Wired Up! Glam Proto Punk and Bubblegum European Picture Sleeves 1970-1976
Wired Up! Glam, Proto Punk, and Bubblegum European Picture Sleeves 1970-1976 by Jeremy Thompson and Mary Blount / ISBN 9780615488769 / 378-page hardcover book, out-of-print
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Wired Up! is the first book to fully document the underground European glam rock scene of the early 1970s, cataloging hundreds of the best and most sought after junkshop glam, proto-punk and bubblegum 45 sleeves from the 1970–76 period. The history of this highly influential but seldom discussed moment in rock ’n’ roll is told through reproductions of the colorful, outrageously designed record sleeves as well as first-hand accounts from some of the musicians who were there, such as Alan Gordon of Hector, Jesse Hector of the Hammersmith Gorillas and Gordon Nicol of Iron Virgin. Wired Up! is truly a labor of love, requiring several years of research–digging through record bins and scouring online auctions–as well as the assistance of several prominent collectors, including Phil King, bass player with The Jesus & Mary Chain and driving force behind the groundbreaking Glitterbest compilation of UK glam, and Robin Wills, guitarist with The Barracudas and author of the Purepop blog. While a handful of better-known names are present–Bay City Rollers, Gary Glitter, The Osmonds, Suzi Quatro, Slade, Sparks, The Sweet–the bulk of Wired Up! is given over to a proudly revisionist history of a parallel pop universe, one populated by the now-forgotten likes of Carol and the Boston Garden, Floating Opera, Galahad, Lemming, The Panics, Punchin’ Judy and Union Joke.
