T-Rex (band)

T. Rex (originally Tyrannosaurus Rex) were an English rock band, formed in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan, who was their leader, frontman and only consistent member. Though initially associated with the psychedelic folk genre, Bolan began to change the band's style towards electric rock in 1969, and shortened their name to T. Rex the following year. This development culminated in 1970 with their first hit single " Ride a White Swan", and the group soon became pioneers of the glam rock movement.

From 1970 to 1973, T. Rex encountered a popularity in the UK comparable to that of the Beatles, with a run of eleven singles in the UK top ten. They scored four UK number one hits, " Hot Love", " Get It On", " Telegram Sam" and " Metal Guru". The band's 1971 album '' Electric Warrior'' received critical acclaim, reached number 1 in the UK and became a landmark album in glam rock. The 1972 follow-up, '' The Slider'', entered the top 20 in the US. Bolstering their style with soul music, funk and gospel, the band released '' Tanx'' in 1973 which reached the top 5 in several countries. From 1974, T. Rex's appeal began to wane, though the band continued releasing albums. Their subsequent releases blended rock with R&B and occasionally even disco.

In 1977, Bolan died in a car crash several months after the release of the group's final studio album '' Dandy in the Underworld'', and the group disbanded. T. Rex have continued to influence a variety of subsequent artists. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

History

Formation and psychedelic folk (July 1967 – mid-1970)

Marc Bolan founded Tyrannosaurus Rex in July 1967, following a handful of failed solo singles and a brief career as lead guitarist in psych-rock band John's Children. After a solitary disastrous performance as a four-piece electric rock band on 22 July at the Electric Garden in London's Covent Garden alongside drummer Steve Porter plus two older musicians: guitarist Ben Cartland and an unknown bassist, the group immediately broke up.''Marc Bolan 1947-1977 A Chronology'' - Cliff McLenehan, Helter Skelter Publishing 2002, p25Paytress, Mark. ''Bolan: The Rise and Fall of a 20th Century Superstar''. Omnibus Press. 2003 Subsequently, Bolan retained the band name and the services of Porter, who switched to percussion under the name Steve Peregrin Took, and the two began performing acoustic material as a duo with a repertoire of folk-influenced Bolan-penned songs. Inspired by an influential performance by Ravi Shankar whom Bolan had seen while touring West Germany with John's Children, the band adopted a stage manner resembling the performance of traditional Indian music.

The combination of Bolan's acoustic guitar and distinctive vocal style with Took's bongos and assorted percussion—which often included children's instruments such as the Pixiphone—earned them a devoted following in the thriving hippy underground scene. BBC Radio One Disc jockey John Peel championed the band early in their recording career. Peel later appeared on record with them, reading stories written by Bolan. Another key collaborator was producer Tony Visconti, who went on to produce the band's albums well into their second, glam rock phase.Philip Auslande
Performing glam rock: gender and theatricality in popular music
University of Michigan Press, 2006 Their debut album '' My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair...'' remained in the UK Albums chart for nine weeks and peaked at number 15. Their second album '' Prophets, Seers & Sages'' was released a few months later.

During 1968–1969, Tyrannosaurus Rex had become a modest success on radio and on record. Their third single "Pewter Suitor", released in January 1969, failed to chart but their third album '' Unicorn'' came within striking distance of the UK Top 10 Albums. While Bolan's early solo material was rock and roll-influenced pop music, by now he was writing dramatic and baroque songs with lush melodies and surreal lyrics filled with Greek and Persian mythology as well as poetic creations of his own. The band became regulars on Peel Sessions on BBC radio, and toured Britain's student union halls.

Their fourth single "King of the Rumbling Spires" issued in July, was a musical departure compared to the previous material: they used a full rock band setup with a drumkit and an entirely electric sound. However, by mid-1969 there was a rift developing between the two halves of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Bolan and his girlfriend June Child were living a quiet life, Bolan working on his book of poetry entitled ''The Warlock of Love'' and concentrating on his songs and performance skills. Took, however, had fully embraced the anti-commercial, drug-taking ethos of the UK Underground scene centred around Ladbroke Grove. Took was also attracted to anarchic elements such as Mick Farren/ Deviants and members of the Pink Fairies Rock 'n' Roll and Drinking Club. Took also began writing his own songs, and wanted the duo to perform them, but Bolan strongly disapproved of his bandmate's efforts, rejecting them for the duo's putative fourth album, in production in Spring/Summer 1969. In response to Bolan's rebuff, Took contributed two songs as well as vocals and percussion to Twink's '' Think Pink'' album.

Behind the scenes, Bolan's relationship with Took ended after this dispute, although they were contractually obliged to go through with a US tour which was doomed before it began. Poorly promoted and planned, the acoustic duo were overshadowed by the loud electric acts they were billed with. To counter this, Took drew from the shock rock style of Iggy Pop; Took explained, "I took my shirt off in the Sunset Strip where we were playing and whipped myself till everybody shut up. With a belt, y'know, a bit of blood and the whole of Los Angeles shuts up. 'What's going on, man, there's some nutter attacking himself on stage.' I mean, Iggy Stooge had the same basic approach."

As soon as Bolan returned to the UK in September, he replaced Took with percussionist Mickey Finn. and they completed the fourth album, released in early 1970 as '' A Beard of Stars'', the final album under the Tyrannosaurus Rex moniker. This line up headlined the very first Glastonbury Festival in 1970. As well as progressively shorter titles, Tyrannosaurus Rex's albums began to show higher production values, more accessible songwriting from Bolan, and experimentation with electric guitars and a true rock sound.Legends of rock guitar: the essential reference of rock's greatest guitarists
Hal Leonard Corporation, 1997

Glam rock and commercial success (July 1970 – December 1972)

Bolan continued the process of simplification by shortening the band's name to T. Rex. The new sound was more pop-oriented, and the first single, " Ride a White Swan" recorded in July and released in October 1970 made the Top 10 in the UK by late November and would soon reach number 2. Ticket fees were reduced to 10 shillings/50p to attract a younger audience. The eponymous first ''T. Rex'' album, also recorded that summer, was released in December and continued the move to electric guitars. In early 1971, ''T. Rex'' reached the top 20 of the official UK Albums Chart. During the February–April 1971 suspension of the official album chart (caused by a national postal strike) a chart by ''Melody Maker''—which the Official Chart Company's website nowadays recognises as canonical for the gap period—listed the LP as having peaked at number 7.

"Ride a White Swan" was quickly followed by a second single, " Hot Love", which reached the top spot on the UK charts, and remained there for six weeks. Between these two releases, Bolan first recruited bassist Steve Currie, and then drummer Bill Legend, to form a full band to record and tour to growing audiences. After Chelita Secunda added two spots of glitter under Bolan's eyes before an appearance on '' Top of the Pops'' for which Bolan wore shiny satin trousers and a shiny jacket (from Chelsea boutique Alkasura) in place of his previous hippy clothes, soon followed by another appearance for the show on which he wore a silver velvet/satin sailor suit, the ensuing performances would often be viewed as the birth of glam rock.

After Bolan's displays, glam rock would gain popularity in the UK and Europe during 1971–1972. The completion of T. Rex's move to electric guitar rock coincided with Bolan's more overtly sexual lyrical style and image. Having already begun standing up onstage to perform electric songs, Bolan also incorporated more physical showmanship, such as struts, dances and poses, into his stage act. The group's new image and sound quickly attracted a new audience much to the despair of the band's early fans. Some of the lyrical content of Tyrannosaurus Rex remained, but the poetic, surrealistic lyrics were now interspersed with sensuous grooves, orgiastic moans and innuendo.

In September 1971, T. Rex released '' Electric Warrior'', which featured Currie and Legend. Often considered to be their best album, the chart-topping ''Electric Warrior'' brought much commercial success to the group; publicist BP Fallon coined the term "T. Rextasy" as a parallel to Beatlemania to describe the group's popularity. The album included T. Rex's best-known song, " Get It On", which hit number one in the UK. In January 1972 it became a top ten hit in the US, where the song was retitled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)". The album still recalled Bolan's acoustic roots with ballads such as "Cosmic Dancer" and the stark "Girl". Soon after, Bolan left Fly Records; after his contract had lapsed, the label released the album track " Jeepster" as a single without his permission. Bolan went to EMI, where he was given his own record label in the UK—T. Rex Records, the "T. Rex Wax Co."

The band released the singles " Telegram Sam" and " Metal Guru" respectively in January and in May 1972, and both became number one hits in the UK. In May, Bolan's old label Fly released the chart-topping compilation album ''Bolan Boogie'', a collection of singles, B-sides and LP tracks, which affected sales of the band's forthcoming album. When it was released in July, '' The Slider'' peaked at number four in the UK, and it became their most successful album in the US, entering the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' 200. The band then released two other standalone singles " Children of the Revolution" and "Solid Gold Easy Action" which both reached number 2 in the UK. In December, Bolan's own rock film ''Born to Boogie'' was released to theatres. The film featured two T. Rex shows at the Empire Pool, Wembley, which had been shot by Ringo Starr and his crew earlier in the year.

Transition, decline and resurgence (January 1973 – September 1977)

'' Tanx'' was a commercial success, reaching number 3 in the German Albums chart, number 4 in the UK, and number 5 in Norway. An eclectic album containing several melancholy ballads and rich production, ''Tanx'' showcased the T. Rex sound bolstered by extra instrumental embellishments such as Mellotron and saxophone. "The Street and Babe Shadow" was funkier while the last song "Left Hand Luke and the Beggar Boys" was seen by critics as a nod to gospel with several female backing singers. Released at the same time in March 1973, the heavy rock "20th Century Boy" was another important success, peaking at number 3 in the UK Singles chart but was not included in the album. "The Groover

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