Released their self-titled album, the first under the new band abbreviated name.
At the time of its release, "Ride A White Swan" was ranked high in the charts at number 6, and there was an ongoing UK tour, yet the song was not featured.
While the album was attributed to T. Rex, the recordings and cover shot were completed during their tenure as Tyrannosaurus Rex. The duo consisted of singer/songwriter/guitarist Marc Bolan and percussionist Mickey Finn. Producer Tony Visconti contributed to bass and recorder on several tracks. Initially, Bolan contemplated naming the album 'The Wizard' or 'The Children of Rarn' before deciding on a self-titled release.
The album built upon the duo's earlier work, A Beard of Stars, with a greater focus on electric rock and the inclusion of strings arranged by Visconti on multiple tracks. Songs such as "The Time of Love is Now", "Suneye", and "Root of Star" leaned more towards the folk style of Tyrannosaurus Rex, yet electric guitars and bass were fully integrated into tracks like "Jewel", "Childe", "Beltane Walk", "Diamond Meadows", "Is It Love", and "One Inch Rock", hinting at the direction of their next album. The lyrics, partly inspired by Tolkien, featured themes of wizards, Druids, and a "Liquid Poetess in a buckskin dress", a poetic style that journalist Tom Everett noted showed Bolan's fascination with mysticism and the English language's pure sounds. However, this album marked the last time such themes would be so prominent in his work. "The Visit" narrates a UFO encounter, while "Diamond Meadows" and "Suneye" offer more traditional love songs, foreshadowing Bolan's future ballads.
The album featured electric versions of two classic Tyrannosaurus Rex tracks. "The Wizard," Bolan's debut solo single from 1965, was one, and the other was "One Inch Rock," the band's second single, now electrified with an introduction of scat-singing by Bolan and Finn, a feature they had been adding to their live acoustic performances for some time. The rest of the album consisted of new compositions. Notably, "The Children Of Rarn" and its reprise bookended the UK release, marking a foray into symphonic rock—a genre Bolan had hoped to explore further in a full concept album, a project that remained unfinished, though a 16-minute demo suite was recorded in 1971. Additionally, the sessions yielded a cover of "Summertime Blues" for the B-side and the complex guitar instrumental "Deep Summer."
TThe sleeve design was unconventional, necessitating a sideways glance to reveal the entire cover, or alternatively, turning the artwork sideways to extract the LP. The cover photo was captured that summer by Pete Sanders at his parents' residence in Selbridge. Marc and Mickey donned white pancake makeup, while Bolan gripped his electric guitar, embodying the new electric persona he sought to establish. The printed lyrics are prefaced with a dedication "To All Who Are And Will Be Forevermore."
The US pressing of the LP concluded with "Ride a White Swan" rather than "The Children of Rarn (Reprise)".
The album catapulted T. Rex to fame in the UK, following the unexpected success of their recent single "Ride a White Swan," which climbed to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, and preceded the No. 1 hit "Hot Love." According to the Official Charts Company's website, the album eventually reached a peak position of No. 7 and had multiple chart runs totaling 25 weeks. However, this peak occurred during the 1971 United Kingdom postal workers strike, when no album chart was published, leading the site to acknowledge the Melody Maker chart for February–April 1971. The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, which did not account for the missing weeks, recorded the album's peak at No. 13.
In 2004, A&M Records remastered and reissued the album, adding nine bonus tracks. A two-disc deluxe edition followed in 2014, released in Europe by A&M. The first disc featured the remastered album, non-LP tracks, and a BBC radio session, while the second disc was filled with an array of demos and studio outtakes.
T. Rex
Hi-Fly 2
Recorded at Trident Studios, London
Marc Bolan - vocals, guitar, organ, bass
Mickey Finn - vocals, bass, drums, percussion
Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman - backing vocals
Engineer: Roy Thomas Baker
Producer: Tony Visconti
1. The Children Of Rarn (Short Organ version)
2. Jewel
3. The Visit
4. Childe
5. The Time Of Love Is Now
6. Diamond Meadows
7. Root Of Star
8. Beltane Walk
9. Is It Love?
10. One Inch Rock
11. Summer Deep
12. Seagull Woman
13. Sun Eye
14. The Wizard
15. The Children Of Rarn (Short Organ version)
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