fleetfoot voodoo man

"I'm the queen of the highway"

Bolan certainly could be the King of the Hop when it came to pulling rabbits out of the hat. For someone denigrated so much for his lack of musical knowledge, he couldn’t half come up with some tunes. It’s one thing to know some chords, it’s another to put them together to create something memorable or magic. Here’s a section on my favourite melodies, for no other reason than they are ace.

Before I launch into my ‘suggested listening’ for those who may be unfamiliar with the more esoteric of Bolan fare, I must pay tribute to the magnificent production work of Tony Visconti. Both Bolan & Bowie owe him an enormous debt. One track can serve as an example of his contribution. On the untitled T.Rex brown album is a song called Diamond Meadows. It’s a pleasant enough melody, but Visconti creates a classical flavour by adding a string quartet to proceedings and the song acquires an unbelievable quality as a result. Have a listen to his craftsmanship.

From the same album I’ve picked Summer Deep. I’ve always loved the impressionist lyrics. The guitar parts are brilliant, especially at the end of the song where the notes descend. He could be really creative when he wanted. Root of Star also has some fantastic phrasing with its wah-wah peddle drifting delightfully in and out of the tune. On the later records we miss this interplay with the acoustic and electric guitars, as Marc went for the rock behemoth sound.

Chariot Choogle is the standout track for me on The Slider, with its insane backward guitars and heavy approach. The album itself should have been much more reckless. Rip Off, from Electric Warrior, has this in abundance. Mad vocals, thrashing guitars and fantastic strange arrangements combine to intoxicate. There’s great sax from King Crimson’s Ian Macdonald and a wild jazz ending switching keys as everything appears to feedback. It was a hard act to follow. I also love the start of the album, when the second guitar joins in on Mambo Sun. Guitar parts to inspire a generation of punks.

Tanx has some great songs. Electric Slim has a superb verse and fabulous strings from Visconti. I never understood why tracks like this weren’t put out as singles. It’s class. There’s some nice understated guitar at the fade too. Darling has really nice piano and is a good tune, but has been bolted on to Tenement Lady to extend the album’s introduction. Who was that pianist? The lack of credits on Tanx is as irritating as the title. Rapids is awesome, with its menacing slow tempo and raunchy lyrics. The guitar reminds me of early Thin Lizzy (Whisky) and is very strong. The album climaxes with a gospel-meets- Bolan blues creation which is driven by fantastic piano and a crazy lead guitar. Left Hand Luke thunders to a juddering halt in an ear-splitting crescendo. Bolan at his best. At the time people were bemused by this track.

If that album had finished in a weird note, then what happened next is astounding. Marc appeared to have had enough. He announced to his record company that T.Rex was over and he was becoming Zinc Alloy (and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow). He started boasting that he had thirty-odd songs ready to go and was also producing soul album for one of his backing singers and a jazz album. The music press laughed and the public thought he’d lost the plot.

Was it another instance of wherever EGO, I go?

When A Creamed Cage in August came out in early 1974, he was already working on a new project. He did have thirty-odd tracks in the can, remarkably, and more were on the way. It could easily have been a double album. I loved this record, even if some of the tracks were cluttered with instrumentation or were too short. Some of his best work is on show here. Venus Loon should have been the single. It’s full of Bolanic energy and orgasmic noise. Visconti is on fire here, too. Change is a great slow ballad with superb guitar lines and a gentle backing vocal from the newly-installed American singers. Again, it would have made an interesting choice for a single. I have a soft spot for Galaxy, too, with its nod to metal, while switching to a beautiful chorus of strings and space-age vocals. It’s some production from TV. The Avengers chugs along with its bluesy funk and zany guitar. Great stuff. Interstellar Soul has a lovely laid-back feel with pedal-steel guitar from BJ Cole and screaming female backing vocals. Marc maintains, “You’re so full of Interstellar Soul.” The backing singers, panned left and right in the stereo field, respond, “Bullshit! Bullshit!” Crazy stuff. It all ends gently with the slow moody The Leopards (featuring Gardenia & the Mighty Slug). It’s brilliant, but of course at the time was dismissed as virtually irrelevant. You have to laugh. There was another great track recorded at these sessions which demonstrated some of Marc’s best playing. It was condemned to a b-side, but it’s the closest you get to his Zep Rex sound on disc. I’ve always liked it. It’s Satisfaction Pony. A jungle cut, anyone?

The next two albums are often dismissed, though they officially mark his most prolific output. Half of one was written for the American market and for the new label, Casablanca. This label gave the world Kiss and Donna Summer. It’s baffling how Bolan got lost. Till Dawn was recorded during the Zinc Alloy sessions and its fantastic Visconti production shines through. A classic. I love Golden Belt, too, with its multi-octave guitar lines (a la Manzanera) and haunting backing. It’s a great production and shows that Bolan could deliver if pushed. I concede, though, that he was taking on too many roles for his own good.

Casual Agent is a strange one and its approach reminds the listener of the Tyrannosaurus Rex days. It doesn’t sound like that, but it’s not structurally like a pop song. It meanders along with impressionistic words and a lead guitar weaves in and out of the consummate orchestration. We needed more of this Bolan creatively. My Little Baby is imaginative and has some interesting patterns, none more-so than at the coda when you can pre-echo Message in a Bottle. It’s more pronounced on the alternative demo version, as I mentioned elsewhere. This was a fine album, but the repetitive elements of Dawn Storm and Chrome Sitar spoil things. Calling All Destroyers belts along with its punk undertones and distorting lead guitar.

The Dandy In The Underworld tour, where the Damned supported, preceded the album by a dew weeks. The tour was incredible, with the tightest band Bolan ever put together. This allowed him the freedom to play lead guitar selectively. The songs sounded like monsters live, some taking on a form unrecognisable, compared with the tame versions on the record. So, everyone looked forward to this rock behemoth. Imagine my disappointment when I heard the tepid arrangements, particularly for Groove A Little and Visions Of Domino, which were awesome live. The Soul Of My Suit took on a life of its own live, but is shallow on the album. Still, Hang-Ups offers a partial glimpse of the live performance, though it stunned the audience, being the live centre-piece, where Marc could show off his lead skills. I’m fond of Celebrate Summer, though its title is poor, and it should have allied itself more with the punk dynamic. Nice change of key for the chorus. He was listening to someone. Tame My Tiger was his final official release. A b-side, which confirmed he was back on form and heading in the right direction.

What about the unreleased gems?