Disco de T. Rex: “Prophets, Seers & Sages the Angels of the Ages”

...which actually isn't so hard, when you realize that most of the songs on this album, the sophomore effort by Tyrannosaurus Rex, have strong enough melodies and clever enough guitar hooks

to have been hits if given the proper "commercial" trappings. Actually, the group's May 1968 debut single "Debora" *did* climb to #6 on the UK charts in the wake of T.Rextasy in 1972; it is reprised here in an arguably superior version, being reversed to sound backwards in its second half. Thus "Prophets, Seers And Sages" sets itself up nicely as an album of very eccentric psychedelic folk which turned many listeners off at the time and still does now--however, those that are pulled in by the album's

flowing strengths will find that there is nothing quite like it (outside of the next album, "Unicorn", perhaps).

Although described by Paytress in the liner notes to this deluxe remaster as a "mod dressed in hippie clothing", Bolan certainly

could've fooled Ginsberg and Leary; even the presence given off by him on the album's bizarre cover photo seems otherwordly, although it is merely a picture of the duo in a garden (this photogenic quality would be exploited later for worldwide fame and fortune--compare the eerily similar expressions on his face here and on "The Slider"). Leaving the drug-taking to brilliant sidekick Steve Took, Bolan's lyrical edge is firmly grounded in

a mixture of medieval/Tolkein imagery and dadaist absurdity, although without the lyric sheet in front of one (thankfully reprinted in the liners), not a word is understandable. No matter; acoustic guitars strum effortlessly hummable tunes against a background of bongos in overdrive, embellished here and there by cooling chimes, a thoughtful pixiephone or brisk handclaps. The sound is very English, and while very much in the spirit of its time, is so unique (especially vocally) that it certainly stands outside the decade as well.

The faster tracks, like "Debora", "Salamanda Palaganda", "Aznageel The Mage", "Juniper Suction" and "Conesuela" all sound vaguely oriental and are played at a frenetic pace, giving them an urgent quality; the odd voices swim around each other to unveil another pandora's box opened ("Juniper Suction" is a particularly fine cut that actually feels like one is being sucked into the song, but ends almost before it begins!). By contrast, the pastoral cuts for which this album and "Unicorn" are known couldn't get more mysterious or lovely; "Wind Quartets", "Travelling Tragition" and "Oh Harley" are the best on the album, as they instantly conjure a form of meditative magic that lingers long after the disc has stopped playing (the use of exotic percussion heightens this effect). The aura of sex which so permeated the "Electric Warrior"/"Slider" period is not as obviously stated, but is

a subtle underground embellishment here that one should watch out

for, especially during a song like "Juniper Suction".

The closing "Scenescof Dynasty" is an epic spoken poem set to handclaps that is of interest, although in this remaster we get to hear for the first time an alternate, much more powerful version with added percussion effects. And this is where the delight of this reissue comes through: not only does the album sound better than it ever has, the added outtakes are almost all previously unreleased, and while some stick close to the final

versions, others like "Scenescof Dynasty" show the Tyrannosaurus Rex sound in development in the studio. An unreleased track, the instantly catchy "Nickelodeon", is very much in the style of the album and would have made a great cut. In all, "Prophets, Seers And Sages" is perhaps Bolan's most intimate album: with just an acoustic guitar and some of Took's charming percussion and backing vocals, an entire universe of potential elfin pop

hits is uncovered. That universe would open gloriously wider with the larger pallette used for the Spector-ish production on "Unicorn" and then of course the addition of electricity on everything afterwards, but that's for the other remasters in the series.

In general this album is similar to Tyrannosaurus's debut (my people were fair...) but in my opinion it lacks the freshness of the former. "Deboraarobed" is simply their debora plays backward, and some fillers (e.g. friends)make this record a sub to its debut. Anyway, it's still full with mystic(if meaningless) lyrics, catchy melodies, brillant drumming, etc. Good track like "stacey grove" also save it from a forgettable work. Enjoy it if you like 60's psychedelic folk. Not bad, but comparatively weak among Tyrannosaurus Rex's albums.

"Scenesc of Dynasty" is the longest song on the album, and it repeats the same exact melody the entire time (and it repeats at least 100 times... ugh). Lyrically it's a pretty.... strange song to say the least, and illustrates just how intelligent and thought provoking Marc Bolan was, but it doesn't have a whole lot going for it other than the creative lyrics. Still, maybe it's the handclaps or the simplicity of it all that actually makes it appealing in some bizarre way, but I like it. A song like this would probably freak out the average music listener because it's extremely hard to interpret.

"Deboraarobed" is the second longest song at only 3 and a half minutes, and it's almost as repetitive as "Scenesc of Dynasty". It eventually dissolves into a wave of constant "la la la" lines repeating endlessly. It's fairly annoying. "Stacey Grove" contains a pretty good vocal melody and seems more focused than the two songs I mention above. "Wind Quarter" has a solid vocal melody with a noticeably slight oddness to the guitar strings. The atmosphere is the most notable aspect of the song since it contains that familiar haunting feeling we'd experience in huge amounts soon after this albums release. It's a distinct feeling of creepiness I've always associated with the music of Tyrannosaurus Rex and T.Rex.

"Coneseula" contains another splendid vocal melody, and I'm noticing a trend that the songwriting is improving as the album rolls along. "Trelawney Lawn" though short, has a good vocal melody and an interesting moment of whistling at the end that resembles a certain Peter Gabriel song. "Aznageel the Mage" focuses around Marc Bolan going "de de de de la la la" more often than anything else, and it's... alright I suppose. The fact it's just flat out *different* from anything else I've ever experienced means it deserves respect, you know? "The Friends" feels severely incomplete, vocally.

"Salamanda Palaganda" has a pretty solid vocal melody and the chorus is quite mysterious as well thanks to some exceptionally inspiring vocal work. "Our Wonderful Brownskin Man" is probably undeveloped just a tad, though it's enjoyable while it lasts. "Oh Harley the Saltimbanques" features quite the unique vocal melody with handclaps coming out of nowhere unexpectedly, thanks to a weird tempo change, with more "la la la" chants courtesy of Mr. Bolan. I love it in this case, though. "Eastern Spell" is passable, though nothing particularly great. "The Travelling Tragition" has a verse melody that's quite unusual to say the least. It's unusually pleasant, to be precise. "Juniper Suction" has a creepy atmosphere like a good Nick Drake song (to draw a comparison).

I'm actually not sure whether the majority of Prophets Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages is forgettable or not, but you know, the more I think about it, the more I realize this stuff is WAY too unique to ever be considered forgettable. It's a radically different approach to the folk rock movement by adding atmosphere which gives it a level of seriousness, and clever lyrics which are quite honestly confusing to understand, but that's part of the Marc Bolan legacy so all is forgiveable.