Disco de T. Rex: “Best of MusikLaden [Video]”

great graphics, great music, marc looks pleasantly strung out.

a warning to all...this video is a mere 20 minutes and 5 songs, unlike a lot of other videos in the musik laden series.

With modern day tools and technology taking over, it's nice to see at least somethings are still kept in their original form. This video, which is a series of videos with other bands (America, Roxy Music, etc.), shows T. Rex in the form that they were in before Tanx, Zinc Alloy, and the super stardom. And, I must say, I like the earlier version of T. Rex better. No cocaine, no arguments, no greed. Just straightforward music. "Life's A Gas", "Twentieth Century Boy" (Featuring the outfit worn by Marc that led to Ziggy Stardust), "Jeepster", and "Ride A White Swan" are all great versions. Don't be keen to buy this just because it's only 20 minutes long. It's the best 20 minutes of live music you'll ever hear!

This great little video features five T.V. performances that Marc and Company did in Germany - the best part is that one can watch Marc metamorphosize from shy guitarist to in-your-face glam rocker, all in a matter of a two-year time span.

The earliest, "White Swan", gives us a glimpse of the original Tyrannosaurus Rex two-man minimalist stage show. "Jewel" is notable for Steve Currie's extended bass solo - very tasty. "Jeepster" and a well-chosen counterpoint, "Life's a Gas", lead up to an explosive "20th Century Boy" from 1972 - worth repeated viewing all by itself.

Well worth the purchase - it may not be available for very long, so get it while it's still around.

The pro's to this video are that it's fun to see Marc Bolan, and the song selection is good. The down side is that there are some really cheasey effects. For instance they have the psychadelic kaleidascope effect going on for most of the songs. If you're into live videos where you can see the guitar players hands and get a good look at the instruments then this video isn't for you. By the last song 20th Century Boy they get rid of the ... effects and it comes out a lot better than the other songs. One other draw back is that on a couple of the songs they have over dubs. Even though it is live, it's obvious that Marc Bolan went back and added the solo parts over Jeepster. Also, they do the same thing on Life's A Gas. The good part is that the overdubs aren't from the album, so at least you don't lose too much of the live appeal. When this happens you'll see two Marc Bolans on the screen each playing their respective parts, which I think was done to be trippy. Remember this was made in the early 70's and LSD was still a prevelant part of the rock scene. All in all, I really like this video and I'm happy with the footage.