A Quartet Of Tyrannosaurus Rex And T.Rex Titles Set For Release In March
Four classic albums from Marc Bolan’s Tyrannosaurus Rex and T. Rex catalogue will be released on 3 March 2014 by Universal Music Catalogue/Polydor and by Demon Music on their Edsel label. The release of A Beard of Stars, T.Rex, and a double CD set including Tanx and Zinc Alloy And The Riders of Tomorrow/A Creamed Cage, come just prior to the national tour of 20th Century Boy http://www.20thcenturyboythemusical.co.uk, a new musical inspired by the life of the rock legend who continues to captivate each and every generation with his catalogue of hits and classic tracks.
Universal Music Catalogue/Polydor turn back the clock for the earliest of the releases A Beard of Stars (1970) and T.Rex from 1971, each with a bonus disc of rarities unmask Bolan on the threshold of success. A Beard of Stars, a more accessible and streamlined outing than previous Tyrannosaurus Rex releases turned out to be Bolan’s farewell to his late ’60s hippie duo and was the first to feature photogenic new sidekick, the bongo-playing Mickey Finn.
The tie-in single, By The Light Of A Magical Moon, was as charming as its title, and the entire set is woven with mysticism and melody. A Beard Of Stars also marked the first real stirrings of electricity, with album closer Elemental Child clocking in at five-a-a-half-minutes, thanks to some extended Hendrix-style guitar soloing.
A bonus disc of outtakes, many previously unreleased, has been handpicked by T. Rexpert Clive Zone – who also provides memorabilia for the booklet. A Beard of Stars will also be available on download, single CD and limited edition double vinyl LP.
By the time Bolan started work on T. Rex, in late spring 1970, The Beatles had split and there was a perceived crisis at the heart of pop. Bolan, too, had grown dissatisfied. The moment of epiphany came on July 1, 1970, when he nailed a new song, Ride A White Swan. The reward was a huge hit later that winter only kept from the No. 1 spot by ‘Grandad’, a slice of seasonal schmaltz sung by popular TV figure Clive Dunn!
Everything had fallen into place by the time of T. Rex. The band’s name had shrunk but their fame had risen immeasurably, with sweet-faced Bolan an instant hit with the glossier pop magazines. Now including a version of Ride A White Swan specially recorded for Top Of The Pops among its bonus tracks, the T. Rex album reveals another side to Bolan’s so-called instant success. For despite the electrifying rock’n’roll Jewel, Is It Love? And neo-bubblegum Beltane Walk, there’s a surprising sweetness to much of the album, with songs such as The Visit and Seagull Woman likely inspired by new wife June.
It’s little wonder that many aficionados, Morrissey among them, regard T. Rex as the best-kept secret in the Marc Bolan catalogue.
T.Rex will also be available on download, single CD and limited edition double vinyl LP.
To commemorate the release of a A Beard of Stars and T.Rex, Universal Music Catalogue will also be making available 2 strictly limited 7″ singles from the period By The Light Of A Magical Moon home demo/Find a Little Wood and Ride A White Swan Top of the Pops 12 November 1970/Summertime Blues BBC Radio One Dave Lee Travis Show 9 December 1970.
These will be strictly first come, first served and exclusively available from http://www.theboxsetstore.co.uk
Source:
http://www.theboxsetstore.co.uk
