century credibility John Rossall is definitely your man. A superb album.
Released: 30th October 2020 by Tiny Global Productions
Darren's music blog 