"The Groover" is a 1973 single by the British glam rock band T. Rex. Neither the track nor its

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

are taken from an album. However, they are often added as bonus material on re-releases of the 1974 album '' Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow''. The single was in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for a total of nine weeks, peaking at number 4, making it the last T. Rex song to enter the top ten. "The Groover" and its b-side "Midnight" were first recorded on 20 March 1973 at Rosenberg Studios in Copenhagen, with later overdubs back in London at the end of the month. The original master tape, later released on the ''Bump'n'Grind'' archival compilation, contains several more minutes of Bolan's closing guitar solo as the song evolves into a jam. A promotional video, primarily featuring Bolan prancing around in a film studio intercut with live clips of the group, was shot on 3 May. The single was released on 1 June to a relatively tepid reception compared to earlier hits, although it still managed to reach number 4 in the UK, becoming the group's final top ten. Other glam acts such as

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

and Slade were now effortlessly topping the charts as T. Rex had a year earlier; the group were still huge but some journalists now wondered if their glam crown was slipping compared to the competition. Critical reception in the UK was particularly sour, with Steve Peacock of '' Sounds'' noting that "any competent producer could have fed in the relevant information from their past singles and made this one just as well" while Charles Shaar Murray of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' claimed "very much the same mixture as before" and instead recommend the flip side which is "infinitely superior". By contrast, ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' in the US said it was "a remarkable dance item that should drive . Rex'shuge following absolutely wild".

Personnel

* Marc Bolan – lead vocals, guitar, backing vocals * Mickey Finn – congas *

Steve Currie Steve Currie (19 May 1947 – 28 April 1981) was an English musician who was best known as the bass player and a long-term member of the English glam rock band T. Rex. While working for the local Tax office, Currie played with local Grims ...

– bass guitar *

Bill Legend Bill Legend (born William Arthur Fifield, 8 May 1944, Barking, London, Barking, Essex, England) is an English musician and former drummer for glam rock band T. Rex (band), T. Rex during their most successful period. Biography One of three chil ...

– drums * Marc Bolan and

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

- backing vocals *

– producer

References

1973 singles T. Rex (band) songs Songs written by Marc Bolan Song recordings produced by Tony Visconti EMI Records singles 1973 songs {{1970s-rock-song-stub