Electric Warrior - T. Rex (Memorable Music Classic Albums)

Glam rock icon Marc Bolan got his start as a hippy folk
singer, billing himself and percussionist Micky Finn as "Tyrannosaurus Rex" and recording a string of long-forgotten late 60's albums and a few marginal British hit singles. Taking a hint from friend and rival David Bowie, Bolan revamped his act in late 1970 and promptly scored two massive British hits ("Ride A White
Swan"; "Hot Love"). His following album release is an absolute classic of the genre, rivalled only by Bowie's work and Mott the Hoople's All The Young Dudes. Produced by Bowie associate Tony Visconti, it features clever string arrangements, super-echoey mixes, super-campy backing vocals by Flo & Eddie, and loose, hedonistic sax parts by versatile ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald. Two big-deal singles are the high points: the honking, super-cool groove tune "Bang A Gong (Get It On)," Bolan's only US hit, and the rambling follow-up "Jeepster," with a booming Bo Diddley beat and a marvellously sinister vocal.
Both of them push the fun quotient through the roof. "Mambo Sun" and "The Motivator" mine the same brilliant formula as the singles, and almost everything else works: a tripped-out ballad ("Cosmic Dancer"); a wiggy, crawling blues parody ("Lean Woman Blues"); an outrageous, orchestrated Stones-like funk groove ("Rip Off"); and a pair of late-period Beatles-style flower-power sing-alongs
("Planet Queen"; "Life's A Gas"). Some of it is over the top - the doo-woppy "Monolith" drags, and the elaborate acoustic ballad "Girl" is a slavish, over-mannered pre-glam Bowie imitation. So the album is slightly flawed but essential. The rhythm section is Steve Currie (bass) and Will Legend (drums). T. Rex scored a long string of British hit singles through late 1973 before starting to fade out.