T. Rex
Table of Contents
- Albums
- Electric Warrior (1971)
Albums
Electric Warrior (1971)
- “Mambo Sun”
- “Cosmic Dancer”
- “Jeepster”
- “Monolith”
- “Lean Woman Blues”
- “Bang A Gong (Get It On)”
- “Planet Queen”
- “Girl”
- “The Motivator”
- “Life’s A Gas”
- “Rip-Off”
“You make me feel real weird.”
I guess I haven’t listened to anything sort of odd in a while, so here’s me catching up. It actually isn’t especially strange stuff, I just can’t work out how Marc Bolan can write such effective and memorable songs with seemingly so little. “Bang A Gong” (the album’s lone hit) is basically just a bluesy lead guitar (that plays pretty much the same thing throughout the whole song, more like a tape loop than a lead instrument at times) under low-spoken verses. The chorus—which is just “get it on, bang a gong, get it on”—would barely stand out from the verses if the music didn’t swell up to punctuate the point. The instrumentation gets ever heavier as the song continues. Hmm, maybe it’s more complex than I thought, but it hides it well.
You know, now that I think about it, there’s quite a bit of diversity in the album’s arrangements, and the songs are just deceptive about it. Bolan basically finds a groove he likes and rides it for a few minutes, overdubbing fairly intricate arrangements over them. Whatever the case, it’s all pretty accessible and sounds plenty slick. The arrangement of “Cosmic Dancer” makes lines like “I danced myself right out the womb, is it strange to dance so soon?” sound almost inspiring. Maybe because it’s all done without any attempt at irony. It’s ridiculous, but not in a half-assed way. If you’re going to be ridiculous, use your entire ass. Definitely a pre-punk record.
Last modified on Sunday, December 5, 2021.