The 500 - #160 - Electric Warrior - T. Rex

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #160
Album Title: Electric Warrior

Artist: T-Rex

Genre: Glam Rock, Hard Rock, Boogie Rock

Recorded: 4 studios. London, U.K., Los Angeles & New York U.S.A.

Released: September, 1971

My age at release: 6
How familiar was I with it before this week: Several songs

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #188, dropping 18 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Jeepster

Like many of my vintage, my first exposure to the music of T. Rex came in 1985 when supergroup The Power Station recorded their version of (Bang A Gong) Get It On. In all honesty, when I first heard The Power Station version, I thought it was an original track from the band. The initial single from their self-titled album had been the original composition, Some Like It Hot. So, logically, I assumed that (Bang A Gong) Get It On was also written by the quartet. My pal Roderick, who was several years older than I, quickly disabused me of this fiction and, shortly afterwards, he played Electric Warrior while we sipped tea and talked about the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. (I shared my brief history with Roderick in my July, 2022, post about Frank Sinatra's Songs For Swingin’ Lovers! In many ways, Roderick served as a de facto "older brother" and he was instrumental in building my music knowledge in a time before the Internet.

The Power Station were a supergroup comprising singer Robert
Palmer, Chic drummer Tony Thompson and Duran Duran
bassist and guitarist John and Andy Taylor (no relation).

T. Rex (originally Tyrannosaurus Rex) were formed in London in 1968 by singer, songwriter, guitarist and poet Marc Bolan (born Mark Feld). There are several conflicting stories about how Feld chose his stage name. My favourite is that he cleverly cobbled it together by taking the front two letters and last three letters from his musical idol, Bob Dylan. Following two years playing with the proto-punk, beat band John's Children, Bolan founded T. Rex as a psychedelic folk duo. His first record had the cumbersome title My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair...But Now They're Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows. It features all the trappings of the psychedelic hippie scene of the time when Hare Krishna chants, bongos, new age mysticism and fantasy--inspired lyrics were prominent.

Electric Warrior marked a drastic shift from Bolan's hippie roots. He replaced his acoustic guitar with an electric one and embraced a more flamboyant pop-rock sound that was influenced by rock and roll artists, including Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones, as well as American blues performers such as Howlin' Wolf. The lyrics still had some fantasy elements, but Bolan also began to write songs with familiar rock imagery that included cars, women and celebration. Many critics consider Electric Warrior to be the first record in the glam rock genre. When Bolan appeared on Top Of The Pops in March, 1971, to promote the single Hot Love, he was decked out in a silver satin suit with glitter under his eyes.  The video can be seen here.

A Glam Rock idol is born. Bolan on Top Of The Pops performing
Hot Love in 1971.

T. Rex released six additional records in the glam rock genre, with the final release, Dandy In The Underworld, hitting shelves in 1977. It was lauded by critics for the strength of the songwriting and Bolan's vocal performance. During a touring hiatus in the fall of that year, Bolan was a passenger in a Mini 1275GT being driven by his romantic partner Gloria Jones. Both had been drinking and, after crossing a small, humpback bridge in Southwest London ,Jones lost control and hit a fence post and a tree. Bolan died at the scene and Jones was critically injured, but survived.

The wrecked Mini in which Bolan died (Photo by Maurice Wallace).

Although I didn't purchase any of the band’s records when I collected vinyl, I have become a fan of  T. Rex’s music, particularly the tracks that have appeared in some of my favourite movies. Bolan's tracks are infectiously catchy and I've always been of the opinion that they elevate a film brilliantly. Some songs immediately transport me to a specific scene from the film in which it is featured. Two examples that immediately come to mind are Cosmic Dancer from the opening credits to Billy Elliot and Jeepster from the Tarantino flick Death Proof. There are also T. Rex tracks used excellently in the movies Lords Of Dogtown, The Break-Up, School Of Rock, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and, most recently, the horror Longlegs.

Bolan, like many artists I've discussed in this blog series, was lost far too soon. He would only be in his late-seventies if still alive today. I am confident he would have entertained the world with many more terrific songs and albums like Electric Warrior -- a delightful listen that will blast many more times through my speakers. Now I need to watch Billy Elliot and Deathproof again.