T.Rex Greatest Hits : Album Review

Available On Amazon

Those who were teenagers in the 1970s remember the glam rock revolution. Rock artists wore feathered boas and mascara, tight pants and flowing sequined jackets. T-Rex, headed by the enigmatic Marc Bolan, were basically unknown to American audiences until “Get it On” hit the charts and everyone rushed out to buy the album “Electric Warrior, released in 1971.

T.Rex Greatest Hits is a must-have for any serious collector of classic rock. Containing all of their hits, the album is upbeat with screaming guitar riffs underscored by bongos as well as Bolan’s smooth vocals, punctuated with sensuous sighs and yelps. Although Bolan was the undisputed attraction, the other members Bill Legend, Mickey Finn, Steve Currie and Steve Perigen Took expertly brought the cosmic fairy tale lyrics with a postmodern beat to life.

First up on the T.Rex Greatest Hits album is “20th Century Boy”. Viewers of him performing that tune in concert or on TV will never forget Marc strutting across the stage. pouting and smiling as if making love to the world. When listening to the audio track of that single, that combination of mirth and sexuality the band oozed, comes through as fresh as it did when it was first released. The album continues with “Get it On” and the ethereally beautiful “Ride a White Swan.” The listener is then presented with the romantic “Hot Love.” The joyful “I Love to Boogie” brings back memories of the dance boogie times of the 1970’s.  The versatile tracks switch to “Children of the Revolution”, which delivers a more sober message accompanying the slam/bang marching time rhythm of the guitars and drums. That is why many tracks on this album were chosen for the movie “Billy Elliot”, a film about a boy from a tough working class world bucking gender stereotypes to become a dancer.

Marc Bolan

Photo: By ABC Television (eBay front back) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Overall, T.Rex Greatest Hits can be categorized as a feel good classic rock compilation that captures the best of the glam rock era in one fascinating phenomenon that was lightning in a bottle and magic on the turntable.

The lyrics of the band’s poetic songs contained references as innocent as hand holding in “Hot Love” and as provocative as “ball like a hound” in “Jeepster”. Marc Bolan was a mystical poet whose talents included playing kickass guitar and infusing timeless energy into his performances that ring clear and true nearly thirty years after his untimely death.

T.Rex Greatest Hits

Written by Virginia Repka-Franco

 

One Response

  1. Avatar Laura January 24, 2016

Add Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Killswitch Engage Songs
Top 10 Killswitch Engage Songs
Mountain Songs
Top 10 Mountain Songs
Richard Thompson Songs
Top 10 Richard Thompson Songs
Megadeth Songs
Top 10 Megadeth Songs
Eagles Albums
Picking Out Our Favorite Eagles Albums
George Harrison Albums
Our Favorite George Harrison Albums
Electric Light Orchestra Albums
10 Electric Light Orchestra Albums Everyone Should Own
Stevie Nicks Albums
Top 10 Stevie Nicks Albums
Monsters of Rock Cruise 2024: Day Five Review
Justin Hawkins of The Darkness Monsters Of Rock Cruise 2024: Day Four Review
Monsters Of Rock Cruise 2024: Day Four Review
M3 Rock Festival Is Back For 15th year! May 4 & 5 In Columbia, MD
Monsters of Rock Cruise 2024: Day Three Review
Russell Marsden Interview
An Interview With Russell Marsden of Band Of Skulls
Jeff Fabb of Black Label Society Interview
An Interview With Jeff Fabb of Black Label Society
Joey Vera of Armored Saint: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
Mel Gaynor Interview
An Interview With Mel Gaynor, Formerly Of Simple Minds
Ace Frehley Albums
Complete List of Ace Frehley Albums And Discography
Status Quo Albums
Complete List Of Status Quo Studio Albums And Discography
Phantom, Rocker & Slick Albums
Complete List Of Phantom, Rocker & Slick Albums
Paul Young Albums
Complete List Of Paul Young Albums And Discography
Music CDs Comeback
Why Music CDs Have No Chance Of Making A Comeback
Classic Rock Bands Still Together But Overdue For A New Album
Classic Rock Bands Still Together But Overdue For A New Album
When Glam Bands Went Grunge In The 1990s
When Glam Bands Went Grunge In The 1990s
25 Most Famous Female American Singers Now!
25 Most Famous Female American Singers Now!
11 Tracks Of Whack Album Review
Walter Becker – 11 Tracks of Whack Album Review
Sammy Hagar Album Review
Why Sammy Hagar’s 1977 ‘Sammy Hagar’ LP Was One Of His Best
Grand Funk On Time Album Review
Looking Back At Grand Funk Railroad’s Debut Album ‘On Time’
Ghost Writer Album Review
How ‘Ghost Writer’ Turned Us On To The Music Of Garland Jeffreys