Les Saltimbanques

Throughout 1968 & 1969 Marc wrote some unbelievable tunes. Many of these are overlooked, simply because they do not hail from his commercially-successful period.

Here are some of the best songs ever written by any artist. They make a mockery of his dismissal as a craftsman. They are the products of an artist of great quality and talent. They span the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Tyrannosaurus Rex albums:

Prophets, Seers and Sages, the Angels of the Ages
Unicorn

A Beard of Stars

Here they are, chosen for their melody and structure.

Wind Quartets "ca-ca quartets"

A slow tempo and sombre atmosphere pervade this piece. A tolling bell occasionally adds to the chilly sonic gloom. A lovely picked guitar run is overdubbed onto the minor key which is echoed by the main vocal. Peregrine-Took throws some neat 'aahs' into the haunting mix. There's a wordless verse too. This is a classic.

Oh! Harley (les saltimbanques) "Rose........Rose.........Rose.......Rose......"

The huge painting, Les Saltimbanques, was, of course, from Picasso's 'Rose period.' The sheer size of it suggests a major piece of work. Contextually, there are one or two interesting details for the Bolan and Bowie enthusiast. The Saltimbanques are travelling performers, usually acknowledged as circus-type acts. Two of the main characters depicted are the Harlequin (the title of this song) and the Pierrot (or Pierrette) clown figure, so often associated with Bowie in his early mime days and later when he was reminiscing (in his Ashes to Ashes video). Bowie also supported Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1968. He was very familiar with their output at this stage and an admirer of the music. Whether there is any relationship between the song's lyrics and the context of the painting is unclear. Bolan's knowledge of, and referencing, the work of Picasso would unhinge most music critics. In fact, one of his favoured artists was Max Ernst and it is widely-known now that Bowie was a fervent collector of art himself and a proponent of expressionism. The song has a somewhat jaunty feel initially, albeit plaintiff, with its minor key. But it abruptly changes tempo for the 'verse' before pausing again and relaunching the 'chorus.' The back-to-front concept works a treat, allowing the song to start and finish with the plea to 'Rose.' The backing vocals interweave with a repeat of the title and have an eastern flavour in the notation. It doesn't sound like pop music at all.

The Travelling Tragition

More gong-like sounds and another minor key. But the second part of the verse erupts into a magnificent melody.

"Boom-de boom de-tra-la-la-la de-rat-a-tat-tat de-boom de-boom phi-sshttt"

Salamanda Palaganda

Some may say that this is an odd one to pick. It oozes strangeness. It builds from a deep growling vocal to another explosive chorus with a lovely chord change, ironically much-beloved by fans of songs such as 'Message in a Bottle.' Marc would never hear The Police. It has the same charm as 'Warlord of the Royal Crocodiles.' No counting for taste! "June's buffalo too in a Parisian za-za-za-za zoo" What a line!

The Sea Beasts

An uptempo zip through a minor key into that neat chord-change mentioned above (if it ain't broke, why fix it?) then stopping suddenly.'UFO you are...rab-a-doo......' Then a verse of wordless chanting until the end of the tune with some big drum smashes thrown in for good measure.

Iscariot

Slow. Moody. Ponderous. The melody is simultaneously sung while plucked on one guitar string. There is a proper chorus too which is memorable for its conclusive descending three notes, so familiar in many later T.Rex hits. There is a nice alternative version of this with electric guitar on the 'Across the Airways' vinyl LP. As the album 'Unicorn' was released some radio promos were done and Marc was by then introducing his stratocaster to listeners.

The Pilgrim's Tale

One of my favourite tunes from this album. One of the best choruses committed to tape, I believe. Hard to believe this stuff emanated from the UK. More like from another planet at this stage. Exceptional songwriting.

The Misty Coast of Albany

This is what people refer to as a 'catchy' tune, the verse descending into wordless backing vocals later in the song. It has a weird chorus backed by a crazed organ part too.

Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart

And so we go electric and 'sell out' to the hippies. Or, more like, just stand up. A nice melodic verse is eclipsed by a chugging chorus which pre-echoes the pop phase. The chorus appears almost anachronistic here, hinting at the chorus of 'Get it on' much later. However, here we have blistering guitar work, with a number of cleverly constructed layers. The final solo is a glimpse into the future.

By the Light of a Magical Moon

The sonic prophecy with teenage girls screaming over the chorus (taken from a Beatles concert apparently). Extraordinary to listen to, even now. Such a great pop song, this.It contains that wonderful broken F chord on 'dance and pray.'All right?The live version of this at the Cologne Festival is unreal.

Wind Cheetah

With its lovely double-octave lead guitar and double-octave vocal approach this sounds like no other contemporary artist. There are more eastern flourishes in the melody, both vocal and guitar. Much overlooked this track, perhaps because everyone is distracted by 'Elemental Child.' Extraordinary creation.

Lofty Skies

A bit of wah-wah guitar introduces us to a lovely verse melody. Marc drops his voice to its lowest growl for the understated chorus part. This creates the space for a majestic guitar solo which creeps up the neck of the guitar in stages. When he takes this much care, he's unbeatable. Less is more. Ridiculously good.

Dove

Subdued acoustic piece with lovely rich chords and dynamics. Simplicity at its best. Nice solo too.