Audio CD review:
T. Rex - The Very Best of T. Rex

T. Rex - The Very Best of T. Rex

Band: T. Rex Title: The Very Best of T. Rex Rating: Release Date: 23 June, 1998 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Hot Love 2: Ride A White Swan 3: Get It On 4: Telegram Sam 5: Metal Guru 6: Chariot Choogle 7: Lady 8: Spaceball Ricochet 9: Children Of The Revolution 10: Solid Gold Easy Action 11: Born To Boogie 12: 20th Century Boy 13: The Groover 14: Truck On (Tyke) 15: Teenage Dream 16: Light Of Love 17: Zip Gun Boogie 18: New York City 19: Laser Love 20: I Love To Boogie

Customer Reviews About as good a T-Rex collection as there is Not too long not too short. The song selection is better than any T-Rex best-of as there has been. Most of the other compilations don't approach this one. A solid collection at a great price. T-Rex was essentially a vehicle for the glam genius of Marc Bolan. If your only experience with T-Rex is "Bang a Gong (Get it On)" and "20th Century Boy", then snap up this set and surrender to T-Rextasy. He began the group in the late 60's as a wizards & warriors acoustic folk outfit called Tyrannosaurus Rex . To ring in the 70's Bolan strapped on a stratocaster, plugged in and shortened the band's name to T-Rex. The name may have been shorter, but the new sound was gargantuan. And British rock would never be the same. That is where this set begins--with the first electric single, 1971's "Hot Love". From there it proceeds through nineteen more gloriously trashy glam gems, ending with Bolan's last single, 1976's "I Love to Boogie". This set is mostly a singles collection that spans Bolan's metoric run on the British charts. He starts with an electrified boogie ("Ride a White Swan", "Get it On") that evolves into elephantine 70's riffage ("20th Century Boy', "Truck on Tyke") and then on to a slightly pared down but no less vital sound ("Laser Love", "Zip Gun Boogie"). Listening to this set, you would never know that Bolan was in commercial decline at the time of death in a car accident in 1977. Every track is bursting with energy. The monster riffs and nonsensical ryhmes revel in the pure pleasure of being young and sexy and alive. This is a great budget-priced disc for T-Rex neophytes. It's as solid a single disc overview as you will find of Bolan's electric career. Beware though: you're liable to get hooked. Once you do, then proceed directly to Bolan's three classic albums of the early 70's: "Electric Warrior", "The Slider" & "Tanx". Marc Bolan, quintessential glamrocker When it comes to emotional expression or lyrical sophistication he wasn't even Jacob Dylan. Needless to say T Rex's frontman, Marc Bolan, was not Bob Dylan. What Mr. Bolan was, however, was the quintessential glamrocker. A charismatic and colorfully dressed funkrocker who drenched every frivolous word, buoyant guitar riff and nonverbal snarl of his delicious hard pop with potent attitude. The Very Best of Marc Bolan and T Rex collects twenty of the best deliberately and delightfully trashy floor-shakers of Mr. Bolan's tragically short career. Between the time a psychedelic haze encompassed sixties rock and the day the Ramones came bopping in these infectious, undemanding tunes did much to preserve unruly fun in rock and roll, during the age of the introspective singer/songwriter no less. Mr. Bolan was the rarest type of star of the mid-seventies, a rocker with no pretension. What you see is what you get: Feistiness, flair and fun. Sure, he did not have much to say, but few have accomplished more, looked better or sounded cooler saying it. . You can see a complete list of all T. Rex discography, or go back to the T. Rex tabs