T. Rex
MUSIC REVIEW Electric Warrior (Reprise) In keeping with Bounder’s vintage theme this issue,
we’re looking at one of the underrated classic albums of the rock era and T. Rex’s best album – the dynamic, dreamy, hook-laden “Electric Warrior”. Recorded in 1971, “Electric Warrior” was the band’s
second using the shortened version of the original Tyrannosaurus Rex name, under which they had released four folky, predominantly acoustical offerings. Fronted by the flamboyant Marc Bolan, the band was just him on guitar and vocals and drummer Mickey Finn (replacing Steve Took), along with studio support. “Electric Warrior” entrenched the more electric side of the duo’s sound while retaining the mystical musings of Bolan’s song writing augmented by a crack group of session musicians. The band would make only one other album that
approached the zenith reached here - “The Slider” - released the next year. It cemented their reputation as one of the founders of glam rock, along with early Bowie, the New York Dolls, Slade, Gary Glitter and others. Distinguished by outrageous − for the times − fashion attire (on the cover of “The Slider” Bolan looks like an androgynous waif in a top hat) incorporating lace scarves, silk robes, glitter eye make up and sky-high heels, the genre was sometimes more about look than musicality. Bolan had both in spades though and the two albums, especially this one, showcase his ability to write quirky,
image-laden lyrics and deliver them in short, snappy, hook-driven songs full of sexual innuendo. “Bang a Gong (Get It on)”, “Rip Off”, “The Motivator”, “Jeepster”, “Telegram Sam” and “Metal Guru” are good examples of his uncanny ability to transform often-nonsensical lyrics into songs that are catchy and anthemic. From “Rip Off”, with every
stanza punctuated by the title refrain: “Kissing all the slain, I’m bleeding in the rain/ Rocking in the nude, I’m feeling such a dude/Dancing in the dark, with the tramps in the park/ See your baby’s stud, sliding in my mud...” Reading the lyrics, you think,
“wtf is this dribble?” It works though, and “Electric Warrior” is undeniably an album that resonates and functions best taken as a whole. It synthesizes Bolan’s persona with some unforgettably definitive songs along with slower, mystical excursions like
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“Girl”, “Cosmic Dancer” and “Monolith”. Beginning with the instantly-
recognizable, bongo-infused opening thump and riff of “Mambo Sun”, there’s a certain vibe to the 11 tunes here. They flow: they’re seamless and memorable, each enhancing the others. The stellar production by legend Tony Visconti and soon-to-be renowned engineers like Martin Rushent (yes, ELP, The Stranglers) and Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, Foreigner, Cheap Trick) makes the album sparkle. It’s clean, clear, luminous and lustrous. Sinuous guitar bits, refined and restrained drums and
percussion, the backing vocals of Flo and Eddie, Bolan’s spooky-strange lyrics and vivid, transfixing voice − all of it comes together magnificently on “Electric Warrior”. Within six years, Bolan would be dead at 29 years young (car crash) and immortalized forever. Influencing generations of muscians, bits of “Electric Warrior” are used as samples in songs to this day. It’s no surprise. The album is timeless, sounding as fresh today as it did 40 years ago.
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