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released by Tyrannosaurus Rex
(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Scenescof, Strange Orchestra's, Mustang Ford, Chateau in Virginia Waters. LOW POINTS: Afghan Woman, Frowning Atahuallpa
Marc Bolan was instantly different, Tyrannosaurus Rex was surely a name more suited to the many soon to be born blues rock giants that stalked the globe in the late 60's than Marc's hippy acoustic duo. Marc forever the "main man" took care of vocals and guitar whilst his practically silent partner one Steve Peregrine Took (at least on this effort) handled Bongo's, Chinese Gong, Assorted Percussion and Pixiephone !!!.
My People was an equally commanding title for a debut album and once inside the gentle mood was enhanced by those unique Larry the Lamb vocals and Tolkiensque lyrics telling bizarre tales of Moles scraping bluebeat rhythms whilst wearing yellow Rupert trousers and such like, Bolan's world was a strange world indeed. "Tyrannosaurus Rex rose out of the sad and scattered leaves of an older summer" writes John Peel (the still well respected UK Radio 1 DJ) on the cover about the band he constantly pushed and promoted over the next two summers. The album had been preceded by the excellent "Debora" single that thanks to John Peel had charted in the UK, but My People (which was bold enough to omit the single) I'm afraid is something of a disappointment.
"Hot Rod Mama" sets the tone for the album which in the main is short acoustic ventures with limited percussion and for the best part of the set indecipherable lyrics. "Hot Rod Mama" is also the first in a long line of songs written surrounding Marcs obsession with cars which is spooky considering he never learnt to drive and met his maker as a front seat Mini passenger.
The stronger tracks on My People are the gentle "Scenescof", "Strange Orchestras" & "Chateau in Virginia Waters" with effective vocal arrangements and delicately structured harmonies, "Mustang Ford" (the second car tale) is a little more upbeat than the rest with more great nonsensical lyrics. "Knight" is another of the stronger moments and a track that Don Mclean must surely have had in his sub-conscious prior to penning "Driedel". "Wielder of Words" is another of the tracks that impresses as it winds it way through two sections before culminating in a enchanting and frantic climax.
Unfortunately the remaining tracks are mostly bland and uninspired and despite really wanting to enjoy this album many of these tracks sound the same after one listen and still do following five or six plays. "Child Star" plods and plods and only threatens to excite occasionally, "Dwarfish Trumpet Blues" and "Graceful Fat Sheba" are more of the same and "Afghan Woman" is quite simply so dull that I have no hesitation in isolating it as the worst track on the album.
The final track "Frowning Atahuallpa" starts delicately with its enchanting melody and you start to feel that Marc is going to close the set in style but again the track quickly descends into nothing more than Hare Krishna chants and to make matters worse John Peel gets some payback by being given the honour of closing the album by reading the first of Bolans pointless children's stories, an unfortunate event that was to repeat itself on future ventures.
The album is not total write off but the weaker tracks do make the album rather difficult to endure in one sitting. The albums that followed do improve on this blueprint but as hard as I try I do remain unimpressed by this first effort which is a shame as I tend to regard the main body of Bolans work quite highly. Tread carefully with this one, My People certainly has it's moments but as a starting point Unicorn is a far better introduction to Bolans early work.
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released by Tyrannosaurus Rex
(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Salamanda Palaganda, Conesuala, The Travelling Tragition. LOW POINTS: Juniper Suction, Scenescof Dynasty
Prophets the follow up to My People is generally regarded by the majority of critics as simply more of the same, I too initially regarded Prophets in the same light but following repeated plays and closer inspection it clearly is a step forward from the previous set in many ways. There is warmer atmosphere throughout Prophets with Bolan creating a softer soundscape with many of the jagged edges of it's predecessor removed. Steve Took's input is also far more effective than his work on My People providing a far more dynamic rhythmic experience, particularly on the more up tempo tracks.
The album kicks off however slightly disappointingly with a second rate reworking of the wonderful "Debora" single that was sadly omitted from the first album. This time round it's entitled "Deboraarobed" due to the fact that mid course the track is simply reversed and played backwards. It's not rocket science by any means and whilst it maybe interesting initially it quickly becomes frustrating and simply doesn't retain any of the spark and drive of the glorious original.
Things do pick up however as the following "Stacey Grove" and "Wind Quartets" are more melodious than the majority of tracks on My People and retain a charm all of their own. Better still "Conesuala" follows, a track not entirely unlike the finest song on this set (in my view) "Salamanda Palaganda". Both tracks are more up tempo and more akin to the "Debora" single, with frantic percussion from Took, distinctive melodies and more wonderful nonsensical Bolan lyrics. These tracks together with the infectious "The Travelling Tragition", the short but delicate "The Friends" and the eastern tinged "Aznageel the Mage" lift Prophets above it's predecessor and a natural step closer to the following Unicorn album.
Unfortunately there remains several throw backs to the lesser My People tracks in the shape of the disjointed "Trelawny Lawn" and terminally dull "Our Wonderful Brownskin Man". What brings the set down further for me is the fact that two of my least favourite tracks close the album, the diminutive drone that is "Juniper Suction" which thankfully runs to just over a minute and the following "Scenecof Dynasty" which is a repetitive and unimaginative four minutes devoid of any instrumentation or melody and backed purely by Took's handclaps and bizarre sound effects. The only saving grace here is that we are spared a John Peel poem narration, something which blights the two albums that bookend Prophets. Strangely enough "Juniper Suction" does work better in poem form when recited by Marc and featured on the BBC History album, perhaps the My People and Unicorn narrations would have been more palatable with Marc at the microphone.
Many of tracks on Prophets run under two minutes so again like My People it's short on playing time. Mystical lyrics, fairy tale characters, acoustic instrumentation, shoestring percussion and odd backing vocals all remain but as an album Prophets does reach a little higher than its predecessor. I would agree with the majority of critics who claim that Unicorn is on the whole, a better and more accessible album, but that said my favourite moments here do possibly surpass the peaks of Unicorn.
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released by Tyrannosaurus Rex
(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: The Sea Beasts, The Seal of Seasons, Iscariot, The Pilgrims Tale, Catblack. LOW POINTS: Stones for Avalon
Unicorn is widely regarded as the peak of Bolan's Tyrannosaurus Rex output, with some critics even going as far to claim it as his finest work of all. Bolan's songwriting clearly matured to new heights on Unicorn and the tracks contained are constantly more melodic and the instrumentation is clearly expanded from the low budget sound of the previous two albums. Bolan works hard at creating friendlier more accessible songs with hooks scattered everywhere. The formerly ever present ethnic percussion is not quite so prevalent here but Took's backing vocals are deployed to greater effect than before particularly on "Catback" and at numerous points throughout the set
Unicorn starts impressively with "Chariots of Silk" and drifts onwards gently amidst warm summer sound efforts through the brief "Pon a Hill" and the mellow enchanting "The Seal of Seasons". By the time you reach the fourth track, the poignant "The Throat of Winter" you are left in no doubt that Unicorn is a completely different animal than it's predecessors, to the point that it may have possibly alienated some of his serious underground following, to most however Unicorn is a work of beauty.
There are no really weak tracks on the set which is the key factor that lifts this album, "Stones for Avalon" is fairly gloomy as is "Like a White Star" but both are inoffensive and do nothing to upset the flow of this wonderfully consistent album. The closing "Romany Soup" is the only track that is regularly isolated for criticism, largely due the fact that the lead part of the track features John Peel narrating another of Bolan's children's stories. I would agree that this is a frustrating interruption (and something that I understand now causes Peel great embarrassment) but something I can tolerate as on this occasion Bolan comes back briefly to play out the album and gently whisper Unicorn to us as album closes.
There are some classic Bolan tracks contained within these grooves, "Warlord of the Royal Crocodiles" and the majestic "The Sea Beasts" are both uncomplicated gems and "Catblack" and the glorious "Iscariot" are both continually identified as fan favourites. The delightful "The Pilgrims Tale" is another personal highlight which flows into the wonderful and effortless "The Misty Coast of Albany". The tracks are more far accessible than Bolan's previous efforts, the laid back vocals drift effortlessly across the mellow and melodic world that Unicorn creates and you are left with album that feels impossible to date and unlike any other, in my collection at least.
Bolan's policy of not featuring singles on albums during this period means that the wonderful "Debora", "One Inch Rock" and the final single prior to Unicorn's release "Pewter Suitor" are tough to track down particularly as they don't appear to be being added as bonus tracks on the CD editions, the uplifting "Pewter Suitor" would have made a handsome companion for Unicorn.
Unicorn is unique in the Bolan catalogue and the last to feature Steve Took who it appears was fast growing discontented with the band not performing any of his own compositions. Bolan's sound was to change quite dramatically only two months after the release of Unicorn in the form of the "King of the Rumbling Spires"/ "Do you Remember" single which is so far removed from Unicorn it's unbelievable. Both are prototype 1972 T.Rex tracks featuring electric instrumentation and heavy riffs and clearly date Bolan's change of direction a good eight months earlier than the popular music press would have you believe with the arrival of the following A Beard of Stars album. Mickey Finn would soon arrive and things would never be the same again, but Unicorn remains a glowing ember in Bolan's early works and many respected critics site it as one of the most underrated albums of the late sixties, it's well worth a look.
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released by Tyrannosaurus Rex
(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Pavilions of Sun, Dove, Dragons Ear, By the Light of the Magical Moon. LOW POINTS: Prelude, Organ Blues, A Beard of Stars, Wind Cheetah
The album that followed the grand direction changing "King of the Rumbling Spires" single was always going to be an interesting one coupled with the fact that Bolan had recruited a new sidekick for his first venture of the new decade. The new boy Mickey Finn must have clearly understood his position in this partnership was not one of equal parts when the cover artwork to the new album was unveiled. To the casual observer the image of solely Bolan gazing out from the front cover must surely have implied that he had in fact gone solo and in reality in many ways this was probably not far from the truth.
Finn has generally been perceived as being not as technically gifted as his predecessor and regularly comes in for a fair amount of criticism for his work on this album. Other reports sight the rhythmic deficiencies on A Beard of Stars as being nothing to do with Finn at all but the result of Bolan and Visconti needing to replace Steve Took's original parts themselves for legal reasons following his departure from the band. I'm not sure which is fact and which is fiction but either way Finn appears to be the one credited and things certainly do get a little loose in places.
Essentially most of the tracks here would slot nicely into Unicorn's grooves but Bolan decided to move his formula forward a little by attempting to make his songs and arrangements even more accessible than that previous album. The big change here is of course the introduction of electric guitars, however unlike the riff heavy "Rumbling Spires" single Bolan decided to use them for the most part quite delicately. Most of the tracks here are acoustic based with electric guitars only used sparingly to make the tracks feel a little more commercial than his previous output. Having said that A Beard of Stars still clearly has enough about it to separate it from your average pop album of the time, Bolan's vocals are still beautifully distinctive although his phrasing feels a little more precise than his previously often indecipherable vocals and at times you feel he's really making a concerted effort for his magical celtic tales to be understood.
The high points here for me are the infectious "Pavilions of Sun", the heavenly mellow "Dove" and the inventive multi part "Dragons Ear". "By the Light of the Magical Moon", "Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart" "A Daye Laye" and "Woodland Bop" are also all classic colourful Bolan tracks with wonderful hooks and curious lyrics. The two instrumentals "Prelude" and the title track (that kicked off each side in the days of vinyl) are fairly uninspiring and do nothing for me personally and both "Organ Blues" and "Wind Cheetah" are monotonous points in the proceedings.
Bolan continues his formula of closing each album with a lengthy track which this time round arrives in the shape of "Elemental Child" which is a kind of "Tomorrow Never Knows" of Bolan's catalogue. It's overrated for my money, the vocal section of the track is your standard Bolan fare but it quickly breaks into an extended freeform "Bolan does Hendrix" electric guitar workout. Unfortunately Bolan was not the most technically gifted guitarist and therefore this closer, along with the two instrumentals, and the two monotonous plodders bring the whole album down a little. Having said that "Elemental Child" is a pretty bold statement to close the album with, and one that suggested a new Bolan era was on the horizon, which of course as history dictates, it was, but not just yet. This makes the following T.Rex album all the more frustrating, as apart from adding strings to the arrangements it pretty much treads water and delivers an experience not at all dissimilar to A Beard of Stars.
A sad end to the Tyrannosaurus Rex years really, some great tracks admittedly but its generally not as consistent nor as satisfying as the previous Unicorn album. A new dawn was indeed breaking for Bolan though and within a year (in his homeland at least) he would become the darling of the media and ultimately one the biggest stars of the 70's.
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(reviewed by Casey Brennan)
HIGH POINTS: Beltane Walk, Diamond Meadows, Suneye. LOW POINTS: None.
This was the effort in which Marc Bolan changed the band's name from Tyrannosaurus Rex to the shorter, more accessible T. Rex. The hippy-dippy Marc Bolan was soon to be no more. Soon he was to be replaced by the high-fantasy glam Rock star. This little fifth album though, is a transitional one that provides the perfect bridge between Marcs' late-60's folky-acoustic psychedelic period and his later successful electric glam-pop period (though this is a speculation since I don't own any of the first four albums'). I'll stand by that since the better half of this album is based on atmospherically acoustic stuff, with a couple of the tracks in the middle containing prominent use of electric guitar. The most successful of the newly full-electric tracks must be the catchy "Beltane Walk", a melodic fuzz-tone rocker that contains the basic elements of his later style with its' boogie guitar, orchestration, and memorable 'give me love, gimmie give me love' chorus. That's some prime T.Rex right there. Also in the electric vein is "Is It Love?", which I don't fancy as much as the former, though it's still decent.
The rest of the remaining thirteen tracks though contain limited and restrained use of the electric guitar, with most of them being built on the usage of acoustic and rhythm guitars with slight orchestration accompaniment. While not all of these tunes are actually memorable or deliberately setting out to strike you, the record is consistently enjoyable and extremely pleasant because of a few things. For one, the vibe is different from the later T. Rex releases because it has this low-budget, yet very pure and 'charming' (as is often said about this album) vibe to it that brings the listener close to the recording. More importantly though, every single one of these songs is very very tuneful with Bolan creating sweet and delightful vocal melodies over-top the simple instrumentation. In other words, every song has something nice to offer.
The best of these (though it's slightly hard to pick high points here) would probably be the ultra-sweet "Diamond Meadows" because of it's great little adorable orchestrated melody and lyrics that go 'do it with your friends, let's do it, do it', which makes me wonder if that line implies having sex or not. More than likely it doesn't (since in 1970 lyrics weren't really that blatantly sexual), but they are the only lyrics I can really discern at all so it made me wonder. Bolan's vocals on that tune are pretty weird and cool anyway. "Suneye" is also interesting lyrically since towards the end it has Bolan throwing out these strange rhymes, one of which is pretty damn hilarious as it rhymes 'stars' with the crazy line 'Tyrannosaurus Rex, the eater of cars'. The song, which is an acoustic one with up-front vocals, is made into an instant highlight because of that single line. Yep yep.
"Summer Deep", "Root of Star" (the understated electric guitar playing on this one is pretty excellent), the staccato rhythmic "Childe" and "Seagull Woman", the quick-paced "Jewel"(a good opener), and others such as "The Time of Love is Now", are all similarly fine, with plenty of decent melodies to keep you well interested. Then there is the novelty 'dum-de-dum-de-doi-doi' sing-along folksy number "One Inch Rock" (which is quite a lot of fun) and last of all, the nine minute epic "The Wizard", which although not completely awesome, has a lot of neat Bolan vocalizations throughout. A pretty weird song I'd have to say since it has Bolan saying the word 'wizard' a million times in a whole bunch of different ways and in different sentence phrases while the brisk acoustic instrumentation changes tempo. Some parts are better than others, but overall the melody is appreciative enough to guarantee repeated listens. What an interesting way to basically end an album that is basically made up of a bunch of good and enjoyable ditties. You wouldn't know that Bolan would soon be pretty successful and banging gongs all over the place (or something like that).
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(Casey Brennan's review)
HIGH POINTS: Bang A Gong (Get It On), Jeepster, Cosmic Dancer, Life's A Gas, Rip-Off. LOW POINTS: Lean Woman Blues.
The last album was a transitional one that showed Marc Bolan moving away from the mythical hippy-dippy acoustic approach of his late-60's records to a new electricfied sound. It was this album, however, that made Bolan the superstar that he so much wanted to be. This could well be the first glam-Rock album of the era too, predating David Bowie's classic Ziggy Stardust album by nearly a year; Bowie, meanwhile, was recording the melodically exciting Hunky Dory album, which was a far cry from what Marc was doing here. Of course, a lot of this success was due to his major mega-hit "Bang A Gong (Get It On)", which immediately catapulted him into the charts. Bolan's now-legendary penchant for silly nonsensical lyrics that seem to make a lot of sense when he sings it in his corkscrew voice to a mellow boogie-styled melody with "high-fantasy" (excuse the cliche) orchestration over-top was pure magic. "Bang A Gong" is sweet and groovy, yet with its' sleazy lyrics ("You're built like a car, you got a hubcap, Diamond star halo") and guitar riff, also wonderfully trashy. This is what glam-rock is all about, man! Well, it's a pretty tame song overall, but glam isn't all about just being high-energy, trashy, loud, and over-dramatic, it has to have great hooks too. This song certainly has that, along with a highly memorable chorus that, well, almost everyone knows by heart.
While undoubtably important, the rest of the album is really excellent too (maybe I rambled on a bit much with "Bang A Gong", but whatever). One of the best for sure is the rocker "Jeepster", which is pure fun with its' hooky rock n' roll riff through-out and descendingly lurking orchestration during the chorus. The best line comes at the end where Bolan states in the chorus.."Girl I'm just a vampire for your love.. and I'm gonna suck you!". Just a funny line that ends this kickin' up-tempo romper. Then there is the fat-sounding chords of the opener "Mambo Sun", a song that contains the familiar background vocals of Flo & Eddie (the two dudes from the Turtles that also worked with Frank Zappa at the time), both of whom helped take part in the following albums' with their abilities. Cool song too. Bolan creates a special atmosphere in "Cosmic Dancer", a melodic, orchestrated number with sparse instrumentation laid overtop (drums and rhythm guitar for the most part only) and lyrics that probably only makes sense to Bolan himself. That goes without saying though.
Elsewhere, we have the gospelish quality of "Monolith", which has well-executed restrained guitar-work preceding and following the two verses that make up the tune, the memorable "Life's A Gas" (a short, but top-notch tune), and the basic instrumentation of "Girl" and "Planet Queen" (Bolan's scatting against Flo and Eddie's background vocals during the chorus is a highlight on here), two melodic numbers that sit nicely in the middle of the album. The only weak spot on here is the much-loathed "Lean Woman Blues", which despite an ok sound is just a weak blues number. Average all around, it's just a bit unnecessary to be on here. The fine boogie of "The Motivator" is better, and even better than that is the completely manic-driven closer "Rip-Off", which has Bolan shouting some hilarious lines like "Terraplane Tommy, wants to bang your gong" and then proclaiming it to be 'A ripoff!'. Only the unpredictably haunting bridge that pops out in the middle interrupts this flow of rip-off lines (all while the wild drums, endearing saxes, and orchestration move the song forward). A pretty great way to end T.Rex's Electric Warrior, an album that captures the essence of Bolan the best of all perhaps.
HIGH POINTS: Jeepster, Bang A Gong (Get It On), Cosmic Dancer. LOW POINTS: Lean Woman Blues.
This is where Marc Bolan's change from his folky beginnings finally gets completed, and the result is a huge commercial and critical success, and also one of the earliest cornerstones of glam rock history. Electric Warrior is an album that has engaging grooves, primitive but energetic and powerful sleazy riffs, playful, often very amusing, lyrics, and of course fine hooks. In the wrong hands, this stuff could sound dangerously simplistic and stupid, but in Bolan's hands, it's pretty timeless. He hasn't gone completely away from folky material, though, as the ballads still display a lot of that quality, with good use of acoustic guitar and effective orchestration. The success of this effort, though, was due in large part to the smash single "Bang A Gong (Get It On)", a classic example of this style and album's attitude - a simple, to the point, riff and lyrics that are the definition of sleaze done well. Great chorus hook, too.
There are also other very impressive tracks here, as "Jeepster" boasts an awesome dirty riff over a clapalong beat, and along with its' top-notch melody, it creates a thoroughly addictive and incredibly energetic listening experience, making it perhaps my favorite song on the entire album. "Mambo Sun" is a fine opener as well, emphasizing well done, playful groove over anything else. The repeated line 'for you... for you' in the chorus ensures its' memorability, and lyrics like 'I got stars in my beard, and I feel real weird...' contributing to the amusement of the song. "Cosmic Dancer", meanwhile, is perhaps the album's best ballad, with a beautiful melody, perhaps the best use of orchestration, great guitar soloing and harmony at the end, and of course, those funny lyrics again - 'I was dancing when I was eight, is it strange to dance so late'.
The bass-heavy slow groove of "Monolith", while not exactly high on memorability, is fun enough while it's on, while the acoustic "Girl" and "Life's A Gas" are both among the most genuinely pretty moments here, particularly the latter song, with its' strong, strong melody, great guitar riff interplaying with the acoustic parts, and highly memorable refrain ('but it really doesn't matter at all...'). The rousing closer "Rip Off", though, actually has a strange conceptual significance within the album (more on that later), with a cool riff and some of the highest energy on the entire thing. Funniest moment - 'lying in the nude, feeling such a dude, it's a rip off!' It does drag a bit, since there are a bunch of short verses within the song structure, and the orchestral ending is dragged out a little longer than it should be, but it's still a fine song, anyway.
Oh, and how does "Rip Off" tie into the album? Well, "Planet Queen" and "The Motivator" are pretty much the exact same song as "Mambo Sun" and "Bang A Gong (Get It On)", taken at virtually the same tempo, with similar riffs, though the former one does manage to carve out its' own identity through a striking vocal hook. At least they're 'ripoffs' of great songs, though. The sole weak track on here, "Lean Woman Blues", doesn't even really that going for it, however, as its' tempo just plods along like a big, dumb dinosaur with little in the way of vocal melody. No matter, though, besides that track and the rehashing tendencies that appear throughout (which does cost it a bit in the rating), this is one excellent record that you're sure to have a great time with. A seminal record in understanding what glam rock is all about.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Raw Ramp, Summertime Blues, Ride a White Swan, Dove, The King of the Mountain Cometh. LOW POINTS: None
Bolan finally breaks through with the classic "Ride a White Swan" single and legendary Electric Warrior album. He signs a deal with EMI to release material on his own label and will shortly release The Slider which will arguably crown him the biggest artist of 1971/72. What are his previous label to do now left with six studio albums and a handful of singles to exploit. Well against Bolan's wishes they release "Jeepster" from the Electric Warrior album as a single and then compile the first Bolan compilation Bolan Boogie. This collection of singles, album tracks and b-sides are all drawn from A Beard of Stars onwards with the exception of Unicorn's "She was born to be my Unicorn".
The hits from Electric Warrior are all present and correct in the form of "Get It On" and "Jeepster", and reaching further back the delightful "Dove", "By the Light of the Magical Moon" and "Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart" are culled from A Beard of Stars, and the solid Electric Warrior warm up "Jewel" and the poppy "Beltane Walk" are drawn from the 1970 T.Rex album. Bolan Boogie becomes essential though due to the top notch non album singles and equally compelling b sides that are contained. The wonderful breakthrough "Ride a White Swan" single with its glorious guitar hook and brief but classic solo is here as is the bouncy follow up "Hot Love". I recall reading somewhere that "Hot Love" was once described as being a one minute song with a three minute ending, I can relate to this a little but who cares, it's a still a wondefully entertaining feel good track.
The real standouts here for me though are the b sides, this maybe because they're simply not as familiar as the big hits, but I've had this album for many years now and they still easily stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the set. "Raw Ramp" is the pick of the bunch, a five and a half minute three part classic that kicks off with a gentle melodic lead in dressed up with strings and feeling like an outtake from the 1970 T.Rex album. The track then stalls and restarts with the main "Raw Ramp" middle section, classic pumped up The Slider style T.Rex, it's amazingly catchy with hilariously camp lyrics. The track plays out with the "Electric Boogie" section, the least attractive part of the piece but enjoyable nonetheless. I would imagine that "Raw Ramp" was originally no more than three unfinished songs that Bolan blended together, but for me it really works and this track coupled with the mighty and mystical "King of the Mountain Cometh" justify the cover price alone.
"Summertime Blues" is another astonishingly good reworking of a 50's classic and different in approach from The Who's cranked up version from this period. It strolls along gently with limited backing, Finn's bongo's and steady handclaps accompany Bolan's terrific vocal delivery. "Woodland Rock" is also included, a lightweight but pleasant enough slice of Bolan but not to be confused the superior "Woodland Bop" from the Beard of Stars album. I don't usually regard compilations that highly but this set which was released a couple months prior to The Slider makes for entertaining listening. To sum up it mixes a little from the Tyrannosaurus days with the classic early 70's glam hits, and then for good measure throws in some really top quality b sides that you'll struggle to find anywhere else, it's a worthy addition to your Bolan collection.
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(reviewed by Casey Brennan)
HIGH POINTS: Telegram Sam, The Slider, Mystic Lady, Rabbit Fighter. LOW POINTS: None.
Featuring a cover shot taken by Ringo Starr of Marc Bolan wearing a large top-hat, this album is quite a satisfying follow-up. In many ways The Slider is just like the previous record, albeit with a slight fall in diversity (Electric Warrior has a more tasteful production as well). The same orchestration that Tony Visconti used to give Bolan's straightforward boogie chugglers and melodic acoustic numbers an airy edge on Electric Warrior is on full display here. Songs like "Mystic Lady" and "Chariot Choogle" are full testement to that. One would expect this to be a much weaker follow-up, but that's certainly not the case at all. A great deal of these numbers are well-written tunes with highly silly and entertaining lyrics from Bolan himself, plus there are fine melodies galore.
Some of the most memorable nonsensical lyrics (well at least I'm not sure of what they really mean) from Bolan are contained here, such as the lines 'Me I funk but I don't care, I ain't no square with my corkscrew hair' in "Telegram Sam" or 'Riding sliding Sorceress, in your dungarees, Got me on my knees, yea yea ye-ye-yea' from "Mystic Lady". Classic lines I tell ya. The way Bolan convincingly sings (Yeah, Bolan has finally convinced me that Telegram Sam is his main man) these lines against a simple fuzz-tone electric guitar groove on "Telegram Sam" makes for quite an excellent song actually. The lyrical and guitar hook that is created is very fun, with the some-what beefy guitar sound during the verses being a good contrast with the typical-Bolanized orchestration of the melodic chorus.
The shady "Mystic Lady" is a much mellower tune with acoustic guitar/string arrangement accompanient and a very slow tempo, but hey, that's not a bad thing at all when the melody, which is calmly affecting, is a real winner. The 'baby, baby' refrain at the end, sung by the duo of Flo and Eddie with Bolan making noises over-top, is perhaps a bit long, but netherless a nice way to go out. It's definitely a highlight though. This track, along with a few others, indicate that The Slider contains an air of mellowness ('mellow sleaze' I like to say), built on some slow-tempo based grooves with rasp-tinged vocals. This is a good thing though as it describes the great title track (in fact, some of the best songs on here fit this description), a boogie-glam number where Marc descends the sound of the last word in each verse to good effect. The memorability of the chorus can't be denied either.. it's distinctive and 'cool'.
This now brings me to the ultimately silly "Rabbit Fighter", a mostly straight-forward tune with lyrics about unscrewed dudes, shady politicians, moondog's, and tramp kings. It's when the song busts out with this majestic high-orchestrated coda 'Call me Rabbit Fighter..Jo Jo don't you know!' that makes the song so joyfully rewarding. You have to wonder what was going through Bolan's mind when deciding to make a hilarious line like this so anthemic-sounding. Leaving less of an impression, though still quite good, is the quick opener "Metal Guru", a pop-rocker that I kick myself for thinking it used to be crappy. Things certainly change. There is a good balance of more more rocking numbers too, such as the mid-tempo "Rock On", the bopping "Baby Boomerang" (this can be a pretty fun one), or "Baby Strange".
On the whole though, at least when compared to the rest of the material, these three are a bit more ordinary; they are decent, but can be seen as minor filler. That's not the case for the fast and catapulting "Chariot Choogle" or "Buick Mackane" (the one true sleaze-fest on here with its' pure sloppiness), both of which are solid rockers in their own right. Visiting acoustic-based territory again, Bolan gives us the airy "Spaceball Ricochet", a relatively sparse tune with a haunting ending that I dig a lot, the John Lennon and Bob Dylan references of "Ballrooms of Mars" (huh, David Bowie mentioned Lennon or at least linen on his "Life on Mars" song the year before), and the closer "Main Man", which is made better by the voice effects of the vocals - gives a certain quality to it. All in all, Marc Bolan is in fine form throughout. Full of memorable lyrical as well as musical hooks, The Slider stands up well after the defining Electric Warrior. A few of the songs sound a bit on the sorta typical side as opposed to the complete freshness of the last album, but that's about the only reason it's a tad less essential. Anyway, Bolan realized this and proceeded to change things a bit on Tanx, the fourth of the T.Rex's 1970's releases. Go ooo yeah.
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COMMENTS
Marc Bolan at an absolute peak for me and a major step forward from the previous album with not an inch of filler to be found (including the CD b-side bonus tracks).
I've always found Electric Warrior a confusing and unsatisfying set with Bolan still not entirely sure which direction he wants to be heading. The Slider finally blows away the acoustic pixie cobwebs and see's Bolan embrace his new audience with a feast of simple but catchy melodies dressed up like never before.
I can't agree more with the standout tracks here being "Telegram Sam, Rabbit Fighter, Mystic Lady & The Slider", but having said that practically anything here could have been released as a single. The Bolan Boogie Machine was in full flow here pushing forward the previous albums "Get It On" and "Jeepster" highlights and blowing the whole experience over a complete set. There are acoustic based tracks "Spaceball Ricochet, Mystic Lady, Ballrooms of Mars & Main Man" but they are all delivered with a style and freshness not seen before on any of Bolan's frustratingly uneven albums. 72' was Marc's year for sure but it was downhill all the way from here I'm afraid as whilst the remaining 70's albums are pleasant enough and do have their moments, they never recapture the freshness, consistency and sheer excitement of The Slider.
(reviewed by Casey Brennan)
HIGH POINTS: Tenement Lady, Life Is Strange, Highway Knees, Mister Mister, Broken-Hearted Blues. LOW POINTS: Born To Boogie, Left Hand Luke And The Beggar Boys.
Starting with the sound of a mellotron and Bolan's 'OW!' yell before the strange-sounding Bolan vocals come in on the opener "Tenement Lady", it is easily seen that Tanx is a bit of a departure from the last two albums'. I would say that the basic style is the same; of course, Bolan's unique mixture of silly airy-dippy rhymes set to a very simplified melody (often a boogie-styled melody) is a trademark of his style on all of the releases from this era. But there is much more production on here, as layers of instruments and/or sounds are overdubbed onto the basic tracks. In fact, each succeeding album (well, at least the next two) would be more heavily produced than the last, to good or bad effect (unfortunately, usually worse effect). On here though, everything is in pleasant balance. All that is added is a wonderful touch of diversity with all the little mellotrons, pianos, saxes, and whatever else there may be in the mix.
Bolan seemed to want to give the best songs on here that treatment, as the previously-mentioned two-part "Tenement Lady", with its' chuggling beat aided by mellotron during the first several memorable verses ('Tenenment Lady, Stone drug mama'- great stuff) comes to a halt and gives way to a slower, very beautiful melody, which is backed by a swirling, strange-sounding atmosphere created by the same mellotron. In that case, the great line in that second half 'the people on the street call out your name, the giants and the dwarfs all call the same' makes the song all the more 'beautiful'. The poppier "Mister Mister", on the other hand, while not as great of a tune, is given a delightfully 'creamy'-light atmosphere by the mellotron, playful sax, and touch of piano - the 'diddy-bom bom's' at the fade-out of the track are a nice touch too.
Some of the most effective tunes on this thirteen-track album, however, are the few short and pretty ballads. "Life Is Strange", an acoustic number with a potently melodic vocal melody that could have probably fit well on the The Slider, is surely one of them. Wow, gotta love the slight 'nature' atmosphere on this one, along with the absolutely terrific vocal delivery from Bolan (what a captivating croon). The second of these, the two-verse ballad "Broken-hearted Blues", shows Bolan sometimes reaching a high falsetto in a saddened vocal delivery that has always hit a resonant note with me (although that has worn a bit since I bought the album), and "Highway Knees", another song given a pretty engaging atmosphere by the layered sounds, contains one of the most satisfying melodies on here and has a great little guitar solo to boot(the squeal-effect of the guitar at the end of the solo is definitely the best moment - don't you agree?).
On a slightly downer note, there are quite a few songs here that are a bit insubstantial and all-too 'typical' of the generic Bolan tune. What makes The Slider just a tad stronger is that there are less of these typical filler tunes (there are only two or three tunes on that album that fit in that realm). Here there are maybe five tracks that fit that description including the very forgettable "Born to Boogie", the high-octane glam-rock of "Shock Rock", the snappy "Country Honey", and "Mad Donna". Plus there is the over-long gospelish closer "Left Hand Luke and The Beggar Boys", which although certainly not typical, is a tedious ending to a compact album that almost makes me lower the grade half a point. Stick to the orchestrated "Electric Slim and the Factory Hen" for a better slightly 'gospel' sound (interestingly, Bolan once called Tanx a gospel album). Still, most of these tunes are very very short, and a few of them (like the groovy "Mad Donna) are still enjoyable to listen to at the very least. Don't be surprised if they wear thin after a little while though.
On a higher note, the straightforward boogie of "Rapids" kicks a rather fair amount of ass as a lyrically and musically solid tune. And "The Babe and Street Shadow" is a rather mysterious-sounding pop-rocker with the memorable 'babe, I do mean, babe' lines after each set of lyrics, and some wailing sax that ends the tune. I was going to originally give the album a 7.5, but the fact that Tanx is the freshest, most instrumentally diverse, and perhaps most interesting of T.Rex's releases, I gladly raise it to a lower 8. For certain, the atmosphere of the album can be a bit addictive (I know that I listened to the album quite a bit after I got it) after awhile. Diminishing success (as the 70's progressed) and personal things would soon bring some changes, however.
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(reviewed by Casey Brennan)
HIGH POINTS: Venus Loon, The Avengers (Superbad). LOW POINTS: You've Got To Jive To Stay Alive/Spanish Midnight, Nameless Wildness, Painless Persuasion v. The Meathawk Immaculate, Explosive Mouth.
The glazed look in Marc Bolan's eyes on the front of the album cover is as weird as the album title, that's for sure. Zinc Alloy is a period of change for Bolan too, as he now had a new love in the African beauty Gloria Jones (well, yea I guess she's alright), who would help out with all sorts of background vocals here; Flo and Eddie were long gone by this time, a shame. More than that though, Bolan decided to go a little wild with the production, often overproducing certain songs with lots of drums, crazy little guitars, wailing Jones vocals, and sometimes, overpowering orchestration on top (much in contrast to the production of The Slider or Electric Warrior).
Contradictingly though, the single tune with the most production on here (well, probably) is actually the albums' defnite high point. That would be the exciting opener "Venus Loon", which is a slightly funky, quick-paced pop-rocker with almost proto-type disco orchestration in the background in parts, and a great huge atmosphere. Everything works here, including the nerly inaudible electric guitars (which sit in nicely here) and Jones sing-a-long vocals to the chorus (along with her background ones). What an excellent song it is. The problem is that Bolan kinda blows it after that. At least a few of the songs should have been left in the can, either being too insubstantial, meaningless (though that wasn't a problem before), or just badly written. There are a few underdeveloped songs with stupid references to earlier songs such as 'bang a gong' in the half rocker/half ballad "Galaxy", which doesn't have much to it except a dreamy soulish sound in its' two line chorus.
Elsewhere, a few generally enjoyable tunes are partially ruined by the overall production. A good example of this would be on the overdramatic craziness of "Liquid Gang", a tune that has an exciting, energetically-forwarding melody during the verses, but which has too much overpowering, wailing background vocals from Gloria Jones (she goes too over-the-top.. why don'tcha just scream?), pointless lowly-mixed electric guitar wailing all over the place, and a heavily orchestrated ending to top it off. The weird "Sound Pit" is a bit crazy in that sense too, but at least it is very interesting, with the guitars striking you quick and hard in the right speaker and the other instruments in the left speaker - a sound pit if you will. Overall, a fairly decent song. What follows it is pretty mediocre though, such as the black-sounding "Explosive Mouth": in fact, Marc was listening to a lot of popular 'black' music at the time, hoping that emulating that a bit would get him back on the charts.
Then there is the under-developed slow-paced "Change", which besides a dark mood has nothing really going for it, and insubstantial filler like "Nameless Wideless", the ridiculously-titled "Painless Persuasion v the Meathawk Immaculate", and "You got to Jive to stay Alive/Spanish Midnight" (really, this one consists of two or three stupid two-line verses that just repeat with wailing guitars far in the background that are rather, well, pointless). This is balanced out by some pretty good tunes in the sweepingly orchestrated ode to his past "Teenage Dream", where Gloria still needs to be toned down a bit, the hidden melodic minor gem "Carsmile Smith & the Old One" (the opening lyric makes me laugh a bit too), the bouncy "Intersteller Soul", with its' enjoyable 'pressure, pressure' response vocals during the chorus, and the funny charm of the lyrics to the closer "The Leopards Featuring Gardenia and the Mighty Slugs" (ex: 'Mincing quincy dropping bop drops down the drain'- what?).
Oh yeah, I can't forget about "The Avengers" either, the second best song on the album. A funky tune that starts off with the shout of "Get This!", it is a pretty well-produced (ok, except for a bit of obnoxiousness in the vocal department from you know who) and exciting song overall. So yeah, Zinc Alloy is not as half-bad as some people may think, but there are too many flaws to make this a rather adequate-sounding album. If Bolan wasn't trying so hard to keep up in the charts, it could have been a better record with a more focused sound.
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(reviewed by Casey Brennan)
HIGH POINTS: Think Zinc. LOW POINTS: Space Boss, Precious Star, I Really Love You Babe, Golden Belt.
Marc Bolan always had an obsessive nature of being a successful rock star, so this period must have been particularly bad for him. The year before saw the release of the over-produced and unfocused Zinc Alloy album, which while having a few fantastic songs (remember "Venus Loon"?), was flawed in many ways too. This follow-up to it is marginally worse though, with a good deal of songs screaming the word 'mediocre'. This automatically makes it the weakest album of all the T.Rex years (at least from this decade - I have yet to hear the earlier releases). It suffers from a bit of overproduction as well, though definitely not to the extent of Zinc Alloy, and Gloria Jones presence on background vocals is still a bit annoying too. But that's not the real problem here.. nope. This slightly stripped-down and funk-i-fied album, which is rather short in length as well, simply suffers from a formula that has pretty much run dry.
A very noticeable weakeness is that Bolan's lyrics are getting much less interesting and simplifed, sometimes to the point of absolute triteness. Even the last album had a small share of Bolan's humorously silly lyrics; seriously, this album has almost next to none. One example of this pettiness is the lightweight piano bop of "Precious Star", which, I mean really, is literally just one long repetitive chorus where he sings 'Ooh like a precious star you are' to the point of weariness. Like many songs on here, the melody is just too simplified and the lyrics too underdeveloped. The worst offender in this category may be the midtempo sax-laden rocker "Space Boss", where Bolan sings one of the stupidest choruses I have ever heard in my life.. 'are you are you are you are you now, are you are you are you are you now, the space boss'. Yeah, really. That's simply one of the dumbest hooks you could base a song around (Bolan even spells out the word space for us at the end!.. 'that spells "space" baby' he says). And as for the retarded song-title, who is the space boss anyway?
The simple hand-clappy Rock-popster "Girl in the Thunderbolt Suit" also contains a dumb chorus, this time verging on the boundaries of sounding like it came from a mid-70's bubblegum pop song. Fortunately, the verses are your normal Bolan. The one song that comes out perfectly justified despite this over-simplification, however, is the proud opener "Light of Love", because it has an infectious, memorable chorus, a fuzzy funky edge that gives the tune some extra 'oomph', and inspired vocals with a bit of creativeness (at the fade-out I mean). It's not quite a high point, as that spot is saved for the weirdness of "Think Zinc", a track that is a bit of a guilty pleasure with its' strikingly and wonderfully mysterious sound. Even so, still a pretty good song.
The rest of the record is made up of decent, though formulaic 'tired' numbers such as the ballad "Till Dawn" and the generic "Token of My Love", and other songs that fall in the category of lyrical triteness and over-repetitiveness such as "Solid Baby" (good use of clap-beats though), "I Really Love You Babe"(where Gloria's vocals are truly annoying), and "Golden Belt" (a rhythmically, danceable number). There is "Zip Gun Boogie" as well, which as a straight-forward boogie number, ain't too bad. So Bolan's Zip Gun isn't exactly horrible, but it certainly shows that Bolan was in a period of creative stagnation lyrically and musically. Anyways, if you listen closely to some of the vocals, doesn't Bolan not really sound like his normal self?
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(reviewed by Casey Brennan)
It was thought that Bolan's Glam-Rock formula had run completely dry by the time of Bolan's Zip Gun, but it's interesting what just a little imagination, passion, and creativity can do to liven it up. On here, the psuedo-conceptual Futuristic Dragon album, Bolan has a lot more confidence in himself and comes up with a set of songs that are definitely more adequate when compared to the last two releases (it is said that he cared less about how well he was doing on the charts at this point too). This, and also an updated sound, which includes a few disco elements in some of the songs (more prominent in the second half), a return of nice orchestration (courtesy of Jimmy Haskell), and an atmosphere that is dreamy, soulish, and forceful all at once, make up for a partial, yet fresh comeback for the Fairy-hipster.
There aren't exactly any real knockouts on the record, but the astral-dust atmospherics of "Chrome Sitar" probably comes closest. Along with a cool and expansive sound, the chorus contains an imaginitive melody that beats out any unimaginitive hook on Bolan's Zip Gun with the great 'love is grand, won't you hold my hand - tonight' refrain being of a very sweeping quality; the background vocal-harmonies sung by an unnormally restrained Gloria must be given a lot of credit in attributing to this. Plus, featured is not just any normal sitar, but a beautiful chrome sitar (the strangeness of Bolan makes me wonder if I'm kidding about this or not).
There are several other very good cuts on here as well that sit along-side this track. This includes the chunky electric guitar/organ-driven rocker "Jupiter Liar", which contains a much-missed energetic passion, along with those great 'yeah!' yells that we love so much from the man, the easy retro-tinged "New York City", with its' silly lyrics constituting a boogie mind poem (the point is to sound stupid here) and the sexy smoothness of "Ride My Wheels". The solid hook in the memorable soulish and R'n'B-flavoured chorus of the latter track makes it a bit of an over-looked gem in my opinion - sort of an anamoly in Bolan's catalog too. Another jump-up from Zip Gun is that the lyrics are at least more creative and less simplistic, although they are nothing compared to the T.Rex lyrics of old. Still, there are too many repeated verses/choruses for certain songs that don't quite have a strong enough hook to make up for it, such as the overdramatic "Dawn Storm", the fun bopper "Sensation Boulevard" and possibly a few others. Yeah, this is easily seen when looking at the lyrics in the liner-note booklet.
The lifeless, quasi-danceable sax-led "Calling All Destroyers", which is the one true poor number on the album, falls in this category as well. The repetitive chorus is just too obvious and dumb and the energy level is too low to keep up with the noisiness and clamor of the instrumentation. Making up for the lesser moments though are the light sythesized-keyboard sound of the fine ballad "Dreamy Lady" (with a fun Bolan croon overall and great synthy na na na's at the end), the forgettable, but fun little rocker "All Alone", "My Little Baby", and the fast disco-tinged closer "Casual Agent". I actually find "Casual Agent" to be a good amount of fun because of its' rapid pace and unforgettable chorus with swiping strings. Harmless fun.
Yet let's not forget the "Futuristic Dragon" interludes that tie in the album together. The first is a less-than two minute sung-poem introductory tune complete with futuristic background synths, a striking syncopated rhythm, and pompous lyrics (a thunderbolt master, a 'lectronic saviour, a gold galactic raver, the futuristic Dragon!), while the second one is the satisfying instrumental track of it with crowd noises dubbed on quite nicely. Pleasant interludes I must say. Pleasant album too. A couple of minor defects, of which I talked about briefly, keep the album from being slightly better (a couple of songs, in fact, are close to being high points - a nagging edge keeps them down a bit), but all in all, this is a fine album from late period Bolan-ism. Rock on.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: The Soul of My Suit, Dandy in the Underworld. LOW POINTS: Crimson Moon, Groove a Little, Pain and Love, I'm a Fool for you Girl, Universe.
Dandy in the Underworld would be the last T.Rex album released in Bolan's lifetime and is a sad end to a career that had in reality been on the slide since his 1972 peak. Bolan's singles output during the declining years had remained (to my ears) fairly impressive, and the tracks selected for release were generally the prime cuts from each album, "Zip Gun Boogie" being a good example, a classic T.Rex track by any stretch of the imagination, but it's parent album is a pretty sorry affair. A similar tale can be told here, Dandy in the Underworld the album is often acclaimed as Bolan re-born as a credible musical force who could command respect in the fast changing late 70's music climate.
Around this time certain circles began to site Bolan as the godfather of Punk and an influential figure to a growing movement of angry young men forming bands based more on attitude than ability. I don't buy this theory at all I'm afraid, Bolan may have got himself back together physically and shaken off the days of the Porkie Pixie but short of a couple tracks there's absolutely nothing here to suggest there was ever going to be any sort of revival in his fortunes. There's also certainly nothing to suggest that fans of The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Damned or The Clash would be rushing out to add Dandy to their collections. I don't doubt that Bolan admired and was excited by this uprising of new wave bands, who were breaking the mould and splashing a fresh colour over a sterile, disco drenched music scene.
In 77 Marc had been given his own TV show in the UK and is continually given credit for introducing some of the less controversial new wave bands to a new TV audience including The Jam, The Boomtown Rats and Billy Idol's Generation X. It all sounds quite impressive really, Bolan gaining credibility by associating himself and presenting these fresh cutting edge bands to a TV audience. However what is also conveniently forgotten is that these shows also featured Stephanie de Skyes, Showaddywaddy, The Steve Gibbons Band and Robin Askwith to name just a few, and this was children's hour, midweek, daytime TV, not cutting edge late night output.
He toured with The Damned supporting him in 1977, and despite what complimentary comments Captain Sensible may have made at the time (and look how credible he turned out to be!!) this must surely have been the biggest mismatch since Hendrix toured with The Monkees a decade earlier. I have a healthy respect for the majority of Bolan's catalogue but the whole idea that Marc (had he survived) was on the resurgence and would have become a key figure in late 70's pop culture is simply implausible, and all the evidence you need lies within the grooves of this, his is final outing.
The 77 T.Rex line up consisted of Bolan, Herbie Flowers, Dino Dines, Miller Anderson and Tony Newman. Steve Currie is credited on several tracks as is Davy Lutton but Gloria Jones who for many practically wrecked most of Bolan's 1973-76 output is rarely heard. The immediate assumption to hearing this news is that maybe Bolan will abandon his Interstellar Soul and return to something closer to his prime years, unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth. The songs themselves really aren't that bad, and at times you can imagine many of them with a different arrangement, and occasionally different lyrics, working well dressed in Bolan's classic guitar led wall of sound format. The reality of this set is that the entire album is totally wrecked by Dino Dines cheesy keyboard and synth parts that literally drown every track and for me make this by far the worst album in Bolan's catalogue, and yes that includes Bolan's Zip Gun.
Why did so many artists of this era feel than they needed to practically abandon their guitars in favour of this god forsaken instrument. Even giants like Pete Townsend did it, although maybe not quite as badly as Bolan did here, and all this is happening years after Roxy Music showed the world how the instrument could be used on their inspiring debut and the following For Your Pleasure.
The opening title track "Dandy in the Underworld" is bearable, it's no classic by any means but it has enough about it to keep you interested, but the opening line of the following "Crimson Moon" sets the tone for the remainder of the album. Its nothing but bland synth pop supported by more or less a drum machine beat, with lame lyrics and even Bolan's classic vocal style appears to have lost its magic. The following two tracks "Universe" and "I'm a Fool for you Girl" are built on the same format and if you ever hear two tracks back to back on any album that are more similar I want to know about it, they are practically the same song. The familiar "I Love to Boogie" follows, this is one of the better tracks here (now that must tell you something) and is followed by the uninspiring "Visions of Domino" which for me has an air of ELO about it.
"Jason B Sad" is structured around the famous "Get it On" riff and is a little more respectable than most here, but the set tails off again with the following dire, plodding, synth laden "Groove a Little". The high point of the album "The Soul of My Suit" lifts things a little, there remains synth's everywhere but it's one of the few infectious tracks here, with an effective guitar solo and Bolans most inspired vocal performance of the set, and quite rightly selected for single release. "Hang Up's" is totally dire, it has pleasant enough guitar work but those keyboards kill it. "Pain and Love" is certainly different from anything else here and Bolan even tries a different vocal delivery, but it's repetitive, and simply dull, it's apparently "A Punkoid Opera in C Flat and Razor Sharp", according to the lyric sheet. The album concludes with the tiresome "Teen Riot Structure", just listen to Dino's squeaky keyboard lines during the playout, absolutely unbelievable.
I'm afraid Dandy in the Underworld is simply a dreadful album with very little to recommend, and this comes not from a casual listener, but one who owns and enjoys practically the entire Bolan catalogue including all of those well marketed Edsel Alternate releases and numerous compilations. Bolan was certainly capable of better, with a prime example being "Life's an Elevator", a sublime ballad which appeared on the b side of the "Laser Love"single, the last 7" release prior to Dandy and in my mind the last great song Marc ever released.
I feel Dandy is generally elevated to higher plain than it actually deserves in light of the tragic circumstances that would occur six months after it's release. Dandy was never going to compete with the rush of arrogant and abrasive albums that were issued in early 77, Damned Damned Damned, The Clash and Rattus Norvegicus all appeared around the same time and you simply cannot associate Bolan's output with these albums in any shape or form. Unfortunately there wasn't any sign that things were going to improve for Marc in light of the awful "Celebrate Summer" single that was issued in the UK just weeks prior to his death and yet still failed to chart. You probably need to make your own mind up about Dandy, I'm in the minority I know, but I'm afraid I simply cannot view it as the great comeback album that many critics do, approach with caution.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Token of My Love, Telegram Sam, Jeepster, Zip Gun Boogie (all from the 1974 bonus disc). LOW POINTS: Debora, Telegram Sam, Soul of My Suit, Teen Riot Structure, Get It On
The 1977 Dandy In The Underworld tour presented here is drawn from two UK dates, the majority of the tracks were recorded at The Finbury Park Rainbow in London and the remainder from the Portsmouth Locarno. The track listing is pretty much as you would expect, six big hits coupled with no less than seven tracks from the much touted Bolan revival (but in my view insipid) Dandy In The Underworld album. This album is a horrendous experience for several reasons, firstly the level of material. The majority of tracks come from the Dandy album and true to the studio set the live takes are just as dire with the guitars playing second fiddle to Dino Dines key and synth cheese board selection. This wasn't unexpected but when the same treatment is given to classic's such as "Jeepster" and "Telegram Sam" and just about everything else in the set you really begin to question Bolan's sanity.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex debut single "Debora" is probably as low as it gets here, dire musicianship from what was reputed to be the tightest T.Rex line up yet. I really don't want to put the whole blame for this catastrophic mess at Dino Dines door but just listen to the aimless meandering he exercises here, it adds nothing, and bears no relation to any part of the original arrangement, and just for good measure he occasionally even appears to be playing out of key. My other major issue here is what the hell is going on with the backing vocals, I don't know who it is and I don't really care but it's an absolute travesty to hear the classic tracks performed in such an appalling manner. The sleeve notes describe the performance of "Debora" as a "punked up" version, come on guys who the hell do you really think you fooling here, it's just another pointless reference to the ongoing association of Bolan with the up and coming UK New Wave movement.
"Soul of My Suit" which is one of the few tracks from the Dandy album that actually stood out is completely murdered here, reduced to a plodding pace with none of the spark of the studio version. The effective guitar solo from the track is extended for this live performance, it sounds good in theory until you discover that rather than improvise on the original idea the complete solo is simply repeated, back to back, practically note for note. The final track is a thirteen minute extended version of "Get it On" with the band accompanied by The Damned (for punked up purposes no doubt) the support group for the tour. Nothing to add really, it's another classic turned into a horror show, its overlong and uninspiring, and Messrs Vanian, Scabies, Sensible and James add nothing to the performance, it's just another of the classic tracks that ultimately disappoints.
The quality of the recording is also poor, it buzzes, clicks, hisses and in places appears to slow down or speed up giving the impression that if played in cassette format that the tape was about to chew up. There is however thankfully a saving grace to this package which comes in the form of a bonus disc which contains five tracks recorded at the end of Bolan's 1974 US tour and performed at the Agora Club, Ohio. When I purchased this set direct from Edsel Records it was billed as a limited edition bonus disc, but given the fact that I have never seen this set advertised, or on the shelves without this bonus disc I have reviewed it as a complete package and it's overall rating has risen as a result.
The bonus disc is basically everything that the main feature isn't. It's Bolan not in his prime, but not far beyond it, and he clearly at this stage still believed in the strength of his own imitable formula and was not yet trying to adapt his style to the changing pop culture. There are only five tracks from this performance and many replicate tracks from the 1977 show, but they are all delivered in a such a style and a manner that you have to question whether or not you are actually listening to the same artist. Bolan kicks off with "Jeepster" and then works his way impressively through "Telegram Sam", "Token of My Love", "Teenage Dream" and finally "Zip Gun Boogie". All are delivered in an engaging and energetic format and most tracks are stretched well beyond their normal running time, "Jeepster" and "Telegram Sam" run close to seven minutes, "Token of My Love" six, "Teenage Dream" is a more sedate five, and "Zip Gun Boogie" takes the biscuit as it rumbles on close to ten minutes.
The quality of the recording to be fair is not great, and the crowd reaction, coupled with the long silences, technical problems, and tuning up sessions between tracks make it feel more like a band rehearsing in the local village hall in front of friends and family. The performances however are excellent and the lengths of the tracks are the result of extended improvised guitar workouts, they're not Pete Townsend or Jimmy Page style self indulgent noodling but simply solid heavy riff infested jams. The 1974 tracks are generally all delivered in a much heavier format than their studio originals and the exact opposite to the lightweight pop renditions featured on the 1977 disc.
Gloria is of course present and she screams and wails all over these recordings but doesn't spoil the overall effect, neither do the keyboards which I believe (if my calculations are correct) are handled of my old mate Dino. Whoever it is, the keyboards are kept well in check by those heavy guitars and never get anywhere near the front of the mix. The bonus disc easily achieves a rating of 8 and justifies the purchase of this package in it's own right, and as it does appear to be a permanent fixture I've rated the complete double disc package accordingly. Exercise extreme caution here though, the main feature is nothing more than a historical document showing the increasing deterioration of Marc Bolan as a credible artist. If you do manage to find a copy of Live 1977 without the bonus disc prepare yourself to be disappointed, as a stand alone set I would seriously struggle to rate it any higher than a 5.
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