For the first time since a clutch of incomplete demos and outtakes were unearthed from Marc Bolan's mid-'60s vault in 1972, and sent into the world as the (hastily withdrawn) Hard on Love album, the compilers haven't simply recycled the 20 solo and T. Rex cuts that made up the original track listing, they have also scoured both private and record company collections for a full picture of every track Bolan recorded during 1966-1967 and, for the first time, brought his early years into the same vivid focus as his later career. The 20 songs that comprised the original Hard on Love/Beginning of Doves album, plus the "Perfumed Garden" bonus track appended to Retroactive's 1998 remastering, are now joined by a further 16 performances, including both alternate takes and previously unreleased songs.
For the first time since a clutch of incomplete demos and outtakes were unearthed from Marc Bolan's mid-'60s vault in 1972, and sent into the world as the (hastily withdrawn) Hard on Love album, the compilers haven't simply recycled the 20 solo and T. Rex cuts that made up the original track listing, they have also scoured both private and record company collections for a full picture of every track Bolan recorded during 1966-1967 and, for the first time, brought his early years into the same vivid focus as his later career. The 20 songs that comprised the original Hard on Love/Beginning of Doves album, plus the "Perfumed Garden" bonus track appended to Retroactive's 1998 remastering, are now joined by a further 16 performances, including both alternate takes and previously unreleased songs.