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Electric Warrior

 
Album Review: Electric Warrior
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Electric Warrior

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  • Artist: T. Rex
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: 1971
  • Total Time: 39:02
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

The album that essentially kick-started the U.K. glam rock craze, Electric Warrior completes T. Rex's transformation from hippie folk-rockers into flamboyant avatars of trashy rock & roll. There are a few vestiges of those early days remaining in the acoustic-driven ballads, but Electric Warrior spends most of its time in a swinging, hip-shaking groove powered by Marc Bolan's warm electric guitar. The music recalls not just the catchy simplicity of early rock & roll, but also the implicit sexuality -- except that here, Bolan gleefully hauls it to the surface, singing out loud what was once only communicated through the shimmying beat. He takes obvious delight in turning teenage bubblegum rock into campy sleaze, not to mention filling it with pseudo-psychedelic hippie poetry. In fact, Bolan sounds just as obsessed with the heavens as he does with sex, whether he's singing about spiritual mysticism or begging a flying saucer to take him away. It's all done with the same theatrical flair, but Tony Visconti's spacious, echoing production makes it surprisingly convincing. Still, the real reason Electric Warrior stands the test of time so well -- despite its intended disposability -- is that it revels so freely in its own absurdity and willful lack of substance. Not taking himself at all seriously, Bolan is free to pursue whatever silly wordplay, cosmic fantasies, or non sequitur imagery he feels like; his abandonment of any pretense to art becomes, ironically, a statement in itself. Bolan's lack of pomposity, back-to-basics songwriting, and elaborate theatrics went on to influence everything from hard rock to punk to new wave. But in the end, it's that sense of playfulness, combined with a raft of irresistible hooks, that keeps Electric Warrior such an infectious, invigorating listen today. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Mambo Sun Marc Bolan T. Rex (3:38)
Cosmic Dancer Marc Bolan T. Rex (4:26)
Jeepster Marc Bolan T. Rex (4:10)
Monolith Marc Bolan T. Rex (3:45)
Lean Woman Blues (Lyrics) Marc Bolan T. Rex (3:01)
Bang a Gong (Get It On) Marc Bolan T. Rex (4:24)
Planet Queen (Lyrics) Marc Bolan T. Rex (3:11)
Girl Marc Bolan T. Rex (2:29)
The Motivator Marc Bolan T. Rex (3:57)
Life's a Gas Marc Bolan T. Rex (2:23)
Rip Off Marc Bolan T. Rex (3:38)

Credits

Seamus Egan (Liner Notes), Rick Wakeman (Keyboards), T. Rex (Main Performer), Mickey Finn (Percussion), Mickey Finn (Vocals), Marc Bolan (Guitar), Marc Bolan (Vocals), Greg Allen (Project Assistant), Craig Anderson (Authoring), Roy Thomas Baker (Engineer), Ed Caraeff (Photography), Malcolm Cecil (Engineer), Spencer Chrislu (Authoring), Burt Collins (Flugelhorn), Burt Collins (Horn), Steve Currie (Bass), David Katz (Orchestra Contractor), Bill Inglot (Project Assistant), Howard Kaylan (Vocals), Howard Kaylan (Vocals (Background)), George Marino (Mastering), George Marino (Stereo Mix Producer), George Marino (Surround Mix), Ian McDonald (Saxophone), Rik Pekkonen (Engineer), Martin Rushent (Engineer), Tony Visconti (Piano), Tony Visconti (Producer), Tony Visconti (Liner Notes), Tony Visconti (Mixing), Tony Visconti (Photography), Tony Visconti (Digital Remastering), Tony Visconti (Surround Mix), Mark Volman (Vocals), Mark Volman (Vocals (Background)), Bill Legend (Drums), Patrick Milligan (Project Assistant), Bryan Lasley (Art Direction), Bryan Lasley (Package Design), David Dieckmann (Authoring), Steve Woolard (Project Assistant), Steve Pokorny (Project Assistant), George Underwood (Artwork), George Underwood (Photography), Joe Black (Project Coordinator), Will Legend (Drums), Ginger Dettman (Project Assistant), Cory Frye (Editorial Supervision), Tim Scanlin (Liner Note Coordination), Steven P. Gorman (Photo Research), David Ponak (Project Assistant), Marc Salata (Project Assistant), Héctor Castillo (Engineer), Andy Thomas (Screen Design), Robin Hurley (Executive Producer), June Child (Artwork), June Child (Concept), Kieron "Spud" Murphy (Photography)
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Wikipedia: Electric Warrior
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
For the DC Comics character and series, see Electric Warrior (comics).
Electric Warrior
Studio album by T. Rex
Released September 24, 1971
Recorded March-June 1971
Trident Studios, London; Advision Studios, London; Wally Heider Studios, Los Angeles; Media Sound Studios, New York
Genre Glam rock
Length 39:02
Label Fly (UK); Reprise (US)
Producer Tony Visconti
Professional reviews
T. Rex chronology
T. Rex
(1970)		 Electric Warrior
(1971)		 The Slider
(1972)

Electric Warrior is the sixth album by British rock group T. Rex, and is widely considered to be one of the quintessential glam rock releases. Electric Warrior reached number thirty-two in the US; while it went to number one for several weeks in the UK, becoming the biggest album of 1971. In 2003 it was ranked number 160 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

One of the best-known songs on the record is "Get It On", whose title was changed in the United States to "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" (as there was another hit song at the time called "Get It On" by the group Chase). This was T.Rex's biggest single and their only U.S. hit (#10). The track is followed by "Girl", which is separated from the rest of the album by an unusual flugelhorn arrangement. "Cosmic Dancer" is an acoustic-based song propelled by producer Tony Visconti's string arrangements.

Bolan, in a 1971 interview contained on the Rhino Records reissue, said of the album "I think Electric Warrior, for me, is the first album which is a statement of 1971 for us in England. I mean that's... If anyone ever wanted to know why we were big in the other part of the world, that album says it, for me."

The sleeve was designed by British art design group Hipgnosis. In the November 2001 issue of Vanity Fair American musician Beck chose it as one of his 50 favourite album sleeves.[2]

Contents

Track listing

All songs written by Marc Bolan.

  1. "Mambo Sun" – 3:40
  2. "Cosmic Dancer" – 4:30
  3. "Jeepster" – 4:12
  4. "Monolith" – 3:49
  5. "Lean Woman Blues" – 3:02
  6. "Get It On" – 4:27
  7. "Planet Queen" – 3:13
  8. "Girl" – 2:32
  9. "The Motivator" – 4:00
  10. "Life's a Gas" – 2:24
  11. "Rip Off" – 3:40

Rhino Records reissue bonus tracks

  1. "There Was a Time" - 1:00
  2. "Raw Ramp" - 4:16
  3. "Planet Queen" (Acoustic Version) - 3:00
  4. "Hot Love" - 4:59
  5. "Woodland Rock" - 2:24
  6. "King of the Mountain Cometh" - 3:57
  7. "The T. Rex Electric Warrior Interview" - 19:35

30th Anniversary Special Edition bonus tracks

  1. "Rip Off [Work in Progress]" - 2:30
  2. "Mambo Sun [Work in Progress]" - 3:57
  3. "Cosmic Dancer [Work in Progress]" - 5:15
  4. "Monolith [Work in Progress]" - 4:47
  5. "Get It On [Work in Progress]" - 4:43
  6. "Planet Queen [Work in Progress]" - 0:56
  7. "The Motivator [Work in Progress]" - 4:19
  8. "Life's a Gas [Work in Progress]" - 3:14

Personnel

Notes

  1. ^ "Electric Warrior (Bonus Tracks)". buy.com. http://www.buy.com/prod/electric-warrior-bonus-tracks/q/loc/109/60589462.html. Retrieved 2009-11-03. 
  2. ^ sleevage.com
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T. Rex
Marc Bolan · Mickey Finn · Steve Currie · Bill Legend
Steve Peregrine Took · Miller Anderson · Herbie Flowers · Jack Green · Gloria Jones · Davey Lutton · Tony Newman · Dino Dines
As Tyrannosaurus Rex
As T. Rex
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Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Electric Warrior".  Read more

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