Album Reviews |

Marc Bolan / T.Rex

The Definitive Tyrannosaurus Rex 9½ ( 1992 )
Debora / Child Star / Weilder of Words / Scenesof / Mustang Ford / Chateau in Virginia Waters / One Inch Rock / Salamanda Palaganda / Conesuela / Stacey Grove / The Friends / Eastern Spell / Juniper Suction / Pewter Suitor / Warlord of the Royal Crocodiles / Cat Black (The Wizard's Hat) / Chariots of Silk / The Seal of Seasons / Iscariot / The Misty Coast of Albany / King of the Rumbling Spires / Do You Remember / Once upon the Seas of Abyssinia / Blessed Wild Apple Girl / By the Light of a Magical Moon / Find a Little Wood / A Daye Laye / Pavilions of Sun / Great Horse / Lofty Skies / Elemental Child

Before glam rock was even a twinkle in an eye somewhere - Marc Bolan was looking pretty and making music. Prior to these recordings he was a member of a fairly unremarkable act called Johns Children. Tyrannosaurus Rex, whilst obviously being the forerunner to the much more famous T-Rex, were still a chart act in their own right. This particular album is pretty hard to find now i'm told. It's a thirty one track(!) compilation which was originally released around 1992 on Sequel Records/Castle. It does a pretty good job of representing all the original Tyrannosaurus Rex albums, with a healthy selection of songs from each compiled in chronological order. We open with a healthy one-two blast of 'Debora' and 'Child Star'. 'Debora' was a top forty single in the UK and 'Child Star' is very much a lovely quiet folky medieval delight! If you've only been familiar with Marc's Glam rock music, these songs may well sound very strange to you. No glam at all here. The hippy era of the late sixties is very much an influence but the lyrics are not exactly your usual hippy mushroom candy coloured type of thing! These are almost like little fairytales. They may mean absolutely nothing! But they sound great! Marc plays acoustic guitar with the only backing being a pair of bongos hit enthusiastically in the background. It sounds a lot fuller than that instrumentation suggests however. You know, Bolan could play pretty well, all told.

'Mustang Ford' and 'One Inch Rock' structually hint at what was to come later with T Rex. 'Salamander Palaganda' is another delightfully daft lyric and I love the 'do do do do' bits inbetween the verses. So happy and uplifting! 'Catblack ( The Wizard's Hat ) is strange, dark and really rather impressive. A lot of these songs sound like they were recorded in a leafy field somewhere with lots of things being smoked by people in the background. It's good, very different to T Rex, of course though. The latter tracks before the group expanded into a four-piece and abbreviated their name do hint strongly at what was later to come. The acoustic is swapped for an electric guitar. The bongos are still there! A different bongo player though, slightly less impressive on the instrument so the guitar is all over the place ( in a good way ) filling up the sound. 'Elemental Child' showcases this the best with instrumental passages of guitar rock music! 'Pavillions Of Sun' is such a good song! And 'King Of The Rumbling Spires' - a top forty hit. A much overlooked period in Marc Bolans career, this album shows what a great writer of songs he really was. Highly reccomended if you can find this.

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Readers Comments Rob Eustace rob.eustace@tesco.net A fine collection indeed containing carefully selected standout tracks from Bolans first four albums. That said, the 31 tracks here might fool you into believing that those albums are all going to be up to this standard, but sadly they're not(with the possible exception of "Unicorn"). The first two albums in particular "My People" and "Prophets" are largely padded out with lame, plodding second rate filler. These kind of compilations are usually pretty subjective and more often than not you find yourself questioning the track selection, not in this case though, this is about as definitive as you can get. You also have the bonus of not having to suffer good old John Peel narrating any of Bolan's pointless, self indulgent childrens stories. A seriously good compilation and as far as Tyrannosaurus Rex goes this really is all you need. Simon Byrne simon_byrne2003@yahoo.com Pretty good representation of the pre-Glam era. I really like One-Inch Rock and Cat black. His voice on these tracks is a lot more colourful on these early tracks and he was the main-man even then when Steve Took was recognised. A really cool album - I have heard all the tracks but I do not have this compilation but it is worth a 9/10 anyway!! Paul paulwatts@optushome.com.au I've never seen this compilation either, but I've got the original records from when they were repackaged as double albums. A good choice of material, although I'd have found a place for a little gem by the name of Dwarfish Trumpet Blues, from the very first LP. graham grahamdundas@msn.com Nice Review... (Pavilions of Sun is a beauty!...) BUT the 'do do do do do' is actually "in a Parisian.. Z...Z...Z...Z...ZOO! LOL Bruce R glitterknight2k@yahoo.co.uk A great choice for people seeking out Bolan's earlier work. This is a compilation of the best of the first four albums. In particular, Misty Coast of Albany and Lofty Skies stand out for their beautiful lilting melodies and haunting "I should know what this means, but can't place it" lyrics. A good and fair review.

The change to a shorter name ( from the unweildy Tyrannosaurus Rex ) didn't in actual fact mark an immediate change in sound, as is sometimes written. This 'T Rex' album continues very much from the final Tyrannosaurus Rex albums like 'A Beard Of Stars'. Electric instrumentation is used, but the songs are usually the same strummed hippie folky stuff that Bolan had been practising up until this stage. Clear signs of development or change are here with the likes of the snappy and Rock N Roll influenced 'One Inch Rock' ( actually a re-recorded version of the Tyrannosaurus Rex song ) and 'Beltane Walk'. We have an extended electric guitar workout on the lengthy and rather trying actually 'The Wizard', but otherwise this is Bolan buisness as usual - pre Glam Rock. 'The Children Of Rarn' is a very short nonsensical vocal workout over a primitive electronic keyboard sound, and bookends the album. 'Jewel' makes good use of Marc's new found love of Electric over acoustic, with lots of groovy little parts amidst the melody and bongo's. 'Childe' is a short electric workout with vocal harmonies, and you can see here where the classic T Rex sound came from. It didn't arrive out of nowhere, it was a sound that evolved over time. Of course, once 'Ride A White Swan' became a hit in 1970, there was no looking back, and Bolan pursued that sound, added a whole ton of production over the top, and enjoyed a string of chart toppers as a result!

'The Time Of Love Is Now' and especially 'Diamond Meadows' are gloriously medieval folky hippie songs in the finest Bolan style and of the finest Bolan calibre. 'Beltane Walk' has appeared on numerous Bolan compilations through the years, and resembles the later material more closely than anything else on this album. Short yet delightful two minute songs such as 'Summer Deep' and 'Seagull Woman' are full of strange lyrical flights of fancy, bongo's, electric - great songs, very enjoyable. 'Sun Eye' is soft, tender - rather gorgeous. 'The Wizard' is impressive in places, but running to eight minutes to allow Bolan to 'freak out' on his electric guitar, rather overlong and spoiling the delightful atmosphere of the album prior to this stage.

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Readers Comments marc regan marc@nationwideimaging.com This album was discovered by many fans after Marc hit it big with Electric Warrior. I was one of those young fans back in 71/72.I loved this album for its warm sound that i swear its the color of amber. From the opening of Children of rarn thru Summer Deep, Suneye, Beltane Walk its sounds as fresh today when I put the windows down in the car on a summers day and let this blast.Music like this is hard to find these days... paul paulwatts@optushome.com.au The first Marc Bolan album I owned. My sister bought it originally following Bolan's first Australian hit Hot Love (Ride a White Swan apparently missed Australia). She was horrified to find that for the most part this resembled the hit but little. On the other hand I didn't like Hot Love all that much (a bit too girlie for me at the tender age of 15), although I thought The King of the Mountain Cometh on the two-track B side was the dogs bollocks, so to speak. Of course The King does in fact closely resemble the material on this album, which I thought was quite wonderful and was able to weedle out of her for half the new price (three bucks). I agree with most of the comments in the review. My only divergence is with regard to The Wizard. Running to nine minutes, this is apparently a studio rendition of live performances of the time. The use of electric guitar is generally as restrained as elsewhere on the recording, this is in fact a Marc Bolan vocal meltdown. It fe! atures vocal histrionics reminiscent of the first Tyrannosaurus album, but with much improved intrumental backing. I loved it in 1971 and still love it in 2004. Marc had a unique voice and here it is certainly showcased, absolutely nothing is held back. Bruce R glitterknight2k@yahoo.co.uk I agree with the review and with the comments added. I would only add that this was a taste of things to come. Just listen to the boogie of Is It Love and you can feel the future arriving. I would class this as a crossover album what does everyone else think? Stephen Watson itsagroup@mac.com My original vinyl copies of this on release each jumped so much they were unplayable on my parent's radiogram! I had to buy it on musicassettee and I loved it. Then I lost it and had never heard it until I bought it from iTunes last week and what a pleasure to hear it in full again. I think it's a very strong album - some lovely guitar work, great sax (I do love sax!) and backing vocals. The songs are all over the place - Shock Rock, LHL&TBB and Street & Babe Shadow. Percussive, acoustic, country and crazy; a real mix. Slick production adds some coherence to the mix and it just feels good to me. And I LOVE the last few seconds with Marc's voice "going down the drain" - hearing that again after a gap of 35 years just made me laugh out loud and grin from ear to ear. This is great music making.

Bass lines arrive with a vengence, glossy and rich vocal harmonies. Fifties styled Rock N Roll songs are blown up by the production, and practically invent Glam Rock in the process. The lyrics change from hippie styled stuff to sureal exercises to poetic wordplay, seemingly without great meaning, but some songs are just so evocative in their lyrical paintings. 'Cosmic Dancer' is hugely evocative, "I was dancing in the womb", sings Marc, and you can believe that was, too! 'Mambo Sun' is a glorious hypnotic workout with the rhythm section holding everything together. Handclaps arrive for the catchy as anything 'Jeepster', the Rock N Roll guitar gets going, the harmonies get going, the production of Seventies Bolan has well and truly arrived, and everything is suddenly sounding fantastic, as never before. 'Monolith' is an ugly titled beautiful song with gorgeous harmonies, 'Lean Woman Blues' a slow sexual grind. 'Bang A Gong (Get It On)' is perfect, a highpoint of Glam. Think of Glam and think of The Sweet? Please, don't. Don't think of Slade either, although Slade did some good songs! Think of Marc Bolan, think of Bowie. Think of Sparks circa 'This Town Aint Big Enough For The Both Of Us'. Glam Rock gets undue critiscm these days, and the good stuff is often forgotten and overwhelmed by the memories of the crap, cheesy and very Seventies stuff. Marc Bolan songs are timeless. They are also very Seventies, and there's an interesting thing. Both 'of their time', and timeless. Best way to be, I'd say.

'Planet Queen' could well have been a hit, Bolan was on top of the world ( well, the UK - he was never fully accepted in the US for some reason ) and 'Girl' is an utterly beautiful acoustic led ballad, haunting with perfect production highlighting his voice with subtle echo and effects. 'The Motivator' is bouncy and better than 90% of the dross that was in the singles charts in the early seventies. 'Electric Warrior' is full of great songs from beginning to end. Well, nearly end. I don't much care for 'Rip Off' at all, sounds like b-side material, sounds like an afterthought. Still, 'Girl' is beautiful. Marc Bolan was beautiful and 'Electric Warrior' is beautiful and highly reccomended stuff!

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Readers Comments dan mailer danielmail@rogers.com Hey, I love old classic rock and have just discovered "electric warrior " when I found it on sale in the cd store recently. I can't stop playing it. What great music.And I could agree more with your review of the songs and of glam rock. Great stuff. Thanks Alan Vincent alanv71@hotmail.com Have Electric Warrior in so many formats, with poster, without, stickered sleeve etc. and I never tire of any of the trax. Boogie on Bolan fans.olan was a master at doing the simplest coolest darn things at just the right time. And his lyrics (alot of times each verse to each song a seperate poetic statement in itself) are sooooo great! Thanks for listening, Simon Byrne simon_byrne2003@yahoo.com A true Rock Masterpeice with both electric and acoustic whimsy(Cosmic Dancer) which is a great mixtute. Fav Track=Planet Queen zengoth zengoth@t-online.de zengoth sayz : still__life´s a gaz__subatomaric paraloadin vz. brainpeeelin____:) Daniel Sanderson daniels@intrust.co.uk This album is one of Boleys best albums, if you like this album then check out the resent tony visconi "Electric Warrior album with full album listing plus all studio out takes, which lets you listen to how the album was magically put together- brilliant album. 10/10. snwriter f.tortorici@conference-board.org I've been recently rediscovering Bolan's music--the first time for me in depth. Electric Warrior is one of the best albums of all time. Rolling Stone mag agrees--recently naming it #160 in its 500 greatest albums of all time. Every song is stellar and the bonus tracks added to the 2003 reissue of the album are right up there in quality. Bruce R glitterknight2k@yahoo.co.uk This is is!! The Album that gave the music back to the kids after years of 3 hour guitar solos Rock 'n Roll came in rom the cold. The only flaw I can find in this album is the track "Girl" which always sounds unfinished to me, but is still a great track. The whole album from the throbbing Mambo Sun, through the Sexy heat of Lean Woman Blues to the incredibly beautiful Life's A Gas is an unsung litany of pure gold that is as fresh and as precious today as it was in '71. And the joker in the pack? Listen to Rip Off with your heavy metal ears on. Was Marc predicting the future again? Ståle Snipsøyr stump@tele2.no Very strange,I've not listened to this album,since the early seventies on some small mono casette player,we used to drag along when we had parties. Suddenly, jeepster appeared in the movie, death proof, I saw it just the other day. I think this was the first time I heard the song on a proper sound equipment, so now i'm gonna rush out and find some good cd with t-rex, maybe electric warrior. Jeepster sounded great on full throttle! Stephen Watson itsagroup@mac.com This is their definitive album in my view - bluesy, rockin', soulful, electric, mystical. There's sax, raw guitar, those fantastic ethereal backing vocals - what more can you want? This, in my mind, is to T. Rex and Ziggy Stardust is to Bowie - not just a 'great album' but it creates a mood, a world, an emotion uniquely its own. Superb. 10/10 David Glasgow Why oh why does he have to repeat lines of the song, sing everything twice. I suppose it's to make the songs last longer than two minutes, boring!! all his music sounds the same!!!!!

This was one of several compilations Marcs original label released in the wake of him hooking up with EMI to set up his own label imprint, 'Hot Wax'. This particular compilation has endured however because it's one of the few places you can hear the singles 'Ride A White Swan' and 'Hot Love' both important in the T Rex legacy and history. We get a mixture here of early T Rex songs and Tyrannosaurus Rex songs, side by side, compare and contrast! The famous hit 'Get It On' opens the set, and there is very little else I can say about it. It's a confident swagger of a song, Bolan in his prime and his biggest American hit by some distance. 'Beltane Walk' originally appeared on the first 'T Rex' album, retains some of the lyrical whimsy of the early Tyrannosaurus Rex material but with an electric guitar in tow and a fifties rock 'n' roll structure. 'King Of The Mountain Cometh' and 'She Was Born To Be My Unicorn' were both originally released by Tryannosaurus Rex. 'King Of The Mountain Cometh' has an electric guitar drone in addition to Marcs usual strummed playing. 'She Was Born To Be My Unicorn' is delightful, soft and with a mystical, semi-serious sounding Bolan singing words that are pure fantasy nonsense!

'Woodland Rock' is an 'Electric Warrior' era tune but very fifties sounding and without the usual Bolan character. In a similar vein is Bolans version of 'Summertime Blues', an already much covered tune. We get 'Ride A White Swan' of course, Bolans commercial breakthrough and what turned out to be just the first of many hit singles. Built around a single guitar riff with handclaps and not much else, Bolans voice carries the rest of the performance. It's charming, it's fun, it's happy. 'Things' were falling into place, not least the first Bolan use of falsetto harmony vocal parts, something he'd build upon most effectively for future singles. 'Raw Ramp' is a semi-revelation, easily as good as much of 'Electric Warrior' and after starting out all swooning vocals moves into T Rex groove territory, with slightly risque lyrics. 'First Heart Mighty Dawn Dart' wasn't a highlight of the Tyrannosaurus Rex catalogue, and it's something of a mystery why it was chosen to appear here. Better is the fun 'By The Light Of The Magical Moon' which has some playful vocals and lyrics. And.... 'Hot Love' to close, much fuller production wise than the bare 'Ride A White Swan' but this was the single that immediately followed it. Marc was canny enough to seize upon his opportunity and made damn well sure he wouldn't be a one hit wonder. A glam rock classic with wonderful vocals, 'Hot Love' is a good way to leave this compilation. <

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Bruce R glitterknight2k@yahoo.co.uk A good compilation featuring the major hits at well spaced intervals. A bit confusing for the fan-base at the time though. The Tyrannosaurus Rex stuff was probably a bit to cerebral and this album shot to No. 1 on the strength of Bolan's name. With a maturer head though this album is revealed as pure class which just shows what a good melody writer and wordsmith Marc was. My Favourite tracks are Woodland Rock and Unicorn Shaun Blackburn shaun@carouselsaddlery.co.uk Quality from Marc and from Fly, released when t rex were at the top, one of my most played albums at the time. 3 part Raw Ramp must be he s best track ever and Steve Currie what a bassist !!

The production richer than ever, and Marc seemingly sets out to make an album consisting entirely of potential hit singles. The main problem I have with 'The Slider' is that if anything, it's too rich. Too many bouncy and happy glam-tastic workouts, too little variety. Still, most of the songs are groovy and glittery and rather fine. 'Metal Guru' was a number one - a classic single, perfect. 'Mystic Lady' continues from 'Electric Warrior' and even though it's not as good as 'Cosmic Dancer' remains a fine ballad albeit with rather strange lyrics! 'Rock On' sounds like a hit, the title song doesn't, possibly being too sexual in nature, too slow and French kissing in style. Or summat. He doesn't understand the wind at all, and it was a ball of love. Yeah, these lyrics aren't T.S.Eliot, and nor do they pretend to be, but you try and resist this "And when i'm saaad, I SLIDE!" lyrical and vocal section. You try! 'Baby Boomerang' is delightfully happy and simple, Bolan makes a virtue of simplicity - even with the glossy and crystal clear production. The entire album sounds fantastic in fact, 'sounds' better than many 21st century album releases. Why is that? Well, let's not get into a digital vs analogue or vinyl vs CD or overcompression debate in this review, please. Don't want to do that.....

Only Marc Bolan at the time ( maybe Beck could do it now? ) could write an affecting ballad titled something like 'Spaceball Richocet'. Hair metal rockers Guns N Roses did a cover of 'Buick MacKane', that's how excitingly rocking it really is! And following that is the immortal 'Telegram Sam', you can't argue with it, really you can't. Still, 'The Slider' remains less than perfect, if still excellent. The sameness of the songs does begin to grate, the richness of the production, completely unrelenting begins to grate, even if none of the songs are really bad songs. 'Baby Strange' is an absolute mighty highlight on the second half of this album, and one of my all-time favourite Marc Bolan moments, a song that very rarely fails to make me grin and smile and believe i'm in love, even if I happen to not be in love at the time. It's that kind of stupidly ridiculous, yet gloriously done song. The likes of 'Ballrooms Of Mars' and 'Chariot Choogle' are rich production, potential hits too many, even if the daftly titled 'Chariot Choogle' contains one hell of a guitar riff. The closing 'Main Man' is all repetition, "Are you my main man" repeated, or variations of, repeated - repeat to close. 'The Slider' is good though, really it is. Believe.

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Readers Comments PhbSin@aol.com This for me is even better than Electric Warrior. Bolan's voice never sounded better and the production is perfect. Chariot Choogle is a classic, Rabbit Fighter, Baby Strange, Main Man, Baby Strange not far behind, not to mention the two singles Sam and Guru, and the wonderfully nonsensical title track and Spaceball Ricochet. This should be in those all time top hundred album charts they do from time to time, but it never will be I suppose, this is for only the knowing ones. CHICO REY chicoreybass@aol.com i agree with you, dont use the word grate , its like saying dalis color choices get on your nerves. slider was a almost perfect l.p.for an artist that did not spend to much time on this planet Rich Thomas rthomas777@hotmail.com Good review. Echoes many of the raves and dissapointments I feel when I listen to the CD. The main delight of the CD is that it brings back great memories of my mis-spent youth. No one seemed to like any of what I was listening to in the 70's, Yes, Springsteen, T-Rex, but that's ok, they had no taste anyway (LOL). (hear that KISS fans)Slider and Electric warrior will alway be classics of rock, not just Glam. Later Bolan,..well. I wish he would have lived to make a new album beyond "Dandy" which you can't get in North America. It would be interesting to see how he would have faired in the musical dirge I call the 80's. cheers Ciaran Daly gazebo@indigo.ie While I agree mostly with the review I think that the track Ballrooms of Mars has been missed by the reviewer. It was one of the rare momentsa where Bolan actually tried to be taken seriously for his lyrics in his post pop poet era. The subject matter and balence of style made this a true album classic which was never intended as a single. In later years Marc re-recorded it accoutically giving credence to the notion that he himself knew the inner quality of this unusual but exceptional piece. snwriter f.tortorici@conference-board.org I love "Main Man." Though repetitive, it's very heartfelt and simply stunning and intoxicating. In the "Alternate Slider" version, Marc sings "are you my main man, Elton John, Elton John." Gerry gerardtremers@hotmail.com Simplicity, unvarying etc etc - all the same spiteful garbage poured on Marc by his critics in the 70s. The man was a genius - wonderful voice, exceptional guitarist,lyricist, showman. Listen and contrast his albums from My People.., to Slider to Zinc to Dandy. You do not find that diversity and constant changing of sound on any Beatles/Hendrix/Zeppelin albums.Bolan's b.sides better any of the so called greats best work. And you call yourself T.Rex fans. Shame on you all. Bruce R glitterknight2k@yahoo.co.uk This is the Definitive T.Rex sound to me. Yes the album is rich sounding and doesn't have the raunchy spontaneity of Electric Warrior, but this is still a great album, and 34 years later I'm still listening to it with wonder and amazement that it brings back all the memories of being 15 again. Damn I can even smell the Brut 33 when I play it. I love all the tracks on this album and all for different reasons. This was pop/rock at it's finest and if you can't find anything to groove to on The Slider you need a mortician not a stereo!! Shaun Blackburn shaun@carouselsaddlery.co.uk Quality album from t.rex when they were a band unlike later when Marc became "God". Did nt make no 1 but should have. The title track is my fav. paul paul@ar-sm.co.uk This for me is when Bolan hit top form. His Les Paul guitar sounds simply awesome and my all time favourite tone. A simple combination of '58 Les Paul/HH IC100 amp/Dallas Rangemaster into a Vampower 4x12 was simply all it took. Actually not that simple to re-create now, as he stumbled upon a guitar with great pickups and a Rangemaster that had a unique tone (as they all do). His acoustic stuff on Slider for me is poor, BUT his electric stuff was groundbreaking.

Marc Bolan, reacting to creeping in critiscm that all his songs and singles were sounding the same tries to move in several different directions at once, but mostly ends up sounding just like either 'Electric Warrior' or 'The Slider'. By the way, the CD Re-issue contains the likes of 'Children Of The Revolution', and is highly recommended. 'Tanx', with regular Bolan producer Tony Visconti in tow, sounds magnificent, in line with 'The Slider' and 'Electric Warrior', but something is amiss. The attempts at diversification are admirable - but the songs just aren't as good as before. The opening 'Tenement Lady' is about three songs in one, and switches between Glam Bolan and almost folky acoustic Bolan of yore, before swinging back to Glam Bolan to close. Doesn't seem to quite know what kind of song it wants to be at all. The likes of 'Rapids' and 'Mister Mister' are all style over substance, but the style Bolan had was pretty cool, all told - the songs work. The keyboards and trumpet appearing through 'Mister Mister' are groovy sounding, by the way. 'Broken Hearted Blues' sounds like the aftermath of 'The Slider', a weary sounding song written in the midst of incredible fame for Bolan in England - he'd become the biggest 'pop star' since The Beatles, really. But, the pressure was showing. The singles released to coincide with 'Tanx' didn't automatically go in at number one, they reached number three, number four..... cracks showing.

The likes of 'Shock Rock' and 'Country Honey' are less songs than they are a single groove with very apparently 'made up on the spot' lyrics over the top. 'Electric Slim And The Factory Hen' varies the sonic tone of the record, introducing a little genuine soul into proceedings, and doing it very well I might add. 'Mad Donna' is demented, 'Born To Boogie' a very straightforward, old style Bolan boogie workout, as the title might suggest. Very fun and enjoyable this 'Born To Boogie' is, however. 'Life Is Strange' is almost as lovely as any of the ballads from 'Electric Warrior', and life is strange? Very true. The closing three songs repeat a little soul, repeat a little groove, repeat the Marc Bolan formula whilst at the same time attempting unsuccessfully to break away from that formula.

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Readers Comments PhbSin@aol.com Hi,You didn't go in depth on your comments about 'The Street And Babe Shadow' , 'Highway Knees' and 'LEFT HAND LUKE'????? Three of my favorite Bolan songs of all time! The Street: some of the best coolest nonsense lyrics I've ever heard(I'm into nonsense lyrics because everything that means something has already been said a million times;the english language has only so many words)Highway Knees:One of the hottest simple little guitar solos I've ever heard(and I know how to play complex guitar solos)and the hottest intro. to that solo: "let's take a walk". And Left Hand Luke: What can I say but one of the greatest songs I've ever heard(I can't imagine a world without Left Hand Luke)His wailing scream at the first instrumental break blows my mind everytime I hear it and the "No way you're gonna fool me baby, yes, yeah! " at the end takes me right to the top again. Bolan was a master at doing the simplest coolest darn things at just the right time. And his lyrics (alot of times each verse to each song a seperate poetic statement in itself) are sooooo great! Thanks for listening, Simon Byrne simon_byrne2003@yahoo.com My favourite Track on this album is probably Rapids-the lyrics do it for me. It is a real album to boogie to and just proves that T-Rex was not simply a singles band. Great album!, Frank Tortorici f.tortorici@conference-board.org I LOVE this album. It gets so much criticism, I never expected it to be so excellent. The songs are great! It sounds like a mix of the best parts of The Stones' Exile on Main Street and Elton John's 1971-1974 period. Mike Chaosmonger1138@aol.com I think you (and everyone else) underrate this album quite a bit! In fact, if we were taking bonus tracks from the cd reissue into account, I would say that this is the best T. Rex album through and through. If not the best, then it's neck and neck with Electric Warrior. One of the more underrated albums of the '70's in my opinion. Bruce R glitterknight2k@yahoo.co.uk This is not just one of the most underrated albums of the 70's. It is one of the most underrated albums of all time. A vastly augmented T.Rex and the addition of professional backing singers marked a change of direction for Bolan. Of course cracks were showing, He had had more than the 2 years at the top that most bands of the time expected, and he realised this and was trying to grow and take some of his audience with him. I think he succeded in this. Tanx was a colossal album for it's time and showed the types of innovation that the critics said that Bolan didn't have. Shaun Blackburn shaun@carouselsaddlery.co.uk Top notch here. Babe Shadow Highway Knees 2 great songs. Shock Rock may have been a 2 minute wonder but should have been 4 mins of Bolan Boogie. Why oh why was Born To Boogie never released as a single ? Ok it was a B side to Solid Gold but if it was another minute longer it would have put T Rex back at number 1. Rich Canada I was heading off to Vancouver to see T-Rex in concert with Blue oyster cult in 75. I have to say sadly that BOC absolutely blew ol Marc Bolan off the stage. I was unhappy with Tanx and the next album and dropped T-Rex completely after the concert. Didn't bother with them until the next century when in a moment of nostagia, I bought The slider and Electric warrior as well as Greatest hits A sides 72-77. Can't say I liked much about 73-76 period, except the odd song but I would liked to have been able to listen to his last album. There's some sparks of the old Marc there.

The critical reception Bolan records had been receiving ever since 'The Slider' had been getting increasingly bad for him. A lot of those music reviewers were stuck back in the hippie late sixites era, they had adored Marc's early material. 'Electric Warrior' didn't quite dismay them, it was full of great songs. The sheer commercial nature of 'The Slider' and the confused nature of 'Tanx' had sent Bolan's critical reception spiralling. Not only that, but no longer was a new Bolan single guaranteed to reach the top ten. Both 'Teenage Dream' and 'Truck On Tyke' failed to reach the top ten. A word about 'Truck On Tyke', a bonus track on recent issues of the album. It took T.Rex and Marc Bolan levels of repetition to new extremes, repeating its own title an astonishing number of times and barely containing any other lyrics. Still, the same 'not top ten' fate awaited the grandeur of the central song here, 'Teenage Dream'. One of Bolan's last works with producer Tony Visconti, 'Teenage Dream' is firstly a fine production, very rich and dreamy. Sadly, secondly, it lacks a strong enough hook through the chorus to have been a big single and the key lyric simply annoyed teenage pop fans of the time. Listened to years later, I can't help but thinking this was a lousy choice of song to be a single, but I do find it a good song and a decent enough album track.

Speaking of singles and album tracks. Neither 'The Slider' nor 'Tanx' quite convinced as cohesive albums. 'The Slider' got away with it, being full of great songs as it was. 'Tanx' didn't seem to know what to do with itself, but 'Zinc Alloy' retains T.Rex grandeur but actually does work as 'an album', it has a cohesion. It introduces more soul and funk elements into the T.Rex brand of Fifties inspired rock and roll and works those influences throughout. 'Zinc Alloy...' never quite completely divorces itself from the hit making T.Rex sound critics had been complaining about, but this new soulful direction was something interesting, at least. An interesting new level. Highlights here include the storming opening number, one of Bolan's finest moments, surely? The likes of 'Interstellar Soul' marry the funk and the soul to Bolan's nack with a simple, addictive riff. 'Sound Pit' and 'Explosive Mouth' follow the wonderful 'Venus Loon' and ensure the album maintains its strong beginning. The closing track is something definitely different for Bolan, a weird spoken vocal above an intoxicating, relaxed and dreamy musical track. It does it for me. Oh, finally? 'Change' is a gorgeous Bolan ballad, one of his very finest.

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Readers Comments Simon Byrne simon_byrne2003@yahoo.com I must be one of the few people to have this on CD format and it is not as good as tanx or even Bolan's Zip Gun which did not even chart. the backinbg vocals are just annoying and what was all that about with The Leopards Featuring Gardenia and the Mighty Slug. fav Track=Liquid gang Paul paulwatts@optushome.com.au I've got this on CD too, as well as my original vinyl copy. When it first came out in 1974 I was completely blown away (at the age of 18), I definately thought it was his best ever work and it was my choice of best album of 1974. Loved the opening track, Interstellar Soul and Teenage Dream especially. Thirty years later, though, I can't help but think Marc was ingesting some pretty powerful and illegal substances to come up with some of these song titles and that of the LP itself. It even had the alternative title of "A Creamed Cage in August". These very odd titles must have scared people away from what is quite a creative and at times innovative record . I still think it is one of his better efforts. Some of the more experimental tracks come off quite well. Painless Persuasion vs the Meathawk Immaculate is one such song, as is the final track, The Leopards (featuring Gardenia and the Mighty Slug). My favourite these days is The Avengers (Superbad). The guitar solo is ! Marc's finest, in my humble opinion, and his vocal is very effective as well. No idea what it's about, perhaps he is describing some of his hallucinogenic experiences of the time, but this is a a song that grows on you over time, and shows that Marc was looking to expand his frontiers. I would agree though, that he overdid the girlie backing vocal on this outing. Although the production is otherwise OK, he could have used Visconti's excellent musical sense on this one. Shaun Blackburn shaun@carouselsaddlery.co.uk I was 11 years old in 1974 and no matter how I tried I could not get into this album. After listening to it for the 1000th time I now find it to be his 2nd best work after Electric Warrior..The only thing that gets on my nerves is Glorias high screaming which is not a patch on Flo and Eddies. Bruce R glitterknight2k@yahoo.co.uk Interstellar Soul meets aluminium rock. This fused Marc's own brand of boogie with the guile of Soul music. It almost worked. All the tracks have so much going for them that It's hard to believe that this album did so poorly, but as an earlier reviewer said. Marc was into some pretty heavy drink and "Substances" in those days even so there is enough class on this album to show what a genius he was. As to the odd title. He wanted to release an album that would chart on it's own merit and not just because it was by Marc Bolan & T.Rex. His band was re-named Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow, and the album was to be called A Creamed cage In august. However, EMI got jittery and decided to splash the Marc Bolan & T.Rex name across the top corner. Given his distinctive voice I can't understand why he thought this would chart anonymously. Fave tracks The glorious Teenage Dream closely followed by The Avengers, Gardenia and the mighty slug, Change and Carsmile Smith! / Spanish Midnight

Bolan's Zip Gun 7½ ( 1975 )
Light Of Love / Solid Baby / Precious Star / Token Of My Love / Space Boss / Think Zinc / Til Dawn / Girl In The Thunderbolt Suit / I Really Love You Babe / Golden Belt / Zip Gun Boogie

Marc Bolan and T.Rex were about as popular as the plague with serious music critics, circa the mid-seventies. Whilst a Bowie had made huge artistic strides forwards, Marc had seemingly gone into decline, both commercially and artistically. It's now, apparently, written in stone that 'Bolan's Zip Gun' is crap. Such was its bad reception, Marc himself believed it too. Well, he did after the event. Beforehand, he had confidence in his new songs. As well he might, there are some wonderful moments here. Fashion is bunk. Being out of fashion during a particular year, thus having your reputation tarnished forever, fashion or not - really isn't on. It just isn't cricket. Yet, this album is full of delightful moments. It's full of Marc Bolan, who retained his basic essence, whatever his producer or backing band. True, 'Solid Baby' has stupid lyrics, quite frankly - yet, it's a huge amount of fun. It is what it is. 'Token Of My Love', a misguided mix of blues and soul, is less fun. In fact, it's one of the worst songs Marc ever put to tape, but this song is just three and a half minutes of this album as a whole. It's no crime, just a song that didn't quite work out ok. Ok? Good!'Think Zinc' showcases a whole load of things. Marc was forever searching for a new sound at this juncture. He was hoping and praying that one of his experiments, of which 'Think Zinc' is one, would be noticed and take off. None of them were noticed, sadly. At least, not at the time. 'Think Zinc' is suitably groovy and metallic. It does for me. True, on the otherhand, 'Zip Gun Boogie' was possibly his most base and obvious single yet, yet.... you can't win them all, can you?

The opening 'Light Of Love' does disco sooner than Marc needed to do Disco. He was into that soul groove sooner than he needed to be. 'Light Of Love' appeared as a single, and was somewhat wasted upon the audiences of the time. Sadly so, because it's a very groovy track. Very catchy and simple. 'Precious Star' is just deliriously wonderful, I can listen to it all day. Wailing backing vocals, nice hand-claps, simple melodies that reach to you, amongst attention to detail. Such a thing as hand-claps can be attention to detail, in an otherwise uninteresting song. 'Precious Star' is so very charming. 'Girl In The Thunderbolt Suit' takes a soul approach, doesn't quite work. 'Till Dawn' is a true highlight, a song better than nearly all of 'The Slider', and not recognized as such purely because T.Rex were about as fashionable as the plague, circa the mid seventies. Still, we overcome such things years later. Don't we?

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Readers Comments Paul paulwatts@optushome.com.au The criticism of Bolan's Zip Gun usually comes down to two things. Firstly the overpowering backing vocals of Gloria Jones. Gloria was present and shrieking on the Zinc Alloy album, and at times she overpowered that recording as well, but here for the most part Gloria is just far too close to the front of the mix. The second problem is that the whole thing sounds rather unfinished, almost like a bunch of "working versions". There's a fuzziness that permeates the entire album. There's no doubt that Bolan was badly missing Tony Visconti although he'd never admit it. Some of the songs do show promise. While I'm not keen on Light of Love, the extended version with gutar solo that appears on Bump 'n Grind is almost the same as this but sounds great in its extended form. Think Zinc is a rollicking T.Rex classic. Till Dawn is a beautiful song, spoiled by the backing vocals, that could have used a bit more work. Unfortunately Zip Gun Boogie, the closing song, sound! s like Bolan writing a song and performing it in his sleep- more of the formula. There is a spark of creativity in Golden Belt, but he blew it. This is a funky number in which Gloria's vocal sits well. It also appears on Bump 'n Grind, exactly the same version, but called by its working title of Dishing Fish Wop. For this (Zip Gun)album, the song was faded almost a minute before the end and a slight reverb was added. Bolan could have done a lot more with this song. I'd give Zip Gun 5 1/2. The raw material is decent, some of it excellent, but it bears all the hallmarks of a rushed project. Things were to improve from here on. Bolan bolan_v12@hotmail.com I agree 100% I was 15 when Zinc Alloy was released and I was also blown away fantastic best Bolan LP of all 10/10, quite the opposite when Zip Gun was issued thought bolan had blown out5/10.However like it much more now 8/10 Bruce R glitterknight2k@yahoo.co.uk In hindsight, this album though undoubtedly flawed, Has stood up rather well. I remember when I bought it I stood and screamed at the stereo "For Goodness sake, marc, get back to the old T.Rex sound" The production mix is cluttered and unbalanced, it makes it all too tinny and lightweight which is a shame because some of the songs are fantastic. Token of my love is a great Blues driver and Think Zinc, Golden Belt and Girl in the Thunderbolt Suit really float my boat. My particular fave though is the lovely Till Dawn. At the time of purchase 4/10 31 years later 7/10 Shaun Blackburn shaun@carouselsaddlery.co.uk Trying to remain a Bolan fan in late 74 early 75 was not easy. I can remember buying this record in early 75 and praying it would return him to the top..erm...no...I must have played it twice and put it away were it still is today. without doubt his poorest work. dish water.

Every Bolan album around now was hailed as a 'comeback' as if he'd not released anything for years and years. 'Futuristic Dragon' did see Bolan in fine fettle, though. A concious effort had been made for 'Futuristic Dragon' to come across as good enough to reverse the T Rex commercial decline. That it didn't is almost irrelevant now, although I should point out it did spawn a couple of minor hit singles in 'Dreamy Lady' and the deliriously simple groove of 'New York City'. Still, we'll go back to 'Dreamy Lady' for a second. A lovely synth led melody, a truly gorgeous feel throughout the entire song. Not for a single second like any Bolan single before it, although sadly for him, it failed to pick up enough enthusiasm amongst record buyers to return Bolan to the heights he wanted. Ok, so 'Dreamy Lady' was a slight change of direction, the same can't be said for 'New York City'. This song is classic Bolan from start to finish, it's a crying tradegy it never reached the very highest reaches of singles charts, stalling instead at number twenty. Still the lyric and structure of the song is simplicity itself. The entire lyric, repeated a number of times, runs as follows. Did you ever see a woman / Coming out of New York City / With a frog in her hand / Did you ever see a woman / Coming out of New York City / With a frog in her hand / I did don't you know / And don't it show . What this could possibly mean is anyones guess, but I don't think trying to read meaning into it is quite the point of the song. The point of the song is the groove, man. Of nearly as high a standard is the glam, groove romp of 'Sensation Boulevard', Bolan was back?

Synth sounds attempt to spur forwards 'Ride My Wheels' before it denegerates into the kind of sluggish, tired sounding groove that has marred certain Bolan albums ever since 'Tanx'. Still, 'All Alone' is good! 'Theme For A Dragon' a brief two minute instrumental that at least showed that Bolan didn't 'need' any production assistance from the likes of Tony Visconti, although if he had worked with different producers, who is to say it wouldn't have helped him? 'Calling All Destroyers' features some nifty Bolan guitar and rocks pretty hard, I'd love to have heard it performed live, complete with extended solos. The synth sounds threaten to drench the otherwise perfectly excellent 'Chrome Sitar'. Second song 'Jupiter Liar' has a classic Bolan groove and is one of the finest songs on the album, the harmonies are fine, the song is tight. What more do you need? All the way through to the very fine closing track 'Casual Agent', 'Futuristic Dragon' seems to show a more concerted album length effort from Bolan. Apart from the odd piece of filler here and there, every song has something. A good half of the album is utterly recommended, the other half doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the whole. It all balances out in the end to leave 'Futuristic Dragon' as rating as one of the better Bolan LPs.

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Readers Comments Paul paulwatts@optushome.com.au I'm with you on this one, Adrian. A good 60% of it is right up to the standard of Bolan's best work, and the rest is quite acceptable anyway. Sensation Boulevard is a highlight for me. If you buy this now you also get "Dazzling Raiment" which is a collection of alternative and working versions of most of the songs. One of the versions of Casual Agent deserves mention, a rip snorting four minute Bolan classic, barely recognisable as the same song, with a similar rhythm but played with much more raunch (this is the case with many Bolan alt versions). Gone are the falsetto backing vocals. The song is structured quite differently, he sings the verses then "I wanna be your casual agent" over and over again, all in a deadpan voice with a snarling T.Rex going for it all the while. The version of Dawn Storm with Ms Jones sounds highly substance affected to these ears. Highly recommended. Bruce R glitterknight2k@yahoo.co.uk Welcome back Marc. This was more like it and I think the review and the follow up comment is pretty much spot on. I just wish that Marc had used strings more on some tracks instead of synths, some songs are robbed of the richness of sound. This album contains all the traits and quirkiness that made Marc Bolan so special, from the funky bop of Jupiter Liar to the grandiose pomp of Dawn Storm the album shows that Bolan still had something in the tank and was far from burned out. Low point- Ride my wheels. High point- All the rest. 9/10 for me Shaun Blackburn shaun@carouselsaddlery.co.uk Better than Zip Gun by a mile but still nowhere near what we wanted. By the time it was released it was old hack, he only played Dreamy and the most danceable T Rex song ever New York City, live from this colection. I still play this one now and then but it ain t no classic ! RomanyStew This album cry's out for a remix,the sound is very thin with not much bass at all.I think if it were remixed with some punch it could be one of Marc's better albums.

Check the song-title 'Teen Riot Structure' and what does it remind you of? Punk? Well, too right. Not The Clash or The Sex Pistols, but rather The Damned got together to do a tour with Mr Bolan, who was suddenly hip again, if not exactly popular. Still, it was a step forward for him and Bolan loved the respect he was receiving after a good few years of neglect from the critics. 'Dandy In The Underworld' ditches the sometimes overly trying hard production of certain previous Bolan LPs for a simplicity that almost harks back to the likes of 'Electric Warrior'. This serves him well. Yes, a couple or three songs still sound glossy and suitably glam, yet a few other songs are so simple it's a wonder anybody hadn't thought of them before. Well, believe the rumours and people HAD thought of them before, yet since when was nicking a riff here and there and refashioning it into a new song a criminal offence? These days, every bloody new band does it on nearly every song! Still, where were we? Ah yes! Two bona-fide classics reside on this album, at least. The title song is absolutely glorious, classic lyrics relating to everything Bolan had publically presented. Dandy in the underworld? Says enough by itself, doesn't it? Surely?? Even better is 'Soul Of My Suit', a classic slice of Bolan simplicity wrapped up within a great production and guitar lines that stand out. That's what you want from Bolan. Plus, this tune is one of the best Bolan songs that combines guitar with the synths and still comes out smiling happily. And, happy is a good word, this is such a happy, grin inducing song!

'Dandy In The Underworld' saw Bolan presenting an LP set that was easily his most consistent LP playing effort since 'The Slider'. This was good, and had he only lived long enough, could have been a building block for a genuine career revival. I could quite easily imagining Bolan going through the 80s, having good times and bad, but at least making good music throughout. It wasn't to be, and Bolan at least ended on a highpoint. Let's take 'Visions Of Domino'. How storming is this track? Well, very. And the two and a half minute length harks back to earlier Bolan and also fitted in with the punk times, totally. Bolan is also in fine voice throughout the album, as if no time had passed at all since 1972, rather than the five years that actually had. I mean that in a good way, obviously. God, even the terribly titled 'Jason B Sad' harks back to the better moments of 'The Slider'. What more do you want? 'Dandy In The Underworld' is a terribly overlooked album in the Bolan canon compared to his most famous works, but really does deserve more attention. 'I Love To Boogie' is a single riff and a couple of lines of lyrics, but that's all it needs to be life-enhancing.

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Readers Comments Bruce R glitterknight2k@yahoo.co.uk A good and fair review. Marc was back in sync with the times and proved it wity this very underrated album. Punk, Rockabilly - It was all there. Soul of my suit is a great song though I think others on the album would have been a better choice for a single particularly after the incredibly infectious I love to Boogie. I think that Marc would have revived his career. Maybe not to the hysterical heights of the early seventies, but certainly to that of a major recording artist status. All I can say is thank God he was there to leave us a fantastic legacy of music and fun that made growing up far less painful and growing old a pleasure in his company Shaun Blackburn shaun@carouselsaddlery.co.uk Bolan bounced back with this, pure 1977 quality from the master. I must have played my copy a 1000 times. Thanks Marc. paul paulwatts@optushome.com.au The first side of Dandy in the Underworld (we’re talking vinyl here- the first six tracks) is more or less a continuation of the work of earlier years, and certainly four of the six songs compare very favourably to the preceding albums. The autobiographical title track is most certainly a standout, both in album form and slightly abridged (and censored) single form. Crimson Moon is really the last incarnation of Telegram Sam (the line would include songs like Jupiter Liar, New York City, Interstellar Soul, Precious Star and Laser Love), but is still fresh and fun all the same. The next two (Universe and I’m a Fool For You Girl) have all the hallmarks of Bolan filler, which appears on most all his albums, always mid-side (never first or last song on a vinyl album side), rarely running much over 2 minutes, and not always as throwaway as it appears. These two don’t reach the heights of Girl in the Thunderbolt Suit, which to me is the classic Bolan filler track. Next we have I L! ove to Boogie, supposedly derivative of some 50s hit or other, but still it’s a great little song in the Bopping Elf tradition. The best song on the record (although the title track also has such claims) is the first side’s closer, the tight and concise Visions of Domino, which chortles along at quite a pace. This song had been intended to be part of some sort of rock-opera project centering around London that Bolan had been working on, but which was ultimately abandoned. The original version Funky London Childhood is often preferred by serious Bolan devotees but it’s just the same song with different lyrics. It’s rare for me to listen to this little song (just under 2 and a half minutes) and not play it over again, often several times, and often at increasing volume levels. It is the second half of Dandy in which Bolan appears to explore new territories. Most of these songs feature very sparse instrumentation and a few of them (particularly Soul of My Suit) reintr! oduce melody, which had been missing for several years. Standi! ng alone , these songs in the main aren’t earth shattering, but they did herald a new maturity from the artist, and represent a fresh approach. You get the feeling something was brewing here, but the artist’s untimely death at 29 a few months after this album’s release renders it all conjecture.

this page last updated 22/4/11