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Classic performance from T.Rex
T. Rex (originally Tyrannosaurus Rex) were an English rock band formed in London in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan, who was their leader, frontman and only consistent member. Though initially associated with the psychedelic folk genre, Bolan began to change the band's style towards electric rock in 1969, and shortened their name to T. Rex the following year.
T.Rex – the creation of Marc Bolan, the band’s leader, creative director and sole song-writer – was born out of the late-1960s’ hippy counter-culture. Bolan’s road to superstardom took ...
Jul 24, 2024 · July 24, 2024. By. Richard Havers. Cover: Courtesy of EMI Records. It was March 1971 when record producer Tony Visconti arrived in Los Angeles. He was there with Marc Bolan and T.Rex to work on ...
- 4 min
- Mambo Sun
- Teenage Dream
- Jeepster
- Hot Love
- Telegram Sam
- Children of The Revolution
- Bang A Gong
- Cosmic Dancer
- Metal Guru
- 20th Century Boy
Electric Warrior was a phenomenal album, and Mambo Sun was an outstanding way to open it. It wasn’t a hit (or even a single), but if summed up everything there is to know and love about Mark Bolan in just a few perfect minutes. The back-to-basics songwriting and pseudo-psychedelic imagery, the indomitable groove, the theatrical flair, the hypnotic ...
Co-produced by Tony Visconti and Bolan, Teenage Dream was the first song credited to ‘Marc Bolan and T. Rex’ rather than simply ‘T. Rex’. Described by All Musicas “a virtual mini-opera”, with “soaring strings, wailing guitars, towering chorales, and a genuinely foreboding sense of drama,” it’s a song that Bolan regarded as having the best lyrics of...
As Farout Magazine says, Jeepster has all the hallmarks of a classic T. Rex track, with a thumping bassline with old school R&B flourishes, poetic lyrics full of vivid imagery, charismatic delivery, and, of course, a whole lot of congos. Released as a single in November 1971, the song reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, number 28 in Australia...
Hot Love, T. Rex’s second single, sent the band stratospheric. Or rather, their performance of it on Top of the Pops did. Bolan took to the stage for the first time in glittery eye makeup and shiny satin, leading certain generations to throw up their hands in horror and others to run for the bathroom and dig out their sister’s make-up kit. It was a...
Described by Billboardas a “sturdily constructed groover where ’50s dancefloor rock n’ roll gets a glam ’70s makeover,” Telegram Sam has all the ingredients of a classic T. Rex song, with Bolan introducing us to a host of characters like Purple Pie Pete (whose lips are like lightning) and Golden Nose Slim (who knows where you been), casting spells ...
Bolan decided not to bother himself too much with verses for Children of the Revolution, flying in the face of every preconceived idea about what a song should and shouldn’t be by making one that’s essentially one long chorus. Initially recorded for the film “Born to Boogie” with Elton Johngiving it his all on the piano and Ringo Starr doing the sa...
Bang a Gong (Get It On) may have been the song that rang the death bell for Bolan’s and legendary UK DJ John Peel’s friendship after Peel expressed his dislike for the song live on air, but even if Peel didn’t see the merit of its Chuck Berry-esque riff and electrifying sexuality, that didn’t stop the rest of the world buying into it. Released in J...
On Cosmic Dancer, one of the group’s most poignant songs, Bolan rolled over and showed his softer side. From the transcendent grove to the lush orchestration, the slow-burning build to the melancholy lyrics, it’s a naked, vulnerable triumph. Bolan is the star of the show, naturally, delivering an understated, atmospheric performance that’s spine-ti...
If you wanted to be a rock star in the late 60s and early 70, having a guru was as essential as a guitar and a mic. Who Bolan chose as his metal guru isn’t clear (and made no more so by Bolan’s explanation: “I relate ‘Metal Guru’ to all gods around. I believe in a god, but I have no religion. With ‘Metal Guru’, it’s like someone special, it must be...
In at number one on our round-up of the ten best T. Rex songs of all time is 20th Century Boy, a barnstorming rocker built around lyrics inspired by quotes from famous figures (with a lot of steamy sexuality thrown in for good measure), statement hand claps, nasty guitar riffs, and, at the center of it all, a purring Mark Bolan telling the world “I...
Jan 24, 2023 · T. Rex was formed in 1967 by the flashy-dressing, larger-than-life frontman Marc Bolan and multi-instrumentalist, Steve Peregrin Took. The band (originally called Tyrannosaurus Rex) started as a psychedelic folk duo. But by 1970, the group completely changed their sound (and name) and became the band most people would remember as. T. Rex.
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T.Rex's popularity in the U.K. didn't begin to waver until 1975, and they retained a devoted following until Marc Bolan's death in 1977. Over the next three decades, Bolan has emerged as a cult figure and the music of T.Rex has proved quite influential on hard rock, punk, new wave, and alternative rock.
