The best of glam-rock: The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week
Welcome back to Far Out’s weekly vinyl corner feature, where we look to bring you a tempting selection of records from some of our favourite artists, bargain vinyl deals to look out for, and unmissable limited-edition releases. This week, we’re stepping back to the early 1970s, when glam rock was all the rage.
Vinyl sales grew for the 15th consecutive year in 2022, rising to 5.5 million units, the highest level since 1990, when …But Seriously by Phil Collins was the year’s biggest-selling studio album.
The return to records has steadily climbed since the invasion of streaming services in the late 2000s. While the weightless, highly accessible and practical format is great for discovering and consuming swathes of new music while you’re out and about, there’s nothing like coming home to a bit of vinyl.
My fellow collectors will agree that if you love an artist or album, there’s always a good reason to have the turntable at the ready and a 12″ slot reserved on the shelf for inevitable expansion. The sound quality of vinyl brings something more hearty and vibrant with its analogue warmth and crisp definition that there really isn’t a substitute for.
So if you have a soft spot for these groovy discs of plastic, allow me to walk you through ten hot picks for this week. The list includes all of the essential classics, from David Bowie to Lou Reed.
The following selections have been handpicked by Far Out Magazine, and as a result, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week:
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars [Half Speed]
David Bowie’s rise to global acclaim was consolidated with the release of the 1972 concept album based on the other-worldly alter-ego, Ziggy Stardust. This LP is home to some of Bowie’s best-loved hits, including ‘Ziggy Stardust’, ‘Moonage Daydream’, ‘Starman’, ‘Suffragette City’ and ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide’.
The influential glam-rock classic celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, and Parlophone pressed this special half-speed edition to mark the occasion. The half-speed pressing process is more time-consuming and intricate but results in superior sound quality, so you can pump up the decibels and hear Bowie’s vocals in their crystal-clear analogue beauty. You can now buy the album in a special bundle offer alongside Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon via the link below.
Available for purchase here for £24.49.
T. Rex – Electric Warrior
In 1971, T. Rex released their masterpiece album, Electric Warrior. The album hears the late legend Marc Bolan at his best with a bounty of groovy glam-rock anthems, including ‘Get It On’, ‘Jeepster’, ‘Mambo Sun’ and ‘The Motivator’.
The more upbeat hits are balanced out by slow brooding beauties, like ‘Cosmic Dancer’, ‘Monolith’ and ‘Life’s A Gas’. So whether you need a soundtrack to your Saturday night out or a quiet Sunday morning, this record has you covered.
Available for purchase here for £25.99.
Lou Reed – Transformer
Lou Reed released Transformer in 1972, the music is just as iconic as the Mick Rock photograph used for the artwork. This LP became a commercial success and marked his breakthrough as a solo artist. Prominent hits include ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, ‘Perfect Day’ and ‘Satellite of Love’.
Transformer was buoyed by the involvement of Bowie, which allowed it to reach a wider audience in the UK. The music within contains some of Reed’s most refined songwriting, which was graced with the instrumental involvement of Bowie and Ronson.
Available for purchase here for £25.70.
Roxy Music – For Your Pleasure [Half Speed]
Morrissey, the former frontman of The Smiths, once cited Roxy Music’s 1973 masterpiece, For Your Pleasure, as the “one truly great British album”. The band had taken all the strengths of the first, self-titled album and fashioned them into something so classy and vibrant that one finds it difficult to find a dull second in the LP.
There is a fine balance between energetic and slower moments throughout, all the while complimented by Brian Eno’s synth prowess. This glam-essential is home to classic hits like ‘Do The Strand’, ‘Editions of You’, ‘Beauty Queen’ and ‘In Every Dream Home A Heartache’.
Available for purchase here for £30.68.
Slade – Slayed?
Rock ‘ n’ roll has been host to many a rivalry, some fierce, some false. The most notable ones would be The Rolling Stones versus The Beatles, a classic fabrication of the mass media, and of course, the Britpop battle between Oasis and Blur in the 1990s. Back in the early 1970s, music fans were divided into either Sweet or Slade camps.
Of course, nowadays, Slade are mostly remembered for their nostalgic, fun-loving and mildly-irritating Christmas hit and Dave Hill’s remarkable haircut, but digging into their catalogue, there’s much to be enjoyed. Slayed? stands up as the band’s masterpiece with stand-out hits like ‘I Won’t Let It ‘Appen Again’ and ‘Look at Last Night’.
Available for purchase here for £17.05.
Mott the Hoople – All the Young Dudes
In 1972, Mott the Hoople were close to packing it in following four albums of dwindling commercial and critical presence. Keen to help the struggling group, David Bowie sent them an early demo of ‘Suffragette City’ in hopes that they would record it. Unfortunately, the band jammed to it and felt it didn’t fit their style.
Fortunately, a determined Bowie contacted Pete Watts to show him an early incarnation of ‘All the Young Dudes’. According to David Buckley’s book, Strange Fascination, Watts later recalled: “He hadn’t got all the words but the song just blew me away, especially when he hit the chorus.” It became a hit single and as a part of this landmark glam album, it saved the band from the brink of destitution.
Available for purchase here for £24.97.
New York Dolls – New York Dolls
It doesn’t get much more “New York,” or “glam-rock”, than America’s most iconic cross-dressing rock act. New York Dolls influenced a host of vital subsequent rock groups such as the Sex Pistols, Kiss, Ramones, Guns N’ Roses, the Damned, and the Smiths, whose frontman Morrissey organised a reunion show for the New York Dolls’ surviving members in 2004.
This eponymous 1973 album brought the music and an image that would define an era. Within the androgynous cover of New York Dolls, we can treat the ears to some of the band’s most memorable hits, such as ‘Personality Crisis’, ‘Trash’ and ‘Jet Boy’.
Available for purchase here for £31.00.
Brian Eno – Another Green World
This selection may be a little divisive. While Brian Eno sprung to our attention as the peacocky synth-extraordinaire of Roxy Music, he departed in 1973 to begin a solo career. Eno began his solo work in the realm of eclectic avante-pop music and gradually moved towards ambient soundscapes and production, most notably working on albums by David Bowie, Talking Heads and U2.
Another Green World is undoubtedly Eno’s solo masterpiece; it bridged so many of his artistic ideas under one roof. I include this album because it was released in 1975, and for me, it marks the end of the glam era. Songs like the proto-ambient ‘Big Ship’ couldn’t be further from the glam-rock sound, but other tracks, like ‘Golden Hours’ and ‘St Elmo’s Fire’, are close enough for me.
Available for purchase here for £22.89.
Sweet – Sweet Fanny Adams
As I included a Slade album, it seems only democratic to pick out a Sweet one too. Sweet Fanny Adams, for me and many others, marked the pinnacle for Sweet, who are still together some five decades since. This LP marked the beginning of the end for Sweet’s glam-rock reign; over the late 1970s, their style began to shift as their popularity declined.
Released in 1974, the album boasted some of the band’s greatest hits as they began to embrace a harder rock sound. Highlights include ‘Peppermint Twist’, ‘Sweet F.A.’, ‘Set Me Free’ and ‘Heartbreak Today’.
Available for purchase here for £24.44.
Elton John – Goodbye Yellowbrick Road
Elton John isn’t as quintessential to the term “glam-rock” as T. Rex or Slade, but one only has to look at his wild collection of specs to see that he was a central figure of the era and movement. John was already a big name before releasing Goodbye Yellowbrick Road, but this seventh album truly placed the crow on his head.
This record is widely regarded as John’s magnum opus, with ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’, ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’, ‘Bennie and the Jets’ and ‘Candle in the Wind’ making up its singles catalogue, it’s easy to see why.
Available for purchase here for £24.74.
