MARC BOLAN & T.REX
Death and Legend of a Star
Articles Upon Request
VELVET UNDERGROUND
Tribute to Sterling Morrison
Interview Moe Tucker
BEATLES
BLUE HORIZON 3
Duster Bennett
CHARLES AZNAVOUR
His 60s on CD
EL TORO & LES CYCLONES
Finally reissued on CD
12TH YEAR - N° 98
NOVEMBER 1995
MONTHLY
ATLANTIC RHYTHM N' BLUES
Marc had to leave Great Britain for tax reasons and finally settled in Monte Carlo.
His friend, to whom we owe the sound of T. Rex, decides to leave, tired of the whims of Marc Bolan who, for his part, has started to drink and take drugs. In June, Track released the compilation "The Beginning Of Doves", which they had already tried to release under the title "Napoleon Bona-Part One and Two", but Marc had opposed it. This compilation brings together demos from 1966/67, recorded under the direction of Simon Napier-Bell. Three phases of Marc Bolan's career shine through: solo (vocals and acoustic guitar), with or for John's Children, and finally with Steve "Peregrine" Took for the debut of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Three songs were taken for a single: "Jasper C. Debussy", "Hippy Gumbo" and "The Perfumed Garden Of Gulliver Smith".
In August 1977, Marc Bolan presented his television show.
THE AMERICAN EXILE
In the meantime, Marc Bolan left Monte-Carlo for Los Angeles. With the departure of Tony Visconti, he became his own producer and, at the beginning of July, released the single "Light Of Love", with "Explosive Mouth" on the B-side, taken from the album "Zinc Alloy". A new musician joins T.Rex: Dino Dines (keyboards), who has played with the Beach Boys.
"Light Of Love" made a discreet entry into the charts, only reaching 22nd place. From September 26 to October 4, T. Rex begins a tour of the United States, passing through New York, Ohio and St. Petersburg, opening for Three Dog Night.
Despite these tours in America, T.Rex did not manage to really impose itself. At the beginning of November, Marc Bolan released "Zip Gun Boogie"/"Space Boss", his new 45 rpm under his own name, but the success was not there, the single only reaching 41st place in the charts. That same month, Music For Pleasure released the compilation "Get It On" by T.Rex. All the great hits are present.
In September, EMI released the single "Laser Love", which only reached number 41 on the charts. Miller Anderson replaced Jack Green, who had left for the Pretty Things, and played slide-guitar on the track. However, it is the B-side "Life's An Elevator", a ballad that Marc had not composed for a long time, that attracts attention. We find the simplicity of the acoustic guitars, played by Marc Bolan and Miller Anderson, proof that Bolan remains an incredible songwriter.
France, almost secret, in preparation for the British tour scheduled for March.
Unfortunately, several dates are cancelled at the last minute. However, the Paris concert was maintained on February 11, but moved from the Bataclan to Nashville. T.Rex starts playing at 1:30 a.m.
On 12 February, they performed at the Troarn village hall, near Caen, where they started at midnight after solving sound problems. On the 13th, everyone boarded the ferry from Dieppe to Dover, ending the French tour.
These two concerts are the last, and too rare, given by T.Rex in France. Meanwhile, Marc Bolan is finishing his next album, "Dandy In The Underworld", in Hollywood, which has been released.
Rex began 1973 with a tour Munich and Vienna, Austria. Marc recorded two tracks, "20th Century Boy" and "Free Angel", in Germany, in the presence of saxophonist Howie Casey and backing vocalists Vicky Brown, Sue & Sunny (of Brothe-rhood Of Man) and Barry St. John. EMI released this single at the beginning of March (3® in the charts) and, three weeks later, the new album, "Tanx" (4*). Produced once again in France, at the Château d'Hérou-ville, and in Copenhagen, this LP, more rock'n'roll, more classic (which includes a poster), is very different from the previous one, "The Slider". Marc Bolan seems to be distancing himself from the glam-rock movement. It is true that he had to face serious competition: Gary Glitter, for example, who in 1973 hit the charts two No. 1s with "I'm The Leader Of The Gang" (in July), "I Love You Love Me Love" (in November) and two No. 2s: "Do You Wan-
MARC BOLAN
The years 1971/72 were those of a verifiable
The years 1971/72 were those of a veritable T.Rexmania in England. But from 1973 onwards, Marc Bolan experienced a slow and steady loss of popularity. Then, carried by the punk wave, Marc Bolan seemed on the verge of returning to the forefront of rock but was killed in a car on September 16, 1977.
After the John's Children years (see JBM Nº53) and the T.Rex craze of the early 70s (JBM N°82), here is the continuation of Marc Bolan's fantastic journey with T.Rex.
na Touch Me" (in January) and "Hello I'm Back Again" (in April). As for bands, let's mention Slade and Sweet for England and Kiss for the United States.
MMarc Bolan probably guesses the artificial side of glam-rock (also called glitter-rock), when glam takes precedence over rock. He expresses it very clearly in "Shock Rock" which appears on "Tanx": "If you know to rock You don't have to shock". In this album, we really discover the fan of Eddie Cochran. Among the most successful tracks are "Rapids", "Country Honey", "Elec-tric Slim & The Factory Hen", "Mad Donna" (presented by a French childish voice) and "Born To Boogie". On 12 March 1973, T.Rex gave a concert in Paris, before going on tour in the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark) with a detour to Switzerland and Belgium. In June, the 45 rpm "The Groover", coupled with "Midnight", recorded in Copenhagen, stayed nine weeks in the charts, reaching number 4. From July 20 to August 8, T.Rex undertakes a series of concerts in the United States. For this new attempt to conquer the (difficult) American public, Marc Bolan hired staff: Jack Green (rhythm guitar) and three female backup singers, including Gloria Jones, a black American singer and songwriter. She is the creator of "Tainted Love", which the English techno-pop duo Soft Cell (Marc Almond and David Ball) covered in 1982 (No. 1 in the charts).
BIG CARROT
In August, EMI released a curious 45 rpm record by Marc Bolan under the name Big Carrot. It contains two instrumentals titled "Black Jack" (with a very short vocal chorus) and "Squint Eyed Mangle", which rely on Bolan's guitar and backing vocals by Gloria Jones, Pat Hall, and Stephanie Spurill. It did not enter the hit parade and is now a highly sought-after collector's item. September sees the first compilation released by T.Rex Wax Company, "Great Hits", which brings together the songs of the singles released in 1972 and 1973, plus "The Slider" (from the LP "The Sli-der") and "Shock Rock" (from "Tanx"). T.Rex is back on the road, in Japan from October 3 to 18, and in Australia from November 3 to 10. In mid-November, Marc released a new 45 rpm single, "Truck On (Tyke)"/"Sitting Here", recorded in Germany.
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