T. Rex
Marc Bolan's too-brief journey through music transformed him from wizard to glam warrior to washed-out icon. Originally billed as Tyrannosaurus Rex (which featured Steve Peregrine Took), Bolan eventually abbreviated the band's name to T. Rex (which by now featured Mickey Finn replacing Took). Teaming with producer Tony Visconti (then associated with David Bowie), T. Rex began churning out transcendent nonsense in sweet, two-minute dollops of glamful wonderment. Electric Warrior and The Slider are watershed moments in the glam movement, and T. Rex became a hit-making phenomenon in England during the early half of the Seventies. But fame is a borrowed crown, and Bolan struggled to maintain that commercial momentum when glam's engine began to sputter, unwisely courting a funkier sound in an effort to stay relevant. The albums that followed (Tanx, Futuristic Dragon, Zinc Alloy and The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow) were tarnished by patches of mediocrity, though Bolan was still able to conjure that old lustre on occasion. Marc was killed in an auto accident on September 16, 1977, leaving behind a legacy of music that has inspired countless repackagings and reams of unreleased recordings. Marc On Wax in particular turned posthumous interest in Bolan's music into a cottage industry, though their role has largely been as keeper of the flame rather than graverobbers.
| Date | ALBUMS / Singles |
|---|---|
| 1965 November | The Wizard |
| 1966 June | The Third Degree |
| 1966 December | Hippy Gumbo |
| 1968 April | Debora |
| 1968 June | MY PEOPLE WERE FAIR AND HAD SKY IN THEIR HAIR... BUT NOW THEY'RE CONTENT TO WEAR STARS ON THEIR BROWS |
| 1968 August | One Inch Rock |
| 1968 October | PROPHETS, SEERS AND SAGES, THE ANGELS OF THE AGES |
| 1969 January | Pewter Suitor |
| 1969 May | UNICORN |
| 1969 July | King of the Rumbling Spires |
| 1970 January | By The Light of the Magical Moon |
| 1970 March | A BEARD OF STARS |
| 1970 October | Ride A White Swan |
| 1970 December | T. REX |
| 1971 February | Hot Love |
| 1971 July | THE BEST OF T. REX |
| 1971 July | Get It On (Bang A Gong) |
| 1971 September | ELECTRIC WARRIOR |
| 1971 November | Jeepster |
| 1972 January | Telegram Sam |
| 1972 March | TYRANNOSAURUS REX (A BEGINNING) |
| 1972 May | Metal Guru |
| 1972 May | BOLAN BOOGIE |
| 1972 July 21 | THE SLIDER |
| 1972 July | The Slider |
| 1972 September | Children of the Revolution |
| 1972 October | RIDE A WHITE SWAN |
| 1972 December | Solid Gold Easy Action |
| 1972 | HARD ON LOVE |
| 1973 March 23 | TANX |
| 1973 March | 20th Century Boy |
| 1973 June | The Groover |
| 1973 September | Blackjack |
| 1973 November | Truck On (Tyke) |
| 1973 November | GREAT HITS |
| 1974 February 1 | ZINC ALLOY AND THE HIDDEN RIDERS OF TOMORROW |
| 1974 February | THE BEGINNING OF DOVES |
| 1974 February | Teenage Dream |
| 1974 June | Jasper C. Debussy |
| 1974 July | Light of Love |
| 1974 November | Zip Gun Boogie |
| 1974 November | GET IT ON |
| 1974 | LIGHT OF LOVE |
| 1975 February | BOLAN'S ZIP GUN |
| 1975 July | New York City |
| 1975 October | Dreamy Lady |
| 1976 February | FUTURISTIC DRAGON |
| 1976 February | London Boys |
| 1976 June | I Love To Boogie |
| 1976 September | Laser Love |
| 1977 January | To Know You Is To Love You |
| 1977 March | The Soul of My Suit |
| 1977 May | DANDY IN THE UNDERWORLD |
| 1977 May | A Dandy In The Underworld |
| 1977 August | Celebrate Summer |
| 1977 September | BOLAN'S BEST + 1 (EP) |
| 1978 April | Crimson Moon |
| 1978 April | MARC, THE WORDS AND MUSIC OF MARC BOLAN |
| 1978 April | THE T. REX COLLECTION |
| 1978 June | GREATEST HITS VOL. 1 |
| 1979 June | SOLID GOLD T. REX |
| 1979 July | Life's A Gas |
| 1980 September | THE UNOBTAINABLE T. REX |
| 1981 March | THE RETURN OF THE ELECTRIC WARRIOR (EP) |
| 1981 August | T. REX IN CONCERT |
| 1981 September | You Scare Me To Death |
| 1981 October | YOU SCARE ME TO DEATH |
| 1981 October | Get Black |
| 1981 November | THE PLATINUM COLLECTION OF T. REX |
| 1982 January | Mellow Love |
| 1982 January | ACROSS THE AIRWAVES |
| 1982 July | Deep Summer |
| 1982 October | T. REX |
| 1982 December | Christmas Bop |
| 1982 | CHILDREN OF RARN SUITE |
| 1982 | THE INTERVIEW |
| 1983 June | Think Zinc |
| 1983 September | DANCE IN THE MIDNIGHT |
| 1983 October | CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION |
| 1984 April | BEYOND THE RISING SUN |
| 1984 June | Rare Magic: Sailor of the Highway |
| 1984 August | BILLY SUPER DUPER |
| 1984 August | T. REXTASY |
| 1984 November | OFF THE RECORD WITH T. REX |
| 1985 April | THE BEST OF THE 20TH CENTURY BOY |
| 1985 May | Megarex 1 (Medley) |
| 1985 May | Megarex 2 (Medley) |
| 1985 May | Megarex 3 (Medley) |
| 1985 May | THE MAIN MAN |
| 1985 July | Sunken Rags |
| 1985 July | A CROWN OF JEWELS |
| 1985 November | TILL DAWN |
| 1985 | T. REXTASY: THE BEST OF T. REX 1970-1973 |
| 1986 June | CLASSIC CUTS (EP) |
| 1987 January | THE VERY BEST OF VOLUME 1 |
| 1987 February | The Children of the Revolution (remix) |
| 1987 March | THE SINGLES COLLECTION |
| 1987 May | Get It On (re-mix) |
| 1987 May | Get It On (dawn mix) |
| 1987 May | Get It On (dusk mix) |
| 1987 May | GREATEST HITS |
| 1987 August | THE PEEL SESSIONS (EP) |
| 1987 October | TEENAGE DREAM |
| 1987 | STAND BY ME |
| 1988 July | NIGHTRIDING |
| 1988 | 18 GREATEST HITS |
| 1989 August | THE MARC SHOWS |
| 1990 | WHERE THERE'S CHAMPAGNE |
| 1991 April | RARITIES VOLUME ONE |
| 1991 June | THE VERY BEST OF MARC BOLAN & T. REX |
| 1991 September | THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION |
| 1991 November | Sleepy Maurice |
| 1991 December | BORN TO BOOGIE |
| 1991 December | LOVE + DEATH |
| 1991 December | THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION |
| 1991 December | THE EARLY YEARS |
| 1992 | THE BEST & THE REST OF MARC BOLAN |
| 1993 April | BBC RADIO 1 LIVE IN CONCERT |
| 1993 June | THE WIZARD |
| 1993 June | Blowin' in the Wind |
| 1994 April | 20TH CENTURY BOY |
| 1994 October | THE DEFINITIVE TYRANNOSAURUS REX |
| 1994 November | DIRTYSWEET VOLUME TWO |
| 1994 November 8 | RABBIT FIGHTER: THE ALTERNATE SLIDER |
| 1994 November | GREAT HITS 1972-1977 THE A SIDES |
| 1994 November | GREAT HITS 1972-1977 THE B SIDES |
| 1995 | MESSING WITH THE MYSTIC |
| 1995 June | LEFT HAND LUKE: THE ALTERNATE TANX |
| 1995 June | T. REX UNCHAINED: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS VOL. 1 (1972, PART 1) |
| 1995 June | T. REX UNCHAINED: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS VOL. 2 (1972, PART 2) |
| 1995 | T. REX UNCHAINED: UNRELEASED THE LIGHT OF LOVE |
| 1995 August 1 | THE COLLECTION |
| 1995 September | THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION |
| 1995 September | PREHISTORIC |
| 1995 October | CHANGE: THE ALTERNATE ZINC ALLOY |
| 1995 October | T. REX UNCHAINED: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS VOL. 3 (1973, PART 1) |
| 1995 October | T. REX UNCHAINED: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS VOL. 4 (1973, PART 2) |
| 1996 June | PRECIOUS STAR: THE ALTERNATE ZIP GUN |
| 1996 June | T. REX UNCHAINED: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS VOL. 5 (1974) |
| 1996 June | T. REX UNCHAINED: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS VOL. 6 (1975) |
| 1996 November | A WIZARD, A TRUE STAR: MARC BOLAN & T. REX 1972-1977 |
| 1996 | A BBC HISTORY |
| 1997 June | DAZZLING RAIMENT: THE ALTERNATE FUTURISTIC DRAGON |
| 1997 July | T. REX UNCHAINED: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS VOL. 7 |
| 1997 July | T. REX UNCHAINED: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS VOL. 8 |
| 1997 July | LIVE 1977 |
| 1997 October | METAL GURU |
| 2000 | GET IT ON (PRISM) |
| 2002 October 22 | WAX CO. SINGLES VOLUME 1 (1972-1974) |
| 2002 October 22 | WAX CO. SINGLES VOLUME 2 (1975-1978) |
| 2006 September 18 | THE FINAL CUTS |
| 2007 June 19 | THE ELECTRIC BOOGIE: NINETEENSEVENTYONE |
| 2007 September 4 | ELECTRIC JEWELS |
| 2007 October 30 | "I DANCED MYSELF OUT OF THE WOMB" |
| 2007 November 2 | BOLAN AT THE BEEB |
| 2007 | INTERSTELLAR SOUL |
| 2007 | LIVE 1977 + IN CONVERSATION |
| 2008 March 25 | COLOUR COLLECTION |
| 2008 March 25 | LEGEND |
| 2008 August 19 | THE BEST OF THE BBC RECORDINGS |
| 2010 January 12 | SPACEBALL: THE AMERICAN RADIO SESSIONS |
SEE ALSO...
School of Rock: Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture
Ringo Starr: Ringo
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