- Electric Warrior (2007 Remaster) · 1971
- Electric Warrior (Expanded Edition) [2003 Remaster] · 1971
- Electric Warrior (Expanded Edition) [2003 Remaster] · 1971
- Electric Warrior (Expanded Edition) [2003 Remaster] · 1971
- Electric Warrior (Expanded Edition) [2003 Remaster] · 1971
- New In Town · 1973
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Deluxe Version] · 1974
- The Slider · 1972
- Electric Warrior (Expanded Edition) [2003 Remaster] · 1971
- Children of the Revolution - Single · 1972
- Electric Warrior (Expanded Edition) [2003 Remaster] · 1971
- Electric Warrior (Expanded Edition) [2003 Remaster] · 1971
- The Slider · 1972
Essential Albums
- Recorded in Paris on Elton John’s recommendation, with artwork shot by Ringo Starr, T. Rex’s seventh album underlined how far the band had infiltrated pop culture by its release in 1972. After the career-making Electric Warrior had engulfed Marc Bolan in superstardom, The Slider kept the riotous eccentricity and zipped it up into an irresistibly tight package. “Telegram Sam” (a cheeky ode to the band’s accountant) borrows the slinky riff of “Bang a Gong,” while “Metal Guru” oozes with Bolan’s unapologetic bravado. Its seductive combination of otherness and immediacy inspired future British pop mavericks including The Smiths and Gary Numan.
- With Electric Warrior, Marc Bolan morphed from whimsical folkie into rock god. “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” and “Jeepster” are two of history’s most ingratiating grooves, effortlessly combining the punch-drunk pleasures of early rock ’n’ roll with the hair-raising volume of heavy metal. On “Mambo Sun,” Tony Visconti’s ingenious production makes the song feel simultaneously wild and intimate. Bolan relishes his role as elusive trickster, a charmer in curls and platform heels, but the form-fitting strings of “Cosmic Dancer” and “Life’s a Gas” reveal poignancy beneath the frontman’s frolicking.
Albums
- 1972
Artist Playlists
- The ultimate 20th-century boy.
- The acolytes of the 20th-century boy.
- The glam rockers can also do psych folk, disco, and rockabilly.
Live Albums
More To Hear
- Music by Lauren Aquilina and Young Thug, plus rock classics.
About T. Rex
Fronted by Marc Bolan, T. Rex began life as the psychedelic-folk duo Tyrannosaurus Rex before transforming into one of the pioneering artists of ’70s glam rock. ∙ In 1970, they released their commercial and artistic breakthrough, “Ride a White Swan,” which characterized the sound of T. Rex and, to a large extent, glam rock itself. ∙ Their chart-topping 1971 LP, Electric Warrior, was included among Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and Pitchfork’s 100 Best Albums of the 1970s. ∙ “Bang a Gong (Get It On),” released in 1971, was a million-seller that topped the UK chart and became a Top 10 hit in the US as well as the band’s signature song. ∙ The Smiths’ Johnny Marr said that “Metal Guru,” from T. Rex’s 1972 LP, The Slider, changed his life: “I had never heard anything so beautiful and so strange, but yet so catchy.” ∙ The 1972 T. Rex concert film, Born To Boogie, was directed and produced by Ringo Starr. ∙ From 1970 to 1973, the group charted 10 Top 5 hits in the UK, including 4 No. 1s, and in 1972 alone their releases accounted for 6 percent of all UK record sales. ∙ In 2020, Ringo Starr inducted T. Rex into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
- FROM
- London, England
- FORMED
- 1967
- GENRE
- Rock