20th century boy , I never heard of the song until recently when it was used in a commercial, I remembered the music and Marc's voice, and of course I found it on RUclips
Where T.Rex was most associated with glam was in Bolan's love of fashion. Bowie used to mention a quote from Bolan when he was talking about mods and glam: Bolan: "I'm top mod. Your shoes are crap." Bowie: "You're short."
It's fascinating hearing the American perspective on glam - here in its home country, we tend to think of glam rock first and foremost as exactly that type of fuzzy, gritty, rough-and-ready, back-to-basics rock'n'roll - T. Rex, Slade, The Sweet, Mud, adopted American Suzi Quatro (plus a sex offender we no longer mention)... largely based around the band and audience stamping big platform boots (genuinely). Mud are fine, but I think you would really like Slade, The Sweet and Suzi, they're great singles acts, Slade in particular. The slicker and more sophisticated glam acts - Queen, early ABBA, Sparks, Roxy Music - we think of as a bit secondary. Not in musical terms (they tended to have the longer term success too, and find it easier to break out of the glam bracket), but just in terms of defining glam as a genre. Stomping singles bands first, polished album acts second. David Bowie - as is his way - tends to straddle the two.
I saw T Rex in Milwaukee , opening for 3 Dog Night. I managed to meet Marc and Mickey after their set. I got pictures and autographs ! It was quite a thrill.
I would like to thank you for your perfect diction, which allows us foreigners to understand everything without the need to activate the subtitles. I'm looking forward to a Something/Anything review and seeing you replicate Todd Rundgren's makeup in Midnigjt Special 😂❤
Yay T. Rex!! Definitely love the Electric Warrior album. And also love The Slider too. Looking stunningly beautiful Abby. Definitely a beautiful Planet Queen!!
Great choice Abby! Now that you're moving into Glam, time to explore Roxy Music. For Your Pleasure is a great place to start, but you can't go wrong with any of their albums.
I always got a kick out of Marc Bolan's lyrics as they could be both incredibly silly and deeply profound. In "Bang a Gong" alone there are lines like "the teeth of the hydra are upon you" to "She's got a hubcap, diamond-star halo." The man had an amazing imagination and could come up with killer guitar riffs!
To be honest, both of those lines can be classed as "silly". But they work in the song. Just like the nonsense lines in Beatles songs, such as I Am The Walrus or Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. I feel we sometimes look too deeply into songs for meanings that are just not there and were never meant to be there.
When I referenced those lines, I was saying just what you suggest, Marc had a great talent to create evocative images in his lyrics even if they didn't always make literal sense.@@CB-xr1eg
What a fun ride! I saw Tyrannosaurus Rex at Motherwell town hall (in Scotland) in 69, Mickey on Bongos, Marc on acoustic, cross legged on the stage. Beard of Stars had just been released. That show blew my 15 year old mind! They played 'The Wizard' , 'By the light of a magical moon' among others, and finished the show with an electric version of 'Elemental Child' with Mickey on bass. They were on they're way up. The next time I saw them was in '71 at Glasgow Apollo (Greens Playhouse) after 'Get it on and Jeepster' were released, at the the height of their 'Electric Warrior' fame, with the full band. The place was packed and 'T-Rexstasy' was in in full bloom. And the tickets were cheap! The last time I saw them was at Motherwell Civic center in '76 around the release of 'Futuristic Dragon'. The crowds had diminished, there had been no hits for years, and they were bringing people in off the the street to try to fill the not-so-large-hall. Marc was overweight and not at his best, and Gloria Jones was playing keyboards and backing vocals. I can't remember who else was in the band. I emigrated to Canada in summer of 77, shortly before he died, and when that happened, it shook me. I had always thought I would meet him someday. Still, who would have thought that 'Get it On' would be as popular as it is, 50 odd years later!
My brother taught me to play guitar with this album. Jeepster and Planet Queen are two of my favorites and still so fun to play. This is one of my all time favorite albums and it doesn't stay off the turntable too long before another spin. I think you hit the tail on the donkey, this album and Marc Bolan are fun fun fun! I always have a great time visiting your channel and usually learn something too. And Ride a White Swan is a great song and introduced me to T. Rex. Looking forward to the new year of Vinyl Monday.
Planet Queen and Bang a Gong are stone cold classics, although my favourite of their songs is Children of the Revolution. Also, if this is the amount of feathers Abby puts on to talk about T Rex, I am scared for when she decides to tackle Elton John
I’m not sure if you found this in your research, but the friendship between Marc Bolan & David Bowie is really heartwarming. They first met as teens being represented by the same agent as teen models doing catalogue work and would also work odd jobs together painting offices, etc. when modeling jobs were scarce. They had a bit of a falling out, but reconnected and became really good friends again several years prior to Marc’s death. After Marc’s death, Marc’s 2 year old son Rolan Bolan and his son’s mother Gloria Jones had no money, since Marc was still technically married to his 1st wife, she got everything. David Bowie helped support Gloria & Marc’s child for decades until Marc’s estate finally passed to his son. There’s so much criticism of “Toxic Masculinity” and this is a great example of “Positive Masculinity” and a not often discussed depth of Male Friendships that’s very much rooted in “Duty”, “obligation”, “responsibility”& “Sacrifice” in helping to provide for and take care of your friend’s family when they are no longer able to. There’s something truly instinctive about this that connects with Men on a very deep level.
@@TheStacanova I was very friendly with Tony Toons, a very close friend of David Bowie. He told me that David was deeply screwed by Marc’s passing. And I was stunned to learn that David visited the place of the accident on a number of occasions to pay his respects. David himself never disclosed that. That is true friendship.
Love the video and your glam look. Now, you're getting into the music of my youth. When I was in junior high, you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing "Bang a Gong," which was fine by me. I shudder to think how many years I've been listening to T Rex, and I still can't figure out half the lyrics. You're right that some of the later glam rock studio albums were too stiffly produced. Mott the Hoople is one of my favorites, but that's because I discovered them when I recorded a King Biscuit Flour Hour with the Kinks and the first 15 minutes was Mott the Hoople live. The "All the Young Dudes" and "Mott" albums have great songs, but they lacked that power and energy. "The Hoople" came a little closer, but you had to hear them live to get it. Kind of like the studio version of "Tommy" vs. live. Speaking of The Who, I think you'll like "Quadrophenia" better. If only Tommy had been recorded like that... BTW, be looking for a package from me at your PO Box. The post office claims it should be there by Thursday, but you know how they let rain and snow stay their couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
One of the luckiest record hauls I ever had included Electric Warrior, Highway to Hell, and Abbey Road at a Salvation Army store where records were a dollar each.
@@abigaildevoe I got them even cheaper. I was lucky enough to work in radio during a time when tons of great music was coming out that got no airplay. The stations threw those promo albums and 45s out, and they all came home with me.
This album hits all my buttons; with connections to David Bowie's Rise and Fall..., Flo and Eddie via Frank Zappa and includes my favorite T-Rex song, Mambo Sun. I really enjoy his slower beat music. Also I hope you enjoyed letting your hair be more itself.
It's nice to see someone talking about T Rex. I only just got into them through Foul Quince's video and, because of that, they call me The Groover - so I'm glad to find and T Rex content I can. Very under appreciated band.
Hi Abi, greetings from the UK. Thank you for these little gems on Monday. Recently discovered your RUclips channel and enjoy hearing your take on a lot of albums I have. With all the albums you have done around 1967-69, have you considered doing an episode on the Kinks? Especially as their albums Village Green Preservation Society or Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) are often overlooked classics of the time
T.REX are an absolutely amazing band. I have The Slider (on Reprise Records) and Tanx (orig. uk press) in my collection, both great albums that make a great trilogy of albums. Their other stuff is very, very different to the glam stuff they're known for (e.g. the psych folk stuff, which Unicorn is my fave early T.REX album, the funk/soul of Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow: A Creamed Cage in August, and the power pop/punkish(?) finalé album Dandy in the Underworld.) His life was cut too short and he was probably the most influential guy for promoting UK punk/new wave, introducing youths to Generation X, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Radio Stars, the matured Bay City Rollers and lots more. I have an early UK copy of 'Get it On' on 45 and it gets regular play on my turntable.
As much as I love T. Rex, I still think his best two albums are Unicorn and Beard of Stars from the folk days, I love the colorful way Marc is always able to describe things.
Awesome, this is one of my all-time favorite albums. When I was a teen in the early '90s watching Mtv's Closet Classics show, I saw a clip of them doing "Jeepster" on Beat Club & became obsessed. The earlier Tyrannosaurus Rex stuff is great too.
As much as I love the T.Rex trio of Electric Warrior, The Slider and Tanx the T.Rex self titled debut is really cool and different. Way more acoustic, way more 'personal'. It took way too long for me to discover it so if you haven't, give it a listen.
Marc Bolan and T.Rex arguably also released one of the first punk songs Solid Gold Easy Action in '73, but Woodland Rock in '70 was punk at it's essence. Johnny Rotten gave T.Rex as his first influence for punk. The Ramones were huge T.Rex fans. Next, Syd Barrett began wearing eyeliner in July '67. Right after his management signed Marc Bolan to the Blackhills artist roster. So it's likely Syd Barrett ripped Marc Bolan's style.Not the other way around. June Child was the Pink Floyd's manager assistant and later married Marc Bolan.
I've been catching up on your videos after you popped up in my recs a few weeks ago, and I'm loving these reviews! T. Rex is one of my favorite artists now, but growing up listening to oldies/classic rock radio in the US, all I ever heard was Get It On ... a song I never really dug. I didn't hear another song of theirs until I saw the movie Billy Elliot, and I fell in love with the soundtrack, which includes lots of T. Rex. I have to say Cosmic Dancer holds a special place in my heart.
Bad lyrics bad damned, Monolith is my favorite track! From the record scratch intro, the whole thing is so smooth and chill. The verse melody is my favorite thing on here, he has strange hooks. Electric Slim & the Factory Hen off Tanx hits me in a similar way. Love Bolan Psyched to see this one covered! Great Vinyl Monday ⭐️🪘🪘
Abby brings to light another example when I thought I had to be mishearing lyrics because what I thought I was hearing made no sense to me- "You've got a hubcap diamond star halo" and I was actually hearing it correctly. Had the same experience with Dylan's "My Back Pages"- "Crimson flames tied through my ears/Floating high and mighty traps". I was certain I must have had that wrong...until I read the lyrics.
"Seagull Woman" is one my favorites and "Raw Ramp"...along with Cosmic Dancer and Planet Queen...PLEASE if you haven't yet, find a boot online called "The Children of Rarn Suite" , especially the version that Tony Visconti later added strings to...a real cult treat...I don't like Marc's lyrics but his voice and talent for melody make up for it
Never more a Manic Monday, since the moment you're doin your podcast Its so great to take out the album you choose to do, out of my collection (mostly, i own all of them, but on CD) and to hear your exegese on it with your always surprising and fitting outfits, playing and hearing the album in a whole new different kind of view, on volume 10 Please, go on! Favorite song is Cosmic Dancer, because i didn t dare to dance!
At first, I thought this channel was the ultimate in what could be produced for the RUclips format and there's no way it could be improved upon... Boy!--was I ever proven wrong! It just keeps getting more and more fabulous! Super analysis of transition from acid-folk to glam! Metal came from psychedelia too when heavy delta blues knocked her up and she gave birth to "Dazed And Confused."
thank you so much! i talked a lot about the birth of metal in my last black sabbath episode. it came from psych, garage, and good old freak music, ozzy is a big fan of arthur brown and zappa
I like T Rex, never got deep into them though. I played a few of their songs live over the years. I was in a band that did a version of Hot Love to a rockabilly beat. It works better than you’d think. Great work Abby.
trying to sing i love to boogie, especially after a few beers, is self inflicted torture. ( on the other hand if the crowd you are playing to have had a few beers, and you're getting paid, who cares).
I listened to this album a lot this past summer, one of my favorite albums. Glam rock bands seem to bear little in common except their roots in 50's rock and roll. Marc Bolan cannot be taken seriously, but writes music that is sort of silly, but really enjoyable. Sometimes that is all you need.
“Live With Me” by the Rolling Stones from Let It Bleed is glam rock before the term was even a thing. The same for “Brown Sugar” (recorded in late 1969) and “Bitch” from Sticky Fingers.
When he first appeared on the scene and he was less rock and more middle-earth folksy, fans used to call him the 'Hallucinated Pixie.' Great rock guitarist though, did the riff on 'Nut Bush City Limits'. Loved just about everything he did, especially ' Get It On'.
Jeepster is one of my favourite T.Rex songs. Marc admitted that he had ripped it off from Howlin' Wolf's "You'll be Mine" (written by Willie Dixon). Part of the drum sound on the track was actually from Marc enthusiastically stomping his feet on the studio floor as he played.
I'm not sure of the timeline, but Flo and Eddie were on tour with the Mothers during the Montreux fire of Smoke on the Water fame. Then they were playing London when someone pushed Zappa off the stage, nearly killing him, thus ending the Flo & Eddie lineup. Also, Eddie Cochran wasn't from England, he just died there in a car wreck. Gene Vicent survived, but his already lame leg was torn up even worse. Sadly that also happened to Mark Bolan. Oh, and I'm saying this as a trumpet player, you should check out Chase's Get it On, it's insane.
Mark Feld changed his name a few times. He was Toby Tyler, MarK Bowland, and finally Marc Bolan. Early on he shared a flat with British actor James Bolam, which may be where he got his most well known name from. But its also rumoured that he took the name for the surnames Bowie & Dylan, his friend and his hero. The "Bo" either from Bowie, or from Bob, and the "lan" from Dylan. Putting them together to make Bolan.
Might not be memorable to you, but it sure is to me. Reminds me of sitting in the car listening to it with my girlfriend late at night while getting stoned staring at the full moon. And another time years later, while playing it loud with the window rolled down, stopped at a light near the VA hospital. A homeless vet panhandler was mouthing the words, nodding his head, looking at me with such a deep look on his face. It prompted me to fumble for money to hand him real quick before the light changed, which I normally don't do. Oh God, High in your fields above Earth Come and be real for us Oh you with your mind, Oh yes, you are beautifully fine Oh girl, Electric Witch, you are limp In society's ditch You are visually fine, Oh yes you are, but mentally dyin' Oh doo Doo-do-do-doo... Doo-do-do-doo... Doo-do-do-doo... Doo-do-do-doo... Doo-do-do-doo... Oh yes you are! Doo-do-do-doo...
Awesome video as always, Abby! Love the outfit for this one! Marc Bolan is the guy who finally made me appreciate glam rock for the first time Hoping we get the Talk Talk episode, whenever that may be :)
Born in 1955, I accepted T.Rex quite well but my favourites were others. „Get it on“ has been played so often that it still sounds in my ears 😂 In the genre of Glam Rock I preferred The Slade. Love your channel and the dresses fitting to each episode 👌 Peter from Austria
T Rex isn‘t on air anymore here as well. But at that time it was omnipresent: radio, jukebox in bars, skating ground, soccer stadium - simply everywhere. That’s why it still vibrates in my ears … But the songs sounded extremely cool 😎
T Rex is like a box of sugar coated cereal, what drew me to them was the catchy guitar riffs and repetitive melodies, get it on , bang a gong was played 10 times a day every day on radio stations in Maine, my favorite song is 20th century boy , now Marc's death was a preventable tragedy, he never learned to drive, I remember hearing about his death buried on the back pages of the newspaper, the cult reminds me T Rex a little, sonic temple is a great album along with electric, new york
Sorry but how is never learning to drive a preventable tragedy? The accident could still have happened if Marc had been driving. That's a crazy take tbh.
such a fabulous album. is it the best t rex album? maybe, choosing between this album and the slider is frustrating i recommend listening to wizzard’s (roy wood’s glam rock band) 1973 album, wizzard brew. it’s a real harsh-sounding art rock record, mixed in with elements of 50s rock n’ roll and jazz fusion. it’s a really eccentric album, but it’s a good album
Badfinger was a band used for all the leftover Beatles songs after they broke up ELO was the band picking up where the Beatles left off. Apologies off subject somewhat 😊😮😅😢😮😂😢❤
LOVE T Rex and so glad to hear you cover it. Thing about T.Rex is that, a lot like Ramones, they do one thing really well and, when they step outside that, things kinda get rough. Slider is my jam. A real shame we never got 80s electro-warrior Marc❤️
So, 12 year old me in 1971 in Toronto was so turned on by "Bang a Gong" that I went out and bought the album Electric Warrior. Yes, in those days 12 year-olds were allowed to do that with no helicopter parents around. The first time that I was not influenced by my older brother and my older sister's boyfriend (Btw, he is still in 2024 my brother-in-law). It is still one of my favourite albums to this day. Too many stories to tell. Of course the lyrics make no sense, but they weren't supposed to, other than Cosmic Dancer. There is a bootleg recording of a Morrissey concert where David Bowie joins him on stage and they sing Cosmic Dancer. Absolutely Brilliant!!! I love your channel. No, I ADORE your channel.
There's been a strong rumour for years that Bolan plays guitar on Ike and Tina Turner's 'Nutbush City Limits'. If you ever get to come to London, Olympic Studios and Bolan's shrine sit either side of Barnes Common.
Bolan was also supposed to play on 'Slick Black Limousine', the Alice Cooper rarity, but was too 'tired and emotional' in the studio and his part was erased.
Les Rallizes Dénudés - '77 Live Craziest band history I can think of - One concert caused an earthquake, one of the members resided in North Korea, and the first album came out 25 years after the band formed.
Death, A Band Called Death. All black band from Detroit, invented punk rock. Nosedived into obscurity, first (and only) album came out 30 years after their demise.
Nice job. I remember being enamored with "The Slider" album. Loved it. For some reason, it was the only T. Rex album I ever bought (Actually I do remember why - I was a just a kid without a lot of resources)...🤑
Good Abby that you praise Marc's guitar playing. He is definitely underrated, he was back then and he still is now. 'Electric warrior' is a timeless classic. Still sounds great today.
The thumbnail looks perfect! Love this album so much fun all the way through I would say it's the perfect pop record despite not being pop per say, Marc Bolan is always so overlooked in conversations about music glad to see him getting more attention again R.I.P
It's funny, something very similar to the "Bang A Gong" riff turns up in other songs from the same era -- The Hollies' "Long Cool Woman", and Blue Oyster Cult's "OD'd On Life", for instance. The Hollies tune even includes the phrase "get it on"! There's a very nice cover of "Be Bop Moon" on The Bongos' debut album, Drums Along The Hudson, which has an image of bongos on the jacket. Bolan was clearly a strong influence. Given your taste, Abbs, I'm surprised you didn't reference The New York Dolls during your explanation of the thin coverage of glam on your channel. The Dolls are so much more up your alley than most of the glam bands, and they really straddled the fence between glam and punk. I like almost everything on this record -- maybe "Life's A Gas" for a special favorite, and "Cosmic Dancer" for least favorite.
The song is called Mambo Sun not Be Bop Moon, are you sure you have the right song? Yes The Hollies stole Marc's riff but nobody seemed to notice at the time.
i didn't realize the cabinet across the other side of the room still exists! i thought everything was out in the new shelves. the electric warrior album art is striking but vinyl monday's thumbnail is better! i like the emphasis on feeling the goodness in some of these tracks. if you're at a table near a dancefloor and some of this stuff kicks off it will get you out of your seat and if you ever play in a covers band, near the end of a set It's rolled gold. ( i love to boogie is sheer hell to sing). enjoy it for what it is. it's a waltzer ride ( british thing?).
the cabinet very much still exists, i need some place to put all my dylan, clapton, stones, and jazz! that piece of furniture is way too precious and way too heavy to ever part with
Recently realised the similarities between Lean Woman Blues and The Beatle's Yer Blues, both obviously referencing the blues, but also sonically. Give them a listen back to back and you'll really see what I mean. Also check out the three song combo thats on the deluxe version on streaming. Great video and great album Abby :>
Great fun video for a great fun album. Thank you Abby. Loved the little pouty Bolanesque cameos! I've always found Bolan's music to be personal universal, everyone finds a different meaning. It can touch your soul. Been a fan since Children of the Revolution. When Elvis died i didn't believe it, when Bolan died i was dumbstruck.
I prefer the intermediate transition period between Marc Bolan's deep underground hippy-trippy persona and his huge commercial breakthrough with the "Electric Warrior" LP and ascendancy to glam rock superstardom (well, that's the way it was in England) - recordings such as the idiosyncratic "Debora", "Ride a White Swan", and (in particular) "King of the Rumbling Spires". I also like the early proto-psyche attitude of John's Children - see Bolan's backing vocal contribution to "Desdemona" (an early, defining UK single which - incredibly - was banned at the time by the BBC for supposed lyrical obscenity!); and the ultra rare withdrawn "Midsummer Night's Scene" b/w "Sara, Crazy Child" (sometime's cited as the most valuable single in the UK's fanatical Psyche collectors market) wherein Bolan distinctively takes over as lead vocalist towards the end. Bowie teases Bolan on "Black Country Rock"on the MWSTW album by briefly mimicking his eccentric Tyrannosaurus-era 'strangulating a chicken' vocal style of the time. Although it's not entirely relevant, I can't help mentioning that Keith Moon "Bangs A Gong" towards the end of The Merseybeats wonderful "I Stand Accused" UK single 😊 I live in London and sometimes pass the place at Barnes Common where Marc Bolan died. The obsessed fans 'shrine' is predictably ugly and ultimately disrespectful. A friend of mine was killed in a so-called 'road accident' apparently caused by the stupidity of the driver of another vehicle - he didn't notice that the lights had changed. It's the random, pointless nature of it all which is so disturbing - if my friend had left home that day ten seconds earlier or ten seconds later, it wouldn't have happened.
That "Hot Love" Top of the Pops episode is from March, not February. They performed it twice in March 1971, both episodes are wiped but those performances survive, probably because they were sold to another country.
I listened to WMC FM 100 in Memphos 1971. The format freeform radio, Album cuts but NOT A.O.R.. Memphis record shops sold more pf Bowie's Ziggy Stardust than anywhere else in America. "Get It On (Bang A Gong)" and "It's A Ripoff" were played in rotation. I thin it's arip off is a GREAT. The whole lp is wonderful!
I grew up and Memphis and remember hearing Bang a Gong a lot on radio. Memphis had two boy bands, The Box Tops and The Gentrys, whose front men formed Big Star- Alex Chilton and The High Steppers- Larry Raspberry. Big Star has the cult following now, but Raspberrys band which had a glam vibe, was probably a more popular band in the Overton Square music scene.
Testament to Marc Bolan's influence, other bands people love ... well, they love T-Rex. The Smiths' "Panic" is an homage to "Metal Guru." Alex Chilton covered "Baby Strange" with reformed Big Star on their 1990s tour dates. Bauhaus covered "Telegram Sam." Prince's "Cream" is a riff on "Get It On."
Not sure you would know this little tid bit, George Underwood and David Bowie were very close. I believe they met in school and played together in one of Bowie's early bands like the Konrads.
I was 14 in 1972 and living in England. The girls at my school liked T.rex. The boys not so much. There were big musical taste differences between the sexes. My friends considered Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Floyd, Yes, ELP, and Genesis cool. To make it big, you had to get teenage boys to buy your records. Bowie eventually got there. I had a friend who hid his Bowie records in the early 1970s. Mark Bolan never crossed over.
The glitter glam period was great, great music with heavy guitars, I love that combination. Marc Bolan also inspired one of my favorite guitar players to pick up a geetar and start playing
The flip side of Bang a Gong was Raw Ramp. It was featured on the 80s single album greatest hits but oddly left out of 10 cds The Album Collection. It has 2 bonus disks but no raw ramp. Hope your not offended by me talking about cds. Also Jeepers sounds like Mystery Train. never knew about the Howlin wolf connection.
A friend of mine used to be an Uber driver in L.A. She drove a Cooper Mini and one time her passenger got in the back seat and said, "My dad died in one of these." He was Marc Bolan's son.
what’s your favorite t rex tune? comment below!
Children Of A Revolution
Children of the Revolution or Jeepster
Planet Queen is one of my favorites
20th century boy , I never heard of the song until recently when it was used in a commercial, I remembered the music and Marc's voice, and of course I found it on RUclips
Cosmic Dancer
Where T.Rex was most associated with glam was in Bolan's love of fashion. Bowie used to mention a quote from Bolan when he was talking about mods and glam:
Bolan: "I'm top mod. Your shoes are crap."
Bowie: "You're short."
HAHA the way i can see this exact exchange play out in my head
It is categorically impossible to be down in the dumps when listening to a new episode of Vinyl Monday!❤ Great job as always, Abby!!
It's fascinating hearing the American perspective on glam - here in its home country, we tend to think of glam rock first and foremost as exactly that type of fuzzy, gritty, rough-and-ready, back-to-basics rock'n'roll - T. Rex, Slade, The Sweet, Mud, adopted American Suzi Quatro (plus a sex offender we no longer mention)... largely based around the band and audience stamping big platform boots (genuinely). Mud are fine, but I think you would really like Slade, The Sweet and Suzi, they're great singles acts, Slade in particular.
The slicker and more sophisticated glam acts - Queen, early ABBA, Sparks, Roxy Music - we think of as a bit secondary. Not in musical terms (they tended to have the longer term success too, and find it easier to break out of the glam bracket), but just in terms of defining glam as a genre. Stomping singles bands first, polished album acts second. David Bowie - as is his way - tends to straddle the two.
I saw T Rex in Milwaukee , opening for 3 Dog Night. I managed to meet Marc and Mickey after their set. I got pictures and autographs ! It was quite a thrill.
ooh that sounds like a great show! do you still have those photos?
I would like to thank you for your perfect diction, which allows us foreigners to understand everything without the need to activate the subtitles. I'm looking forward to a Something/Anything review and seeing you replicate Todd Rundgren's makeup in Midnigjt Special 😂❤
Yay T. Rex!! Definitely love the Electric Warrior album. And also love The Slider too. Looking stunningly beautiful Abby. Definitely a beautiful Planet Queen!!
ruclips.net/p/PLSz-KxGjCLJqQxkV5M7AiWQwLhvIoTgkW&si=1UVJd0oho5wPTecN
Great choice Abby! Now that you're moving into Glam, time to explore Roxy Music. For Your Pleasure is a great place to start, but you can't go wrong with any of their albums.
I always got a kick out of Marc Bolan's lyrics as they could be both incredibly silly and deeply profound. In "Bang a Gong" alone there are lines like "the teeth of the hydra are upon you" to "She's got a hubcap, diamond-star halo." The man had an amazing imagination and could come up with killer guitar riffs!
To be honest, both of those lines can be classed as "silly". But they work in the song.
Just like the nonsense lines in Beatles songs, such as I Am The Walrus or Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.
I feel we sometimes look too deeply into songs for meanings that are just not there and were never meant to be there.
When I referenced those lines, I was saying just what you suggest, Marc had a great talent to create evocative images in his lyrics even if they didn't always make literal sense.@@CB-xr1eg
Yeah , loved the heavy riffs ! You‘ve got to keep a little Marc in your heart, in these dark days .
Forced perspective is the camera angle.
Look at how Nirvana pics have Krist about thirteen yards behind the other lads.
What a fun ride! I saw Tyrannosaurus Rex at Motherwell town hall (in Scotland) in 69, Mickey on Bongos, Marc on acoustic, cross legged on the stage. Beard of Stars had just been released. That show blew my 15 year old mind! They played 'The Wizard' , 'By the light of a magical moon' among others, and finished the show with an electric version of 'Elemental Child' with Mickey on bass. They were on they're way up. The next time I saw them was in '71 at Glasgow Apollo (Greens Playhouse) after 'Get it on and Jeepster' were released, at the the height of their 'Electric Warrior' fame, with the full band. The place was packed and 'T-Rexstasy' was in in full bloom. And the tickets were cheap! The last time I saw them was at Motherwell Civic center in '76 around the release of 'Futuristic Dragon'. The crowds had diminished, there had been no hits for years, and they were bringing people in off the the street to try to fill the not-so-large-hall. Marc was overweight and not at his best, and Gloria Jones was playing keyboards and backing vocals. I can't remember who else was in the band. I emigrated to Canada in summer of 77, shortly before he died, and when that happened, it shook me. I had always thought I would meet him someday. Still, who would have thought that 'Get it On' would be as popular as it is, 50 odd years later!
I honestly enjoy 'Futuristic Dragon' a lot. It's the great forgotten T.Rex album IMO.
My brother taught me to play guitar with this album. Jeepster and Planet Queen are two of my favorites and still so fun to play. This is one of my all time favorite albums and it doesn't stay off the turntable too long before another spin. I think you hit the tail on the donkey, this album and Marc Bolan are fun fun fun! I always have a great time visiting your channel and usually learn something too. And Ride a White Swan is a great song and introduced me to T. Rex. Looking forward to the new year of Vinyl Monday.
Planet Queen and Bang a Gong are stone cold classics, although my favourite of their songs is Children of the Revolution. Also, if this is the amount of feathers Abby puts on to talk about T Rex, I am scared for when she decides to tackle Elton John
And she'll have to shoot in Panavision for the glasses
I’m not sure if you found this in your research, but the friendship between Marc Bolan & David Bowie is really heartwarming.
They first met as teens being represented by the same agent as teen models doing catalogue work and would also work odd jobs together painting offices, etc. when modeling jobs were scarce.
They had a bit of a falling out, but reconnected and became really good friends again several years prior to Marc’s death.
After Marc’s death, Marc’s 2 year old son Rolan Bolan and his son’s mother Gloria Jones had no money, since Marc was still technically married to his 1st wife, she got everything.
David Bowie helped support Gloria & Marc’s child for decades until Marc’s estate finally passed to his son.
There’s so much criticism of “Toxic Masculinity” and this is a great example of “Positive Masculinity” and a not often discussed depth of Male Friendships that’s very much rooted in “Duty”, “obligation”, “responsibility”& “Sacrifice” in helping to provide for and take care of your friend’s family when they are no longer able to.
There’s something truly instinctive about this that connects with Men on a very deep level.
@@TheStacanova I was very friendly with Tony Toons, a very close friend of David Bowie. He told me that David was deeply screwed by Marc’s passing. And I was stunned to learn that David visited the place of the accident on a number of occasions to pay his respects. David himself never disclosed that. That is true friendship.
Love the video and your glam look. Now, you're getting into the music of my youth. When I was in junior high, you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing "Bang a Gong," which was fine by me. I shudder to think how many years I've been listening to T Rex, and I still can't figure out half the lyrics.
You're right that some of the later glam rock studio albums were too stiffly produced. Mott the Hoople is one of my favorites, but that's because I discovered them when I recorded a King Biscuit Flour Hour with the Kinks and the first 15 minutes was Mott the Hoople live. The "All the Young Dudes" and "Mott" albums have great songs, but they lacked that power and energy. "The Hoople" came a little closer, but you had to hear them live to get it. Kind of like the studio version of "Tommy" vs. live. Speaking of The Who, I think you'll like "Quadrophenia" better. If only Tommy had been recorded like that...
BTW, be looking for a package from me at your PO Box. The post office claims it should be there by Thursday, but you know how they let rain and snow stay their couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
Tony Visconti is a fantastic producer and he totally captured the power and attitude of Marc Bolan in this landmark album
He was also responsible for stopping Bowie sounding like Anthony Newley …
@@LANCSKID totally right
Is it strange to dance so soon?
I danced myself into the tomb.....can't get more epic than this.
"I danced myself right out the womb"...that must have been an experience for his mother!
One of the luckiest record hauls I ever had included Electric Warrior, Highway to Hell, and Abbey Road at a Salvation Army store where records were a dollar each.
that’s so lucky wow! i knew a guy in college who found all the joy division records for $1 each at the thrift
@@abigaildevoe Sometimes you can get super lucky at thrift stores and estate sales
@@abigaildevoe I got them even cheaper. I was lucky enough to work in radio during a time when tons of great music was coming out that got no airplay. The stations threw those promo albums and 45s out, and they all came home with me.
Marc Bolan was a rock & roll star 🌟 ! 🇬🇧
This album must be cranked every time it's played.
This album hits all my buttons; with connections to David Bowie's Rise and Fall..., Flo and Eddie via Frank Zappa and includes my favorite T-Rex song, Mambo Sun. I really enjoy his slower beat music. Also I hope you enjoyed letting your hair be more itself.
It's nice to see someone talking about T Rex. I only just got into them through Foul Quince's video and, because of that, they call me The Groover - so I'm glad to find and T Rex content I can. Very under appreciated band.
ruclips.net/p/PLSz-KxGjCLJqQxkV5M7AiWQwLhvIoTgkW&si=1UVJd0oho5wPTecN
Hi Abi, greetings from the UK. Thank you for these little gems on Monday. Recently discovered your RUclips channel and enjoy hearing your take on a lot of albums I have. With all the albums you have done around 1967-69, have you considered doing an episode on the Kinks? Especially as their albums Village Green Preservation Society or Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) are often overlooked classics of the time
T.REX are an absolutely amazing band. I have The Slider (on Reprise Records) and Tanx (orig. uk press) in my collection, both great albums that make a great trilogy of albums. Their other stuff is very, very different to the glam stuff they're known for (e.g. the psych folk stuff, which Unicorn is my fave early T.REX album, the funk/soul of Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow: A Creamed Cage in August, and the power pop/punkish(?) finalé album Dandy in the Underworld.) His life was cut too short and he was probably the most influential guy for promoting UK punk/new wave, introducing youths to Generation X, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Radio Stars, the matured Bay City Rollers and lots more. I have an early UK copy of 'Get it On' on 45 and it gets regular play on my turntable.
As much as I love T. Rex, I still think his best two albums are Unicorn and Beard of Stars from the folk days, I love the colorful way Marc is always able to describe things.
A Beard Of Stars is definitely the best Tyrannosaurus Rex album. But I also love the first T.Rex album (known as the brown album) just as much.
Awesome, this is one of my all-time favorite albums. When I was a teen in the early '90s watching Mtv's Closet Classics show, I saw a clip of them doing "Jeepster" on Beat Club & became obsessed. The earlier Tyrannosaurus Rex stuff is great too.
Same. Loved Closet Classics and was especially mesmerized by Little Marc.
As much as I love the T.Rex trio of Electric Warrior, The Slider and Tanx the T.Rex self titled debut is really cool and different. Way more acoustic, way more 'personal'. It took way too long for me to discover it so if you haven't, give it a listen.
You hit the nail on the head. It's a great acoustic introspective album.👍
Marc Bolan and T.Rex arguably also released one of the first punk songs Solid Gold Easy Action in '73, but Woodland Rock in '70 was punk at it's essence. Johnny Rotten gave T.Rex as his first influence for punk. The Ramones were huge T.Rex fans. Next, Syd Barrett began wearing eyeliner in July '67. Right after his management signed Marc Bolan to the Blackhills artist roster. So it's likely Syd Barrett ripped Marc Bolan's style.Not the other way around. June Child was the Pink Floyd's manager assistant and later married Marc Bolan.
I've been catching up on your videos after you popped up in my recs a few weeks ago, and I'm loving these reviews! T. Rex is one of my favorite artists now, but growing up listening to oldies/classic rock radio in the US, all I ever heard was Get It On ... a song I never really dug. I didn't hear another song of theirs until I saw the movie Billy Elliot, and I fell in love with the soundtrack, which includes lots of T. Rex. I have to say Cosmic Dancer holds a special place in my heart.
Bad lyrics bad damned, Monolith is my favorite track! From the record scratch intro, the whole thing is so smooth and chill. The verse melody is my favorite thing on here, he has strange hooks. Electric Slim & the Factory Hen off Tanx hits me in a similar way. Love Bolan
Psyched to see this one covered! Great Vinyl Monday ⭐️🪘🪘
I requested this album a while ago on Vinyl Monday, I’m so excited for this review! Still one of my most sought after albums to get on vinyl
Didn’t know what a jeepster was, now I can define myself as one
Abby brings to light another example when I thought I had to be mishearing lyrics because what I thought I was hearing made no sense to me- "You've got a hubcap diamond star halo" and I was actually hearing it correctly. Had the same experience with Dylan's "My Back Pages"- "Crimson flames tied through my ears/Floating high and mighty traps". I was certain I must have had that wrong...until I read the lyrics.
That was a seriously comprehensive review.
I learned a lot!
I can't believe I'm not subscribed, gonna remedy that!
"Seagull Woman" is one my favorites and "Raw Ramp"...along with Cosmic Dancer and Planet Queen...PLEASE if you haven't yet, find a boot online called "The Children of Rarn Suite" , especially the version that Tony Visconti later added strings to...a real cult treat...I don't like Marc's lyrics but his voice and talent for melody make up for it
Never more a Manic Monday, since the moment you're doin your podcast
Its so great to take out the album you choose to do, out of my collection (mostly, i own all of them, but on CD) and to hear your exegese on it with your always surprising and fitting outfits,
playing and hearing the album in a whole new different kind of view, on volume 10
Please, go on!
Favorite song is Cosmic Dancer, because i didn t dare to dance!
At first, I thought this channel was the ultimate in what could be produced for the RUclips format and there's no way it could be improved upon... Boy!--was I ever proven wrong! It just keeps getting more and more fabulous!
Super analysis of transition from acid-folk to glam! Metal came from psychedelia too when heavy delta blues knocked her up and she gave birth to "Dazed And Confused."
thank you so much! i talked a lot about the birth of metal in my last black sabbath episode. it came from psych, garage, and good old freak music, ozzy is a big fan of arthur brown and zappa
This is a well researched, articulated review . . .thanks! EW is the album that started me painting my nails.
I like T Rex, never got deep into them though. I played a few of their songs live over the years. I was in a band that did a version of Hot Love to a rockabilly beat. It works better than you’d think. Great work Abby.
trying to sing i love to boogie, especially after a few beers, is self inflicted torture. ( on the other hand if the crowd you are playing to have had a few beers, and you're getting paid, who cares).
I listened to this album a lot this past summer, one of my favorite albums. Glam rock bands seem to bear little in common except their roots in 50's rock and roll. Marc Bolan cannot be taken seriously, but writes music that is sort of silly, but really enjoyable. Sometimes that is all you need.
David Bowie: who needs TV when I got T. Rex
… and Mott the Hoople …
And "Lady Stardust" "His song went on forever" "A love I could not obey"
“Live With Me” by the Rolling Stones from Let It Bleed is glam rock before the term was even a thing. The same for “Brown Sugar” (recorded in late 1969) and “Bitch” from Sticky Fingers.
Keith would probably be the first to agree that Mick was glam (probably in a bad way) before glam was cool
I can agree with that. Mick by 1969 had this glam persona that was evident on live footage from that era.
When he first appeared on the scene and he was less rock and more middle-earth folksy, fans used to call him the 'Hallucinated Pixie.' Great rock guitarist though, did the riff on 'Nut Bush City Limits'. Loved just about everything he did, especially ' Get It On'.
Jeepster is one of my favourite T.Rex songs. Marc admitted that he had ripped it off from Howlin' Wolf's "You'll be Mine" (written by Willie Dixon). Part of the drum sound on the track was actually from Marc enthusiastically stomping his feet on the studio floor as he played.
I'm not sure of the timeline, but Flo and Eddie were on tour with the Mothers during the Montreux fire of Smoke on the Water fame. Then they were playing London when someone pushed Zappa off the stage, nearly killing him, thus ending the Flo & Eddie lineup.
Also, Eddie Cochran wasn't from England, he just died there in a car wreck. Gene Vicent survived, but his already lame leg was torn up even worse. Sadly that also happened to Mark Bolan.
Oh, and I'm saying this as a trumpet player, you should check out Chase's Get it On, it's insane.
extremely funny and straight to the point. really, really nice. thank youuu!
Mark Feld changed his name a few times. He was Toby Tyler, MarK Bowland, and finally Marc Bolan.
Early on he shared a flat with British actor James Bolam, which may be where he got his most well known name from. But its also rumoured that he took the name for the surnames Bowie & Dylan, his friend and his hero. The "Bo" either from Bowie, or from Bob, and the "lan" from Dylan. Putting them together to make Bolan.
Never hear Life’s A Gas before and now I can’t get it out of my head!
good luck getting any of these songs out of your head!
😢@@abigaildevoe
T. Rex is the vibe. The coolest, grooviest jams.
Btw 1971 is something else...
Eddie Cochran was American
Hello from rainy London. Love your reviews and the insight you give. Also the fun delivery. Thank you.
Cosmic Dancer is immortal style.
Wonderful job! You definitely covered it! Rock and Roll is fun!!
Every Monday I start my day with you.
Might not be memorable to you, but it sure is to me. Reminds me of sitting in the car listening to it with my girlfriend late at night while getting stoned staring at the full moon. And another time years later, while playing it loud with the window rolled down, stopped at a light near the VA hospital. A homeless vet panhandler was mouthing the words, nodding his head, looking at me with such a deep look on his face. It prompted me to fumble for money to hand him real quick before the light changed, which I normally don't do.
Oh God,
High in your fields above Earth
Come and be real for us
Oh you with your mind,
Oh yes, you are beautifully fine
Oh girl,
Electric Witch, you are limp
In society's ditch
You are visually fine,
Oh yes you are, but mentally dyin'
Oh doo
Doo-do-do-doo...
Doo-do-do-doo...
Doo-do-do-doo...
Doo-do-do-doo...
Doo-do-do-doo...
Oh yes you are!
Doo-do-do-doo...
Awesome video as always, Abby! Love the outfit for this one!
Marc Bolan is the guy who finally made me appreciate glam rock for the first time
Hoping we get the Talk Talk episode, whenever that may be :)
Born in 1955, I accepted T.Rex quite well but my favourites were others. „Get it on“ has been played so often that it still sounds in my ears 😂
In the genre of Glam Rock I preferred The Slade.
Love your channel and the dresses fitting to each episode 👌
Peter from Austria
that's so funny, i hardly hear t rex on the radio over here! hello from the US
T Rex isn‘t on air anymore here as well. But at that time it was omnipresent: radio, jukebox in bars, skating ground, soccer stadium - simply everywhere. That’s why it still vibrates in my ears …
But the songs sounded extremely cool 😎
T Rex is like a box of sugar coated cereal, what drew me to them was the catchy guitar riffs and repetitive melodies, get it on , bang a gong was played 10 times a day every day on radio stations in Maine, my favorite song is 20th century boy , now Marc's death was a preventable tragedy, he never learned to drive, I remember hearing about his death buried on the back pages of the newspaper, the cult reminds me T Rex a little, sonic temple is a great album along with electric, new york
Sorry but how is never learning to drive a preventable tragedy? The accident could still have happened if Marc had been driving. That's a crazy take tbh.
@CB-xr1eg drunk girlfriend was driving fast and recklessly and they weren't wearing seat belts , read about it in the article
I love this album, my wife bought me the T-Shirt for Christmas
such a fabulous album. is it the best t rex album? maybe, choosing between this album and the slider is frustrating
i recommend listening to wizzard’s (roy wood’s glam rock band) 1973 album, wizzard brew. it’s a real harsh-sounding art rock record, mixed in with elements of 50s rock n’ roll and jazz fusion. it’s a really eccentric album, but it’s a good album
that description sounds WILD, like the velvet underground meets i don't even know what
Yeay!!! Sunday 25th October Fairfield Halls!!! I was there man!!! (and Marc smiled back at me!! RiP) xx
I lived close where he died. I was young but it had an effect.Bowie did a little impression on the Man Who Sold the World,
the warbly voice at the end of Black Country Rock is the Bolan impersonation.
True outer space experience is hearing their early hippie albums.
Badfinger was a band used for all the leftover Beatles songs after they broke up
ELO was the band picking up where the Beatles left off.
Apologies off subject somewhat 😊😮😅😢😮😂😢❤
LOVE T Rex and so glad to hear you cover it. Thing about T.Rex is that, a lot like Ramones, they do one thing really well and, when they step outside that, things kinda get rough. Slider is my jam. A real shame we never got 80s electro-warrior Marc❤️
spot on with that observation! marc would've picked one of those flying Vs, maybe a keytar, and become a cult figure of the 80s had he got the chance
@@abigaildevoe I want that version 😭
So, 12 year old me in 1971 in Toronto was so turned on by "Bang a Gong" that I went out and bought the album Electric Warrior. Yes, in those days 12 year-olds were allowed to do that with no helicopter parents around. The first time that I was not influenced by my older brother and my older sister's boyfriend (Btw, he is still in 2024 my brother-in-law). It is still one of my favourite albums to this day. Too many stories to tell.
Of course the lyrics make no sense, but they weren't supposed to, other than Cosmic Dancer. There is a bootleg recording of a Morrissey concert where David Bowie joins him on stage and they sing Cosmic Dancer. Absolutely Brilliant!!!
I love your channel. No, I ADORE your channel.
I love the strings and production in general. Love this album, very vibey
There's been a strong rumour for years that Bolan plays guitar on Ike and Tina Turner's 'Nutbush City Limits'. If you ever get to come to London, Olympic Studios and Bolan's shrine sit either side of Barnes Common.
He actually played on Sexy Ida (Part 2) not Nutbush City Limits.
who knows, maybe that rumor could turn out to be true...eddie van halen playing on beat it turned out to be true!
Bolan was also supposed to play on 'Slick Black Limousine', the Alice Cooper rarity, but was too 'tired and emotional' in the studio and his part was erased.
Les Rallizes Dénudés - '77 Live Craziest band history I can think of - One concert caused an earthquake, one of the members resided in North Korea, and the first album came out 25 years after the band formed.
Death, A Band Called Death. All black band from Detroit, invented punk rock. Nosedived into obscurity, first (and only) album came out 30 years after their demise.
this is a great album i have listened to every song multiple time and i love every one of them even girl
Thanks again Abby I love your content ❤️
Electric Warrior is a great album. I have a boxset which is the whole album divided on 7" singles. I consider it to be one of my coolest purchases.
Listened to this album like 2 weeks ago for the first time stoked it’s the newest video
Nice job. I remember being enamored with "The Slider" album. Loved it. For some reason, it was the only T. Rex album I ever bought (Actually I do remember why - I was a just a kid without a lot of resources)...🤑
The think early glam basically is proto punk, like hang on to yourself. The stooges and ny dolls we're also basically glam
Good Abby that you praise Marc's guitar playing. He is definitely underrated, he was back then and he still is now. 'Electric warrior' is a timeless classic. Still sounds great today.
The thumbnail looks perfect! Love this album so much fun all the way through I would say it's the perfect pop record despite not being pop per say, Marc Bolan is always so overlooked in conversations about music glad to see him getting more attention again R.I.P
It's funny, something very similar to the "Bang A Gong" riff turns up in other songs from the same era -- The Hollies' "Long Cool Woman", and Blue Oyster Cult's "OD'd On Life", for instance. The Hollies tune even includes the phrase "get it on"!
There's a very nice cover of "Be Bop Moon" on The Bongos' debut album, Drums Along The Hudson, which has an image of bongos on the jacket. Bolan was clearly a strong influence.
Given your taste, Abbs, I'm surprised you didn't reference The New York Dolls during your explanation of the thin coverage of glam on your channel. The Dolls are so much more up your alley than most of the glam bands, and they really straddled the fence between glam and punk.
I like almost everything on this record -- maybe "Life's A Gas" for a special favorite, and "Cosmic Dancer" for least favorite.
The song is called Mambo Sun not Be Bop Moon, are you sure you have the right song?
Yes The Hollies stole Marc's riff but nobody seemed to notice at the time.
Excellent job! Very appreciated 😁
i didn't realize the cabinet across the other side of the room still exists! i thought everything was out in the new shelves. the electric warrior album art is striking but vinyl monday's thumbnail is better!
i like the emphasis on feeling the goodness in some of these tracks. if you're at a table near a dancefloor and some of this stuff kicks off it will get you out of your seat and if you ever play in a covers band, near the end of a set It's rolled gold. ( i love to boogie is sheer hell to sing).
enjoy it for what it is. it's a waltzer ride ( british thing?).
the cabinet very much still exists, i need some place to put all my dylan, clapton, stones, and jazz! that piece of furniture is way too precious and way too heavy to ever part with
Love T.Rex and Electric Warrior. The Slider and Tanx are great albums as well. Marc Bolan RIP gone too soon.
Recently realised the similarities between Lean Woman Blues and The Beatle's Yer Blues, both obviously referencing the blues, but also sonically. Give them a listen back to back and you'll really see what I mean. Also check out the three song combo thats on the deluxe version on streaming. Great video and great album Abby :>
You pretty much summed up my thoughts on this record. 👍
Great fun video for a great fun album. Thank you Abby. Loved the little pouty Bolanesque cameos! I've always found Bolan's music to be personal universal, everyone finds a different meaning. It can touch your soul. Been a fan since Children of the Revolution. When Elvis died i didn't believe it, when Bolan died i was dumbstruck.
I prefer the intermediate transition period between Marc Bolan's deep underground hippy-trippy persona and his huge commercial breakthrough with the "Electric Warrior" LP and ascendancy to glam rock superstardom (well, that's the way it was in England) - recordings such as the idiosyncratic "Debora", "Ride a White Swan", and (in particular) "King of the Rumbling Spires".
I also like the early proto-psyche attitude of John's Children - see Bolan's backing vocal contribution to "Desdemona" (an early, defining UK single which - incredibly - was banned at the time by the BBC for supposed lyrical obscenity!); and the ultra rare withdrawn "Midsummer Night's Scene" b/w "Sara, Crazy Child" (sometime's cited as the most valuable single in the UK's fanatical Psyche collectors market) wherein Bolan distinctively takes over as lead vocalist towards the end.
Bowie teases Bolan on "Black Country Rock"on the MWSTW album by briefly mimicking his eccentric Tyrannosaurus-era 'strangulating a chicken' vocal style of the time.
Although it's not entirely relevant, I can't help mentioning that Keith Moon "Bangs A Gong" towards the end of The Merseybeats wonderful "I Stand Accused" UK single 😊
I live in London and sometimes pass the place at Barnes Common where Marc Bolan died. The obsessed fans 'shrine' is predictably ugly and ultimately disrespectful. A friend of mine was killed in a so-called 'road accident' apparently caused by the stupidity of the driver of another vehicle - he didn't notice that the lights had changed. It's the random, pointless nature of it all which is so disturbing - if my friend had left home that day ten seconds earlier or ten seconds later, it wouldn't have happened.
That "Hot Love" Top of the Pops episode is from March, not February. They performed it twice in March 1971, both episodes are wiped but those performances survive, probably because they were sold to another country.
Yes- to Germany`s ZDF channel which aired TOTP Clips on the show "Disco".
I listened to WMC FM 100 in Memphos 1971. The format freeform radio, Album cuts but NOT A.O.R.. Memphis record shops sold more pf Bowie's Ziggy Stardust than anywhere else in America. "Get It On (Bang A Gong)" and "It's A Ripoff" were played in rotation. I thin it's arip off is a GREAT. The whole lp is wonderful!
I grew up and Memphis and remember hearing Bang a Gong a lot on radio. Memphis had two boy bands, The Box Tops and The Gentrys, whose front men formed Big Star- Alex Chilton and The High Steppers- Larry Raspberry. Big Star has the cult following now, but Raspberrys band which had a glam vibe, was probably a more popular band in the Overton Square music scene.
awesome. Thanks for doing this
one of the best albums of the 70s! this is one of your best looks too!
I feel like a lot of people who had never heard of T-rex before are going to associate with LongLegs
I alsked you about this last week so in my own head canon I got you to do this
Testament to Marc Bolan's influence, other bands people love ... well, they love T-Rex. The Smiths' "Panic" is an homage to "Metal Guru." Alex Chilton covered "Baby Strange" with reformed Big Star on their 1990s tour dates. Bauhaus covered "Telegram Sam." Prince's "Cream" is a riff on "Get It On."
Not sure you would know this little tid bit, George Underwood and David Bowie were very close. I believe they met in school and played together in one of Bowie's early bands like the Konrads.
the david bowie extended universe has some far reaches, that’s for sure!
I thought the early band could well have been Vagabond’s Cock … 🎸
Great video Abby. Favourite T-Rex song has to be “Life’s A Gas”
Your best look yet. Nice job!!
thank you! i felt like mick J putting all that blue eyeshadow on LOL
@abigaildevoe you look absolutely amazing!!
Objective viewpoint, Rob Tyner was never way out of your league
good to know my reputation as the #1 rob tyner girlie still stands
@@abigaildevoe Chaka Khan was my heartthrob, the hair thing is real
I was 14 in 1972 and living in England. The girls at my school liked T.rex. The boys not so much. There were big musical taste differences between the sexes. My friends considered Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Floyd, Yes, ELP, and Genesis cool. To make it big, you had to get teenage boys to buy your records. Bowie eventually got there. I had a friend who hid his Bowie records in the early 1970s. Mark Bolan never crossed over.
The glitter glam period was great, great music with heavy guitars, I love that combination. Marc Bolan also inspired one of my favorite guitar players to pick up a geetar and start playing
The flip side of Bang a Gong was Raw Ramp. It was featured on the 80s single album greatest hits but oddly left out of 10 cds The Album Collection. It has 2 bonus disks but no raw ramp. Hope your not offended by me talking about cds. Also Jeepers sounds like Mystery Train. never knew about the Howlin wolf connection.
A friend of mine used to be an Uber driver in L.A. She drove a Cooper Mini and one time her passenger got in the back seat and said, "My dad died in one of these." He was Marc Bolan's son.
Assuming all that's true - his Mum was more at fault than the Mini Cooper.
Love this album what a rythym section and what a groove!!!!.