Search - Marc Bolan, T Rex :: Acoustic Warrior

Too good to be real, because...it's a rip-off!

Bolan Authority | Columbus, OH | 07/11/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"What a clever idea though, taking recently remastered tapes, separating tracks from well-known and obscure recordings, and coming out with a fake live recording. In the case of "Telegram Sam" and "Get It On," the original studio vocal tracks were actually used! That takes nerve, but it was their undoing... Because it is so obvious. There is an old now unavailable live recording from 1971 called "T. Rex In Concert" from which one of the songs from this deception was stolen. They even left in the pre-song announcement from Bolan. The song is Deborah. Something like "Here's a song called Deborah...for those of you in the back of the row." They actually stole this one directly off the live 1971 album to put on here!



In some instances, the backing vocal tracks were left in and sometimes the strings. Then typically, they would add other instrumentation. These turn out to be session musicians. Fake (and embarrassing) audience cheers were dubbed in to frame and sometimes overlap each song, as in cases when the producers of this trickery wanted to suggest that the audience responds once they "recognise" the song.



This is a disturbing trend we have these days: a piece of film can be altered nowadays to include someone who was not originally in the frame (Forrest Gump), Natalie Cole can sing on disk with her deceased father (which I think he would have approved of), the Beatles can take a song by John Lennon done many years ago on acoustic and dub over it to be a big radio hit (Free as a Bird). All fine in their own way. But now we have this. A deliberate fake meant only to capitalise on Marc's death. I'm now wondering whether the fact that this is an import has also somehow been faked to further dupe the public.



If you doubt what I say, listen to the vocal subtleties in Telegram Sam and Get it On (which a singer can never duplicate correctly, nor would they want to) then immediately compare them to this recording. They match EXACTLY.



I'm refunding my money on this one.



Avoid like the plague.





"

Simply Brilliant

Karen Busschots | Johannesburg, South Africa | 02/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"... If you're anywhere near to being a Bolan fan this CD is an absolute MUST, even if you have to pay the full price. From the stripped down, jazzy "Metal Guru" and the funky rythm of "Telegram Sam" to the dreamy, oh-so-sexy rendition of "Get It On", this CD sparkles with 16 little gems of brilliant simplicity. Bolan's fine vocal gymnastics, from a shriek to a breathy whisper are highlighted by the absence of electronica which often overshadows his voice in the "hit" versions of these songs. And yes, he was "really quite paradise".Having said all that, I have to add that this CD would probably not have great universal appeal and is most likely to be appreciated by the select few known as "The Fans of Marc Bolan and T Rex"."

Bolan Fakery

R. Grainger | 10/29/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Every Bolan appreciator on the planet knows that the recordings are faked and that a statement such as "All songs are Bolan on acoustic guitar," is 100% false. The reviewer below clearly does not have the background to review this material.



As for the music, sure, it's not bad, but do yourself a favour and get the originals."