T-Rex - Electric Warrior
40 years ago, seminal glam rock band T-Rex released their monumental Electric Warrior album, the album which propelled them firmly into the spotlight as the band we remember today. Originally produced by Tony Visconti, the album was released in September of 1971 and led to Hot Love achieving the number 1 spot, Mark Bolan breaking big, and ushered in glam (or glitter) rock as we know it now.
In honour of Record Store Day on April 23rd 2012, Visconti has stepped up and re-mastered Electric Warrior, combined it with a boxed set of unreleased demos, singles and a DVD including the only two surviving performances on Top Of The Pops of Hot Love and Get It On. Due to be released for the very first time as a double LP, this boxed set promises to be a true collector’s item for T-Rex fans the world over. The most interesting thing here though is the second version of Electric Warrior itself, made up of unreleased demos and out-takes, matching the album track for track but not following the conventions of a studio recorded album.
It’s always dangerous when such a massive album is taken and changed, with some fans bound to say it takes away from the original sound of the band, adding in too much digitalisation and losing all those little faults which made music of the 70’s so real. In this case, mainly because the original producer is on board, this hasn’t happened. What you’ve got here is 2 CD’s of gloriously clean sounding T-Rex goodness, the glam tinged rock oozing out of the speakers sounding almost as if it were recorded yesterday. The bass of Monolith seems even more prevalent, the wah tainted guitar line adding in a funky edge whilst the backing vocals sound crisp and clean behind Bolan’s voice. Tracks like Get It On also take on a new feeling, sounding like the original but cleaner, fresher and quite simply, more refined over all. As a stand-alone album, this is a triumph as it always has been, and whether every single T-Rex fan out there agrees with me or not, this version will happily sit alongside the original and firmly do it justice.
The highlight for any fan is bound to be the second disk where the album is replicated with unreleased demo’s and out-takes. Immediately, there’s a special feeling about this disk, taking on a sound which transports you to the studio with the band, puts you stage side and makes you feel as if you were there to experience all of these moments along with them. From the instrumental version of Mambo Sun, to the single vocal mix of Cosmic Dancer, right up to the full length version of Get It On (nearly a minute and a half longer), every single track holds a moment of glory for the band and an experience for the fan. Personally, the Untitled Instrumental AKA A Whole Lot Of Rubbish From The Studio was a particular high point for me, simply hearing a band like T-Rex messing about to see what they could come up with isn’t something many got to hear, and hearing it now is just as exhilarating. Combine this with a reworking of Carl Perkins’ Rockabilly classic Honey Don’t and you’re in for a 21 track treat here.
There are bound to be those out there who say that there’s no need for a release such as this and that if people want to hear T-Rex they should go back to the original recordings, but I disagree. This is the perfect time for a release such as this, not only because of the 40th anniversary, but also because it opens T-Rex up to a whole new audience, a whole new world effectively given what’s changed since they were with us. Go into this album open minded and ready to hear where a lot of modern rock came from, then just let the band take you along for the ride – it’s going to be a good one.
Words: Dave Nicholls
In honour of Record Store Day on April 23rd 2012, Visconti has stepped up and re-mastered Electric Warrior, combined it with a boxed set of unreleased demos, singles and a DVD including the only two surviving performances on Top Of The Pops of Hot Love and Get It On. Due to be released for the very first time as a double LP, this boxed set promises to be a true collector’s item for T-Rex fans the world over. The most interesting thing here though is the second version of Electric Warrior itself, made up of unreleased demos and out-takes, matching the album track for track but not following the conventions of a studio recorded album.
It’s always dangerous when such a massive album is taken and changed, with some fans bound to say it takes away from the original sound of the band, adding in too much digitalisation and losing all those little faults which made music of the 70’s so real. In this case, mainly because the original producer is on board, this hasn’t happened. What you’ve got here is 2 CD’s of gloriously clean sounding T-Rex goodness, the glam tinged rock oozing out of the speakers sounding almost as if it were recorded yesterday. The bass of Monolith seems even more prevalent, the wah tainted guitar line adding in a funky edge whilst the backing vocals sound crisp and clean behind Bolan’s voice. Tracks like Get It On also take on a new feeling, sounding like the original but cleaner, fresher and quite simply, more refined over all. As a stand-alone album, this is a triumph as it always has been, and whether every single T-Rex fan out there agrees with me or not, this version will happily sit alongside the original and firmly do it justice.
The highlight for any fan is bound to be the second disk where the album is replicated with unreleased demo’s and out-takes. Immediately, there’s a special feeling about this disk, taking on a sound which transports you to the studio with the band, puts you stage side and makes you feel as if you were there to experience all of these moments along with them. From the instrumental version of Mambo Sun, to the single vocal mix of Cosmic Dancer, right up to the full length version of Get It On (nearly a minute and a half longer), every single track holds a moment of glory for the band and an experience for the fan. Personally, the Untitled Instrumental AKA A Whole Lot Of Rubbish From The Studio was a particular high point for me, simply hearing a band like T-Rex messing about to see what they could come up with isn’t something many got to hear, and hearing it now is just as exhilarating. Combine this with a reworking of Carl Perkins’ Rockabilly classic Honey Don’t and you’re in for a 21 track treat here.
There are bound to be those out there who say that there’s no need for a release such as this and that if people want to hear T-Rex they should go back to the original recordings, but I disagree. This is the perfect time for a release such as this, not only because of the 40th anniversary, but also because it opens T-Rex up to a whole new audience, a whole new world effectively given what’s changed since they were with us. Go into this album open minded and ready to hear where a lot of modern rock came from, then just let the band take you along for the ride – it’s going to be a good one.
Words: Dave Nicholls
