''The Ultimate Gary Glitter – 25 Years of Hits'' is a

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

by English

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

singer Gary Glitter. It was originally released in the United Kingdom on 24 November 1997 on the label

Snapper Music Snapper Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by former head of Castle Communications Jon Beecher, Dougie Dudgeon and funded by Mark Levinson from Palan Music Publishing. In 1999, Snapper broke away from its Palan parent company ...

, less than a week after his arrest for having

child pornography Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a ...

on his computer. The two-disc set contains 32 tracks in total, 16 tracks on each disc. 27 of the tracks are Gary Glitter songs spanning from 1972 through to 1984, while four of the tracks are singles from 1974–1975 by his backing band,

The Glitter Band The Glitter Band are a glam rock band from England, who initially worked as Gary Glitter's backing band under that name from 1973, when they then began releasing records of their own. They were unofficially known as the Glittermen on the first f ...

, without him. The one other track on the set is a song called "Rock Hard Men (Need The Power)", which was recorded in April 1997 from a then upcoming 1998 Gary Glitter album called "Lost on Life Street". This 1997 version of "Rock Hard Men (Need The Power)" is a different mix of the song to the 1996 version that appeared as a B side on Gary Glitter's "

House of the Rising Sun A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

" single. The intended 1998 "Lost on Life Street" album was later cancelled due to the fallout from Gary Glitter's arrest on 19 November 1997 outside

PC World ''PC World'' (stylized as PCWorld) is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. Since 2013, it has been an online only publication. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal tech ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, and his later conviction in November 1999 for possession of child pornography. Most of the "Lost on Life Street" songs later had a limited release as '' On'' in 2001, which featured an extended Part 1 and Part 2 version of "Rock Hard Men". ''The Ultimate Gary Glitter – 25 Years of Hits'' was reissued and repromoted by Snapper Music in both 2000 and 2002, with no alterations. The album does not contain any song material released under any of his aliases.

Critical reception

Steve Huey of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

gave the album four and a half out of five stars and wrote that "the two-disc, 32-track anthology ''The Ultimate (Best Of)'' is perhaps the largest Gary Glitter package it would be reasonable to assemble" adding that "for the casual fan, two discs of Glitter may be slightly wearing, but for the hardcore fan who has to have all of Glitter's best moments and doesn't mind a little inconsistency, Ultimate is a purchase that's hard to argue with."

Track listing

Note

* This is the 1997 mix of "Rock Hard Men (Need The Power)", which differs from the 1996 mix that appeared as a B side on Glitter's

single.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Gary Glitter 25 Years of Hits 1997 compilation albums Gary Glitter albums