T. Rex is a cult British rock band, formed in 1967 in London. The musicians performed under the name Tyrannosaurus Rex as an acoustic folk-rock duo of Marc Bolan and Steve Peregrine Took.
The group was once considered one of the brightest representatives of the "British underground". In 1969, the band members decided to shorten the name to T. Rex.
The band's popularity peaked in the 1970s. The team became one of the leaders in the glam rock movement. The T. Rex group lasted until 1977. Perhaps the guys would continue to make quality music. But in the year mentioned, the one who stood at the origins of the group died. We are talking about Marc Bolan.
The history of the creation of the T. Rex group
At the origins of the cult team is Marc Bolan. The group was formed back in 1967. The T. Rex group has a very interesting history of creation.
After the "failed" performance of the electro quartet at the Electric Garden site, which included drummer Steve Porter, guitarist Ben Cartland and bass player, the band broke up almost immediately.
As a result, Mark left Porter in the line-up, who switched to percussion. Porter performed under the pseudonym Steve Peregrine Took. Musicians who were inspired by the works of John Tolkien began to compose "tasty" tracks together.
Bolan's acoustic guitar paired well with Steve Took's bongs. In addition, the compositions were accompanied by a "delicious" assortment of various percussion instruments. Such a nuclear mix allowed the musicians to take their rightful place on the underground scene.
Before long, BBC Radio host John Peel helped get the duo's tracks on the radio station. This provided the team with the first "portion" of popularity. Tony Visconti was a key influence on the duo. At one time, he was engaged in producing the band's albums, in the so-called "glam-rock" period of their existence.
Music by T. Rex
From 1968 to 1969, the musicians managed to record only one album. Despite the efforts, the disc did not arouse great interest among music lovers.
Despite a minor "failure", John Peel still "pushed" the duo's tracks on the BBC. The team received not the most flattering reviews from music critics. They were outraged by the frequent appearance of the T. Rex group on the Peel Canal. In 1969, there was a clear rift between the creators of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Bolan and his girlfriend lived a calm, measured life, while Tuk was fully occupied in the anarchist community. The musician did not disdain the use of excessive amounts of drugs and alcohol.
Took met Mick Farren of the Deviants, as well as members of the Pink Fairies. He began to compose his own compositions and include them in the group's repertoire. However, Bolan did not see any power in the tracks and any success.
Took's track The Sparrow Is a Sing was included on Twink's solo album Think Pink, which was not approved by Bolan. After recording the Unicorn album, Bolan said goodbye to Took. And although the musician was burdened by the contract, he left the band.
Beginnings of early glam
At this point, the band shortened the name to T. Rex. The work of the team became more successful from a commercial point of view. Bolan also constantly experimented with the sound of an electric guitar, which had a positive effect on the sound of musical compositions.
The group gained another "portion" of popularity thanks to the single King of the Rumbling Spires (recorded with Steve Tuk). Around this time period, Bolan released a book of poems, The Warlok of Love. Although critically acclaimed, the book became somewhat of a bestseller. Today, everyone who considers himself a fan of the band has read Bolan's publications at least once.
Soon the band's discography was replenished with a debut album. The first collection was called T. Rex. The band's sound became more pop. The first track to reach #2 on the UK Singles Chart at the end of 1970 was Ride a White Swan.
The fact that T. Rex's record made it to the top 20 of the best UK compilations deserves attention. They began to talk about the team in Europe.
On the wave of popularity, the musicians released the song Hot Love. The composition took 1st position in the British hit parade and held the leading position for two months.
During this period of time, new members joined the team. We are talking about bass player Steve Curry and drummer Bill Legend. The group began to "grow up" and at the same time its audience covered fans of different age categories.
Celita Secunda (wife of Tony Secunda, producer of The Move and T. Rex) advised Bolan to put some glitter on his eyelids. In this form, the musician got into the BBC television program. According to music critics, this action can be seen as the birth of glam rock.
It was thanks to Bolan that glam rock was born in the UK. In the early 1970s, the musical genre successfully spread to almost all European countries.
The inclusion of electric guitars coincided with Bolan's stylistic changes. The musician became more sexual and lyrical, which pleased most of the "fans", but upset the hippies. This period of creativity of the team had a significant impact on the singers of the 1980s.
The peak of the popularity of the group T. Rex
In 1971, the discography of the cult band was replenished with the second studio album Electric Warrior. Thanks to this record, the group enjoyed genuine popularity.
The Electric Warrior compilation included a well-known track released in the UK under the name Get It On. The musical composition took the honorable 1st position in the British chart.
A year later, the composition hit the top 10 best tracks in the United States of America, however, under the changed name Bang a Gong.
The second studio album was the band's last record with Fly Records. Bolan soon terminated the contract with the recording studio.
Some time later, the musician signed a contract with EMI with an agreement to replicate songs in the UK under his label T. Rex Records T. Rex Wax Co.
In the same year, the group presented the third studio album The Slider to fans of heavy music. The record became the most popular work of musicians in the United States, but it could not repeat the success of the Electric Warrior album.
The sunset of T. Rex's career
Starting with the Tanx compilation, the era of the classic band T. Rex is over. In general, one cannot speak negatively towards the mentioned album. The collection was well produced. New instruments such as mellotron and saxophone were added to the sound of the tracks.
Despite the fact that the group did not receive negative reviews, the musicians began to leave the band one by one. Bill Legend left first.
A year later, another member Tony Visconti left the group. The musician left almost immediately after the presentation of the Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow album.
The above-mentioned record took 12th position in the UK charts. The compilation managed to bring fans back to the band's early days with long track titles and complex lyrics. Despite the laudatory reviews of the "fans", music critics "bombed" the collection.
T. Rex soon expanded its line-up to include two more guitarists. With the participation of newcomers, the album Bolan's Zip Gun was released. Interestingly, the record was produced by Bolan himself. The album received rave reviews from both fans and music critics.
Jones took over as backing vocalist for Bolan. By the way, the girl was not only a colleague in the shop, but also the official wife of the musician, who bore him a child. In 1974, Mickey Finn left the band.
Bolan entered the phase of active "star disease". He felt in himself the makings of Napoleon. During this period of time, he lives either in Monte Carlo or in America. Tycho wrote songs, did not adhere to proper nutrition, gained weight and became a real "target" for bullying journalists.
The revival and final departure of T. Rex from the stage
The discography of the T. Rex group was replenished with the collection Futuristic Dragon (1976). Disharmonious, schizophrenic sounding can be heard in the musical compositions of the album. The new record was the absolute opposite of what the fans had been listening to before.
Despite this, critics responded well to the collection. This album took an honorable 50th position in the UK charts. In support of the new collection, Bolan and his team held a series of concerts in their native country.
In the same 1976, the musicians presented the single I Love to Boogie. The song was included in the band's latest album Dandy in the Underworld and was warmly received by the public.
A year later, the musicians released their last album. Tracks I Love to Boogie and Cosmic Dancer with several songs of the group were included in the soundtrack of the movie "Billy Elliot" (2000s).
Almost immediately after the presentation of the record, the band went on a UK tour with The Damned. After the tour, Bolan tried himself as a presenter. He hosted the Mark program. Such a move significantly doubled the authority of the musician.
Bolan, like a child, enjoys a new wave of popularity. The musician is negotiating a reunion with Finn, Took, and also with Tony Visconti.
The last episode of the program was recorded on September 7, 1977 - a performance with his friend David Bowie. The musicians appeared on stage together and performed a duet composition. Unfortunately, this was Bolan's last performance. A week later, the musician died. The cause of death was a car accident.
