Interstellar Soul

Marc Bolan and T. Rex - Interstellar Soul 1972-1977 (2007) {3CD Set, Edsel Records EDSB 4001}
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© 1972-77, 2007 Edsel Records / Demon Music | EDSB 4001
Rock / Glam Rock / Proto-Punk / Rock & Roll

Brilliant 2007 three CD set that celebrates the life and music of Marc Bolan, released to coincide with the 30th Anniversary of his untimely death at the age of 29. This triple disc set picks up just after the success of his Electric Warrior album when Bolan set up his own label and became the biggest Rock superstar in the UK since the Beatles. Featuring over 90 tracks spanning the years '72 to '77, this box features hits, album tracks, alternate mixes, live versions, demos, radio jingles and so much more. Painstakingly pieced together, Interstellar Soul is a stellar set. The 28 page color book contains full annotation by Mark Paytress, Bolan authority and author of the definitive Marc Bolan biography, as well as many previously unpublished photos by Barry Plummer.

Twenty-five tracks round up an extremely haphazard but nevertheless intriguing "best of" Marc Bolan's last five years, drawing equally from the regular albums and familiar boogies, and the wealth of archival material excavated by the Unchained and Alternate series. Certainly not compiled with the hit hunter in mind (only "The Groover" and "Dreamy Lady" truly fall into that category), Very Best of, Vol. 2 is instead devoted to illustrating as many facets of Bolan's career as it could, from the pensive introspection of "Spaceball Ricochet," to the grinding self-aggrandizement of "The Groover," and onto the sharp autobiography of "Over the Flats" and "Funky London Childhood." As such, and especially when viewed in tandem with Very Best of, Vol. 1, it serves up a delightful portrait of Bolan's '70s, at a price that is difficult to squabble with.

By late 1973, Marc Bolan's star was waning fast. No longer gunning out those effortless classics which established him as the most important figure of the decade so far, he embarked instead on a voyage of musical discovery, which cast him so far adrift from the commercial pop mainstream that when his critics said he'd blown it, he didn't even bother answering them back. Or that's the way it appeared at the time, and today, too, it must be acknowledged that 1974's Zinc Alloy & the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow is not classic Bolan, even if one overlooks the transparency of its title.

Marc Bolan & T.Rex - Zinc Alloy And The Hidden Riders Of Tomorrow (1974) {2CD Set Rhino Deluxe Edition R2 73219 rel 2002}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 863 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 286 Mb
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© 1974, 2002 Demon / Edsel / Rhino | R2 73219
Rock / Glam Rock

By 1974, the phenomenon known as T. Rextacy was on the wane. The group had always been Bolan's vehicle, but the departure of some original members, the addition of three backup vocalists, and the name change, to Marc Bolan And T. Rex, signaled a significant new direction for the band.