T. Rex (band)

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Image:Slider03.JPG T. Rex (originally known as Tyrannosaurus Rex), was a British rock band fronted by Marc Bolan. It was founded in 1960s London and found success as a 1970s glam rock group.

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Formation

The band was founded by Marc Bolan in 1967 and performed just once as a five-piece rock band, at The Roundhouse, before immediately breaking up in disarray. Bolan retained the services of percussionist Steve "Peregrin" Took and the duo began producing eccentric pastoral and folk-tinged ditties steeped in Tolkienian mythology, with spiritual homages to Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran thrown into the mix for good measure.

The combination of Bolan's acoustic guitar and cat-like wail with Steve Took's bongos and assorted percussion, which often included children's instruments such as the Pixiephone, gained them a devoted following on a thriving underground scene that included the Incredible String Band. Disc jockey John Peel befriended the band and ferried them to and from gigs in his Mini. Peel later appeared on record with them, reading stories written by Bolan. Another key collaborator was producer Tony Visconti, who went on to produce the band's albums well into their second phase.

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Tyrannosaurus Rex

By 1969 there was a clear rift between the two halves of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Bolan and his girlfriend June Child (ex-girlfriend of Syd Barrett) were living a quiet life, while Took had fully embraced the anti-commercial/community spirited/drug-taking ethos of the UK Underground scene centered around Ladbroke Grove. Took was also attracted to the most anarchistic elements such as Mick Farren/Deviants and members of the Pink Fairies Rock 'n' Roll and Drinking Club.

By now Took was writing his own songs and wanted the duo to perform them, but Bolan firmly refused. Took contributed his talents and two songs, including, "The Sparrow Is A Sign" to Twink's Think Pink album, which Bolan probably also didn't approve.

Bolan's relationship with Took ended after Unicorn, although they were contractually obliged to go through a US tour which was doomed before it began. Poorly promoted and planned, the tour saw the acoustic duo senselessly billed alongside loud electric acts. Took commented that the audience often did not even notice they had started their set and he would sometimes strip to the waist and whip himself in Iggy Pop manner.

As soon as he returned to the United Kingdom, Bolan replaced Took with bongo player Mickey Finn, who would remain with Bolan until 1975. They made A Beard of Stars, the final album under the name Tyrannosaurus Rex. Unlike Took, Finn had no song writing aspirations.

As well as progressively shorter titles, the albums began to show higher production values, more accessible song writing from Bolan, and experimentation with electric guitars and a rock sound. The breakthrough was in "King of the Rumbling Spires" (recorded with Steve Took) which used a full rock band. This era also saw the publication of The Warlock of Love, a book of Bolan's poetry; derided by critics, it nevertheless became the best-selling poetry book of its time.

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T. Rex

The next album, entitled simply T. Rex, continued the process of simplification by shortening the name and completed the move to electric guitars. (Legend has it the Tony Visconti got fed up with writing the name out in full on studio chitties and tapes and began to abbreviate it. When Bolan first noticed he was supposedly furious, but later claimed it was his own idea.) The sound was altogether "peppier" and the first single, "Ride a White Swan," reached number two in the UK chart in late 1970.

"Ride a White Swan" was quickly followed by a second single, "Hot Love". A full band was hastily formed and began to tour to increasing audiences, with teenage girls (teeny boppers) replacing the hippies of old. Chelita Secunda (wife of Tony Secunda, manager to The Move and for a brief period T. Rex) added two spots of glitter under Bolan's eyes before an appearance on Top of the Pops, controversially viewed as the official birth of glam rock. (Some attribute its beginnings to Alice Cooper, who would dress in torn women's clothing as part of his stage act.) After Bolan's glittery display, however, glam rock would sweep the United Kingdom and many parts of Europe during 1971/1972, producing acts of varying worth.

The second T. Rex album, Electric Warrior released in September 1971, added bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend. Considered by many to be their best album, it brought great success to the group. Publicist BP Fallon coined the term "T. Rextasy" as a parallel to Beatlemania: it accurately described the atmosphere that quickly surrounded the band. A couple of years of regular chart success followed, with hit singles such as "Metal Guru" and "Telegram Sam" pouring off what came to resemble a production line.

Electric Warrior produced T. Rex's best-known song, titled (in the UK) "Get It On", which hit number one on the British charts. In January 1972 it became a Top Ten hit in the US, where the song was retitled "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" to distinguish it from the song with the same name by the group Chase, also released in 1971. "Get It On" and Gary Glitter's "Rock And Roll" were two of the few British glam rock songs that had success in the US.

On March 18, 1972, T. Rex played two shows at the Empire Pool, Wembley, which were filmed by Ringo Starr and his film crew for Apple Films. A large part of the second show was used on Marc Bolan's own rock film Born To Boogie, while bits and pieces of the first show can be seen throughout the credits at the end of the film. Along with Marc Bolan & T. Rex and Ringo Starr, Born To Boogie also featured Elton John, who jammed with the friends to create a rockin' studio versions of "Children Of The Revolution" and "Tutti Frutti"; Elton John appeared on TV with Bolan later playing (miming actually) the piano part to "Get it on".

Born To Boogie was premiered at the Oscar One cinema in London in December 1972 with Bolan, Ringo Starr and Elton John in attendance. The film received negative reviews from the critics, while it was loved by the fans. Recently, the song "The Slider" from the album of the same name is featured in a Coke-a-Cola commercial.

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Disintegration, recovery and death

Original members of the band began to leave in 1973, alienated by Bolan's increasingly egotistical behaviour which was fed by success, money, cocaine and brandy. Bolan and his wife/manager June divorced and he began a relationship with Gloria Jones, a popular session singer. Jones had achieved fame in the US for the 1964 recording "Tainted Love", written by Ed Cobb of the Four Preps. In the early 1980s, the UK group Soft Cell gained notoriety with their cover of this song.

Jones became Bolan's backing singer, lover, and mother of his only child, Rolan, who was born in 1975. Finn left in the band in early 1975. Always a fantasist with a Napoleon complex, Bolan grew increasingly isolated from the "real world" and high UK tax rates drove him into exile. No longer a vegetarian, he grew heavy on a diet of hamburgers and alcohol and was ridiculed in the music press.

By 1977, much of Bolan's wealth had gone, but he had managed to lose some weight and get his career back on track. His last album, Dandy In The Underworld, made the UK top 30, with final singles "New York City", "I Love To Boogie", and "Celebrate Summer" restoring him to the UK singles top 20. The spring UK tour of the album gained positive reviews. In Autumn 1977 Bolan hosted his own ITV show, Marc. Bolan was a crusader for punk rock, which led him to invite many punk artists on to his TV show. Interested in bridging the gap between the rock and roll of the early seventies with the current younger generation's punk scene, the format was to allow Bolan to play his own music, both old and new, as well as to introduce and interview upcoming bands, who included Generation X, The Rods, and Boomtown Rats.

On the final episode of Marc, a long awaited performance with his old friend David Bowie was scheduled. At the end of the show Marc proceeded to trip and fall off of the stage, receiving a smirk from Bowie, and the credits abruptly rolled. This would be Marc's final public appearance and his symbolic "fall from grace" for he would pass away less than a week later.

As Bolan was enjoying a newfound surge in popularity, he talked about performing again with original partners Finn and Took. Unfortunately, after dining at a restaurant, a few minutes before 5 a.m. on September 16, 1977, he was killed when his car, driven by his girlfriend Gloria Jones, hit a tree in Barnes, South West London, less than a mile from his home in Richmond. He died two weeks before his 30th birthday. Ironicly, Marc never learned to drive a car, and was known to fear them for he had visions all his life of dying in a automobile. Gloria Jones survived the crash and shortly afterward returned to her native America with Rolan.

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Discography

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As Marc Bolan

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Singles

  • "The Wizard" b/w "Beyond The Rising Sun" (11/1965)
  • "The Third Degree" b/w "San Francisco Poet" (6/1966)
  • "Hippy Gumbo" b/w "Misfit" (12/1966)
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As John's Children

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Singles

  • "Desdemona" b/w "Remember Thomas a Beckett" (Bolan on A-side only) (5/1967)
  • "Midsummer Night's Scene" b/w "Sara Crazy Child" (release cancelled) (6/1967)
  • "Come And Play With Me In The Garden" b/w "Sara Crazy Child" (Bolan on B-side only) (8/1967)
  • "Go Go Girl" b/w "Jagged Time Lapse" (A-side is version of Bolan's "Mustang Ford" and features Bolan on guitar) (10/1967)
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As Tyrannosaurus Rex

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Albums

  • Marc Bolan: vocals, acoustic guitar
  • Steve "Peregrin" Took: backing vocals, drums, pixiephone, percussion
  • John Peel: story reader
  • Marc Bolan: vocals, guitar
  • Steve "Peregrin" Took: bongos, African drums, kazoo, pixiephone, Chinese gong
  • Marc Bolan: vocals, guitar
  • Steve "Peregrin" Took: bongos, African drums, kazoo, pixiephone, Chinese gong
  • Marc Bolan: vocals, guitar
  • Mickey Finn: percussion
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Singles

  • "Debora" b/w "Child Star" (19 April 1968) Best Chart Position: #34 ~ Weeks in Chart: 7
  • "One Inch Rock" b/w "Salamanda Palaganda" (23 August 1968) Best Chart Position: #28 ~ Weeks in Chart: 7
  • "Pewter Suitor" b/w "Warlord of the Royal Crocodiles" (14 January 1969)
  • "King of the Rumbling Spires" b/w "Do You Remember?" (25 July 1969) Best Chart Position: #44 ~ Weeks in Chart: 1
  • "By The Light Of A Magical Moon" b/w "Find A Little Wood" (January 1970)
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As T. Rex

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Final line-up

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Former members

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Albums

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Singles

  • "Ride a White Swan" b/w "Is It Love", "Summertime Blues" (October 1970) Best Chart Position: #2
  • "Hot Love" b/w "Woodland Rock", "King Of The Mountain Cometh" (February 1971) Best Chart Position: #1
  • "Get It On" b/w "There Was A Time", "Raw Ramp" (July 1971) Best Chart Position: #1
  • "Jeepster" b/w "Life's A Gas" (November 1971) Best Chart Position: #1
  • "Telegram Sam" b/w "Cadilac", "Baby Strange" (January 1972) Best Chart Position: #1
  • "Metal Guru" b/w "Thunderwing", "Lady" (May 1972) Best Chart Position: #1
  • "Children of the Revolution" b/w "Jitterbug Love", "Sunken Rags" (September 1972) Best Chart Position: #2
  • "Solid Gold Easy Action" b/w "Born To Boogie" (December 1972) Best Chart Position: #2
  • "T. Rex Christmas Record"" (flexidisc free to Fan Club members) (December 1972)
  • "20th Century Boy" b/w "Free Angel" (March 1973) Best Chart Position: #3
  • "The Groover" b/w "Midnight" (May 1973) Best Chart Position: #4
  • "Truck On (Tyke)" b/w "Sitting Here" (November 1973) Best Chart Position: #12
  • "Teenage Dream" b/w "Satisfaction Pony" (January 1974) Best Chart Position: #13
  • "Light Of Love" b/w "Explosive Mouth" (July 1974) Best Chart Position: #22
  • "Zip Gun Boogie" b/w "Space Boss" (November 1974) Best Chart Position: #41
  • "New York City" b/w "Chrome Sitar" (July 1975) Best Chart Position: #15
  • "Dreamy Lady" b/w "Do You Wanna Dance", "Dock Of The Bay" (September 1975) Best Chart Position: #30
  • "London Boys" b/w "Solid Baby" (February 1976) Best Chart Position: #40
  • "I Love To Boogie" b/w "Baby Boomerang" (June 1976) Best Chart Position: #13
  • "Laser Love" b/w "Life's An Elevator" (September 1976) Best Chart Position: #41
  • "The Soul Of My Suit" b/w "All Alone" (March 1977) Best Chart Position: #42
  • "Dandy In The Underworld" b/w "Groove A Little", "Tame My Tiger" (May 1977)
  • "Celebrate Summer" b/w "Ride My Wheels" (August 1977)
  • Notable posthumous releases include the reissue of the expanded The Beginning of Doves in 2002, a collection of early songs and demos recorded in between John's Children and Tyrannosaurus Rex, and The Children of Rarn, demos for the sub-Tolkien concept album that Bolan and Visconti had been talking about for years as the project that would re-establish Bolan as a creative force to be reckoned with.
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See also

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Reference

  • "Marc Bolan: T. Rextasy" by Mark Paytress (Mojo, issue no. 138, May 2005)
  • Bolan: The Rise And Fall Of A 20th Century Superstar by Mark Paytress (Omnibus Press, 2003)
  • Marc Bolan: 1947-1977 A Chronology by Cliff McLenehan (Helter Skelter Publishing, 2002)
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External links

es:T.Rex fr:T-Rex (groupe) ja:T・レックス fi:T. Rex sv:T. Rex

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