Disco de T. Rex: “Electric Warrior [Expanded]”

Time has been kind to Marc Bolan. No rocket scientist, Marc always just assumed his boppy elfin schtick set to the simplest of boogie beats would be accepted by one and all as the works of a genius. Initially adored mainly by 12 year old girls in England, his music has grown in stature over the years as tastes changed leaving him high and dry as the sole purveyer of a perculiar (in all senses of the word) style of rock that has over time proved remarkably difficult to reproduce. Electric Warrior is to Bolan what Ziggy Stardust was to Bowie (his friend at the time). Electric Warrior cuts loose from Bolans previous hippie ramblings, best realised on "Beard of Stars", and powered by superb production, and the judicious use of real musicians, the album boogies its three chord wonders into an entirely new domain that retains its unique charms to this day. Not deep, not complex, not even all that sensible, Electric Warrior nevertheless works and provides a telling reminder that 'pop' music is a rush that dosn't have to make sense it just has to make you feel good. Very good.

If you collect T. Rex CD's you're probably as frustrated as me with this particular album. A few years ago EDSEL records in the UK released pretty much everything in the vaults on CD from 1972-1977 and did a remarkable job artwork and sound quality wise. Every album was re-mastered with expanded original artwork and bonus tracks (mostly rare B-Sides). The problem is, everything before 1972 (including 1971's ELECTRIC WARRIOR) is being released by A&M, who seem to be working on a budget or something because we don't get the original artwork (aside from the front covers), bonus tracks or even lyrics. When I heard they were putting out ELECTRIC WARRIOR as a 30th anniversary edition with bonus tracks I immediately ordered one sight unseen hoping they would rectify past mistakes. All I can say is I'm bitterly disappointed. Where are the lyrics? Where's the gatefold photo of Marc from the LP? Why do we get Visconti's private pictures of freakin' Flo & Eddie in the studio instead? Aside from all that, the tracks don't even sound good. Mambo Sun even has a complete DROP OUT at one point. Was Tony taking a leak while remastering that one? Oh yeah, and if you were hoping for HOT LOVE or RAW RAMP as a bonus track, we are instead treated to studio outtakes. Interesting, but do we need to hear every bad take of each song? It really spoils the album as a whole for me. If you want a decent copy of this album on CD look for the REPRISE version that's been out for years or the elusive Japanese version.

Where do I start? This is still my favorite T-Rex album. Marc did something remarkable and very cool in the early '70's: fusing commercial-sounding guitar-riffs with a melancholy, sublime and highly poetic sentiment that was unmistakably his own. Just listen to that strange elfin voice, crooning such deep wistfulness on the slow tracks like "Cosmic Dancer". Listen to the bizarre campy feeling of "Rip Off", when he affects a growling sort of shout. If you're interested in glam-rock, you should know that Marc Bolan was a close friend of the "king" of glam-rock, David Bowie, and Bowie's song "Lady Stardust" was inspired by Marc, who sang his "songs of darkness and disgrace" most beautifully on Electric Warrior.

To complain about the commercial aspect of this album is to miss the point. The commercial-ness consists only in the deliberately campy guitar-riffs, which were balanced by Marc's beautiful croon and the excellent percussion section by Mickey Finn, to which were added the eerie background vocals. That's what glam-rock was about- the conjunction of lowness with stateliness.

My favorite song is "Life's a Gas": "I could have turned you into a priestess/ I could have burned your fate in the sand/ Bu-uut it a' really doesn't matter at all/ No it a' really doesn't matter at all/ Li-ife's a gas- hope it's gonna last!"

This is one reissue that is definitely worth your money. The remastering makes this classic album punchier and even more delectable. In case you don't know, Electric Warrior is a blast. It's one of those rare albums that sounds like a band having a party in the studio. There is nothing deep about this music. It's just uplifting, sexy, rocking grooves that make you shake your ***.

I'm no T. Rex/Marc Bolan expert. But compared to the few other T. Rex albums I've bought, this one is their most nuanced and varied. This was the record that Bolan was hoping would break them in America (as mentioned in the bonus interview). When that didn't happen, he sank into obscurity and eventual self-parody. Never again would T Rex sound as fresh and exciting as they do on Electric Warrior.

Anyway, this is one of the crucial rock albums of the 1970s and probably THE quintessential glam rock album. Sure, Bowie's Ziggy Stardust was a higher-concept affair, but it is also much more dated. The Rhino remaster freshens up this already timeless album.

This is one of my all time favorites - if not THE favorite album in my collection. I remember seeing a picture of Marc Bolan in the early 80's and thought to myself, man, this guy looks wild - I've got to hear what his music is like. Thus began my odyssey to get my hands on anything associated with Marc Bolan.

This album was the starting point - and it's a true gem. From the opening track, the hypnotic, sultry "Mambo Sun" to bombasitc guitars and violins on the closer "Rip Off", it's the perfect album - the centerpiece of UK Glam rock in the 70's.

Tony Visconti's involvement here brings the album full circle. The mix of Bolan's poems set to music mingled with Tony's production and orchestral arrangements are captured perfectly in "Cosmic Dancer," my favorite track on the album.

There's not a bad song here. If you're curious and want to know more about Marc Bolan and his band, T.Rex, look no further than this album.