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In a couple years glam rock will reach its 40th anniversary. Since then it's been a musical subgenre that's been hailed, derided, scrutinized, mocked, and just about anywhere in between from both critics and audiences alike. Yet it seems to carry on as time goes by. What is glam rock? Where did it come from? What does it represent?

It's hard to define what glam rock actually is. While one can generalize and claim that glam rock is a fusion of rock n roll music with glamour and androgynous image and persona, that isn't entirely accurate. In fact, glam rock has had several different branches even from its beginnings in the early 70s. The music most consider glam rock emerged in the post hippie early 70s in England as artists such as David Bowie (a/k/a Ziggy Stardust at this time), T. Rex, Mud, Sweet, Suzi Quatro, and Slade (after their brief failed incarnation as a skinhead band) first came to prominence with a look that shocked many people with men and makeup, spandex, dresses, and platform boots while playing catchy sometimes simple rock and pop songs that some would even say hinted at bubblegum pop (though the harder rocking elements were brewing under the surface). Song driven and poppier than the psychedelic rock that was gained a following around this time, this wave of glam garnered a following among young people in much of the world.

The next wave of glam put a twist on the glam rock template as bands such as Roxy Music, Wizzard (featuring former Electric Light Orchestra founding member Roy Wood) and Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel took some of the elements of glam's image (makeup, strange costumes) but musically went for artier rock sounds that bordered at times along the progressive rock movement that was emerging at this time. Sonically more chaotic and willing to go into less poppy directions, there is an attitude and presentation that was a little more dangerous than the pop rock sounds offered by Mud or Sweet. However, this wave was still able to be in the same record collection for some fans of the more popular glam rock bands.

Then there's the more outlaw (for lack of a better term) wave of glam rock bands from this era. Embodied by bands such as the New York Dolls, who's raw stripped down rock n roll sound and trashed up take on glam androgyny, was more rebellious than glamorous in nature. While not as big in record sales at the time, the Dolls would in some ways have the lasting impact of a Bowie when they became one of the prototypical influences

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