Marc had always insisted on giving his fans their money's worth by having at least one unique song on each single. Between 1971 and 1973 Marc was on a roll and released four singles that contained all non-LP tracks.
When you look at Marc's non-LP output from this period it almost seems like he was releasing a new album a few tracks at a time. Similar in the way writers would serialize a novel by releasing a chapter at a time in a magazine. If we gathered those tracks together we could make a fine album that would rest easily along side the three albums he released during that time.
This could be done in one of two ways. Gather all of the best songs that will fit on one vinyl LP or gather everything and put them all on one CD. There is too much material for a single album but not enough songs for a full double album. I played with option one but went with option two and filled out the CD with some rare bonus material.
01 Hot Love (Non-LP Single A Side)
02 King Of The Mountain Cometh (Hot Love B Side)
03 Woodland Rock (Hot Love B Side)
04 There Was A Time_Raw Ramp (Get It On B Side)
05 Sailors of the Highway (BBC recording. Never recorded for LP)
06 Cadillac (Telegram Sam B Side)
07 Thunderwing (Metal Guru B Side)
08 Lady (Metal Guru B Side)
09 Children Of The Revolution (Non-LP Single A Side)
10 Jitterbug Love (Children Of The Revolution B Side)
11 Sunken Rags (Children Of The Revolution B Side)
12 Solid Gold Easy Action (Non-LP Single A Side)
13 20th Century Boy (Non-LP Single A Side)
14 Free Angel (20th Century Boy B Side)
15 The Groover (Non-LP Single A Side)
16 Midnight (The Groover B Side)
17 Truck On (Tyke) (Non-LP Single A Side)
18 Sitting Here (Truck On (Tyke) B Side)
19 Children Of The Revolution (Born To Boogie soundtrack feat. Elton John and Ringo Star)
20 Children Of Rarn Suite (Unreleased)
Reality Notes
In 1971 Marc released Hot Love. If the previous single, Ride A White Swan, brought Marc to the edge of stardom, Hot Love pushed him over the edge. In the three short years following Marc had ten singles reach the top ten in the charts. Most of those reached the number one slot. T.Rex was everywhere. Hailed has the next Beatles, Trexstasy reached a fever pitch and in the eyes of the fans, Marc could do no wrong. Former Beatle Ringo Starr even directed a concert film for Apple Films.
My own Trexstasy reached its height in the late 70s and early 80s. I would scour the cutout bins (remember those?) and used record stores for anything that I had not heard yet. Occasionally I would come across a compilation with a new song and on rare occasions I would find a completely new album I had never seen before.
For this comp I gathered all of the non-LP tracks released between 1971 and 1973. I added three bonus tracks to bring it up to double album length. Sailors of the Highway was never recorded for a T.Rex album or single. It was released by Gloria Jones on her Vixen album which Marc produced. This T.Rex version comes from a BBC studio performance. The second version of Children of the Revolution comes from the Born To Boogie soundtrack for the film directed by Ringo Starr, It's an in studio performance featuring Ringo and Elton John. This version was recorded before the single version and is my preferred go to version.
The Children of Rarn Suite comes from this period but was not finished until the eighties by producer Tony Visconti. Originating in 1970 two short excerpts bookended the T.Rex album. This demo was recorded in 1971. The Children of Rarn was an ambitious project that at one time was planned to be a double album with an accompanying novel. Set in a Tolkienesque mythology it tells the story of two races that war with each other for control of their planet. This version first appeared on the compilation The Words And Music Of Marc Bolan 1947-1977. There are other versions out there, some more complete than others but Marc never really finished the piece.
The cover turned out nice.
Sources
Marc Bolan and T.Rex: The Hits and More
The Words And Music Of Marc Bolan 1947-1977
Marc Bolan and T.Rex: Across the Airwaves
Marc Bolan and T.Rex: Born to Boogie Soundtrack
I made a very similar compilation the other month when I really fancied hearing some of those old 70's b-sides. Mine includes 'Electric Boogie' from 1971, which wasn't a b-side but is very good, but I can't remember where I got it even though it was only a few weeks ago! I stretched mine to 1977 so I could include stuff like 'Space Boss' and 'Chrome Star', but thinking about it I think yours is more concise as '71-'73 was his best period.
ReplyDeleteI call his '74-'75 period his lost period. Still some great songs on the albums but they're more hit and miss. He was back on the upswing with Futuristic Dragon and hit a home run with Dandy. Not as much top notch songs released as non-LP tracks during that time.
ReplyDeleteElectric Boogie was tacked on as a third unlisted track on the There Was A Time/Raw Ramp B side so it appears here as well.
I've got a few Bolan/T. Rex bootlegs, but this is one of the best recent ones I've found. It's a well produced and eclectic mix of songs from 1966 to 1976. Check it out here https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-paw-of-fur-an-air-of-doom-the-midnight-sky-of-a-solid-mad-scientist-mw0000957798
ReplyDeleteThat is one of my favorites.
DeleteI have just discovered your wonderful blog and want to thank you for sharing the T.Rex albums it is very much appreciated my friend,,,,,,Love & Peace Stu
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome and thanks for reading.
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