Enjoy the T Rextasy
Time for another of the one hit blunders:
Acts that stormed the Billboard Hot 100 one time only, before being unfairly discarded by America.
Meaning: You in the States missed out on rich and diverse back catalogues. This time:
T. Rex
The UK Chart Record:
- Singles:
Top 40 = 21
Top 10 = 11
#1 = 4 - Albums:
Top 40 = 18
Top 10 = 9
#1 = 3
The story of T. Rex is the story of Mark Feld. Marc Bolan was his creation.
A shape-shifting character, hungry for fame who went through a number of iterations to find it.
In this he found a mirror in David Bowie.
Both were born in 1947, Bowie the senior by 8 months.
They inhabited the same territories, worked with the same people, were friends and rivals influencing each other and sang with distinctive mannered voices.
Mark Feld grew up quickly.
Education was of secondary importance; he was all about promoting himself. He was a Mod before he even hit his teens and before the movement had a label. Clothes and image were of the utmost importance and Feld ensured he stood out.
So much so that he appeared in a Town Magazine article in 1962 highlighting his clothes obsession.
Dropping out of school at 15, he did some modelling and a couple of dead-end jobs that he quickly extricated himself from. He had no interest in being normal.
Inspired by and imitating Bob Dylan, Feld’s first alter-ego was folk singer Toby Tyler. When that didn’t work he created Marc Bolan, releasing two solo singles in 1965.
There’s a theory that Bolan is a contraction of Bob Dylan. While Mark became ‘Marc,’ to sound more French.
He made his first TV appearance on Ready Steady Go, performing debut song “The Wizard.” Bolan said it was embarrassingly bad; he was totally unprepared, never having sung live before. “The Wizard” is an of-its-time beat record, but the vocals are the most unusual feature. Bolan’s voice is very different to how it would later sound, deeper and with a definite nod to Dylan.
The singles went nowhere.
The press release for “The Wizard” was more entertaining than the record.
It gave an origin story to Marc Bolan, detailing how at 15 he travelled to Paris where he spent 18 months living at a sorcerer’s chateau along with an owl called Archimedes and a siamese cat.
Such flights of fancy would be reflected in his lyrics throughout his career.
Around this time Bolan and Bowie met, becoming friends as both sought to find their way in the music industry. He also fell in with manager Simon Napier-Bell (whose most famous charges would come much later: Wham!).
Napier-Bell inserted Bolan into another band he managed, John’s Children, as guitarist and second vocalist.
So out of control, they were too much even for The Who – banished from their tour support slot. Bolan only lasted four months, he needed to be in charge so he left the band and Napier-Bell.
The next move was to form Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1967:
A duo of Marc on vocals and acoustic guitar and Steve Peregrin Took on bongos / percussion. This was not his real name, that was Stephen Porter. Took named his post T. Rex band, Shagrat, after an Orc in Lord Of The Rings. His influences were apparent.
Their songs were a mix of folk and rock and roll, featuring whimsical lyrics.
They embraced the hippy image both in their clothes and by performing while sat cross legged on stage.
Bolan struck up a close friendship with influential DJ John Peel, who was a huge fan and helped promote them. Tony Visconti (the Bowie parallel at work) also came on board and would produce their first nine albums.
There was initial success as 1968 singles “Debora” and “One Inch Rock” put them into the Top 40.
As with “The Wizard” press release, the lyrics and titles were often something else. The debut album was titled:
My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair… But Now They’re Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows.
Far out, man.
The follow up dialled it back a little: Prophets, Seers And Sages: The Angels Of The Ages. By the third album, Marc gave the typesetters a break but found one word to sum up the mystic quality:
Unicorn.
The lyrics were even wilder. I’ve read accounts that Marc would write songs in five minutes, the lyrics could make no sense, it was more about creating a feeling and landing on arresting imagery. In “Get It On“ there was the ‘hubcap diamond star halo’. Essentially meaningless, but it sounds cool.
That first top 40 single, “Debora,” told us:
“Oh Debora, always look like a zebra
Your sunken face is like a galleon
Clawed with mysteries of the Spanish Main.”
Further on;
‘Oh Debora, always dress like a conjuror.‘
Debora must be quite the sight.
You may not believe it, but at this time Bolan was drug free. Somehow he had the charisma to carry off the ludicrous.
While Tyrannosaurus Rex went all in on the hippy image, this was more a calculated move by Bolan on where the audience was rather than believing in the movement.
Bolan would later bait critics singing ‘I drive a Rolls Royce, cause its good for my voice’.
A number of connections from around the time have said he was hugely ambitious and fully on board with capitalism.
Whereas Took was totally into the hippy lifestyle, drugs and all.
The tension between the two became too much. Exacerbated by Bolan retaining creative control and with Took having been denied the opportunity to record his songs, he left after Unicorn.
With Mickey Finn recruited as his replacement, Tyrannosaurus Rex went electric. It wasn’t the epoch shaking event it was for Dylan and it was a gradual transition.
On much of the Beard Of Stars album the electric guitar was a subtle addition, keeping the feel of what had gone before.
Though closer “Elemental Child” works itself up into a squalling folk blues that makes a virtue of the amplification.
While the album didn’t chart a standalone single from the same sessions, released later in 1970 took them to #2. “Ride A White Swan” blended pop, folk and rock with electric guitar to the fore. Even if the lyrical whimsy was still in full effect. This was also the first release as T. Rex.
Tony Visconti said the name change came from him shortening the band name on the studio calendar.
This was simply because it was quicker than writing Tyrannosaurus Rex. Marc saw it and the abbreviated version stuck.
After “Ride A White Swan,” a full band was recruited with Steve Currie on bass and Bill Legend on drums. The transition was completed as the music and image changed from hippy to creating glam rock on next single, “Hot Love.”
Promoting “Hot Love,” Bolan sported glitter beneath his eyes, a mop of thick curls, tight satin clothes and make up. His slight stature, only 5ft 5in, gave an extra layer to the androgyny.
This was a year before Bowie unveiled Ziggy Stardust.
He was a manic pixie dream boy long before it was a thing.
T. Rex were now in their imperial phase.
“Ride A White Swan” to “Solid Gold Easy Action in 1972 saw a run of eight singles that all peaked at #1 or #2. The one thing they couldn’t do was break America.
They toured plenty and had four Hot 100 entries but only one was a proper hit, peaking at #10.
“Get It On” was retitled “Bang A Gong (Get It On)” to avoid confusion with a hit single from earlier in 1971 by Chase. The other three entries got no higher than #67.
Whereas at home:
They were so hot that their old label cashed in with a double A-side re-release of Debora / One Inch Rock that reached #7. While a repackaging of their first two albums topped the chart in the wake of the Electric Warrior album also doing the same.
The band were the first post Beatles act to inspire frenzied adulation.
The phrase “T-Rextasy “was coined to describe the pandemonium.
The sense of baton being passed on added to by Bolan befriending Ringo who directed Born To Boogie, a 1972 concert film released by Apple Films.
The evolution to T. Rex was not well received by everyone. The hippy audience Bolan had previously cultivated accused him of selling out. Their influential supporter John Peel was unimpressed and having voiced criticism of the change of direction the two never spoke again.
Bolan may not have cared. The new T. Rex were targeting a younger audience and he was revelling in the adulation.
In 1973 they released “20th Century Boy” which only peaked at #3.
Beginning with crunching guitars its an unrelenting wall of sound assault.
It’s the song that turned me onto T. Rex when it was used in a Levi’s ad in 1991. I’d known who they were and was well aware of “Get It On” in particular but “20th Century Boy “was new and thrilling.It was followed by “The Groover” at #4.
And just like that: T. Rextasy was over.
It was their final Top 10 hit. Glam moved on and after initially trailing his wake David Bowie was the new idol. Having existed in Bolan’s shadow he would now eclipse him. Something that Marc may have struggled to accept, making scathing remarks about Bowie in interviews around this time.
The 1974 album Zinc Alloy And The Riders Of Tomorrow faced suspicions of copying Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.
Although the title aped Bowie, the music moved on from glam aiming for Cosmic Soul. This was a year before Bowie went soul with Young Americans. Its just that Bowie did it a lot more successfully.
Gloria Jones entered the picture initially providing backing vocals and then keyboards.
Gloria had pedigree, recording the original “Tainted Love” which became a Northern Soul classic. She had also appeared in Hair and written for Motown.
They would have a son, Rolan Bolan in 1975. The rhyming name invites the Bowie comparison again, his first son being named Zowie.
T. Rex were in trouble. The band left one by one. Zinc Alloy was the last album Tony Visconti produced blaming Bolan’s ego for getting in the way.
Having maintained a clean living lifestyle through their hippy phase, success drew Bolan into drugs and alcohol.
He put on weight and cut his trademark corkscrew hair.
Despite the problems, the name T. Rex still meant something.
They no longer charted as high but they were still there, a level below. Of the 10 singles they released after “The Groover”, seven made the top 40 with four reaching the top 20.
By 1976 Bolan was cleaned up, slimmed back down and scored his last top 20 hit with “I Love To Boogie.” Parent album Dandy In The Underworld achieved their best placing since Zinc Alloy.
Which isn’t to say they were back on top. The next two singles stalled just outside the top 40.
Bolan though, was more relevant than he had been since their peak.
He was a hero to some of the punk generation who had watched him on Top of The Pops – and the feeling was mutual.
He attended The Ramones first ever UK show and took The Damned on tour as support.
He got his own TV show, and over six episodes showcased an eclectic mix of acts as well as providing a platform for him to perform the T. Rex back catalogue. From the punk scene he featured The Jam, Boomtown Rats, Generation X and more.
The final show, filmed on 7th September featured Bowie, the two of them firm friends again.
It aired three weeks later, by which time Bolan was dead. On 16th September Gloria drove the two of them home after a night out. The car left the road, hitting a tree. Gloria was critically injured and survived but Bolan was killed instantly. He was two weeks short of his 30th birthday.
Its unlikely that Bolan would have regained the success of T. Rex’s early 70s phase but he remained prolific. There was surely a lot still to come.
He at least left us with some great songs to remember him by.
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Recommendations for anyone wanting to explore further than the singles.
Debut album My People Were Fair… is the perfect distillation of hippy era Tyrannosaurus Rex.
For T. Rex at their peak; Electric Warrior is the place to go.
Final album; Dandy In The Underworld was their best in a while, sounding revitalised after a lull.
Found this Midnight Special appearance from 1973 while writing this which is great. One of Marc’s early TV appearances coincided with an early Jimi Hendrix appearance. He spoke of how much of an eye opener it was seeing him play and may well have influenced his own stagecraft. Especially apparent when viewing this.
https://youtu.be/gMzVeoJFw44?feature=shared
T. Rex is the era that I am familiar with. Electric Warrior and Dandy in the Underworld have been favorites for years. I have never dived into the earlier stuff from Tyrannosaurus Rex, but I may need to do that.
One small correction. Peregrin Took was a hobbit, not an orc. To LOTR fans, of which I am unabashedly one, that difference is huge.
Peregrin Took was indeed a hobbit. The band that Took formed after being ejected from Tyrannosaurus Rex were called Shagrat. Which i admit not being a big enough LOTR fan to know but I’m hopefully correctly informed that Shagrat is an Orc. Apologies to Tolkein fans if I did not word that clearly enough.
The early stuff tends to get overlooked, personally I think the debut is great so I’d check that out but then its gets patchy til Marc plugged in a guitar.
I apologize. I missed “post T-Rex band” while reading. Shagrat was indeed an orc. This is what happens when someone interrupts me and wants me to do actual work while I’m at work. I lose track of what I actually want to be doing, which is reading TNOCS.
Thanks for the suggestions. I find that I listen to less new (or new to me) music than I used to because I just don’t have as much time left to listen to bad music. Or even music that is just not my personal cup of tea. Almost everything that I listen to now is familiar or recommended by someone whose taste I trust. So I will definitely stick with the cream from this band.
Didn’t grow up hearing T-Rex, other than Bang a Gong, but did a deeper dive a few years back. Listening again today.
Some songs I like better than Bang a Gong, but I can see why they weren’t hits here, as they don’t possess the same memorable hook that song has. That doesn’t mean they’re not good songs, just not hit material in the format of the time here, though it’s easy to say that in hindsight. You picked a good artist to feature. There is no doubt that Marc Bolan is ground zero for glam rock, but people not as knowledgeable about music here will credit Bowie.
I like that Bowie himself shouts out T-Rex in “All the Young Dudes”.
This is neither here nor there, but “Get it On” by Chase is a total banger.
Another artist who died tragically and far too soon.
I can see why Get It On / Bang A Gong (your mileage may vary according to geographic location) was a hit in the US. It transcends its country of origin. I can also see why they struggled other than that. Though I also think 20th Century Boy should have done it for them too. Perhaps I’m biased because its my favourite T. Rex Singles.
I’ve never heard the other Get It On. It wasn’t til writing this that I discovered its existence and that its the reason for the change of title. I’ll have to give it a listen.
How much you enjoy a blistering horn section will likely determine your reaction to the other Get It On.