Although Marc Bolan and T Rex had been producing music for a while before this, their fifth album, this is where they really lean into the pop-rock elements rather than the more folky direction that they had before – one that hasn’t stood the test of time as well compared to tracks like Get It On and Jeepster, the big hits from this album.
It’s clear to hear the beginnings of glam
rock here, with the stompier beats, not to mention Bolan’s visual style. But
this isn’t Chin/Chapman clumping music. This is maestro producer Tony Visconti,
a notable collaborator with Bowie, and so the music has a lightness to it,
with session horns and piano from Rick Wakeman. Plus, a lot of Bolan’s songs
are slower numbers like the soaring Cosmic Dancer or the acoustic guitar-driven
Girl, or the snakelike funk of Planet Queen, sliding sinuously into your ears.
The album ends with Rip-Off, probably the rockiest number on the album with sax
that’s very Visconti.
The tracks are a return to shorter 3-4
minute numbers, and built around memorable riffs that provide an easy hook,
hence my referring to it as “pop-rock”, but that’s not to put down the tracks
on offer here. There’s an art to a good solid commercial song that’s just as
good as long meandering jazz-rock jams, and to be honest it make a refreshing
change to some of the more portentous offerings of late.
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