T.rex

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by Mark Paytress, Bolan authority and author of the definitive Marc Bolan biography, as well as many previously unpublished photos by Barry Plummer.

The most blatantly, and brilliantly, portentous of Marc Bolan's albums since the transitional blurring of boundaries that was Beard of Stars, almost seven years prior, Futuristic Dragon opens on a wave of unrelenting feedback, guitars and bombast, setting an apocalyptic mood for the record which persists long after that brief (two minutes) overture is over. Indeed, even the quintessential bop of the succeeding "Jupiter Liar" is irrevocably flavored by what came before, dirty guitars churning beneath a classic Bolan melody, and the lyrics a spiteful masterpiece. While the oddly Barry White-influenced "Ride My Wheels" continues flirting with the neo-funk basics of 1975's Bolan's Zip Gun, the widescreen sonic majesty of Futuristic Dragon was, if anything, even more gratuitously ambitious than its predecessor.

T.Rex - Dandy In The Underworld (1977) {2009 Japan SHM-CD Mini LP Edition}
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© 2009 Imperial Records / Wizard | TECI-26569
Rock / Glam Rock / Proto Punk

Marc Bolan, always a keen observer of musical trends, was quick to embrace the punk ethos, even declaring himself to be its godfather. But DANDY is no punk record. It's an eclectic set, but all in all, it sounds like T. Rex. "Jason B. Sad" has a "Get it On" flavor, while "I Love to Boogie" has a similar feel to the classic "Jeepster." The title track, a midtempo groover, sports synthesizer textures and slick production. Yet these songs show Bolan's heartfelt commitment to classic chord patterns of '50s rock & roll, as the cover of "To Know Him Is to Love Him" further attests. It's hard to hear the punk influence here: certainly "We love to boogie/on a Saturday night" is a far cry from "I want to be anarchy…" But in an era when rock was becoming increasingly self-important, T. Rex shared the essential punk preference for songs that were fast, simple, and disposable.

Marc Bolan welcomed the advent of punk rock with the biggest smile he'd worn in years. The hippest young gunslingers could go on all night about the influence of the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, and the Ramones, but Bolan knew – and subsequent developments proved – that every single one of them had been nurtured in his arms, growing up with the ineffable stream of brilliant singles he slammed out between 1970-1972, and rehearsing their own stardom to the soundtrack he supplied. With tennis racquet guitars and hairbrushes for mikes, they stood before the mirror and practiced the Bolan Boogie. Of course, most punks only knew three chords.

The album that essentially kick-started the U.K. glam rock craze, Electric Warrior completes T. Rex's transformation from hippie folk-rockers into flamboyant avatars of trashy rock & roll. There are a few vestiges of those early days remaining in the acoustic-driven ballads, but Electric Warrior spends most of its time in a swinging, hip-shaking groove powered by Marc Bolan's warm electric guitar. The music recalls not just the catchy simplicity of early rock & roll, but also the implicit sexuality – except that here, Bolan gleefully hauls it to the surface, singing out loud what was once only communicated through the shimmying beat.