Well, this is the group rock and roll fans. I feel it is important to impress on you the ingenuity of these two young Englishmen who have somehow, ingeniously, constructed a rock album that will enter the annals of rock history as one of the most original sounding, unusual sounding, obtusely, cleverly and creatively written albums ever. The sound could only be accurately pegged as "mystic boogie." Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn are the two dinosaurs involved here. Bolan does all the writing, singing, and plays guitar. Finn takes care of the percussion end of things. The rhythms this unique duo create, with the help of various session musicians (who play saxophone, flugelhorn, bass and drums) are devastating.

Original album advertising art. Click image for larger view.

This is the group's second album on the Reprise label and fifth album together. They were originally on Fly Records in London and later on Blue Thumb where they came out with two albums: Unicorn and Beard of Stars. Tony Visconti has produced all the albums and on Electric Warrior he has coupled the T. Rex sound with an orchestral accompaniment: strings, cellos, bowed string basses which creates a sound so penetrating as to be awesome. But the paramount beauty of T. Rex lies in Bolan's singing and writing. His voice is hauntingly trebly, weird to the extent of being quite beautiful. His style is so unique as to resemble something non-human -- cosmically science fictive if you will. His writing draws upon stunning allusions and brilliant juxtapositions in words and thoughts. There is a duality to what he writes/sings/plays in that a listener can cruise along with the throbbing electric bass and resonant, moody drumming, or he can pay close attention to the lyric and reap a harvest of new insight from what Bolan has to say. At first his lyrics appear nonsensical but, upon a few listenings, one begins to understand the clever, highly individualistic description of reality the writer wants to convey. Bolan's rhyme schemes and word choices are solely unlike anything I have ever heard in rock and roll. He creates his very own special approach to rock that only few, highly creative artists have done. It is almost as though Bolan managed to establish a concept so "foreign" to standard rock and roll while still employing the artifice of the musical genre. He is avante-garde but in very captivating, understandable and inviting way.

"Jeepster," "Mambo Sun," "Cosmic Dancer," "Girl" and "Lean Woman Blues" highlight the eleven cuts on this album with lyrics that are inescapable.

"Jeepster": "You move so fine, with bones so fair, you've got the universe
reclining in your hair... Girl I'm just a Jeepster for your love..."
"Cosmic Dancer": "I danced with myself right out the womb, Is it strange to
dance so soon?... What's it like to be a loon? I'd liken it to a balloon..."
"Mambo Sun": "Beneath the bebop moon I want to croon with you. Beneath
the mambo sun, I want to be the one for you."

There you have a sampling, but without the music integrating with the words, mere reading does not do the group justice. With better promotion and a few American tours under their belts, T. Rex are, without escape, destined to become the very next supergroup of our heretofore doggerel-ridden rock and roll "universe."

- Jay Ehler, Phonograph Record, 1/72.

Bonus Reviews!

T. Rex is now the hottest group is England (consistent No. 1 singles). With the group and the company taking great promotional interest in this album, it won't be long before America also starts bopping to Marc Bolan's uniquely entertaining cosmic visions. Freakiest cut: "Jeepster"; prettiest: "Life's a Gas"; funniest: "Rip-Off."

- Billboard, 1972.

Kicking off with the fat guitars of "Mambo Sun," Electric Warrior winds through all of Marc Bolan's obsessions, from sleazy teenage rock & roll to spacy mysticism. "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" was the well-deserved hit, full of lust and flamboyance, but it's by no means the only good thing here. With the trashy blues stomps of "Jeepster" and "Lean Woman Blues" sitting next to the space-age rock of "Monolith" and "Planet Queen," Electric Warrior has nothing but teenage kicks; it's glam rock at its absolute best. Without question, the definitive, classic T. Rex. * * * * *

- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

Electric Warrior remains T. Rex' seminal work -- saucy, playful and filled with A-material such as "Bang a Gong," "Jeepster" and "Rip Off." * * * *

- Todd Wicks, Musichound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, 1996.

Both irresistible and trashy, sexy and sultry, this playful breakthrough from the English group founded and fronted by the late Marc Bolan, the guy who invented glam rock, doesn't take itself too seriously. Essential listening for any fan of straightforward, electrifying R&R, it includes songs about cars and girls, like "Jeepster" and, most notably, "Bang a Gong (Get It On)," their only U.S. hit. * * * * *

- Zagat Survey Music Guide - 1,000 Top Albums of All Time, 2003.

Further reading on Super Seventies RockSite!: Album Review: The Slider Single Review: "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" Seventies' Greatest Album Covers: The Slider T. Rex Lyrics "Glam Rock 101"

"A successful hit rock & roll record is a spell," T. Rex leader Marc Bolan told Rolling Stone. Muttering eye of Bowie, toe of Slade, Bolan cast a spell over all of England. He took his Tolkienesque hippie music and gave it a glammed-out Chuck Berry update on sexy singles such as "Bang a Gong (Get It On)"; this was rock that thrusted, quivered and recklessly employed metaphors equating cars with sex ("you got a hubcap diamond star halo"). He outdid himself with "Jeepster," an entire song on the topic, vibrating with lust, a shuffling beat, lots of guitar and the sound of Bolan stomping on the studio floor.

Electric Warrior was chosen as the 160th greatest album of all time by the editors of Rolling Stone magazine in Dec. 2003.

- Rolling Stone, 12/11/03.

Marc Bolan is one of the most compelling characters in rock history. With his updated Byronic style and delightfully obscure brand of hippy mysticism, he was never less than audacious. While his career featured some maddeningly uneven output (as well as a bestelling book of poetry entitled The Warlock Of Love), its pinnacle was Electric Warrior. And, like all of his work, it was packed with surprises.

T. Rex had already achieved success in the UK -- however, Bolan wanted to reach the unconverted across the Atlantic. Hitting the road with new members Steve Currie on bass, and drummer Bill Legend abetting percussionist Mickey Finn, the band began cutting tracks on the fly in London, New York, and Los Angeles. While singles released at the time hinted at a bolder sound for the group, the full wonder of Electric Warrior only became clear on its release.

Its cover art epitomizes the dangerous promise of rock's power, with Bolan wielding an electric weapon before a munitions dump of amplifiers. However, instead of blasting the listener with a metal onslaught when the needle hits the groove ...Warrior begins with a sultry guitar chug, easy backbeat, and an invitation to croon "beneath the bebop moon" on "Mambo Sun." The wide-eyed acoustic strum of "Cosmic Dancer" follows, with its rich string arrangement. So goes the record, by turns raucously salacious and meditatively romantic. While single "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" would reach the U.S. Top Ten, T. Rex never achieved Bolan's large ambition of international superstardom -- at least not in his lifetime.

- Tim Sheridan, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 2005.

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