Disco de T. Rex: “Midnight Court at the Lyceum”

This has been in circulation for some time as a bootleg (which I could never find!), but finally, an official release. Full marks to the designer: the CD booklet and case back capture the feel of 1969. The sound is not of the best, but that's to be expected. The only time it seriously breaks down is for a few seconds during "Salamanda Palaganda" - it sounds like the original tape at some point got chewed up.

Considering that Unicorn was only a few months from release at the time this was recorded, it's surprising that more songs from Unicorn aren't featured. The first half concentrates on selections from the first two albums, plus, of course, the first two singles. It's only after they've won the audience that "new" material appears.

There's a lovely moment after "Once upon the Seas of Abyssinia" when Marc asks if there are any Pink Floyd fans in the house and Steve plays the first few notes of Interstellar Overdrive. They then launch into a raucous version of Do You Remember. This must have been quite a shock for the audience, the first time most of them had heard Tyrannosaurus Rex going electric!

Two bonus tracks, recorded earlier in the year in Denmark are included: a manic Strange Orchestras and a wonderful version of Eastern Spell, the latter worth buying this album for alone!