The Jook

The original twist of '70s glam rock -- in its less artsy (and better) form -- was the basic contradiction of dudes in outrageously feminine costumes playing aggressive, back-to-basics rock 'n' roll. To varying degrees, Slade, T. Rex, and Gary Glitter exemplified this angle of the weirdest chapter of British pop culture. But somewhere in the background of all the jet-fueled ditties that broke Beatles sales records was The Jook, the world's only tee-shirt-and-jeans glam rock band -- and, perhaps not coincidentally, one of the most forgotten. The long-unavailable tracks on this anthology have everything in place: ripping guitar candy, stomping groove, and subtlety-challenged vocals. In a parallel universe where Nixon wasn't president at the time, grinning gems like "La La Girl" and "Everything I Do" were all over the radio on both sides of the Atlantic. Befitting The Jook's casual image, its sound was just a notch earthier -- and closer to, say, the Faces -- than that of its glittering peers. But if these guys had it to do over, would they put on the silver platform boots?