The difference, by ear
Roxy Music are on both lists. Art rock hides strangeness inside pop; glam rock puts a persona in front of it and keeps the songs simple.
Both are sung cleanly, but art rock is a little slower: 80 to 130 bpm against 110 to 150. To hear the difference, play T. Rex next to The Velvet Underground. They share a root in rock, and art rock came first, by five years. United Kingdom appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Glam rock
Where it sits
Rock › Blues rock › Hard rock › Glam rock
In short
Rock in glitter, platform boots and calculated ambiguity. The spectacle is half the music.
How it sounds
- A simple stomping beat with handclaps and drums up front - music built for singing along.
- Thick guitar tone but short, single-length songs.
- The sound is inseparable from the look: costumes, make-up, invented personas.
Key acts
- T. Rex
- David Bowie
- Slade
- Roxy Music
Start here
The pickT. Rex - Electric Warrior. The simplest and most effective record in the genre.
Full page →Art rock
Where it sits
In short
Rock made by art-school graduates: concept, image and experiment ahead of formula. It overlaps with prog but cares far less about virtuosity.
How it sounds
- Concept and image treated as part of the music rather than as packaging.
- Borrowings from the avant-garde, electronic music, theatre and visual art.
- Unconventional structures, without prog's obligation to virtuosity.
Key acts
- The Velvet Underground
- Roxy Music
- Talking Heads
- Radiohead
Start here
The pickTalking Heads - Remain in Light. African funk, synthesizers and existential panic.
Full page →