Marc Bolan, T Rex Definitive Tyrannosaurus Rex Genres:Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock, Classic Rock, Metal Before they spawned the glam-rock movement, T. Rex was a quixotic acoustic duo popular on London's underground circuit. Billed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, Marc Bolan and percussionist Steve Peregrine-Took (later replaced by Mick... more »ey Finn) supported their odd, quasi-mystical songs with spare acoustic guitar and bongo arrangements, fleshed out in the studio by producer Tony Visconti. Drawing from the group's four pre-T. Rex records, including Unicorn and Beard of Stars, Definitive features "Debora," "Salamanda Palaganda," "King of the Rumbling Spires," and other cult classics. Boasting comprehensive liner notes by Bolan biographer Mark Paytress and an awesome 31 tracks, including rare singles, this smartly conceived set truly lives up to its name, reinvigorating a legacy all too often ignored in favor of the group's subsequent superstar records. --James Rotondi« less
Before they spawned the glam-rock movement, T. Rex was a quixotic acoustic duo popular on London's underground circuit. Billed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, Marc Bolan and percussionist Steve Peregrine-Took (later replaced by Mickey Finn) supported their odd, quasi-mystical songs with spare acoustic guitar and bongo arrangements, fleshed out in the studio by producer Tony Visconti. Drawing from the group's four pre-T. Rex records, including Unicorn and Beard of Stars, Definitive features "Debora," "Salamanda Palaganda," "King of the Rumbling Spires," and other cult classics. Boasting comprehensive liner notes by Bolan biographer Mark Paytress and an awesome 31 tracks, including rare singles, this smartly conceived set truly lives up to its name, reinvigorating a legacy all too often ignored in favor of the group's subsequent superstar records. --James Rotondi
CD Reviews
BOLAN RULES!
07/19/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"& this is the collection to prove it on 1 cd! THE most prolific; THE most profound & fun; THE genius with his paw smack dab on the muse's Kit; THE great Jewish Messiah of rock-pop-magic-mystic-troubadouric-gushing-cosmic-blessed-wild impish laughter! -That's Marc Bolan & this collection culls his output at its freshest, early psyche-pop-folk incarnation, which, to these ears, holds up best of all...There's just enough nice production & playful exotic instrumentation; Bolan's mythic-sylvan Blakean poetic persona is already mature...there's such a sense of a Horn O'Plenty overflowing with great melodies, original visions, 'magical' energy, & genuine fun/genius present in the songs here that I'm moved to SHOUT! to anyone reading this to BUY THIS CD! At the price I see listed it's a great deal for a hard-to-find item (I got mine in NYCity several years ago & paid several $ more than this--haven't seen it since)... New/younger listeners could get lost in the T. Rex section (get TANX / ELECTRIC WARRIOR / SLIDER) especially among the slew of 'bootleg/demo/barrel scrapings' that have come out, which do contain some gems due to the inherent Bolan greatness!, but... this product DEFINITIVE TYRANNOSAURUS REX is a true 31 song masterpiece!!! RIP, MB! Your Legacy Shines On!"
The next best thing is to own them all...
Michel Laverdière atma@dsuper.net | Montréal (Québec) | 03/21/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the best travelling kit. You'll have all the best Tyrannosaurus Rex songs, including some that are not on the original albums, on one single CD at the best price possible. It is the perfect compromise for travelling as you won't have to carry MY PEOPLE WERE FAIR, PROPHETS SEERS & SAGES, UNICORN and BEARD OF STARS. Imagine: 31 songs without having to change CD in your player! But don't be cheap! Owning this marvelous CD doesn't exempt you of the necessity to buy all Tyrannosaurus Rex albums as well. And then complete your collection with the T.Rex classics, from T.REX (Brown album) to DANDY IN THE UNDERWORLD. That is, if you really want your musical life to be complete..."
Pretty Amazing!
Michel Bouton | Schenectady, NY | 03/28/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's pretty amazing what Marc Bolan did with so little! In the early days, all he had was his voice, a rudimentary acoustic guitar and bongos, but he made it work. Some of the lyrics don't even make any sense, but it works! It's obvious that Marc didn't put any money into the production of these recordings which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I heard that he was pretty much broke at that time of his life, but he used everything he had. If anyone else would have wrote these songs, they would have been laughed at for sure! Later in this period, (around track #20) he added electric guitar, bass and an occasional keyboard....still very minimal instrumentation, no drums, just bongos and it all seems to make sense somehow. You can really hear the music progressing towards his more familiar, "Electric Warrior" period, Listen to "Elemental Child" for example. All in all, this is a very fun disc to listen to.....even if you're not an acoustic hippy from the sixties!"
Essential Bolan
thestateunfair | Wheaton, IL United States | 02/14/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this collection in Croydon a few years back, and I still listen to it at least once a month. Contains all the early highlights, plus rare singles like "King of the Rumbling Spires" (electric-glam Bolan before T.Rex). "Debora" through "Elemental Child". What more do you need?"
