A Glimpse of Electric Warrior (1971) by T. Rex
Bolan goes glam before Bowie - and what’s the King Crimson connection?
Last week’s Glimpse was of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust; a classic of the glam rock genre and, well, a classic album of music whatever else you wish to measure it against. The album made Bowie a rock and roll star. The supreme innovator, as ever.
But - hang on. The history of glam rock goes back further than Ziggy Stardust. A few months earlier, in September 1971, T. Rex, driven by Marc Bolan, released Electric Warrior, a massive-selling album that took pop/rock into a new direction.
In the late 60s, my adventure into music was beginning. I’d been a Beatles fan since 1965, heavily under the influence of my cousin Chris, meaning Help was the first single I chose for my collection, and a little later Revolver my first album. Being influenced didn’t mean pretending to like those records - I loved them then and I love them now, and I still regard The Beatles as being in a league of their own. But, in 1970, the end of The Beatles was confirmed and I entered my teenage years seeking new music; a taste I could call my own.
While all this was happening, albums of which I knew nothing were being recorded by a band called Tyrannosaurus Rex. They were often songs about unicorns, woodland, and magical moons (this is not to disparage them, they were great records of their type); acoustic guitar and John Peel reading a Bolan short story. Of their type, great records, but not the path towards success was Bolan craving. Stage one of the master plan: embrace the shortened band name of T. Rex.
Stage two: plug the guitar into an amp. This move didn’t provoke protests in the way Dylan’s had a few years previously, but it did produce a hit single - Ride a White Swan. Marc Bolan was always at least as interested in being a star as he was in recognition as a great musician, so he needed no persuasion to continue in that vein.
When I heard Swan on the radio it was a breath of fresh air; a pop song that rocked, accessible and credible. Credibility in musical taste matters when you’re a teenager, but you also have to be genuinely excited about the music.
I didn’t catch up until 1972 and the release of The Slider. As I’ve written before, buying an album was a big investment then - not the investment a vinyl record requires now, of course, but still a big chunk of the pocket money received from parents. After getting to know The Slider I had to collect everything T. Rex. I knew the Electric Warrior singles Jeepster and Get It On, as well as the non-album single from the same sessions, the epic Hot Love, so I was sure it would be a decent album to add to my still-small record collection.
As soon as I played the opening track, Mambo Sun, I knew I was right. A simple song, as Bolan’s songs from that time tended to be, but with a steady groove, melodic electric guitar, and backing vocals courtesy of Kayman and Volman (also known as Flo and Eddie, and otherwise The Turtles, as I didn’t know then) adding substance and depth.
Then - what’s this? Acoustic guitar and strings this early? This must be a serious record. Cosmic Dancer could only be Bolan - quivering vocals, lyrics that make no sense but it doesn’t matter because they rhyme (“What’s it like to be a loon? / I liken it to a balloon”). But it all ends with an electric guitar solo in reverse, Kayman and Volman to the fore and drums from Bill Legend heading into Keith Moon territory.
These first two tracks are the warm-up numbers, though, because next it’s Jeepster. Mighty guitar riffing, a foot-stamping rhythm, and if no one knew what “being a Jeepster for your love” meant it didn’t matter. It was a hit - the follow-up to the equally rocky hit Get It On (or Bang A Gong as it was known in the US), which opens side two of the album.
Lean Woman Blues points to the band T. Rex might have become in an alternative universe. It sounds like a pastiche of a heavy blues track rather than the real thing, but if Bolan had chosen to pursue this road he could have given Led Zeppelin a run for their money. Maybe he didn’t have enough interest in the blues to continue - or, more likely, it was fun for an album track but too niche for stardom.
Planet Queen returns to Cosmic Dancer territory. Girl is another acoustic ballad with a beautiful melody and Bolan’s vocals accompanied by a flugelhorn, anchoring the track in Bolan’s English folk roots. Life’s a Gas is mid-paced, dreamy, and held together with a simple riff. The album closes with Rip Off, the band having fun set again some almost-jazzy horns and lifted with a great middle eight that set the sonic tone for The Slider.
The album closes with a sax solo. Enter saxophonist for hire was Ian McDonald, and it was he who was hired for Electric Warrior. There’s the answer to the King Crimson question I asked in the subtitle because it is the same Ian McDonald who co-founded Crimson.
What I didn’t realise then was how many later notable figures were involved with Electric Warrior. Tony Visconti - noted producer, not only of the most successful period for T. Rex but Bowie too. Roy Thomas Baker - an engineer here, went on to produce Queen among others. Martin Rushent, later produced The Human League and many influential bands. No wonder Electric Warrior sounds so good.
Is this glam rock before Bowie? Well, yes, marginally. More importantly, this is a record full of good songs which acknowledge their roots while experimenting with something new.
With Electric Warrior, Bolan hints at the future he could have had if he’d continued to put music before becoming a star. Perhaps, in the end, we need to return to Ziggy Stardust and the song Star: “So inviting / So enticing to play the part / I could play the wild mutation as a rock and roll star.”
What’s your take on Electric Warrior and glam rock? Direct messages are open for paid subscribers, or leave a comment (open to all).
T. Rex on video
Marc Bolan sings Life’s a Gas with Cilla Black. I remember watching this live as peak-time Saturday night viewing. Cilla, all-round family entertainer, dueting with Bolan was … unexpected.
Summertime Blues. T. Rex could have been a different band.
BUY ELECTRIC WARRIOR NOW
Vinyl | CD (Amazon affiliate links)
RECOMMENDED READING
Marc Bolan: Tyrannosaurus Rex and T.Rex: Every Album, Every Song - Peter Gallagher
T.Rextasy: The Spirit Of Marc Bolan - Danielz
Ride a White Swan: The Lives and Death of Marc Bolan - Lesley-Ann Jones
(Bookshop.org affiliate links)
RECORDING DETAILS
Side 1: 1. Mambo Sun 2. Cosmic Dancer 3. Jeepster 4. Monolith 5. Lean Woman Blues
Side 2: 6. Get It On 7. Planet Queen 8. Girl 9. The Motivator 10. Life’s a Gas 11. Rip Off
T. Rex
Marc Bolan – vocals, guitar
Mickey Finn – congas, bongos, vocals
Steve Currie – bass
Bill Legend – drums, tambourine
Additional personnel
Howard Kaylan – backing vocals
Mark Volman – backing vocals
Rick Wakeman – keyboards on Get It On
Ian McDonald – saxophone
Burt Collins – flugelhorn
Technical personnel
Tony Visconti – production, string arrangements
Roy Thomas Baker – engineering
Martin Rushent – tape operator
George Underwood – artwork, photography
George Marino – mastering
See you again at the end of the week with the album-length playlist, Gems #032, and then, for paid subscribers, the next Long Gaze: Run of Three, featuring The Beatles.
This post is public, though, so if you’ve enjoyed reading please feel free to share - thank you.
Enjoy the music,
Ian
Delightful read, Ian. I've not listened to this album for years but what a tracklist! What a set of songs. He never bettered this, in my opinion.
Such a great album and you’ve just prompted me to listen to it again. Also, Bolan and Black - who knew?!