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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Genesis of Glam Rock, June 21, 2004
This magical album for Marc Bolan and his newly christened band T. Rex is a wonderful timepiece from the 1970's. It is the perfect mix of Bolan's fanciful imagination, his lyrical poetry, and producer Tony Visconti's string arrangements. It would be the album that launched the T. Rex craze in Britain for the next three years. The "T. Rex" album marked the transition from Bolan's gentle Tolkien inspired Tyrannosaurus Rex acoustic days to the Electric Warrior, the king of fashion conscious, mascara heavy Glam Rock. Many early fans were quite disappointed with the change, as their homegrown favorite had now become the darling of the teenage set. The single "Ride a White Swan" from this time (that should be included on this CD) paved the way for the T. Rex hit machine, and was a staple in Bolan's live set until his all-too-early death in 1977. It was a huge hit in the UK and has been covered numerous times since Bolan's death. The album opens with the short intro "The Children Of Rarn," Bolan's own piece of mythology that bridges the divide between Tyrannosaurus Rex to T. Rex beautifully. Interestingly enough, Marc had created a whole 20 minute piece around this track ("The Children of Rarn Suite") that didn't see the light of day until Tony Visconti released a version back in 1978. It could have been a wonderful concept piece. The songs that follow on the album are simply beautiful works of poetry set to music. Highlights are "Jewel," "The Visit," "Summer Deep," and "Diamond Meadows" (most recently heard in the movie "Velvet Goldmine"). While each T. Rex album is near and dear to my heart, this probably isn't the best place to start if you're interested in Marc Bolan and his band. The album of choice for a starting point would be "Electric Warrior," followed by "The Slider," then this album. Once you're under Bolan's spell, you're hooked!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Supernatural Bolan effort, his very best, July 7, 2002
If there's any one album which encapsulates the legend of Marc Bolan for me, it's the debut "T.Rex" album from 1970. Sure, "Unicorn", "Electric Warrior" and "The Slider" are all masterpieces, but "T.Rex"'s transitional blend of his acoustic and electric sides gives one the best of both worlds, and it just so happens that his voice, lyrics and guitar playing were reaching a peak at this time. Put it all together, and you have one amazing ride. Some people call this the last Tyrannosaurus Rex album, seeing as how it was the last with the two-man lineup, and even features re-recorded songs from the 60s as well as the last time Bolan fully immersed himself in his Tolkien-esque fantasy world. Songs like "The Visit", "Suneye", "The Time Of Love Is Now" and "Root Of Star" all adhere to the melodic, elegant acoustic sound of the past, although there is some evidence of change when a wah-wah guitar gracefully punctuates the gorgeously fragile "Root Of Star" (and who can deny lyrics like "a root of star I gave to thee, from the canyons of the sea; a jewel of frost that was lost in days of dreams when we were free..."--enough to melt your heart!). However, "T.Rex" can also rightfully claim to be the first T.Rex album, as the transition to the electric pop sound of "Electric Warrior" is clearly in evidence on the bopping "Beltane Walk", "Is It Love", "One Inch Rock", "Childe" and "Jewel". The album featured understandable vocals for the first time, the lyrical bent was shifting to first-person, Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (so essential to the sound of "Warrior" and "Slider") appear on backup vocals for the first time on "Seagull Woman", and strings and drums make their first appearance. When it all comes together on a catchy, rocking tune like "Beltane Walk", one feels the inevitability of "Electric Warrior". Most of the other rockers are somewhat rawer, with only Finn's congas to provide a backbeat,
although the results are no less firey--Bolan manages to cut
a hypnotic, trance-like jungle rhythm for "Jewel", one of the best songs he ever wrote and a concert highlight in 70/71. The other songs fall somewhere in-between acoustic and electric, and the songwriting is no less extraordinary; you will be humming songs like "Seagull Woman" and the nine-minute epic "The Wizard" for weeks afterward. The overall sound, although still somewhat rough (but far more polished than the four Tyrannosaurus Rex albums), is undeniably majestic and even supernatural in places; Bolan's energy is transferred to the listener in otherworldly elvish rock screams and scathing fuzz/wah-wah guitar work that explodes from the speakers. The man just sounds pure, earnest and seriously committed to making emotionally and spiritually-charged music on this album; the cheeky, ironic glam days were only a few months in the distance--and no less extraordinary--but for the purest essence of Marc Bolan, captured at a time when he effortlessly moved from the acoustic fantasy world of "Unicorn" to the rock'n'glam mania of "Electric Warrior", "T.Rex" is a true gem I would bring to that proverbial desert island. What is desperately needed is a domestic release of this album, remastered with bonus tracks like outtakes and non-LP single cuts ("Ride A White Swan"! "King Of The Mountain Cometh!") which round out this phase in his legendary career. That this album is not domestically available in the US, and overlooked even by those who have a copy of "Electric Warrior", is one of the great travesties. Cosmic punk, indeed.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The first "Electric" album, September 4, 2003
After ejecting Steve Peregrin Took (named after the Lord of the Rings character of course) from Tyrannasaurus Rex, Marc Bolan traded in his acoustic for an Electric, shortened the name to T Rex...and put out one of the most original-sounding albums ever. I think that perhaps Bolan could owe something to Donovan, but this is very trippy stuff, fantasy worlds and weird characters, stories all told to the sound of Mickey Finn's cool conga riffs, Marks earthy electric guitar choogling, and a little help from the turtles (Flo and Eddie). Children of Rarn is a bizarre anthem worthy of Alice Cooper's "Pretties For You"...Jewel has a blistering guitar solo, something Bolan never attempted again, keeping everything very short and to-the-point on later albums. This is a unique album for Bolan, not commercial but not mainly acoustic like the early stuff with Took. There are no drums on this album, which contributes to the album's unique sound. I first heard this album before Bang A Gong was a hit. It was a revelation and so unique that I needed time to understand it. Check it out, you won't be disappointed. And what''s this - Ride a White Swan missing???? Sacrelidge! Ride a white swan like the people in the old days
Wear a tall hat, babe you can't go wrong....
By the way Bolan was mainly earning his living as a model in these days, before he had a hit and became a mega star, at least in the UK anyway.
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