Pure glam rock joy! The early seventies were a great time to be a young teenager hearing all of the new sounds (and seeing all the new sights) coming out of the UK. Glam was one of my favorites. Bands like Mott The Hoople, Slade, Sweet, Gary Glitter, and of course T. Rex. Marc Bolan can get VERY silly at times, but it was played with such fierceness, especially Marc's fat Strat cranked up to 11 over everything else. While "20th Century Boy" is a total ass kicker, it does eventually get to where you swear you've heard this or that song before, on an earlier album. Towards the end he was running a little dry on originality, but a lot of stuff on those later albums are very good, some even rivaling T. Rex's heyday of '71 - '73. So many great tunes. And not just the singles, of which there are a million. Some of the deep cuts are stone cold classics, also. More glam rock, please.
When Metal Guru came out i had just enough money to buy it, being a young lad, sadly, my record store was 5 miles away and i didn't have enough for bus fare. I wanted that single. I walked there and back. Worth it.
@@ijustneedmyself Not really, I was a 12 year old from a working class family from Glasgow with a limited allowance. The nearest shop to me was more expensive, so I went to the cheaper store. We tend to do these kind of things when you’re young, don’t we.
Rod Stewart and his Faces still have Marc beat in the verbosity sweepstakes with their 1974 single title, "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything (Even Take the Dog for a Walk, Mend a Fuse, Fold Away the Ironing Board, or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings)." But, those were the days when the lads might've thought they were paid by the publishers by the word!😎
Along with Marc's records, Visconti was all over many of Bowie's early albums (and his last, earning a non-Classical engineering Grammy). Tony needs more mad props for his hand in helping to fashion the sound of "glam" in general, and those artists' sonic pastiches in particular! Still with us at 77! A multi-instrumentalist, as well, he performed frequently on his production projects, and worth exploring, too, are his productions of albums by Sparks, Prefab Sprout, Badfinger, The Move, and even McCartney!
@@bradsmack1 I always get excited when someone mentions 'Sparks'. Ron and Russell Mael have blown me with every album they've put out, including the collaboration with Franz Ferdinand. I was hooked since Sparks debut album "Kimono My House" My favorite track is 'Equator' even though it is not the most popular track on the album.
@@markburrows1179 Yeah, they were something! I even used their "Batteries Not Included" from their second album, 1973's "A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing" for the title and theme song of my first foray into radio! 'Twas the fall of '73, and I was a freshman at North TX State U (now U of N. Texas), with a weekly, half-hour pre-recorded show on their KNTU-FM campus station! I'd play new songs of the day with commentary and music news tidbits! BTW, 1974's "Kimono," while not their debut album, WAS their debut for Island Records, after their first two albums appeared on Bearsville/Warner Bros. Records (their actual debut was as Halfnelson....after the name change, Warners re-released that debut with the Sparks name with different graphics entirely from the Halfnelson jacket! At one point, I had 'em both...for decades...see my entry below for another experience with eBay and Bolan's book!). While huge in other parts of the planet, the L.A. natives, Ron and Russell, always managed to "appear" or "seem" British, an opinion shared not only by me, but by the UK rock tabloids of the '70s, plastered as they were, routinely, on the covers of NME, Sounds, and Melody Maker! Enjoyed hearing your love of the lads, Mark! Share on, if you'd like!😎👍
@@bradsmack1 I did get their Halfnelson albums after the fact and both of them were imports from Germany and were German pressings. They were more popular in the UK and Europe than in America, It seems America wasn't ready for that kind of Theatrical Rock, which is the genre I refer to it as. 10CC in the early days was Theatrical Rock, and then Kevin Godley and Laurence "Lol" Creme left 10CC and joined up as duo, 'Godley & Creme' and continued on with that same Theatrical Rock theme, although 10CC still did a couple good numbers, such as Good Morning Judge, Dreadlock Holiday, but then it sort of went downhill from there, and they kept releasing the one song I really didn't like, that drippy, sappy ballad, "I'm Not In Love". I think they didA that twice on studio albums. Sad. Then the two vocalists from 'The Turtles' teamed up, Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan and became "Flo & Eddie" the epitome of Theatrical Rock. They even teamed up with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at one point for some laughs and giggles. Yet one has to really read into their lyrics to fathom the hidden satire. It's there, and it's clever.
@@markburrows1179 I agree....10cc did some unique and ground-breaking things (including, if not especially video production). While you're not wrong about "I'm Not in Love," if you haven't heard Marc Myers and his detailed "x-ray" into the making and production of the song, it's a must. You'll never hear the song the same way again! Here 'tis: soundcloud.com/siriusxmentertainment/anatomy-of-a-songs-marc-myers-breaks-down-10ccs-im-not-in-love As for Flo and Eddie, their mid-'70s Columbia LPs were spotty, but entertaining. I liked "Let Me Make Love to You," released as a single, but went nowhere. ruclips.net/video/sYL9LyBUZxM/видео.html Living in L.A. for a time back in the day, I enjoyed listening to their radio show on KROQ/Pasadena (or KMET?), "Flo & Eddie By the Fireside." You might dig this: archive.org/details/TurningTheTables061FloEddieByTheFiresidePt1Jul82017
Nice call, Rodney! With Steve Peregrin Took nee Steve Porter, on bongos and assorted percussion, they were a functioning duo for 3 albums. "Poorly promoted and planned, the acoustic duo were overshadowed [on tours] by the loud electric acts they were billed with," wrote rock critic Charles Shaar Murray in a 1972 New Musical Express/UK article. "To counter this, Took drew from the shock rock style of Iggy Pop; Took explained, 'I took my shirt off in the Sunset Strip where we were playing and whipped myself till everybody shut up. With a belt, y'know, a bit of blood and the whole of Los Angeles shuts up. 'What's going on, man, there's some nutter attacking himself on stage.' I mean, Iggy Stooge had the same basic approach.'"
Fun fact about T Rex giving a link to The Beatles. Ringo Starr directed a film about T Rex called "Born to Boogie." it features a coupe of their concerts where Ringo did some of the cinematography. There is also some footage of Ringo and Elton John in the film joining in a jam with Marc and the chaps.
T.Rex was the first gig I ever went to and Marc Bolan is a legend who influenced many of today’s artists. My personal favourite is Get It On ( Bang A Gong in the US) but Jeepster is also a great song.
This was my favourite band as a kid ,pioneers of glam rock in the UK,I had every single from ride a white swan to truck on tike.Then after 3years us teeny boppers grew into sullen adolescence and they lost their fans.You keep surprising me with these trips down my musical past Justin
Finally someone reacting to T. Rex! The entire Electric Warrior album is stellar. Definitely check out Cosmic Dancer, Jeepster. I also love Children of the Revolution.
The two main albums to study are Electric Warrior (1971) and The Slider (1972). Bolan has a talent for catchy riffs. His lyrics often sound silly or even nonsensical, but his guitar tone and those catchy riffs carry the song. Plus the man had a charisma that is hard to define. Songs like "Get It On (Bang A Gong)" and "Jeepster" were inescapable in 1971/72, such was the radio play. The follow-up album churned out mega rock-pop hits such as "Telegram Sam", "Rock On" and "Metal Guru". You asked for a song different than "20th Century Boy". Try "Cosmic Dancer" with a beautiful string arrangement and backwards guitar solo. Electric Warrior is an album worth the listen. Cheers.
A timeless classic that was way ahead of its time. Try listening to a few more T Rex songs like Metal Guru Ride A White Swan Get It On Jeepster Children Of The Revolution
T. Rex is part of the foundations of glam rock. Also worth a listen: "Ride a White Swan," "Beltane Walk," "Cosmic Dancer" (which has been used in a LOT of stuff), "Get it On," "Jeepster." The Who namedrop them in "You Better You Bet," but that is not your Who starting point (it's post-Keith Moon, for one thing - probably the best of that era, but start with the original four for sure).
It's so strange to hear an American admit to knowing absolutely nothing about T.Rex or Marc Bolan. In the UK, Marc Bolan was the Prince of Glam Rock. His sound was so unique and inspirational to us Brit kids back in the early 70s. There's 2 Marc Bolans, the one before he went Electric Warrior and the one preceding that "Bob Dylan moment" whereby he was entirely acoustic psychedelic folk. 20th Century Boy is a stand-alone single when he'd already turned Electric Warrior. Even when Glam Rock was fading, Bolan was still a huge inspiration, actively promoting bands like Generation X, The Jam, and The Boomtown Rats - to children - on his television programme, 'Marc', in addition to touring with The Damned in 1977. Bolan is still very retro-popular in the UK, just as The Sweet and Slade are today, but Bolan more so.
Pioneers of the glam rock era but Marc Bolan had far much more depth than just the glitter and big hair. Try Get It On, Children Of The Revolution, Ride A White Swan, Metal Guru, Telegram Sam, Jeepster or Hot Love. A hugely talented songwriter, tragically taken far too young in a car crash in 1977. Arguably as influential as Bowie for a few short years.
Marc and Bowie were great and fast friends. In fact, for a time, David actually cared for Marc's son, Rolan, in his role as the boy's godfather, shortly after Marc's untimely passing. David even provided financially for the family, until Rolan's bio mom, June Child, passed in 1994 (when Marc's estate was granted to Rolan). According to Rolling Stone, "[Bowie and Bolan] met as painters for a manager's office while hustling at the bottom of the music industry. After introducing himself as 'King Mod,' Bolan promptly pointed out to Bowie that 'Your shoes are crap.' Later, as Bolan became mildly famous, and Bowie's career had yet to go anywhere, Bolan invited Bowie to tour with his band, Tyrannosaurus Rex (later, simply T-Rex), as... a mime: 'What could make it even sweeter for Bolan? Bowie got booed.' "Still, the two remained friends, with Bowie name-checking Bolan in 'All the Young Dudes,' and used him as a tongue-in-cheek subject for 'Lady Stardust': "People stared at the makeup on his face / Laughed at his long black hair, his animal grace." Read more: www.grunge.com/226281/the-truth-about-t-rex-singer-marc-bolan-and-david-bowies-relationship/?
As soon as Bolan sings, I was taken away to the Sweet album, Desolation Boulevard ... several tunes with similar sound. Now I want to listen to The Tubes.
The biggest band in England for two years in the early 70s. As an aside, have you heard All The Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople? Written and produced by David Bowie with a reference to T. Rex.
What an icon Marc Bolan was. Gone far too soon. So much of the Glam era seemed vapid, but Marc was very much the real deal and the equal of Bowie. Would have been so interesting to see where his career might have gone. ...Not that I was around at the time. I’m speaking retrospectively!
Christian Adams Peaks and troughs. The biggest stars have them. That was the point I was making. I personally think Bolan had enough about him to make a lasting career. We never got to see that evolution, as we did with Bowie.
Bolan wasn't in the same league as Bowie. Not even close. The only similarities were the superficial issues of their contemporary Glam image and the fact that they both sang with heavily exaggerated southern English accents. In terms of creativity and artistic depth, Bowie was a two hundred acre farm while Bolan was a flower pot (and maybe a whole window box on a good day.)
I was around, a young pre-to-early teen when Electric Warrior happened. And you are right, Bolan was in the early seventies an equal to Bowie who still wasn't the David Bowie superstar that he would become. Bolanmania was a thing before Ziggy Stardust became the next new thing. Bowie and Bolan were friends; they met in 1964; when they were 17. Later, they became career rivals that with the addition of cocaine abuse gave nasty undertones to their peculiar love/hate relationship. Although his popularity had died down a bit in the world stage by mid seventies, may I remind folks that Marc Bolan was still very much visible to the public eye in the UK having his own TV show. On this low budget TV show, he always had musical guests. His car accident was most unfortunate and happened as he returned home from filming the show. His last guest, as fate would have it, was David Bowie.
T.Rex were also Tyrannosaurus Rex, led by Marc Bolan. Started more as folk rock, developed a harder edge and were one of the pioneers of glam rock. Brilliant songs for that period, his early seventies stuff still sounds fresh. Try Metal Guru, Deborah, Ride A White Swan or Jeepster for a further blast of excellence. And R.I.P Mr Bolan..
T.Rex where huge in the UK at the beginning of the 70's, Marc Bolan being the brightest star of Glam Rock. Their music is infectuous and uplifting, and it's really a joy listening to it, once in a while. I would say, though, that I find their songs a little samey. You should not expect something radically different. Other hits are Get It On (covered in 1985 by Robert Palmer joining forces with Duran Duran in the band The Power Station), Hot Love, Mambo Sun,, Telegram Sam, Children of the Revolution. In the late 60's Tyrannosaures Rex (the original name of the band ) were a psychedelic folk act. Some found them interesting.
Brilliant Justin - I'd completely forgotten T. Rex and Marc Bolan, this reaction video brought it all come flooding back to me. Compared to some of today's drivel the band was pretty damn good eh?
Marc Bolan! Nobody sang like him or wrote lyrics like him. He was the Glam John the Baptist to Bowie’s Glam Jesus, but before he became the “Electric Warrior” in ‘71, he’d been the “Bopping Elf” with Tyrannosaurus Rex on several Psych-Folk lps...before that he was lead guitarist in Psych band John’s Children, and before even that he was a Mod and model. He was the King of Glam in ‘71 to mid ‘72 when Ziggy Stardust usurped him. He kept plugging away and affected a “Godfather of Punk” role in ‘77 before dying in a car smash. He only had one US hit “Bang a Gong” (No 1 in the UK under the original title Get It On). Finally inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, and quite right too. On this record Bolan (guitar/vox) is backed by Steve Currie (bass), Bill Legend (drums) and longtime sidekick Mickey Finn (percussion). One of the backing singers is Gloria Jones, who became Bolan’s second wife. Not sure who the sax player is. Tony Visconti, who also worked with Bowie, was producer. Next try Jeepster, the afore-mentioned Get it On, or Metal Guru. Or try one of the Tyrannosaurus Rex cuts like Chariots of Silk, Debora, King of the Rumbling Spires (or many others) 👍
I was 14 in 1969, and managed to get hold of a rare copy of Marc's then-newly-published small, hardcover book of poems/lyrics, "The Warlock of Love." Even took it to camp one summer (either '69 or '70). Sold it on eBay around the turn of the century (this one), for, yes, a hefty sum, but nowhere near what I just saw some copies are going for!
Electric Warrior, The Slider, Tanx and Zinc Alloy & The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow is an extremely strong run of albums. Marc Bolan / T Rex had a load of mega hit singles in the UK, and the albums get far less attention than they should.
He was Beatles-huge in the UK in the early '70s, and on the cover of all the tabloids.....Sounds, NME, Melody Maker, et al. Over the heads of most Americans, apparently, at the time, at least where charts are concerned.
@@bradsmack1 he presented a kid's pop show as well! Strange thing was, pop fads moved so fast back then, by the time he did that show he was already a bit old-hat, even though it was only a couple of years after, as you say, he was a megastar! Maybe Bowie's constant image changing was more a commercial decision than a creative one 😃 (I'm being *slightly facetious)
in case no one’s said it yet, it’s marc bolan singing + guitar, steve currie on bass, bill legend on drums, mickey finn on percussion, sue and sonny on vocals, and howard casey on sax
Apart from Bowie and the Spiders, Marc Bolan and T.Rex are arguably the most famous representatives of the glam rock genre. Bowie soon moved on from it, while Marc remained where he was and eventually died before having the chance to develop. Still, he was a master of both the guitar riff and of writing perfect rock singles. Listen to him go "AAOOOO!!!!" at the beginning of the song. THAT'S rock 'n roll.
Every T. Rex single which was released from 1970 - 1973 went to #1 or #2 and the last two top 10 UK hits went to #3 & #4. 20th Century Boy peaked at #3 in 1973 & the follow up was- The Groover, which peaked @ #4
Marc Bolan with his band T.Rex is the icon of 70s Glam Rock. More songs to test: Get it on + Children of the Revolution. T.Rex were so huge in Europe in the seventies. 🦖🇩🇪
Jewel is my favorite. The Slider is another great one, but the whole Slider album is great. Same with Jeepster and Get It On, and the Electric Warrior album.
They were an acoustic band then a three piece electric then a four piece. They were inducted last year into the Rock N Roll Hall of fame and a tribute to the band called Angel Headed Hipster featuring many famous artists came out last year.
Get It On was and still is huge on radio. Jeepster is great too. Both come from Electric Warrior. I remember Ringo Starr promoting The Slider for awhile which came right after Electric Warrior. Early on they were Tyrannosaurus Rex but they made it simpler as T.Rex. The Who sing about them in Quadrophenia.
Thank you so much for reacting to this sing! Most T-Rex reaction vids are for Get It On which is probably their most famous and famous riff but personally I prefer this it seems so underrated in comparison yet this riff is brilliant and sexy!!
Man T.Rex have so many mindblowing songs and couple masterpiece albums but i have to say you have to listen song named "Cadillac" that is just wonderful 🙏
Wow! T. Rex. Amazing! I've introduced many to Marc Bolan and his marvelous catalog, and the usual reaction is "How'd I miss out on this band". Albums "Electric Warrior" or "Slider" would be a great start, or from when the band went by the name Tyrannosaurus Rex, which will totally catch you off guard. BTW...the band name comes from the fact that Marc Bolan couldn't believe that something that huge and menacing roamed the earth thousands of years before. He wanted the band to be as big and legendary...thus the name Tyrannosaurus Rex.
As others stated, "Bang a Gong" was the most famous song from this band. I saw a video from Top of the Pops, 1971, with Elton John playing piano for them. However, on the album, Rick Wakeman is given credit for piano.
There's a lovely story about Rick Wakeman "playing piano" on Get It On. Wakeman was just a jobbing session player in those days. He hadn't broken through with The Strawbs or Yes at that point and he was always living hand-to-mouth, trying to scrape together enough money to pay his weekly rent. One particular week, he was in a panic because he'd had very little work and only had one day left to make the rent. He'd gone round all of the recording studios asking for a gig but nothing was offered. However, in the evening, he got a phone call telling him to come in to work on a track. He arrived and there was Bolan, listening to mixes of Get It On. "Marc's decided he wants some piano on this one, Rick. Just listen to the track and play what you feel." Wakeman's heart sank when he heard the track. He turned to Bolan and said, "I can't hear any space for me to play in. The track is perfect as it is. There's nothing I could add to improve it. There's really no need for me to be here at all." But Bolan said, "Just go and play some of those Jerry Lee licks that you can do. Oh, and throw in a few glissandos at the end of each verse. That's what I'm hearing." So, although he couldn't feel it, Wakeman spent most of the session playing standard boogie-woogie riffs and glisses until Bolan said, "Thanks, Rick. That's exactly what I need," and paid Wakeman his standard session fee. The next day, Rick was able to pay his rent. A little later, Wakeman heard the final mixes and, of course, all of the Jerry Lee stuff had been left out. All that remained were the glissandi, which Bolan could just as easily have done himself. But the recording engineer told Rick that Bolan had heard about his rent difficulties so he'd called him in to "earn" his money. The engineer said, "He knew you wouldn't have been happy if someone had just given you or lent you the money so he hired you for a regular session." I think that's a lovely story which shows a very nice side of Marc Bolan. It's also a reminder that people like Bolan and Wakeman knew very well what it's like to come from absolutely nothing and become a major success story.
As others have mentioned here Marc Bolan and David Bowie were friends, with David appearing on Marc's TV show and performing together with him for a finale. It's on YT somewhere.
WooooHooo! A favorite reactor reviewing a favorite song. T. Rex (20th Century Boy in particular) is a harbinger for the next 20 years of pop music. Munching on slices at a local pizza joint “Jeepster” blasting from the kitchen moved my five year old to chair dance in that wonderfully awkward way reserved for unselfconscious five year olds melted me faster than a pizza oven. Thus “Jeepster” is my suggestion for the next cut.
Marc Bolan was the master of Pop Rock, but just couldn't seem to break into the US market like he did in the UK and the Continent. Probably only the Hollies topped T-Rex in terms of actual number of top 40 hits, but they weren't doing Pop Rock like Marc. Justin, I'm positive you've heard both "Bang and Gong" and "Cosmic Dancer" at some point as these two hits have certainly crossed your path somewhere in your relatively short life by now. From the '72 album The Slider, I recommend "The Slider," "Baby Boomerang," "Spaceball Ricochet," and "Baby Strange." From '71's Electric Warrior, I'd go with "Planet Queen," "Mambo Sun," and "Life's a Gas." Great choice here as always. Keep up the great reactions/reviews!
Great choice JP...Marc Bolan was an absolute glam-rock god...and very influential (along with Bowie and Roxy Music) on the young punks who came to prominence in the late 70s...check out 'Metal Guru'....superb single of theirs
This has to be a series of his songs. Marc Bolan good friend of David Bowie is a legend. King of glam Rockers t rex's most well know song is probably I Love to boogie......why not give it a whirl.
It's a little ironic that you'd say "more than meets the eye", because the eye is what's missing - there's more than meets the ear in this case. In addition to being quite popular in the UK (not as much in the US), Marc Bolan of T.Rex was the seminal point of Glam Rock, and a huge part of all the fashion/visual element that followed. He and early period Bowie were the defining core of the genre, and watching a live performance would give you a much better idea of who they were, even if it doesn't meet your criteria for review.
Good to see so many Marc Bolan fans in the comments. Fans might like to check out the album ‘AngelHeaded Hipster’ which came out last September featuring an all-star line up of artists covering Bolan's greatest songs - including the likes of Elton John, U2, Joan Jett, Marc Almond, Father John Misty (Josh Tillman), Lucinda Williams, both Lennon sons and many more delivering their own takes on Bolan’s classic tracks. Nick Cave's radically different take on 'Cosmic Dancer' is stunning.
Love it! Glam Rock! Bowie's biggest rival during his Ziggy phase. And they were friends. Jeepers is my favorite. I still throw on the Electric Warrior album when I just want straight boogie woogie Rock and Roll. T Rex just made it to the R&R Hall of Fame last year. All time favorite glam hit - All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hopple, written by Bowie and basically pulled their asses out of obscurity. Also, Bowie produced Lou Reed's Transformer, another glam classic. Glam was basic R&R with a gender-bender twist. Most glam rockers were pretty straight, but it was fun seeing ugly guys in drag.
Steve Currie plays Bass, Drums by Bill Legend and Mickey Finn Percussion, the sax was by a session musician, female vocals by Gloria Jones and I forgot the other girl
Early 70s Glam rock. It’s what we went out and danced to after being locked away in our bedrooms listening to Floyd, Yes and Genesis. Other examples would be Sweet, Slade, Mud and Gary Glitter/Glitter band, interspersed with some bands with more kudos like 10cc, ELO, Bowie and Roxy Music.
Didn't expect this! Great idea, now I've gotta hear Jeepster. His American girlfriend Gloria Jones (who was driving the car he died in) recorded Tainted Love in 1964, later a big hit for Soft Cell. Nice surprise JP.
"I got your body right now on my mind / but I drunk myself blind / To the sound of old T-Rex /To the sound of old T-Rex / Oh, and Who's Next?" -- The Who, You Better You Bet. You know you had an impact when The Who name checks you. Also check out the movie "The Dallas Buyers Club" in which M Bolan and T Rex have a not-insignificant part.
The "female" backing vocals are actually male - The Turtles (Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman) from Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention. Their vocal style became an integral part of the T.Rex sound although they were only ever session singers on the records.
Although the Turtles did backing vocals on a number of T.Rex songs - they don't appear on this one. The backing vocals here are by Sue Leslie & Sunny Glover (who performed as Sue & Sunny) together with Barry St John and Vicky Brown (wife of Joe brown and mother of Sam Brown) 😊
T Rex are mentioned by name in both a Bowie song (All the Young Dudes) and a Who song (You Better You Bet). Should let you know their importance. Cosmic Dancer would be a great T Rex song to review.
"Metal Guru" is the essential glam rock hit, off the album The Slider (1972). The album has an interesting story - Ringo Starr was walking with Marc Bolan in Paris, taking photos of him using the word "Boogaloo" in conversation, until Marc said to Ringo "Back off!". And the rest is history. One of the Paris photos got on the cover of The Slider, and "Back Off Boogaloo" became a hit for Ringo.
@@bradsmack1 Didn't know that! There is more to Ringo than I can imagine. For example, he took the front and back portrait photos of Marc for the Slider album cover.
@@bobholtzmann Just to clarify a little - The photos for The Slider were actually taken by Tony Visconti Marc's Producer but Marc - never one to miss a bit of extra publicity - credited his pal Ringo on the album sleeve. The photos were actually taken at Tittenhurst Park - then the home of John Lennon, which was being used for some of the Born to Boogie scenes. Ringo did take a number of photos of Marc when he and Maureen went on holiday to the South of France together with Marc & June, George & Patti Harrison and Cilla Black and her husband Bobby. The story about Back off Boogaloo according to Ringo is that Marc was round for dinner at his house and all evening he kept saying things like - you're so Boogaloo etc and Ringo woke up in the night with these words in his mind and recorded them on his kids tape recorder.
@@agentwilde Thanks for the inside info! I could tell Marc was an avid fan of the Beatles (and Dylan), and especially Lennon from the name dropping he did in "Ballrooms of Mars".
IMHO The 1998 film "Velvet Goldmine" is a great visual representation of the emerging Glam Rock scene. Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Christian Bale, Toni Collette. Eddie Izzard and more make this a must see for any Glam Rocker fan. (loosley based on David Bowie and Iggy Pop's early years with a bit of Marc Bolan's bio) Enjoy.
Justin, I don't know if you noticed but the saxophone was already present at the beginning of the song incorporated into the guitar riffs in the verses and the choruses !!! (not just the solo in the outro). I've never been very fond of T. Rex but I like a few songs including this one (probably my favorite from the band), but I could say the same about the Glam-rock period of Bowie which is not my favorite. I think Sweet and Sparks are definitely my favorite bands of this particular genre !
Ok, a fella called Howard Casey is credited with playing sax on the early 1973 T Rex album Tanx, so i presume it’s him playing on 20th Century Boy from the same set of sessions. 🤔
Placebo did a great version of this in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine. A wonderful look back into the early 70’s Glam Rock movement. Definitely worth a watch. Great sound track as well wit the likes of David Bowie, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Cockney Rebel, T Rex, and the New York Dolls.
You missed-out the intro mate. Thanks anyway for featuring this good track. There's a live, meatier version he performed in Germany ("Musik Laden" TV show).
They were originally Tyrannosauros Rex, formed in 1967, they evolved from psychedelic folk to glam rock and changed their name to T. Rex in 1970. Marc Bolan died in 1977 shortly after releasing their last album "Dandy in the Underworld" and the group disbanded. This song was covered by Siouxsie & the Banshees early in their career: ruclips.net/video/g1zfypVjjgs/видео.html The Who mentions the group in their single 'You Better You Bet' in 1981: But I drunk myself blind To the sound of old T-Rex To the sound of old T-Rex Oh, and Who's Next?
Hi JP , Marc Bolan/ T Rex were a Glam rock band of the 70s Electric warrior & The Slider being their best LPs, biggest US hits being Bang a Gong/ get it on , Jeepster ,Metal guru ,Telegram Sam ,Mystic lady , Children of the revolution...My personal favorite is the whole Slider Album ✌️😎
You're in for a treat if you don't know this band. Listen to Hot Love, Ride a White Swan, Jeepster, Telegram Sam to name a few, and you'll know what I mean 😉
Songs in the charts after commercial appearances: How many people's "first reaction" to Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" was in the early 00's after that was used in an ad? I don't remember the product, but I'm certainly glad I heard the song...
Rock, like older blues and mostly unlike jazz or especially classical allows self taught players. Marc Bolan worked it out as he went along and made it all way interesting. I remember buying blank cassettes at $4-5 dollars a pop to record someone’s entire Tyrannosaurus Rex/T Rex record collection, meticulously copying the liner notes. Of course you find out later that the blank tapes were expensive because part of it went to royalties anyway, I'm curious to see if you are drawn into listening to more. Has anyone suggested Slade for some good British foot stomping rock. Maybe “Know Where You Are” off Slayed Alive.
Marc Bolan is the the only one that sounds like Marec Bolan. Gloria Jones was his partner she had a hit with - Tainted Love, this was a pop song with balls !!! great vid cheers : )
This was recorded during sessions for the album Tanx. All the credits for that album apply to this song. The "female" background singers were Flo and Eddie, who appeared on most of the T. Rex recordings of this era. Their real names are Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, formerly lead singers of The Turtles. They could not use their real names because of contractual issues. They also did some work with Frank Zappa around this time.
Although the Turtles did backing vocals on a number of T.Rex songs - they don't appear on this one. The basic track was recorded at EMI Toshiba Studios in Tokyo with several other tracks from the Tanx album - however the backing vocals here are by Sue Leslie & Sunny Glover (who performed as Sue & Sunny) together with Barry St John and Vicky Brown (wife of Joe brown and mother of Sam Brown) and were added in London along with Howie Casey on saxophone
@@Geezerology This is well documented in most of the Bolan biography's and can also be seen on the Discogs credits list for the Ultimate Collection album amongst others - the link is here www.discogs.com/Marc-Bolan-T-Rex-20th-Century-Boy-The-Ultimate-Collection/release/1086797 Apologies though - i have just updated the comment as i noticed i put the basic track was recorded in Germany and it was actually in Tokyo when T rex were touring Japan in late 72.
![Placebo - 20th Century Boy Feat. David Bowie [The Brit Awards 1999] HD](/img/1.gif)
Has anyone mentioned Cosmic Dancer as a recommendation ? "I danced myself right out the womb.."
The first T. Rex song I ever heard! I was instantly in love.
You utter legend!!! Marc Bolan, mate, seriously...thats why you're the best out there...Ride a White Swan if you go down this road.
Haha ty Mario!
I have that 45 single, by Tyrannosaurus Rex! "Summertime Blues" is on the other side.
Pure glam rock joy! The early seventies were a great time to be a young teenager hearing all of the new sounds (and seeing all the new sights) coming out of the UK. Glam was one of my favorites. Bands like Mott The Hoople, Slade, Sweet, Gary Glitter, and of course T. Rex.
Marc Bolan can get VERY silly at times, but it was played with such fierceness, especially Marc's fat Strat cranked up to 11 over everything else.
While "20th Century Boy" is a total ass kicker, it does eventually get to where you swear you've heard this or that song before, on an earlier album. Towards the end he was running a little dry on originality, but a lot of stuff on those later albums are very good, some even rivaling T. Rex's heyday of '71 - '73.
So many great tunes. And not just the singles, of which there are a million. Some of the deep cuts are stone cold classics, also.
More glam rock, please.
"Get it On" is probably their most famous song. For a different feel I recommend "Ride a White Swan" or maybe ""Jeepster" .
Get It On was later covered by Robert Palmer, nu?
@@IllumeEltanin Yes, 'twas, but on Marc's, you also get Flo & Eddie (Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, former Turtles) on sky-high background vocals!
If there's one song by them that people know without knowing who it was, this is it.
jeepster awesome prob my fav love the band tbh children of the revolution classic
Jupiter Liar was another masterful T-Rex tune.
Marc Bolan was a master of the groove. He gets a riff and flies with it.
When Metal Guru came out i had just enough money to buy it, being a young lad, sadly, my record store was 5 miles away and i didn't have enough for bus fare. I wanted that single. I walked there and back.
Worth it.
Nice story 😉
That's dedication!
@@ijustneedmyself Not really, I was a 12 year old from a working class family from Glasgow with a limited allowance. The nearest shop to me was more expensive, so I went to the cheaper store.
We tend to do these kind of things when you’re young, don’t we.
How much was the singles back then?
@@teukuaziz I really can’t remember, but I would think it would have been under a pound.
'My people were fair and had sky in their hair but now they're content to wear stars on their brows.' - Now that's a album title.
Rod Stewart and his Faces still have Marc beat in the verbosity sweepstakes with their 1974 single title, "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything (Even Take the Dog for a Walk, Mend a Fuse, Fold Away the Ironing Board, or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings)."
But, those were the days when the lads might've thought they were paid by the publishers by the word!😎
Electric Warrior & The Slider were the two main albums to concentrate on.. Tony Visconti produces. Top of there game in this period. Glam Rock !
Along with Marc's records, Visconti was all over many of Bowie's early albums (and his last, earning a non-Classical engineering Grammy). Tony needs more mad props for his hand in helping to fashion the sound of "glam" in general, and those artists' sonic pastiches in particular! Still with us at 77!
A multi-instrumentalist, as well, he performed frequently on his production projects, and worth exploring, too, are his productions of albums by Sparks, Prefab Sprout, Badfinger, The Move, and even McCartney!
@@bradsmack1 I always get excited when someone mentions 'Sparks'. Ron and Russell Mael have blown me with every album they've put out, including the collaboration with Franz Ferdinand. I was hooked since Sparks debut album "Kimono My House" My favorite track is 'Equator' even though it is not the most popular track on the album.
@@markburrows1179 Yeah, they were something! I even used their "Batteries Not Included" from their second album, 1973's "A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing" for the title and theme song of my first foray into radio! 'Twas the fall of '73, and I was a freshman at North TX State U (now U of N. Texas), with a weekly, half-hour pre-recorded show on their KNTU-FM campus station! I'd play new songs of the day with commentary and music news tidbits!
BTW, 1974's "Kimono," while not their debut album, WAS their debut for Island Records, after their first two albums appeared on Bearsville/Warner Bros. Records (their actual debut was as Halfnelson....after the name change, Warners re-released that debut with the Sparks name with different graphics entirely from the Halfnelson jacket! At one point, I had 'em both...for decades...see my entry below for another experience with eBay and Bolan's book!).
While huge in other parts of the planet, the L.A. natives, Ron and Russell, always managed to "appear" or "seem" British, an opinion shared not only by me, but by the UK rock tabloids of the '70s, plastered as they were, routinely, on the covers of NME, Sounds, and Melody Maker!
Enjoyed hearing your love of the lads, Mark! Share on, if you'd like!😎👍
@@bradsmack1 I did get their Halfnelson albums after the fact and both of them were imports from Germany and were German pressings. They were more popular in the UK and Europe than in America, It seems America wasn't ready for that kind of Theatrical Rock, which is the genre I refer to it as. 10CC in the early days was Theatrical Rock, and then Kevin Godley and Laurence "Lol" Creme left 10CC and joined up as duo, 'Godley & Creme' and continued on with that same Theatrical Rock theme, although 10CC still did a couple good numbers, such as Good Morning Judge, Dreadlock Holiday, but then it sort of went downhill from there, and they kept releasing the one song I really didn't like, that drippy, sappy ballad, "I'm Not In Love". I think they didA that twice on studio albums. Sad. Then the two vocalists from 'The Turtles' teamed up, Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan and became "Flo & Eddie" the epitome of Theatrical Rock. They even teamed up with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at one point for some laughs and giggles. Yet one has to really read into their lyrics to fathom the hidden satire. It's there, and it's clever.
@@markburrows1179 I agree....10cc did some unique and ground-breaking things (including, if not especially video production). While you're not wrong about "I'm Not in Love," if you haven't heard Marc Myers and his detailed "x-ray" into the making and production of the song, it's a must. You'll never hear the song the same way again! Here 'tis: soundcloud.com/siriusxmentertainment/anatomy-of-a-songs-marc-myers-breaks-down-10ccs-im-not-in-love
As for Flo and Eddie, their mid-'70s Columbia LPs were spotty, but entertaining. I liked "Let Me Make Love to You," released as a single, but went nowhere. ruclips.net/video/sYL9LyBUZxM/видео.html
Living in L.A. for a time back in the day, I enjoyed listening to their radio show on KROQ/Pasadena (or KMET?), "Flo & Eddie By the Fireside." You might dig this: archive.org/details/TurningTheTables061FloEddieByTheFiresidePt1Jul82017
The early incarnation of this band was called Tyrannosaurus Rex and they were more of a psychedelic-folk band. Check out their stuff as well.
Nice call, Rodney! With Steve Peregrin Took nee Steve Porter, on bongos and assorted percussion, they were a functioning duo for 3 albums. "Poorly promoted and planned, the acoustic duo were overshadowed [on tours] by the loud electric acts they were billed with," wrote rock critic Charles Shaar Murray in a 1972 New Musical Express/UK article.
"To counter this, Took drew from the shock rock style of Iggy Pop; Took explained, 'I took my shirt off in the Sunset Strip where we were playing and whipped myself till everybody shut up. With a belt, y'know, a bit of blood and the whole of Los Angeles shuts up. 'What's going on, man, there's some nutter attacking himself on stage.' I mean, Iggy Stooge had the same basic approach.'"
@@bradsmack1 betcha ass. A Beard Of Stars is a masterpiece.
I still think The Slider is one too.
Marc Bolan was and still is a legend. Rest In Peace.
T. Rex, masters of Glam, and now their music is safe TV commercials.
@@Katehowe3010 Glam was edgy, dangerous music in the early '70's. It's just funny (for me) to see it licensed for TV commercials.
Fun fact about T Rex giving a link to The Beatles. Ringo Starr directed a film about T Rex called "Born to Boogie." it features a coupe of their concerts where Ringo did some of the cinematography. There is also some footage of Ringo and Elton John in the film joining in a jam with Marc and the chaps.
The female backing vocals were by Barry St John, Vicki Brown and Sue & Sunny, credit where it's due.
Great we’re going down this rabbit hole 🥳 Saw them a number of times including their tour with The Dammed. Steve Currie is a fantastic bassist
T.Rex was the first gig I ever went to and Marc Bolan is a legend who influenced many of today’s artists.
My personal favourite is Get It On ( Bang A Gong in the US) but Jeepster is also a great song.
I could not live without T. Rex. I love them so much.
This was my favourite band as a kid ,pioneers of glam rock in the UK,I had every single from ride a white swan to truck on tike.Then after 3years us teeny boppers grew into sullen adolescence and they lost their fans.You keep surprising me with these trips down my musical past Justin
Finally someone reacting to T. Rex! The entire Electric Warrior album is stellar. Definitely check out Cosmic Dancer, Jeepster. I also love Children of the Revolution.
Ty fornthe suggestions Heather!
Marc bolan was referenced in several bowie songs... “all the young dudes” for example
Nobody mentioned 'Debora' Marc Bolan and Steve 'Peregrine' Took (a nod to Tolkien). Acoustic guitar and bongos.
The two main albums to study are Electric Warrior (1971) and The Slider (1972). Bolan has a talent for catchy riffs. His lyrics often sound silly or even nonsensical, but his guitar tone and those catchy riffs carry the song. Plus the man had a charisma that is hard to define. Songs like "Get It On (Bang A Gong)" and "Jeepster" were inescapable in 1971/72, such was the radio play. The follow-up album churned out mega rock-pop hits such as "Telegram Sam", "Rock On" and "Metal Guru". You asked for a song different than "20th Century Boy". Try "Cosmic Dancer" with a beautiful string arrangement and backwards guitar solo. Electric Warrior is an album worth the listen. Cheers.
A timeless classic that was way ahead of its time.
Try listening to a few more T Rex songs like
Metal Guru
Ride A White Swan
Get It On
Jeepster
Children Of The Revolution
Cosmic Dancer,
Hot Love,
Life's a Gas,
Telegram Sam
Seconded.
Marc Bolan started the whole British "Glam Rock" movement. Without him there's no Ziggy Stardust.
what a banger. I'll always remember it for being a big part of the manga 20th Century Boys
T. Rex is part of the foundations of glam rock. Also worth a listen: "Ride a White Swan," "Beltane Walk," "Cosmic Dancer" (which has been used in a LOT of stuff), "Get it On," "Jeepster." The Who namedrop them in "You Better You Bet," but that is not your Who starting point (it's post-Keith Moon, for one thing - probably the best of that era, but start with the original four for sure).
It's so strange to hear an American admit to knowing absolutely nothing about T.Rex or Marc Bolan. In the UK, Marc Bolan was the Prince of Glam Rock. His sound was so unique and inspirational to us Brit kids back in the early 70s. There's 2 Marc Bolans, the one before he went Electric Warrior and the one preceding that "Bob Dylan moment" whereby he was entirely acoustic psychedelic folk. 20th Century Boy is a stand-alone single when he'd already turned Electric Warrior. Even when Glam Rock was fading, Bolan was still a huge inspiration, actively promoting bands like Generation X, The Jam, and The Boomtown Rats - to children - on his television programme, 'Marc', in addition to touring with The Damned in 1977. Bolan is still very retro-popular in the UK, just as The Sweet and Slade are today, but Bolan more so.
Pioneers of the glam rock era but Marc Bolan had far much more depth than just the glitter and big hair. Try Get It On, Children Of The Revolution, Ride A White Swan, Metal Guru, Telegram Sam, Jeepster or Hot Love. A hugely talented songwriter, tragically taken far too young in a car crash in 1977. Arguably as influential as Bowie for a few short years.
BUICK! BUICK!
Marc and Bowie were great and fast friends. In fact, for a time, David actually cared for Marc's son, Rolan, in his role as the boy's godfather, shortly after Marc's untimely passing. David even provided financially for the family, until Rolan's bio mom, June Child, passed in 1994 (when Marc's estate was granted to Rolan).
According to Rolling Stone, "[Bowie and Bolan] met as painters for a manager's office while hustling at the bottom of the music industry. After introducing himself as 'King Mod,' Bolan promptly pointed out to Bowie that 'Your shoes are crap.' Later, as Bolan became mildly famous, and Bowie's career had yet to go anywhere, Bolan invited Bowie to tour with his band, Tyrannosaurus Rex (later, simply T-Rex), as... a mime: 'What could make it even sweeter for Bolan? Bowie got booed.'
"Still, the two remained friends, with Bowie name-checking Bolan in 'All the Young Dudes,' and used him as a tongue-in-cheek subject for 'Lady Stardust': "People stared at the makeup on his face / Laughed at his long black hair, his animal grace."
Read more: www.grunge.com/226281/the-truth-about-t-rex-singer-marc-bolan-and-david-bowies-relationship/?
THE definitive T. Rex song is Get It On (Bang a Gong).
As soon as Bolan sings, I was taken away to the Sweet album, Desolation Boulevard ... several tunes with similar sound. Now I want to listen to The Tubes.
The biggest band in England for two years in the early 70s. As an aside, have you heard All The Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople? Written and produced by David Bowie with a reference to T. Rex.
What an icon Marc Bolan was. Gone far too soon. So much of the Glam era seemed vapid, but Marc was very much the real deal and the equal of Bowie. Would have been so interesting to see where his career might have gone.
...Not that I was around at the time. I’m speaking retrospectively!
@@Katehowe3010 I meant in terms of his popularity at that point. Don’t forget, Bowie had time to earn kudos.
Christian Adams Peaks and troughs. The biggest stars have them. That was the point I was making. I personally think Bolan had enough about him to make a lasting career. We never got to see that evolution, as we did with Bowie.
@@Katehowe3010 I read that his career was getting revived right before he died.
Bolan wasn't in the same league as Bowie. Not even close.
The only similarities were the superficial issues of their contemporary Glam image and the fact that they both sang with heavily exaggerated southern English accents.
In terms of creativity and artistic depth, Bowie was a two hundred acre farm while Bolan was a flower pot (and maybe a whole window box on a good day.)
I was around, a young pre-to-early teen when Electric Warrior happened. And you are right, Bolan was in the early seventies an equal to Bowie who still wasn't the David Bowie superstar that he would become. Bolanmania was a thing before Ziggy Stardust became the next new thing. Bowie and Bolan were friends; they met in 1964; when they were 17. Later, they became career rivals that with the addition of cocaine abuse gave nasty undertones to their peculiar love/hate relationship. Although his popularity had died down a bit in the world stage by mid seventies, may I remind folks that Marc Bolan was still very much visible to the public eye in the UK having his own TV show. On this low budget TV show, he always had musical guests. His car accident was most unfortunate and happened as he returned home from filming the show. His last guest, as fate would have it, was David Bowie.
T.Rex were also Tyrannosaurus Rex, led by Marc Bolan. Started more as folk rock, developed a harder edge and were one of the pioneers of glam rock. Brilliant songs for that period, his early seventies stuff still sounds fresh. Try Metal Guru, Deborah, Ride A White Swan or Jeepster for a further blast of excellence. And R.I.P Mr Bolan..
T.Rex where huge in the UK at the beginning of the 70's, Marc Bolan being the brightest star of Glam Rock. Their music is infectuous and uplifting, and it's really a joy listening to it, once in a while. I would say, though, that I find their songs a little samey. You should not expect something radically different. Other hits are Get It On (covered in 1985 by Robert Palmer joining forces with Duran Duran in the band The Power Station), Hot Love, Mambo Sun,, Telegram Sam, Children of the Revolution. In the late 60's Tyrannosaures Rex (the original name of the band ) were a psychedelic folk act. Some found them interesting.
Brilliant Justin - I'd completely forgotten T. Rex and Marc Bolan, this reaction video brought it all come flooding back to me. Compared to some of today's drivel the band was pretty damn good eh?
This song was in a Starburst commercial in the 90s. In the 70s in England T. Rex were huge superstars.
Today is Mike Oldfield's Birthday... Would be a nice moment for a North Star (Plantinum) First Listen.
FANTASTIC if you want to see a different side of T.Rex try Cosmic Dancer from the Electric Warrior album or Rip Off from the same album
Marc Bolan! Nobody sang like him or wrote lyrics like him. He was the Glam John the Baptist to Bowie’s Glam Jesus, but before he became the “Electric Warrior” in ‘71, he’d been the “Bopping Elf” with Tyrannosaurus Rex on several Psych-Folk lps...before that he was lead guitarist in Psych band John’s Children, and before even that he was a Mod and model. He was the King of Glam in ‘71 to mid ‘72 when Ziggy Stardust usurped him. He kept plugging away and affected a “Godfather of Punk” role in ‘77 before dying in a car smash. He only had one US hit “Bang a Gong” (No 1 in the UK under the original title Get It On). Finally inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, and quite right too. On this record Bolan (guitar/vox) is backed by Steve Currie (bass), Bill Legend (drums) and longtime sidekick Mickey Finn (percussion). One of the backing singers is Gloria Jones, who became Bolan’s second wife. Not sure who the sax player is. Tony Visconti, who also worked with Bowie, was producer. Next try Jeepster, the afore-mentioned Get it On, or Metal Guru. Or try one of the Tyrannosaurus Rex cuts like Chariots of Silk, Debora, King of the Rumbling Spires (or many others) 👍
I was 14 in 1969, and managed to get hold of a rare copy of Marc's then-newly-published small, hardcover book of poems/lyrics, "The Warlock of Love." Even took it to camp one summer (either '69 or '70). Sold it on eBay around the turn of the century (this one), for, yes, a hefty sum, but nowhere near what I just saw some copies are going for!
This band was great! Check out "Ride A White Swan" and "Children Of The Revolution".
Cheers!
Hell yeah! T. Rex and Mark Bolan.
Freak car crash. Didn’t even make it to 30.
Keep on keeping on JP. 🤙🏽
Children of the Revolution has an equally iconic riff. Marc Bolan, the glam king, master of the 3 minute pop hit.
Electric Warrior, The Slider, Tanx and Zinc Alloy & The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow is an extremely strong run of albums. Marc Bolan / T Rex had a load of mega hit singles in the UK, and the albums get far less attention than they should.
He was Beatles-huge in the UK in the early '70s, and on the cover of all the tabloids.....Sounds, NME, Melody Maker, et al. Over the heads of most Americans, apparently, at the time, at least where charts are concerned.
@@bradsmack1 he presented a kid's pop show as well! Strange thing was, pop fads moved so fast back then, by the time he did that show he was already a bit old-hat, even though it was only a couple of years after, as you say, he was a megastar! Maybe Bowie's constant image changing was more a commercial decision than a creative one 😃 (I'm being *slightly facetious)
in case no one’s said it yet, it’s marc bolan singing + guitar, steve currie on bass, bill legend on drums, mickey finn on percussion, sue and sonny on vocals, and howard casey on sax
Apart from Bowie and the Spiders, Marc Bolan and T.Rex are arguably the most famous representatives of the glam rock genre.
Bowie soon moved on from it, while Marc remained where he was and eventually died before having the chance to develop.
Still, he was a master of both the guitar riff and of writing perfect rock singles.
Listen to him go "AAOOOO!!!!" at the beginning of the song. THAT'S rock 'n roll.
Every T. Rex single which was released from 1970 - 1973 went to #1 or #2 and the last two top 10 UK hits went to #3 & #4. 20th Century Boy peaked at #3 in 1973 & the follow up was- The Groover, which peaked @ #4
Marc Bolan with his band T.Rex is the icon of 70s Glam Rock. More songs to test: Get it on + Children of the Revolution. T.Rex were so huge in Europe in the seventies. 🦖🇩🇪
Jewel is my favorite. The Slider is another great one, but the whole Slider album is great. Same with Jeepster and Get It On, and the Electric Warrior album.
Their biggest hits in their native UK were Get It On, Hot Love and Jeepster. The original glam rockers!
They were an acoustic band then a three piece electric then a four piece. They were inducted last year into the Rock N Roll Hall of fame and a tribute to the band called Angel Headed Hipster featuring many famous artists came out last year.
Get It On was and still is huge on radio. Jeepster is great too. Both come from Electric Warrior. I remember Ringo Starr promoting The Slider for awhile which came right after Electric Warrior. Early on they were Tyrannosaurus Rex but they made it simpler as T.Rex. The Who sing about them in Quadrophenia.
Thank you so much for reacting to this sing! Most T-Rex reaction vids are for Get It On which is probably their most famous and famous riff but personally I prefer this it seems so underrated in comparison yet this riff is brilliant and sexy!!
Man T.Rex have so many mindblowing songs and couple masterpiece albums but i have to say you have to listen song named "Cadillac" that is just wonderful 🙏
T.Rex in the 70s were far out there with all the hooks to stay with you for ever
Wow! T. Rex. Amazing! I've introduced many to Marc Bolan and his marvelous catalog, and the usual reaction is "How'd I miss out on this band". Albums "Electric Warrior" or "Slider" would be a great start, or from when the band went by the name Tyrannosaurus Rex, which will totally catch you off guard. BTW...the band name comes from the fact that Marc Bolan couldn't believe that something that huge and menacing roamed the earth thousands of years before. He wanted the band to be as big and legendary...thus the name Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Unique songwriter, lyricist, singer, etc. His songs were simple, with nary a bridge in them, but so catchy and melodic.
💜💖💜💜⭐🎵💖❤ Marc Bolan is everything ❤
As others stated, "Bang a Gong" was the most famous song from this band. I saw a video from Top of the Pops, 1971, with Elton John playing piano for them. However, on the album, Rick Wakeman is given credit for piano.
There's a lovely story about Rick Wakeman "playing piano" on Get It On.
Wakeman was just a jobbing session player in those days. He hadn't broken through with The Strawbs or Yes at that point and he was always living hand-to-mouth, trying to scrape together enough money to pay his weekly rent. One particular week, he was in a panic because he'd had very little work and only had one day left to make the rent. He'd gone round all of the recording studios asking for a gig but nothing was offered. However, in the evening, he got a phone call telling him to come in to work on a track.
He arrived and there was Bolan, listening to mixes of Get It On. "Marc's decided he wants some piano on this one, Rick. Just listen to the track and play what you feel."
Wakeman's heart sank when he heard the track. He turned to Bolan and said, "I can't hear any space for me to play in. The track is perfect as it is. There's nothing I could add to improve it. There's really no need for me to be here at all."
But Bolan said, "Just go and play some of those Jerry Lee licks that you can do. Oh, and throw in a few glissandos at the end of each verse. That's what I'm hearing."
So, although he couldn't feel it, Wakeman spent most of the session playing standard boogie-woogie riffs and glisses until Bolan said, "Thanks, Rick. That's exactly what I need," and paid Wakeman his standard session fee. The next day, Rick was able to pay his rent.
A little later, Wakeman heard the final mixes and, of course, all of the Jerry Lee stuff had been left out. All that remained were the glissandi, which Bolan could just as easily have done himself. But the recording engineer told Rick that Bolan had heard about his rent difficulties so he'd called him in to "earn" his money. The engineer said, "He knew you wouldn't have been happy if someone had just given you or lent you the money so he hired you for a regular session."
I think that's a lovely story which shows a very nice side of Marc Bolan. It's also a reminder that people like Bolan and Wakeman knew very well what it's like to come from absolutely nothing and become a major success story.
@@gerrycoogan6544 beautiful story, thanks for sharing.
As others have mentioned here Marc Bolan and David Bowie were friends, with David appearing on Marc's TV show and performing together with him for a finale. It's on YT somewhere.
Hi Leeds fan Chris! Any Peter Lorimer musical recommendations ? (He was my hero in 1972)
Electric Warrior - a classic! All good, no filler.
WooooHooo! A favorite reactor reviewing a favorite song. T. Rex (20th Century Boy in particular) is a harbinger for the next 20 years of pop music. Munching on slices at a local pizza joint “Jeepster” blasting from the kitchen moved my five year old to chair dance in that wonderfully awkward way reserved for unselfconscious five year olds melted me faster than a pizza oven. Thus “Jeepster” is my suggestion for the next cut.
OMG!!! My youth is flashing before me!!! Awesome, thank you!!!!!😜
Anytime Susan! Ty for watching :D
Bang a Gong (Get It On) was the only T. Rex hit in the USA to peak the top 10, in 1972. It was #1 for a month released in 1971 in the UK.
Great song ! I first heard this song in the movie "Velvet Goldmine" Great movie as well! Thanks for the super reaction.
Anytime!
I LOVE that movie! I have the soundtrack. 😁
@@taradevine6026 Love the soundtrack too!
Marc Bolan was the master of Pop Rock, but just couldn't seem to break into the US market like he did in the UK and the Continent. Probably only the Hollies topped T-Rex in terms of actual number of top 40 hits, but they weren't doing Pop Rock like Marc.
Justin, I'm positive you've heard both "Bang and Gong" and "Cosmic Dancer" at some point as these two hits have certainly crossed your path somewhere in your relatively short life by now.
From the '72 album The Slider, I recommend "The Slider," "Baby Boomerang," "Spaceball Ricochet," and "Baby Strange." From '71's Electric Warrior, I'd go with "Planet Queen," "Mambo Sun," and "Life's a Gas."
Great choice here as always. Keep up the great reactions/reviews!
Great choice JP...Marc Bolan was an absolute glam-rock god...and very influential (along with Bowie and Roxy Music) on the young punks who came to prominence in the late 70s...check out 'Metal Guru'....superb single of theirs
This has to be a series of his songs. Marc Bolan good friend of David Bowie is a legend. King of glam Rockers t rex's most well know song is probably I Love to boogie......why not give it a whirl.
It's a little ironic that you'd say "more than meets the eye", because the eye is what's missing - there's more than meets the ear in this case. In addition to being quite popular in the UK (not as much in the US), Marc Bolan of T.Rex was the seminal point of Glam Rock, and a huge part of all the fashion/visual element that followed. He and early period Bowie were the defining core of the genre, and watching a live performance would give you a much better idea of who they were, even if it doesn't meet your criteria for review.
Good to see so many Marc Bolan fans in the comments. Fans might like to check out the album ‘AngelHeaded Hipster’ which came out last September featuring an all-star line up of artists covering Bolan's greatest songs - including the likes of Elton John, U2, Joan Jett, Marc Almond, Father John Misty (Josh Tillman), Lucinda Williams, both Lennon sons and many more delivering their own takes on Bolan’s classic tracks. Nick Cave's radically different take on 'Cosmic Dancer' is stunning.
Love it! Glam Rock! Bowie's biggest rival during his Ziggy phase. And they were friends. Jeepers is my favorite. I still throw on the Electric Warrior album when I just want straight boogie woogie Rock and Roll. T Rex just made it to the R&R Hall of Fame last year. All time favorite glam hit - All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hopple, written by Bowie and basically pulled their asses out of obscurity. Also, Bowie produced Lou Reed's Transformer, another glam classic. Glam was basic R&R with a gender-bender twist. Most glam rockers were pretty straight, but it was fun seeing ugly guys in drag.
Steve Currie plays Bass, Drums by Bill Legend and Mickey Finn Percussion, the sax was by a session musician, female vocals by Gloria Jones and I forgot the other girl
Not Gloria, but Barry St John, Vicki Brown and Sue & Sunny.
Early 70s Glam rock. It’s what we went out and danced to after being locked away in our bedrooms listening to Floyd, Yes and Genesis.
Other examples would be Sweet, Slade, Mud and Gary Glitter/Glitter band, interspersed with some bands with more kudos like 10cc, ELO, Bowie and Roxy Music.
So last century IMO. Love it.
My favorite is The Slider, and I'd love to see you cover it.
Didn't expect this! Great idea, now I've gotta hear Jeepster. His American girlfriend Gloria Jones (who was driving the car he died in) recorded Tainted Love in 1964, later a big hit for Soft Cell. Nice surprise JP.
Checking the mix… needs some TRex fo sho.
They'll always be Tyrannosaurus Rex to me. Listen to 'Deboraarobed' 'Salamanda Palaganda' or 'King Of The Rumbling Spires'. You'll be astonished.
Awesome T-Rex song!!!
Lot of love for Ride A White Swan. I would humbly suggest Jeepster.
"I got your body right now on my mind / but I drunk myself blind / To the sound of old T-Rex /To the sound of old T-Rex / Oh, and Who's Next?" -- The Who, You Better You Bet. You know you had an impact when The Who name checks you. Also check out the movie "The Dallas Buyers Club" in which M Bolan and T Rex have a not-insignificant part.
The "female" backing vocals are actually male - The Turtles (Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman) from Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention. Their vocal style became an integral part of the T.Rex sound although they were only ever session singers on the records.
Although the Turtles did backing vocals on a number of T.Rex songs - they don't appear on this one. The backing vocals here are by Sue Leslie & Sunny Glover (who performed as Sue & Sunny) together with Barry St John and Vicky Brown (wife of Joe brown and mother of Sam Brown) 😊
T Rex. Yeah man! maybe try Jeepster. Great reaction.
RIP Marc Bolan, Mickey Finn, and Steve Currie,
T Rex are mentioned by name in both a Bowie song (All the Young Dudes) and a Who song (You Better You Bet). Should let you know their importance. Cosmic Dancer would be a great T Rex song to review.
"Metal Guru" is the essential glam rock hit, off the album The Slider (1972). The album has an interesting story - Ringo Starr was walking with Marc Bolan in Paris, taking photos of him using the word "Boogaloo" in conversation, until Marc said to Ringo "Back off!". And the rest is history. One of the Paris photos got on the cover of The Slider, and "Back Off Boogaloo" became a hit for Ringo.
Ringo and Marc...huge friends and early-'70s drinking buds! In fact, Ringo inducted Marc into the R'n'R HOF a few months ago!
@@bradsmack1 Didn't know that! There is more to Ringo than I can imagine. For example, he took the front and back portrait photos of Marc for the Slider album cover.
@@bobholtzmann Bingo, Bob! And, we knew of Ringo's photo bug proclivities from that waterfront scene in "A Hard Day's Night"!!
@@bobholtzmann Just to clarify a little - The photos for The Slider were actually taken by Tony Visconti Marc's Producer but Marc - never one to miss a bit of extra publicity - credited his pal Ringo on the album sleeve. The photos were actually taken at Tittenhurst Park - then the home of John Lennon, which was being used for some of the Born to Boogie scenes. Ringo did take a number of photos of Marc when he and Maureen went on holiday to the South of France together with Marc & June, George & Patti Harrison and Cilla Black and her husband Bobby. The story about Back off Boogaloo according to Ringo is that Marc was round for dinner at his house and all evening he kept saying things like - you're so Boogaloo etc and Ringo woke up in the night with these words in his mind and recorded them on his kids tape recorder.
@@agentwilde Thanks for the inside info! I could tell Marc was an avid fan of the Beatles (and Dylan), and especially Lennon from the name dropping he did in "Ballrooms of Mars".
IMHO The 1998 film "Velvet Goldmine" is a great visual representation of the emerging Glam Rock scene. Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Christian Bale, Toni Collette. Eddie Izzard and more make this a must see for any Glam Rocker fan. (loosley based on David Bowie and Iggy Pop's early years with a bit of Marc Bolan's bio) Enjoy.
One of my favorite movies EVER
Justin, I don't know if you noticed but the saxophone was already present at the beginning of the song incorporated into the guitar riffs in the verses and the choruses !!! (not just the solo in the outro). I've never been very fond of T. Rex but I like a few songs including this one (probably my favorite from the band), but I could say the same about the Glam-rock period of Bowie which is not my favorite. I think Sweet and Sparks are definitely my favorite bands of this particular genre !
Finally!! Love me some T-Rex
Glad you enjoyed it 😁
Ok, a fella called Howard Casey is credited with playing sax on the early 1973 T Rex album Tanx, so i presume it’s him playing on 20th Century Boy from the same set of sessions. 🤔
T. rex were great! Glam rock at it’s finest.
New York city is a great underestimated track.
Placebo did a great version of this in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine. A wonderful look back into the early 70’s Glam Rock movement. Definitely worth a watch. Great sound track as well wit the likes of David Bowie, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Cockney Rebel,
T Rex, and the New York Dolls.
You missed-out the intro mate. Thanks anyway for featuring this good track. There's a live, meatier version he performed in Germany ("Musik Laden" TV show).
They were originally Tyrannosauros Rex, formed in 1967, they evolved from psychedelic folk to glam rock and changed their name to T. Rex in 1970. Marc Bolan died in 1977 shortly after releasing their last album "Dandy in the Underworld" and the group disbanded.
This song was covered by Siouxsie & the Banshees early in their career:
ruclips.net/video/g1zfypVjjgs/видео.html
The Who mentions the group in their single 'You Better You Bet' in 1981:
But I drunk myself blind
To the sound of old T-Rex
To the sound of old T-Rex
Oh, and Who's Next?
Hi JP , Marc Bolan/ T Rex were a Glam rock band of the 70s Electric warrior & The Slider being their best LPs, biggest US hits being Bang a Gong/ get it on , Jeepster ,Metal guru ,Telegram Sam ,Mystic lady , Children of the revolution...My personal favorite is the whole Slider Album ✌️😎
You're in for a treat if you don't know this band. Listen to Hot Love, Ride a White Swan, Jeepster, Telegram Sam to name a few, and you'll know what I mean 😉
Songs in the charts after commercial appearances: How many people's "first reaction" to Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" was in the early 00's after that was used in an ad? I don't remember the product, but I'm certainly glad I heard the song...
Marc Bolan knew how to sing, man. Timeless.
Rock, like older blues and mostly unlike jazz or especially classical allows self taught players. Marc Bolan worked it out as he went along and made it all way interesting. I remember buying blank cassettes at $4-5 dollars a pop to record someone’s entire Tyrannosaurus Rex/T Rex record collection, meticulously copying the liner notes. Of course you find out later that the blank tapes were expensive because part of it went to royalties anyway, I'm curious to see if you are drawn into listening to more.
Has anyone suggested Slade for some good British foot stomping rock. Maybe “Know Where You Are” off Slayed Alive.
Marc Bolan is the the only one that sounds like Marec Bolan. Gloria Jones was his partner she had a hit with - Tainted Love, this was a pop song with balls !!! great vid cheers : )
This was recorded during sessions for the album Tanx. All the credits for that album apply to this song. The "female" background singers were Flo and Eddie, who appeared on most of the T. Rex recordings of this era. Their real names are Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, formerly lead singers of The Turtles. They could not use their real names because of contractual issues. They also did some work with Frank Zappa around this time.
Although the Turtles did backing vocals on a number of T.Rex songs - they don't appear on this one. The basic track was recorded at EMI Toshiba Studios in Tokyo with several other tracks from the Tanx album - however the backing vocals here are by Sue Leslie & Sunny Glover (who performed as Sue & Sunny) together with Barry St John and Vicky Brown (wife of Joe brown and mother of Sam Brown) and were added in London along with Howie Casey on saxophone
@@agentwilde Source, please?
@@Geezerology This is well documented in most of the Bolan biography's and can also be seen on the Discogs credits list for the Ultimate Collection album amongst others - the link is here www.discogs.com/Marc-Bolan-T-Rex-20th-Century-Boy-The-Ultimate-Collection/release/1086797
Apologies though - i have just updated the comment as i noticed i put the basic track was recorded in Germany and it was actually in Tokyo when T rex were touring Japan in late 72.
Massive band in England in the 1970s had 4 number one singles and 4number 2s