T.Rex - Electric Warrior (1971) (30th Anniversary Remaster Edit 2001)

T.Rex - Electric Warrior (1971) (30th Anniversary Remaster Edit 2001)

Japanese limited edition reissue of 1971 album with 8 bonus tracks, which are all 'work in progress', including 'Rip Off', 'Mambo Sun', 'Cosmic Dancer', 'Monolith', 'Get It On', 'Planet Queen', 'The Motivator' & 'Life's A Gas'. This limited version includes a CD slipcase with drawings on both sides and a poster (approx. 9 x 12 inches) of Marc Bolan in a comfortable position.

Electric Warrior, T. Rex's best album, distills elements of Marc Bolan's earlier acoustic period with a dynamic rock rhythm section--drummer Bill Legend and bassist Steve Currie--and lush arrangements by producer Tony Visconti. Featuring the classics "Bang a Gong (Get It On)," "Jeepster," and "Mambo Sun," Warrior ranges from the space blues of "Lean Woman Blues" to the punk jazz of "Rip Off," with a sound fleshed out by chamber strings and the falsetto harmonies of ex-Turtles and Mothers of Invention members Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. (Zappa sideman Ian McDonald plays sax as well.) Touches such as the arcing cellos of "Cosmic Dancer" and the sexy rhythms of "Planet Queen" perfectly bring to life Bolan's imaginative world of "diamond star halos" and "shadowless horses." A must for any serious collector of British rock classics. This remastered reissue is fleshed out with a half-dozen bonus tracks and a band interview...J. Rotondi

The album that essentially kick-started the U.K. glam rock craze, Electric Warrior completes T. Rex's transformation from hippie folk-rockers into flamboyant avatars of trashy rock & roll. There are a few vestiges of those early days remaining in the acoustic-driven ballads, but Electric Warrior spends most of its time in a swinging, hip-shaking groove powered by Marc Bolan's warm electric guitar. The music recalls not just the catchy simplicity of early rock & roll, but also the implicit sexuality -- except that here, Bolan gleefully hauls it to the surface, singing out loud what was once only communicated through the shimmying beat. He takes obvious delight in turning teenage bubblegum rock into campy sleaze, not to mention filling it with pseudo-psychedelic hippie poetry. In fact, Bolan sounds just as obsessed with the heavens as he does with sex, whether he's singing about spiritual mysticism or begging a flying saucer to take him away. It's all done with the same theatrical flair, but Tony Visconti's spacious, echoing production makes it surprisingly convincing. Still, the real reason Electric Warrior stands the test of time so well -- despite its intended disposability -- is that it revels so freely in its own absurdity and willful lack of substance. Not taking himself at all seriously, Bolan is free to pursue whatever silly wordplay, cosmic fantasies, or non sequitur imagery he feels like; his abandonment of any pretense to art becomes, ironically, a statement in itself. Bolan's lack of pomposity, back-to-basics songwriting, and elaborate theatrics went on to influence everything from hard rock to punk to new wave. But in the end, it's that sense of playfulness, combined with a raft of irresistible hooks, that keeps Electric Warrior such an infectious, invigorating listen today...S. Huey

The secret behind the glam pop of gorgeous, oh-so-groovy T. Rex mastermind Marc Bolan was this: Always make it seem heavy. On his excellent Electric Warrior -- a title that projects heavy-osity despite its music's carefully catchy touch -- Bolan's endless aura of cool turns lyrical inanities into psychedelic poetry. Released in 1971 (six years before Bolan's death in a car accident), T. Rex's sixth album is packed with ripping guitar riffs and even better rock 'n' roll imagery -- "You're built like a car/You've got a hubcap diamond star halo," Bolan sings on the hit "Bang a Gong," an anthem of abandon that sounds cool and controlled. T. Rex's lyrics didn't always make sense, as in "Under the alligator rain/My heart's all pain" from the thumping "Mambo Sun." But judging by the positive vibes of the album's closer, "Life's a Gas" ("But it really doesn't matter at all/Life's a gas/Hope it's gonna last"), it's doubtful this hipster would have gotten hung up on a critique of his lyrics. He was right anyway. When it comes to pop, the words really don't matter at all, either -- as long as it sounds good. And Electric Warrior sounds very good indeed...S. Kaufman

320 @
158 MB

Tracklist.

01 Mambo Sun 3:40
02 Cosmic Dancer 4:30
03 Jeepster 4:12
04 Monolith 3:49
05 Lean Woman Blues 3:04
06 Bang a Gong (Get It On) 4:27
07 Planet Queen 3:13
08 Girl 2:32
09 The Motivator 4:00
10 Life's a Gas 2:24
11 Rip Off 3:46
12. Rip Off (Work In Progress)
13. Mambo Sun (Work In Progress)
14. Cosmic Dancer (Work In Progress)
15. Monolith (Work In Progress)
16. Get It On (Work In Progress)
17. Planet Queen (Work In Progress)
18. The Motivator (Work In Progress)
19. Life's A Gas 9 (Work In Progress)

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