Customer Reviews

Electric Warrior

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the early 70's rock landscape, few things had the power of pure glam-rock. David Bowie, Roxy Music, New York Dolls, and of course T Rex all gained popularity, sometimes underground, and more in England than the U.S., but are all worth a second listen. Bowie lives on, as does his musical legacy; Roxy Music gets their due from numerous band citing them as an influence; New York Dolls were a mere Rolling Stones clone in bad drag, and they still get more credit than Marc Bolan and T Rex. Unfourtunatly, his wandering lyrical ideas and softer-than-Ziggy glam pop didn't catch on this side of the Atlantic. "Mambo Sun", "Jeepster" and "Planet Queen" typify their moving, mid-tempo style that is both catchy and well orchestrated. Quicker, riffy songs like "The Motivator" and the hit "Bang a Gong (Get it On)" take this style a step further. A pleasant Beatles influence is found on "Girl" and "Rip Off" displays a nod to the Rolling Stones heavy rhythm style without sounding derviative. Overall, everything is made into a singular experience, with the aide of the behind-the-scenes glam superhero, producer Tony Visconti. This album is a classic, and should be rediscovered.

Where do I start? This is still my favorite T-Rex album. Marc did something remarkable and very cool in the early '70's: fusing commercial-sounding guitar-riffs with a melancholy, sublime and highly poetic sentiment that was unmistakably his own. Just listen to that strange elfin voice, crooning such deep wistfulness on the slow tracks like "Cosmic Dancer". Listen to the bizarre campy feeling of "Rip Off", when he affects a growling sort of shout. If you're interested in glam-rock, you should know that Marc Bolan was a close friend of the "king" of glam-rock, David Bowie, and Bowie's song "Lady Stardust" was inspired by Marc, who sang his "songs of darkness and disgrace" most beautifully on Electric Warrior.

To complain about the commercial aspect of this album is to miss the point. The commercial-ness consists only in the deliberately campy guitar-riffs, which were balanced by Marc's beautiful croon and the excellent percussion section by Mickey Finn, to which were added the eerie background vocals. That's what glam-rock was about- the conjunction of lowness with stateliness.

My favorite song is "Life's a Gas": "I could have turned you into a priestess/ I could have burned your fate in the sand/ Bu-uut it a' really doesn't matter at all/ No it a' really doesn't matter at all/ Li-ife's a gas- hope it's gonna last!"

Picture it: the year 2002 is winding down and a very bored 22 year old is still searching in vain for that one cd that will overwhelm her this year. You know what I mean, at least once a year you find that cd that you just cannot live without, that one you listen to with such ferocity that even your friends know most of the songs 'cause every mixed tape you give them includes this certain album's output. In years past it's been The X Ray Spex, Marianne Faithful, Joy Division, The Buzzcocks, The Smiths, The Cure, Iggy and The Stooges, Billie Holiday, Bikini Kill, The Slits, The Raincoats, The Clash, The Specials, Madness, The Sex Pistols, Le Tigre and...well, you can see that I'm not at a loss for bands to become devoted to. Which brings me back to the end of last year. The Faint was good, Ladytron was good, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokes, The Hives and everyone else of their ilk were good but...what's missing? I picked up the album Electric Warrior 'cause I had heard Bang A Gong a couple of days earlier on the radio and had always wanted to check out T Rex. Before I even got to the second track I must have played Mambo Sun about 10 times. Seriously, I had no expectations whatsoever of this album and I couldn't believe that the first song had grabbed me by the throat and threatend to throttle me within an inch of my life. In the days and weeks that followed Electric Warrior became part of my daily routine. Each day would start and end with selections from Electric Warrior. I have read some of the reviews that say this album sounds dated but I beg to differ. The weird imagery and inventive riffs make the album sound like something that sprang from a lo-fi indie label in the late 80's. I think that this album takes the hearer completely by surprise if they don't know what to expect. About a month after I started adoring Electric Warrior I went to visit my close friend who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn which is a teaming with art students and young boho types. While sitting in a fairly hip little coffee shop just down the street from her house one of the baristas took out whatever ambient music had gone largely ignored by my ears and put in what I recognized as the first strains of Mambo Sun. I couldn't believe that my new favorite band was being played in a different state by someone close to my own age in a cool little coffee shop. I resolved to strike up a conversation with barista boy with great taste in music as the last strains of Cosmic Dancer faded into oblivion. Using a refill as an excuse I ambled up to the counter and thus discovered that the little beggar was also a recent T Rex convert who, through the same trick of fate as me only knew the band through Get It On and whos musical tastes had led him to his newest, greatest discovery which just happened to coincide with my own. No guff, this really happend and though I'm in no way inplying that purchasing this album is going to lead you to finding romance with a spikey haired coffee boy in Brooklyn I am saying that some other life altering stuff will come your way 'cause there's no way that you could listen to an album this good and not have it effect your life for the better. Ok, enough hearts and flowers go out and buy this and then buy The Slider. What more can I say? I love you Mark!-

Poly Styrene

This is one of my all time favorites - if not THE favorite album in my collection. I remember seeing a picture of Marc Bolan in the early 80's and thought to myself, man, this guy looks wild - I've got to hear what his music is like. Thus began my odyssey to get my hands on anything associated with Marc Bolan.

This album was the starting point - and it's a true gem. From the opening track, the hypnotic, sultry "Mambo Sun" to bombasitc guitars and violins on the closer "Rip Off", it's the perfect album - the centerpiece of UK Glam rock in the 70's.

Tony Visconti's involvement here brings the album full circle. The mix of Bolan's poems set to music mingled with Tony's production and orchestral arrangements are captured perfectly in "Cosmic Dancer," my favorite track on the album.

There's not a bad song here. If you're curious and want to know more about Marc Bolan and his band, T.Rex, look no further than this album.

Marc Bolan, a man who should be ranked with Kurt Cobain, John Lennon and other greats who passed on in their youth, has created with "Electric Warrior," an 11 song rock giant that turned the world on its head in 1971. British hysteria over this record opened the door to numerous copycats, including the legendary David Bowie. "Mambo Sun" remains my all-time favorite T.Rex song and "Life's a Gas" is such a wonderful tune when you need a little perspective. This record is honest, smooth, fun, and and sensual all at the same time. "Cosmic Dancer" is like no other song on this planet. Overall, "Electric Warrior" is a sweet start-to-finish product of irresistible pop hooks and clever lyrics. Bolan lives on.

I would be surprised! This album should be at the very peak of any Bolan / T.Rex collection for the quality of music and it's importance to Marc's career. Some critics claim it is a pop sell-out compared to the Tyrannosaurus Rex material and yes they may be right, but who cares! There are countless examples of great Bolan lines right throughout the album and these are put to some great riffs (Jeepster / Get It On), great drums (Cosmic Dancer), great backing vocals (Flo and Eddie), good bass (Steve Currie) and good bongos (Mickey Finn). Tony Visconti's wonderfull production and string arrangements also add a tremendous amount to this great album. Electric Warrior is full of fun pop / rock tunes but still has the ability to enchant the listener and take them to other worlds undiscovered in their imagination. Marc's vocals are breathtakingly sexual at times and this sexuality is maintained throughout this album and The Slider. The album cover works perfectly (especially on vinyl) and ties the work together as a great piece of modern expressionist art. Is Get It On the greatest pop song of all time?

after seeing the movie billy elliot i've been listening to t-rex at an obsessive pace - and wondering why i had forgotten about t rex - especially as i once fell head over heels in love while dancing to this album. putting personal history aside for a moment, while i am not a music expert by anyone's definition, this album is one of the best that emerged from the glam rock movement and is a must have next to bowie and roxy music.

T. Rex and especially its elfin leader Marc Bolan were huge stars in England in the early 70's. They were the prototypical glam rockers and they racked up number one hit after number one hit in their native country. Despite the T. Rextasy that swept through England, the band never really caught on in America. The lone exception was Electric Warrior. The album spawned their only US top ten single, the pulsating "Bang A Gong (Get It On)". Those who only know the band from that song, should check out the rest of the album. The opens with a strong quartet of songs. "Mambo Sun" starts things off with a kick and then the album's best song "Cosmic Dancer" is next. The song has a slow, percolating rhythm accented by a string section and the song simmers along. The pace is quicken by the other big single the band had in the US, "Jeepster", which has a popping guitar riff and "Monolith" is a sexy rocker. Even though the band never hit it big in the US, their influence was felt in the 80's as T. Rex had a big impact on the British new wave invasion bands of that era.

I feel very privileged to have gotten this album for Christmas from my Mother. She had asked the guy at the record store what to get a young teenage boy. Thanks to that clerk, I listened to this album for almost a full year before it hit big in America. I wore the vinyl out listening to these songs with great hooks and mysterical lyrics. My older brothers friends would make fun of me as I listened to Electric Warrior in my room.Boy, were they wrong!
Today, the songs on this album really hold up. To think that "Get it On" had to be renamed as "Bang a Gong" because it was too racy for the USA is mind-boggling. I think "Mambo Sun" could have been a big hit, and "Jeepster" is a good song."Motivator" is bouncy and "Planet Queen" has a cool cosmic feel to it.I think the US wasn't ready for the kind of lyrics Marc Bolan wrote. They were ahead of their time. Whenever I hear "Bang a Gong" on the the radio, I think of my Mother, and how cool it was to get an unknown album(at the time) that had one of the greatest songs on it(Bang a Gong)that also became one of my favorite albums of all-time! And how cool is that album cover?!

I had been listening to The Beatles and Led Zep as a ten year old due to my older brothers record collection,but this is the album that got me hooked on music.The combination of cool rock and mysticism just blew my young mind away!This record made me feel sexy before I even new what sex was! I dont bellieve that there is another album that sounds quite like this one, and it probably ranks as the bands best.No other act has quite been able to capture the T.Rex/Marc Bolan sound and listening to this album, it is easy to see why.It deserves to be ranked with the best classic rock releases of the early 70s and has stood the test of time, thanks to Bolans amazing songs and Tony Viscontis production skills.An album to indulge your senses!