T. Rex Album: “Unicorn [Expanded Edition]”

Marc Bolan and Steve Took produced 'Unicorn' as their third and final album together in May of 1969. Bolan's next release, 'A Beard Of Stars' would feature Micky Finn in Took's place. Finn would also occupy a place in Bolan's more notorious backing band, T-Rex, as they electrified their schtick with 1971's 'Electric Warrior'. Steve Took's contribution to this release, widely regarded as Bolan's finest acoustic piece, can hardly be underestimated. Though Bolan's Donovan Leich-like vocal mannerisms, compelling acoustic guitar playing, and composing talents are unquestionably center stage in Tyrannosaurus Rex, Took's vocals, bass guitar, and piano contributions are creative and indispensible to the finished product.

And what a product it is. While most people first became aware of Bolan's talents with the success of his glam-rock persona and single releases under the banner of T-Rex, this strange but gripping work stands as a minor masterpiece. The strangeness, and certainly the explanation for its stealth existance over the decades, traces back to the lyrical content of the compositions. Bolan brings a Tolkien-like consciousness to the whole affair, presenting a fantasy world of images featuring chariots, kegs of dew, silent scriptures, a shell of foam, bluebells in hearts, sky-blue teeth, starbrowed brothers, a chalcedony bed, a muse on life's lawn, a thunderbolt suit, and Silver Satyrs, just to name a few. While at once seemingly a Dada-redeux, one can't help but to suspect that, in Bolan's mind, perhaps all of this has some underlying meaning. He sings as though he does, though the delivery of these perplexing lyrics is similarly strained. He frequently slurs or warbles the lyrics in that unmistakable, faltering Donovan Leitch style, making them difficult to understand in more ways than one. Of course the lyrics produce an atmosphere of mystery and a dragons and dungeons, Camelot, and Nostradomas mystique as well, and that is very much in character with the sonic texture of the songs. There are at times strange sound effects, such as the sounds of birds, and perchance gnomes serving as bookends for the halting 'Pon a Hill', or the curious sounds accompanying the marching melody in 'She Was Born To Be My Unicorn'. Despite the strangeness, none of this is at all offensive. In fact, one must suspect that this was the feel Bolan and Took were reaching for, as it permeates each and every track.

What you won't be able to get away from on 'Unicorn' are the often breathtaking, wonderfully complex and varied melodies the duo produce. My favorites are the memorably mystic sound of 'Warlord of the Royal Crocodiles', the fun and catchy ' The Misty Coast of Albany', and the first three bonus tracks, the bright and lively 'Pewter Suitor', and 'King of the Rumbling Spires' and 'Do You Remember', both of which feature fuzzy, pumping electric guitars and bass, bringing to mind the sound Bolan was moving towards for 'Electric Warrior' in 1971. The first five tracks on 'Unicorn' feature highly engaging melodies, which become even more engaging with each listen. The lyrics are at times stunning as well, such as "Just like a prancer, a gypsy dancer..." from 'The Seal of Seasons'. The weaker tracks, and that is certainly a relative term, and only perceived as such because they are less memorable and distinguished than the others, would be 'Stones For Avalon', 'The Pilgrim's Tale', and 'Romany Soup'. On the latter track, UK DJ John Peel delivers a several minute spoken-word introduction that is every bit as mysterious as each and every song on 'Unicorn'.

On the upside, if there is anything you don't like on 'Unicorn', it is likely to pass quickly. As Bolan doesn't allow himself to be restrained lyrically, he doesn't aim to present any of his compositions in a Top 40, AM radio format. The shortest track is 'Pon a Hill' at 1:14, and the longest 'Romany Soup' at 5:39, but several minutes of that consists of Peel's soliloquy. Five songs from the original vinyl album run under two minutes, and again, don't expect verses/chorus/bridge/chorus/verses/chorus. There's organization, but each track has a mind of its own.

So what we have here is pure art-rock. Many of the songs possess captivating melodies, exquisite musicianship, and the type of experimentation, sincerity, and thoughtfulness that was suppose to epitomize music of the 1960's, but so often didn't. While the overall feel of the album is optimistic and light, some slower, darker, sad and even brooding fare can be found on tracks such as 'Like a White Star...' and 'Evening of Damask'. 'Unicorn' was originally released with 16 tracks, but this remaster adds three new tracks (#17-19), alternates of each new track, and alternate versions of nine songs from the original sixteen. Most of these versions are more stripped-down, especially of sound effects, but otherwise pretty similar to the originals. The imported package comes nicely illustrated with lyrics (yeah!), informative liner notes, numerous photographs and displays of other memorabilia, and if you have a use for it, an outer cardboard sleeve. It's the real ticket, and a handsome find for a lover of the best in 1960's music.

Unicorn was the third of four albums by Tyrannosaurus Rex and the last with Steve Peregrine Took. Released in May 1969, it followed the failure of their third single, Pewtor Suitor, in January. This had followed in the mould of the first two singles and albums by largely replicating the acoustic sound the band created onstage over the last year or so. The same could be said of the B-side, Warlord of The Royal Crocodiles, recorded near the start of the sessions for the album in December 1968.

Given that the duo had released two albums within the last twelve months, all written by Marc Bolan, the quality of the songs on Unicorn was remarkably strong, showing his considerable development as a writer, lyrically and musically, and fully utilising the flexible creativity of his musical partner Steve Took. Not anyway given to self-doubt, Marc Bolan must have been particularly confident at the outset of the sessions, and was therefore severely challenged by the commercial failure of Pewtor Suitor.

He met the challenge during the sessions, which lasted until 2nd February 1969, by experimenting with more instruments and multi-track overdubs, with the help of regular producer Tony Visconti and engineers Malcolm Toft and Rob Cabel, to create a much more complex panoply of chromatic sounds that incorporated Spectorish reverb and percussion. If not exactly a Wall Of Sound, they brilliantly complemented the beautiful idiosyncrasy of the songs. Marc added harmonium, lip organ and fonofidels to his repertoire, while Steve additionally supplied bass guitar, piano, drumkit and pixiepipe. Tony Visconti added some piano to Catblack. The result was a worthy 16-track successor to My People and Prophets and reversed their commercial decline by making a very healthy showing in the album charts.

The bonus tracks begin with Pewtor Suitor (in stereo) and show the way forward with the next single, not taken from Unicorn but freshly recorded in April 1969: King Of The Rumbling Spires/Do You Remember. This represented a quantum leap with electric guitars, Woolworth's organ and full drums in evidence. The remaining tracks are early takes of the songs from Unicorn and an early version of Do You Remember featuring as far as I know the only lead vocal that Steve Took recorded with Tyrannosaurus Rex. His enunciation is clearer than Marc's and allays a worry I have had for 35 years about one of the words in the lyric when he sings "Her face was like a coat to me".

The final Tyrannosaurus Rex album to feature Steve Peregrin Took is also their finest, achieving a rare essence of psych-folk magic before Marc Bolan went down the more commercially successful path of T Rex. To be sure, there's no denying the irresistibly head-bopping charm of "Ride A White Swan" or "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" ... but it's a pity that he didn't do a little more music in the vein of this album, even if its style of music was about to come to an end.

What makes it so enchanting & captivating? The songwriting is melodic & strong, the atmosphere is surprisingly rich & lush for an acoustic duo, the lyrics are otherworldy & always teetering on the edge of twee preciousness without quite falling over into sheer twaddle. More than that, though -- there's a naive & earnest sincerity here that never bogs down in portentous bombast. There's always the sense of a delighted, childlike wink that invites the listener to enter this world pf personal mythology & forget about the outside world for awhile, a promise of both mystery & fun. And it's a promise that Bolan & Took fulfill from first track to last.

In its own way, this is an essential album in that it's pretty much the culmination & most creatively cohesive expression of a unique style of music. It's very much of its time, of course, but that's the attraction. Yet it also has a certain timeless quality as well, as if arising from the depths of the collective unconscious, the bottomless sea of myth & legend & dreams. And if that sounds just a little too ethereal, well, that's what this album is all about!

Not for every taste, obviously -- but for the psych-folk aficionado, highly recommended!