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Top 5 T.Rex Tracks?

BertieWorcester

BertieWorcester

What-ho!!
Just like a lot of people of a certain age, T. Rex became the gateway to my lifetime record-buying habits, and appreciation of music in general. The albums 'Electric Warrior' and 'The Slider' in particular kicked everything off, but pre-pubescent me quickly left them behind and on to musical horizons of a deeper nature. In fact, T.Rex were the very first band I saw live, but very soon after the next 3 bands were The Groundhogs, Emerson Lake & Palmer and Led Zeppelin.

However, with those original records still stashed away in my collection, and still eminently playable, I now look back on them with great fondness. It would be hard to establish my 5 favourite T.Rex tracks of all time, but I'm going for the following:

  1. Planet Queen
  2. Children of the Revolution
  3. Baby Strange
  4. Ballrooms of Mars
  5. Beltane Walk

Any takers?
 
The Slider was my first album, but I rate Electric Warrior a bit higher, it being a pretty much perfect album. I’d be hard put to pick five songs as really I’d choose the entirety of EW. As such I’ll pick five that aren’t on it!

Jewel from the first T. Rex album. Just mental and outrageous fuzz guitar at the end, one of the best guitar solos IMO.

Ride A White Swan. Fantastic guitar riff. I did take a black cat and sit it on my shoulders, the cat I had in the ‘80s would happily sit on my shoulder as I walked down the street.

Electric Slim & The Factory Hen from Tanx. Mellotron, real strings, great guitar riff, massive Visconti production, what’s not to like?

Balrooms Of Mars from The Slider. Amazing guitar sound & playing (he is crazy underrated), amazing production all round, EW, Slider and Tanx are three of the best sounding rock albums IMHO.

Tenement Lady from Tanx. Mellotron? Check. Flanger? Check. Right, flange *everything*.
 
Jeepster
Life’s a Gas
Telegram Sam
20th Century Boy
Rock On


And the thing is they all “sound” so good. Bolan had such wonderful phrasing and enunciation. I’m still looking for my automatic shoes.

.sjb
 
Let me see, haven't played these in a good while, but here's 5 crackers I think

Mambo Sun
Debora
Jeepster
Cosmic Dancer

and the incomparable, can't possibly do without it

Ride a White Swan

for me, as perfect as a pop song could ever be.
 
Jeepster
Ride a White Swan
Cosmic Dancer
Children of the Revolution
Mambo Sun

Once I got over myself and glam rock it opened some doors for me. As Tony said, Electric Warrior is pretty much perfect. Bolan makes me move, mostly because I have Electric Warrior on the MFSL 2 X 45rpm pressing - up, down, up, down!
 
I'm not sure if anyone is a a follower of Warren Huart's Produce Like a Pro channel on YouTube but this was an interesting watch, 'getting under the hood' of 'Get it On'. (He's done similar on XTC and others).


What astounds me is how much Tony Visconti got with such little money (let's face it, the label would have considered it a cheap throwaway pop tune). Oh and I never knew Flo and Eddie sang backing vocals.

My top 5:

20th Century Boy
Rode a White Swan
I Love to Boogie
Chariot Choogle
Get It On

But probably a bit predictable as I've never been a huge fan. I recken I need 'Electric Warrior' in the collection - best CD version anyone?
 
Seeker_UK said:
I recken I need 'Electric Warrior' in the collection - best CD version anyone?
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You certainly do, but I’m not sure there is a ‘best’ CD. The two I’ve tried are the ‘80s Castle, which is the preferred version over in Steve Hoffman, and it is fairly dynamic, but a bit sibilant to my ears. I also have the multi-CD anniversary box which features the new/current Tony Visconti remaster, which sounds nice a weighty, but is lacking in dynamics. The thing to get across here is the original UK Fly vinyl is one of the best sounding rock albums ever cut IMHO, it is a superb sounding record (as are The Slider and Tanx), so the bar for a CD should be set very high. They are all lacking to my ears.

PS Given how good this album is I’d be inclined to track down the MoFi vinyl, which seems well liked and even if it is now deleted (it was 2020 IIRC) it will still be a lot cheaper than finding a really good original.
 
TBH, I didn't much care for Marc's glam period, I much preferred the Tyrannosaurus Rex hippy era; Ride a white swan was always a fave and the Strange Fruit Peel Sessions 12"ep is good too.
 
wylton said:
TBH, I didn't much care for Marc's glam period, I much preferred the Tyrannosaurus Rex hippy era; Ride a white swan was always a fave and the Strange Fruit Peel Sessions 12"ep is good too.
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I really like the transitional first Fly label T. Rex album, it sits perfectly between the hippy Regal Zonophone and Electric Warrior. Squint at it in the right way and there are even pre-echoes of Young Marble Giants etc, it has the same sparseness and minimalism in some respects. I love the way Bolan approached the then brand new to him electric guitar, just raw talent and lack of inhibition.
 
Metal Guru
Solid Gold Easy Action
20th Century Boy
Ride a White Swan
Teenage Dream

Not sure why the last has not got a mention yet?
First 5 seconds of Metal Guru is a killer.
 
Tony L said:
I really like the transitional first Fly label T. Rex album, it sits perfectly between the hippy Regal Zonophone and Electric Warrior. Squint at it in the right way and there are even pre-echoes of Young Marble Giants etc, it has the same sparseness and minimalism in some respects. I love the way Bolan approached the then brand new to him electric guitar, just raw talent and lack of inhibition.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have Bolan boogie on Fly & Unicorn, that I bought from the pfm shop; I'll have to give them a spin!

I also have Marc Bolan at the BBC 4 x 7" box that I bought from one of the RSD's. It has some Peel/Top Gear tracks on it, including another fave, By the light of the magical moon.
 
Liked Tyrannosaurus Rex when they were on John Peel a lot, bought Prophets Seers and Sages when I was about 13, but didn't really go a bundle on the electric T Rex.
 
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