{"id":24349,"date":"2021-07-02T09:12:41","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T13:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/?p=24349"},"modified":"2021-07-02T10:03:26","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T14:03:26","slug":"t-r-e-x","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/t-r-e-x\/","title":{"rendered":"T. R E X"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"T.Rex - The Groover (Official Promo Video)\" width=\"695\" height=\"521\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XnUHNPoB0zA?feature=oembed&amp;wmode=opaque\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>What nonsense, this slagging of Marc Bolan!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Couldn\u2019t you take the sentence \u201cHonestly, the T. Rex catalog can be arguably defined as &#8216;Get it On (Bang a Gong)&#8217; and 60 or so other tracks that are more or less &#8216;Son of Get It On (Bang a Gong)'&#8221; and substitute \u201cChuck Berry\u201d for \u201cT. Rex\u201d and \u201cJohnny B. Goode\u201d for \u201cGet It On (Bang A Gong)\u201d? The only flaw in that is that Marc Bolan had more variety in his songs than Chuck Berry did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I won\u2019t argue that Bolan did mostly one thing. One overall thing to keep in mind is that he died at age 30. It\u2019s an incomplete career that was actually over 4 years before his death when the cocaine and champagne stagnated him; he was only rounding back into shape months before the car crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another overall thing to keep in mind is that the statement isn\u2019t really true. He started out as Dylan folkie, then switched to the Incredible String Band-ish Tyrannosaurus Rex, then to T. Rex. With T. Rex, he had hit on the sound that made him a superstar (at least outside the US), and that\u2019s what he wanted to be and he rode it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rode it like Eddie Arcaro! But, wait, that Eddie Arcaro, he was a one-trick pony (yes, I confess, I used Arcaro just so I could use that line), he really wasn\u2019t that good, all he ever did was ride horses, never won the home run crown, never was NBA MVP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Silly, huh?  Arcaro was the greatest ever at what he did; you don\u2019t criticize him for what he didn\u2019t do. Likewise with Bolan. While he wasn\u2019t the greatest at what he did, he was great. He wasn\u2019t Chuck Berry (although he nicked a whole lot from Berry), and we don\u2019t criticize Berry for writing the same song over and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bolan realized before the punks, at a time when rock &amp; roll was splintering into prog and metal and Laurel Canyon and all the rest, that rock &amp; roll at its birth was about boys &amp; girls &amp; love &amp; sex married to a great riff and that\u2019s what he did. Yep, over and over, but it sure is a good formula, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He has never gotten the credit he deserves. Not for returning to the roots before The Ramones or the New York Dolls or punk ever did, not for paving the way for Bowie with glam (and later, Marc shifted into soul-influenced music due to his relationship with Gloria Jones of \u201cTainted Love\u201d fame before Bowie as well), not for embracing \u201cstardom\u201d before Elton John. [Side note apropos of nothing: Marc, David, and Elton were all born in 1947.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is a playlist, if not exactly a UK 14 track best of. No \u201cGet It On,\u201d no \u201cTelegram Sam,\u201d no \u201cJeepster.\u201d You all know those anyway and that\u2019s probably all you know. Be honest EPG, you couldn\u2019t name 10 T. Rex songs, never mind 60.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--nextpage-->\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u201cDeboraarobed\u201d (from <em>Prophets, Seers &amp; Sages the Angels of the Ages<\/em>)<\/li><li>\u201cStrange Orchestras\u201d (from <em>My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair But Now They&#8217;re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows<\/em>)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These two are from the Tyrannosaurus Rex era, a little of which goes a long way (much like the album titles); these are two of my favorites from that era. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li> \u201cSummertime Blues\u201d (B-side of \u201cRide A White Swan\u201d)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This single was the start of T. Rex and serves as an effective link between the Tyrannosaurus Rex sound and what followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li> \u201cRaw Ramp\u201d (b-side of \u201cGet It On\u201d)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A great T. Rex song, hard to think it was consigned to a B-side. Some salacious\/sophomoric lyrics sure but ain\u2019t that rock &amp; roll? It\u2019s a lot better than a lot of the songs on <em>Electric Warrior<\/em>. Marc did that a lot; there are more great songs later in this list that were B-sides and A-sides that were not on albums. If you haven\u2019t heard it before, go listen now (skip the intro and go to 1:00): <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"T. Rex - &quot;There Was A Time\/ Raw Ramp\/ Electric Boogie&quot;(1971)\" width=\"695\" height=\"521\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z90EDtJ1l_8?feature=oembed&amp;wmode=opaque\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul><li> \u201cHot Love\u201d (a non-album a-side)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The first song to have the true T. Rex sound. It\u2019s a shame about the second half sing-a-long\/handclap repetitiveness. What hath \u201cHey Jude\u201d wrought? (cf. \u201cAtlantis\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li> \u201cMystic Lady\u201d<\/li><li>\u201cBaby Strange\u201d<\/li><li>&#8220;Baby Boomerang&#8221;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A trio of songs from <em>The Slider<\/em>, probably Bolan\u2019s high point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u201cChildren Of The Revolution\u201d (a non-album A-side)<\/li><li>\u201c20th Century Boy\u201d (a non-album A-side)<\/li><li>\u201cThe Groover\u201d (a non-album A-side)<\/li><li>\u201cMidnight\u201d (B-side of \u201cThe Groover\u201d)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Hard to believe none of these were on albums, especially since they come from a period where Bolan\u2019s albums weren\u2019t the strongest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u201cRapids\u201d <\/li><li>\u201cMister Mister\u201d<\/li><li>\u201cThe Street &amp; Babe Shadow\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Another trio of songs, this time from <em>Tanx<\/em>. Many would cite this as the beginning of the end for Bolan. I rate it pretty highly; the soul influence is starting to seep into the T. Rex sound. This also, I believe, was the last album with Tony Visconti as producer, Bolan\u2019s George Martin. Visconti added a lot to the T. Rex sound in the studio with his string arrangements. These can get lost somewhat beneath Bolan\u2019s multi-tracked guitars but try and listen for them. Visconti bailed to Bowie, another thing Bowie copped from Bolan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u201cSolid Baby\u201d (from Bolan&#8217;s <em>Zip Gun<\/em>)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the better songs from Bolan\u2019s post-<em>Tanx<\/em> albums, none of which would have ever catapulted him to fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u201cTeen Riot Structure\u201d (from <em>Dandy In The Underworld<\/em>)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Bolan final album, where he was starting to recover from his 2-year slump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve listened to these I can hear some of the criticisms.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no there there, it\u2019s just a bunch of hooks.\u201d Exactly, more hooks than Bass Pro Shop. Aren\u2019t they catchy? Isn\u2019t that what pop music is about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat the hell does it mean, all those nonsense phrases, what is a \u2018hubcap diamond star halo\u2019\u201d? Well, I don\u2019t know and I don\u2019t care. Much like Dylan, at times, Bolan\u2019s words just sound good and I don\u2019t think they have any more meaning or serve any more purpose than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhere are the ballads? Everything is up-tempo?\u201d He\u2019s got them and maybe I should include some to prove there is variety but the truth is I don\u2019t think any of them match these songs. It\u2019s no coincidence that none were released as singles. [<em>Editor&#8217;s note &#8211; For me, no ballads is actually the most promising thing I&#8217;ve read about this coming dive into your suggested playlist!<\/em>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I await your apologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Epilogue: For a new wave take on Bolan, check out this cover of \u201cTelegram Sam\u201d by Bauhaus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bauhaus - Telegram Sam\" width=\"695\" height=\"521\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sCluiViSnNA?feature=oembed&amp;wmode=opaque\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<nav class=\"page-links\"><strong>Pages:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/t-r-e-x\/\" class=\"post-page-numbers\"><span class=\"page-num\">1<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/t-r-e-x\/2\/\" class=\"post-page-numbers\"><span class=\"page-num\">2<\/span><\/a><\/nav>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What nonsense, this slagging of Marc Bolan! Couldn\u2019t you take the sentence \u201cHonestly, the T. Rex catalog can be arguably defined as &#8216;Get it On (Bang a Gong)&#8217; and 60 or so other tracks that are more or less &#8216;Son of Get It On (Bang a Gong)&#8217;&#8221; and substitute \u201cChuck Berry\u201d for \u201cT. Rex\u201d and <a href='https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/t-r-e-x\/' class='excerpt-more'>[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[342],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24349"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24349\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}