Electric Warrior

Oh my God. I love everything about this album. Every single song. Best T Rex album hands down. He caught lightning in a bottle here. What a tight little package - so efficient/effective. Cooked to perfection with just the right amount of seasoning in the production. The thing I think I love the most is probably his intonation/phrasing/inflection on nearly every line. So passionate and memorable. Burned into me. Unlike Donovan, Marc Bolan figured out how to transition out of the mystical 60s folk thing and into the sexy ass rock of the 70s. Both a sensitive whimsical dreamer and a rocker with some serious balls. So much catchy joy through it all. Highest caliber pleasure. There might be albums that I like more in one way or another or that mean more to me but I consider this a perfect album. Even the imperfections are perfect. Gotta listen to the expanded and remastered version. Bonus: cult favorites of mine, Flo and Eddie of the Turtles, are on backing vox. I feel they might be the real secret ingredient in making the mix really shine.

“Electric Warrior” by T-Rex. Never listened to this album. I’m only familiar with their hit “Get It On”, which is good, but kind of canned pop. It was all over the radio in 1971. (Interesting side fact: In the U.S., it was titled “Bang the Gong” to distinguish it from “Get It On” by the American band Chase—a MUCH better song! I strongly urge you to listen to it. Horn virtuosity par excellence!) Anyway, this album is only ‘okay’, in my opinion. Instrumentals lack variety and individual performances are so-so (except Ian McDonald’s great baritone & alto sax work). Drums and bass are mechanical, sans any semblance of creativity. Whoever thought of putting bongos on a country rock setting (“Jeepster”) should be shot. Rick Wakeman is listed as doing backing piano on “Get It On”. Rick Wakeman (later of Yes and much solo work) is a genius. I bet he regrets his cadaverous contribution to this piece of pop. Orchestral background on “Cosmic Dancer” is pallid and derivative. Listen to Moody Blues instead. (Or METALLICA, for God’s sake!) Same with choral backing on “Monolith”. Marc Nolan’s lead vocals are bad. When he doesn’t overdub himself, I feel like I need a chalkboard to scratch in order to drown him out. “Lean Woman Blues” is so far from the blues, it’s yellow. Lyrics are formulaic, lacking depth—kind of like flowered wallpaper. No mystery. No sense. Words seem to be chosen simply for their aural texture (on the generous assumption that they actually thought about it). These lyrics remind me of Bruce Springsteen’s “Blinded by the Light”—ear candy. Production value is primitive, even for 1971. Listening to this album today makes me want to go out and buy me some bubble gum. When I was 16, I probably would have thought it was cool. But then, at that time I was wearing bell-bottomed pants and paisley shirts. 2/5

Thought it was quite good without it Bolan me over.

I have a hard time writing about music, and this album is a good example. It's cool, I just don't like the music. Do I understand why some people like it? Yes. Do I like it? No. Then how to rate it? 2.

The album that essentially kick-started the U.K. glam rock craze, Electric Warrior completes T. Rex's transformation from hippie folk-rockers into flamboyant avatars of trashy rock & roll. There are a few vestiges of those early days remaining in the acoustic-driven ballads, but Electric Warrior spends most of its time in a swinging, hip-shaking groove powered by Marc Bolan's warm electric guitar. The music recalls not just the catchy simplicity of early rock & roll, but also the implicit sexuality -- except that here, Bolan gleefully hauls it to the surface, singing out loud what was once only communicated through the shimmying beat. He takes obvious delight in turning teenage bubblegum rock into campy sleaze, not to mention filling it with pseudo-psychedelic hippie poetry. In fact, Bolan sounds just as obsessed with the heavens as he does with sex, whether he's singing about spiritual mysticism or begging a flying saucer to take him away. It's all done with the same theatrical flair, but Tony Visconti's spacious, echoing production makes it surprisingly convincing. Still, the real reason Electric Warrior stands the test of time so well -- despite its intended disposability -- is that it revels so freely in its own absurdity and willful lack of substance. Not taking himself at all seriously, Bolan is free to pursue whatever silly wordplay, cosmic fantasies, or non sequitur imagery he feels like; his abandonment of any pretense to art becomes, ironically, a statement in itself. Bolan's lack of pomposity, back-to-basics songwriting, and elaborate theatrics went on to influence everything from hard rock to punk to new wave. But in the end, it's that sense of playfulness, combined with a raft of irresistible hooks, that keeps Electric Warrior such an infectious, invigorating listen today.

J'ai adoré cet album de grande qualité. Petit bemol cependant, le moment où le T-rex dévore sa proie n'était peut-etre pas necessaire, et entâche un peu cet excellent projet. L'enquête continue.

Not bad, but it felt like the songs were always building toward a payoff that never came. It kept climbing slowly up the ladder to the high dive, building anticipation, getting to the edge... and then turning around and just climbing back down. Musical edging with no satisfying release. I want to enjoy this more than I really do.

Confession: first time I'd ever heard "Bang A Gong" it was the Power Station cover, c1985. Since then I've heard the original a few thousand times - it's fine. It's fine. Just like the rest of the album. It's all fine. I suspect if I had been a teenager in 1971 when this came out I'd have loved it - the simple driving beats, 4 chords, accessible and simple melodies. It's just that I've heard it all so many times, and frankly ... I've heard better. I will say that I'd bet these songs would be really good live - ample room for good musicians to jam and expand the sound. It's tough to gauge something that may have been rather ground-breaking for the time which I know a lot of people hold this as, so I allow a little deference there. But.... is/was it so groundbreaking? Are these anything that early Kinks or Stones wouldn't trounce into the ground musically? I read that this is the "beginning of glam rock" but is that actually a genre or because Marc Bolan started wearing glitter? Absolutely nothing bad in here, and might get a knowing nod from me if I heard it out somewhere, but it's like a Ritz cracker with no topping. Oh, if you desperately need something to eat it'll do, but I'd really like some good cheese on top. Or frankly - a better cracker. 4/10 2 stars.

Quel dommage... Alors que la fin de l'album semblait mettre en scène le retour du T-rex auprès de sa famille, les scénaristes ont finalement fait le choix d'une outro des plus cruelles. Le T-rex retourne en effet chez lui mais repart aussitôt chasser un troupeau de tricératops. Il attrape le plus jeune d'entre eux avec ses longues dents et le déchiquette sans le moindre état d'âme devant sa mère. Était-ce vraiment nécessaire ?...

Yeah, this one's really confusing to me. The composition, production, lead guitar, percussion, effects (especially effects) are all incredible. So slick and yet somehow so raw - ahead of their time, for the time. But I just can't get past the vocals - the guy's voice annoys me so much. The rhythm builds into a verse and you want him to belt, at least hold a god damn note for half a breath, but he does some weak ass affectation instead and ruins what could have been a powerful moment. The lead ascends into some wonderfully engineered break as if anticipating a climax in the arrangement, but the singer just steps in like his day job and follows it with some low energy repeat of the same chorus in the same tone as the last one. But you know, his accent is cool or something. It's not like he can't hold a note (life's a gas utilises his tone just right) or command a stage (rip off shows that)... Which implies he just doesn't want to - or maybe it's the studio effect and I'm feeling his apathy from singing the same song 20 times in a row. Or he fucked up his voice in the preceding years when he could still sing like a lead vocalist. Could he? I don't know him. Whatever it is I can very easily imagine a five star version of this album where each song is recorded with a different vocalist who can actually sing like they fucking mean it. Can't listen to this one unfortunately, despite the fact everything else about it is excellent.

Bolan takes the pop and rock and roll that came before him and makes something that somehow stills sounds and feels futuristic. It’s fun, sexy, sleazy, dirty, funky and gorgeous. An actual peer of Bowie and an antecedent to Prince.

Grunge rock, sleazy but solid and impressive musically. Like a harder, more visceral Deerhunter. They've definitely influenced plenty bands I listen to. Need to explore more

As in other landmark albums reviewed like 'Nevermind' or 'Rumours', 'Electric Warrior' is a top-of-genre, jewel of the crown of the glam-rock movement and one of best 70s rock efforts

January 24th 2022. The best of this album IMO: - Not a fan of the voice. Album was okay. Some songs are repetitive. 2.8/5

Hmm, sounds like the whole thing was recorded at half speed, with the singer whispering in the closet. Guitar was fun and lyrics are entertaining. Sort of a loungey rock and roll for late-night listening.

Soft rock, not usually my type. But then heard a song and thought, "So that's who sings this." (Bang a Gong)

Terrible. I would give this 0 stars if I could. It commits the cardinal sin of being both boring and repetitive. T-Rex wears their influences on their sleeve, while saying absolutely nothing of their own. I hate this, and I never want to hear it again. If you told me the CIA uses this to torture detainees at Guantanamo bay, I’d believe you.

I hear "Bang A Gong" on the radio. And I always confuse it for "Spirit in the Sky" and I'm always disappointed that it's T. Rex. I just don't care for this at all. It feels really bland. Everything about T. Rex feels bland, stale, and past expiration. I'm going to lose it if there's another one on this list.

Electric Warrior I had this on CD, inspired by Paul’s admiration for them, but I can’t have listened to this in about 20 years. I’m glad it came up, as it has reminded me of what a great album this is: infectious, fun and joyous with endearingly silly lyrics which occasionally dance with genuine profundity. Mambo Sun and Cosmic Dancer are a banging opening pair, illustrating the two principal styles of song on the album; glammed up rock’n’roll grooves and spacey acoustic driven ballads. I love the string parts on Cosmic Dancer, quite George Martin in the cello and spare arrangement, and, of course, it’s just a great track overall. Jeepster, Monolith and Lean Woman blues finish off the first side brilliantly. Jeepster is obviously a classic, but I love Monolith’s hand claps and backing vocals, and Lean Woman Blues downtempo rock’n’roll blues is just great, with just the right lightness of touch to avoid it being a bog standard 70s blues dirge. Get It On, still sounds fresh and immediate 50 years on, just a banger. Planet Queen, what a track. I remember loving this back in the days of CDs, but I’d kind of forgotten about it. Superb.Love the mournful brass in Girl, and the engagingly daft lyrics, another great track. Love the little echoes of Get It On in The Motivator and the last 30 seconds are great, almost like morse code. Life’s a Gas and Rip Off round things off superbly, Life’s A Gas slightly downcast lyrics giving a nice bit of sobriety to the album before the scuzzy rock n roll of Rip Off. It’s such a smartly written, constructed and produced album, the spaciousness and echoey sound giving it a real deftness, allowing room for the grooves to breathe and for Bolan’s hip shaking boogie guitar to snake around the songs. It’s an easy 5 - a great, fun and playful album of supremely efficient pop rock perfection. 🦖🦖🦖🦖🦖 Playlist submission: Planet Queen

Superb album. We were cruelly robbed of a fantastic talent. I often think of what wonders he would have given us had he not been tragically killed.

Cosmic Dancer 🕺 Jeepster 👌🏻 Get it on 🙌🏻 Life’s a Gas 😎

Ty Segall led me to T. Rex a while back and they quickly became one of my faves. I think this album is a gem.

Fuckin' rocked.

I completely misread what kind of music T. Rex made. This is very chill, super fun guitar driven jams. There's a through-line of vulnerability in the music. I enjoyed this very much.

I liked this album much better than the other T. Rex album that I was served from this project. It was sultry, glammy, and the musicians sound like they're in love with every song they perform.

Another foggy square of the map charted, and happily: my grunge-punk orientation robbed me of T. Rex as a teenager, and I probably would've benefited from this marriage of romanticism, cosmic chug and faintly emetic lasciviousness. The songs are somewhere on the line between rather good and brilliant. Bolan manages to sound both young and very old, which serves a deathless mystic persona well; I don’t know which came first. His guitar playing is a clever swerve from “sad man is sad because girl” to “we’re all going to die, but you can’t stop my horn” - Brit blues, but with poppers swapped for constipation. (Those who would present the R Stones as counter-argument should take note of what heroin does for the bowel movement.) The elegiac quality draws me more than the horny chug: Cosmic Dancer halted me within its first few seconds, banjaxed, brain switched to a vague but strong feeling of loss. Don’t think I’d heard it before, either. Strangely, I think of Peckinpah’s use of “Knocking of Heaven’s Door” in "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", and has me imagining a similar pairing with Nic Roeg. Bolan grew up round the corner from where I've spent most of my grown-up life, which I never knew until this weekend. Nice.

Enjoyed this a lot. Marc Bolan is the Buddy Holly of glam; early doors, not everything is bursting with ideas but he delivers a *lot* of tunes and most are pretty great. I guess this is the definitive album (maybe The Slider?) but I'm solidly in the Greatest Hits domain here; every home should have one.

Great sound, okay voice, and nothing to stand out here. It's good, but could be better. Jeepster and Get It On were some favorites

Tasting this like a fine wine. Its alright. Hints of Prince and Bowie to come. A dry mix and a fuzzy soft guitar tone with Bolan’s vocals set in a dreamy bed. Nothing too remarkable on the album. Nothing too inventive to these ears that have been raised on its legacy. Im not sure how much glam Bolan embodied in his music. He wore glitter and was bisexual and those became traits of his heirs but musically what is he doing? A kind of strut and sneer and quite a lot of hand percussion. Not much to work with sonically. Just some chords and riffs and lines of song. Nothing that blues musicians weren’t really doing at the time: shuffles and grooves. Perhaps his influence was in being a cross over artist who brought psychedelic rock and fantasy folk to more bluesy settings. I dunno. However, I’m in this for the music not necessarily the cultural significance of the artist of the album. Does this still hold up 50+ years later? It does, enough. But pretty much back ground music at this point. Bolan’s lyrics teeter on the edge of parody. Is he saying anything? Not really. But one gets the impression that he doesn’t really give a fuck. Just wanted to make a good album. Mostly succeeds but I’m not adding it to the library.

Decent album. I don't think there was anything here for me that made me say "wow" but also don't think there was anything that annoyed me. Just a generally good album with no offensive bits and no tasty bites. Might just not be for me.

Bang a gong and other songs no one knows about

Big dumb fun. Bang a Gong was not a fluke—although it is by far the best example of its species. This shares some DNA with Bowie, but it’s all somehow less evolved. I don’t mind the nursery rhyme lyrics, B-minus solos, or caveman drums. You just have to put it on and not think too much.

Ok, aber echte Dinosaurier waren schon cooler

Realised why I did not pick up on T Rex in the 70’s

Very derivative and uninspired. Honestly don't get how this band nearly rivaled the Beatles for a brief time

If someone put this album on, it wouldn’t bother me. But likewise, if I never heard it again, that wouldn’t bother me either. That’s the problem with it - it does nothing for me. It doesn’t offend, it doesn’t move me, it doesn’t inspire, it doesn’t irritate, it doesn’t make me happy, it doesn’t make me think….it just….is. And that’s not enough for me. However, I still like Bang a Gong.

Just because an album has 1 famous song doesn't make it a greatest album ever, just saying

Not for me. 3/10

This album blows. The lyrics are lazy and instrumentals uninspired. They repeat the same musical idea over and over in every song. The cherry on top is the lead singers weird "Hey Im whispering in your ear while I sing" voice, along with going "oh oh oh!" on every other song. Bleh

The Bang a Gong guy! I remember loving this song when it came out. There a couple of songs I really liked on the album. Pretty neat that an interview was included. But overall, I didn’t really like the singer’s voice that much.

Really was not a fan of this one. Surprised there was one song I recognized. Chelsea's opinion of Cosmic Dancer was spot on.

I did not need to hear this before I die.

bleh.

Not my cup o tea

British garage-glam from the '70s. I went thru a T.Rex phase in the 90's, probably after I saw the opening scene of Billy Elliott. Even more intriguing was seeing Billy Bob Thornton playing blackjack in Vegas Vegas wearing a much-too-small for him vintage yellow T.Rex shirt. He's a sufficiently weird guy. I remember thinking, 'if he's here, then Angelina Jolie must be here too...' (I looked for the vile of blood around his neck, but didn't see it). It's really nice to see T.Rex here especially with the resurgence of the dirty 70's guitar skrit we're seeing so much of lately. Sheer Mag, Slow Fiction, Ty Segall, Sunflower Bean, etc. Great sound.

FUCK YES!! 500Billion/5

Super!

One of the best albums ever pure bowie + iggy pop + early morrissey, i love the riffs :3

Gran disco

It's a great pop rock and actually you realise what an influential guitarist Marc Bolan was. It's pretty rare that you can say you birthed an entire genre. But nice one. Welcome glam rock!!!

All killer, no filler, perfect pop!

Such a good album, get it on is such a sick song, but Cosmic Dancer is also a banger.

Absolutely brilliant. Every song is SUCH A TUNE and seemingly effortlessly as well. Peak glam rock and I can’t say a bad word about it

Clean, perfectly executed rock and roll. Every note feels completely deliberate. This album is just exactly right. It also hugely influenced many of my favorite bands.

det är inte lika bra som the slider men ändå jävligt bra.

Solid Gold Genius - "I got stars in my beard, and I feel real weird, for you ..." Slinky, sly, and very special. The strings and saxophones on Get It On are especially glorious.

a 10+

Excellent

Had only heard the one song but really ended up enjoying the whole album

Always enjoy T Rex!

This is a glamrock masterpiece, T-Rex finest work.

Atmospheric, subtle and in your face all at the same time. One of the best albums I've heard in a long time

This is the shit, right here. 5/5 Highlights: Cosmic Dancer Monolith Lean Woman Blues Get It On The King of the Mountain Cometh - B Side

Glam Anthems galore.

About a week in and the best album so far! So many great tracks on their own. Introduced me to songs I have always known, but never paid attention to who performed them.

4.5 maar dat kan ik niet geven, heb al vaak genoeg een 5 gegeven dus dan krijgt deze hem ook

Electric Warrior launch the Glam Rock mouvement. That it it could be the only reason why its here, but on top of this this a an incredible reccord fill with great songs. The artwork is in my opinion a wonderfull one, a gold silouhette of Marc Bolan on a black background simple, but perfect. The name is pretty interesting, Electric Warrioir is a reference to the fact that they change their musicale direction a year prior, from psychedelic folk to pop rock, and in this case Glam Rock. The album open with 2 relatively slow track Mambo Sun and Cosmic Dancer. Both are incredible lyricaly and show a great writtingship by Bolan. Very poetic and fantasic lyrics with a very good music, some of the Best T.rex songs. Jeepster is one of my favorite, a bit more rockabilly and inspired by Howlin' wolf with more sexually explicit lyrics. Monolith is a bit like the first 2 songs, pretty slower with fantasist lyrics andf a reverse solo (Revolver Beatles style). Lean Woman Blues is a pure blues rock song, showing their great versatility and the range of their talent. I just love this song, the heavy riff and lyrics. Get It On is their most notable hit, the specific performance of this song on Top Of The Pop created Glam Rock. The riff of the song is known almost by everyone and the lyrics about sex are just so well written, unfortunatly its probabkly the only song people remeber from them, but we have to admit its by far their best. Its a perfect song, addictive, dancing, pure, sexual its everything Glam Rock should be. The song was of course a huge hit in the UK, and did pretty well outside, but T.Rex is pretty much only known for this song. Planet Queen is more accoustic in constrast, but honneslty one of the best song in the album, Marc's voice is really incredible here (like in all the song yes) Girl is a beautifull song, simple direct and mouving i love it. The motivator is in my opinion not so good, like not bad just not at the level of the other songs Life's a Gas as nothing particular Rip Off is probably the loudest song, with a heavy riff and fast lyrics, proto-punk in other terms. So obviously this album is a 5/5 just so much good song, so much more than just Get It On, one of the best Glam Rock album of all times all the way up with Ziggy Stardust. The legacy of this album is huge, for the following glam rock with artist like David Bowie, The New York Dolls and so many other glam bands that will take lesson from this reccord. But also in other music genra, like punk rock and glam metal that will be influenced by T.Rex. Finaly Marc Bolan, the charismatic leader is an underated guitarist, song written and frontman he is up there with all the greatest this album is nothing without him.

Wait, so Marc Bolan was obsessed with my favorite books, Lord of the Rings, and went on to start glam rock and inspire my favorite band, The Cure? Everything in my life suddenly makes sense. On a serious note, I feel like I’ve tried and failed to get into T. Rex before, but maybe I wasn’t listening to the right songs (beyond Get It On, which is a banger that everyone knows). This album is a lot of fun. It’s silly and campy, but it’s catchy. It also feels way ahead of its time. While it obviously owes a lot to blues and early rock pioneers like Chuck Berry, as well as the Velvet Underground, there’s a clear shift toward the harder glam rock that didn’t exist yet. It reminds me of George Harrison too, with its combination of slightly silly lyrics, spirituality, and deceptively simple melodies. But this album had significant influence of its own, notably on David Bowie (and the rest of glam rock). The campiness and theatricality also no doubt influenced the founders of goth. 5/5 — would listen again

1971 great music.

9.5/10 It was worth giving it a shot! 'Cosmic dancer', 'Girl' are the most memorable ones. I'd absolutely listen other songs of their.

Das ist in jeder Hinsicht ein Klasse-Glam-Rock-Album. Marc Bolan zelebriert jeden einzelnen Song und die Arrangements sind so eingängig und toll umgesetzt, dass man jedes Lied sofort wieder erkennt. Ich genoß jede einzelne Note und freute mich dieses Album noch einmal zu hören und zu inhalieren.

I dunno why but I love this album as a whole.

Flashbacks to nicesurf

就喜欢这种吵吵闹闹的摇滚

T-Rex - my favourite dinosaur, my favourite garden decking company, my favourite baking vegetable fat butter alternative and now a band that’s made a bloody brilliant record. 4.6

Glam Rock's ground zero. This is one of the albums that you can listen to over and over again without getting bored. Get it On is a must on every 70s classic playlist!

Banger after banger here, don't pretend it ain't so.

Second album by this artist, and I am not mad about that. This guy is really good. T. Rex makes music fun and makes me want to listen to it again. There is talent here, rock and roll vibes (but not too much), some awesome guitar, lyrics that you can hear and understand and just want to get up and dance. There are 50's vibes that move into folk (Cosmic Dance) into a more rock vibe (Get it On) with a little blues for good measure (Lean Woman Blues). Last time I saw Slash's inspiration, this time I am getting Black Keys vibes.

This was a really great album. Thoroughly enjoyed! It’s catchy and groovy and cool, and it feels different and fresh for that era.

It was good, I don't expect anything from this but I really wasn't disappointed. Great Album :D

A perennial album for me, one I have loved dearly for my whole adult life. A one time 'favourite album' and joyous and funky celebration.

Pues muy chulo.

Geci jó volt, első olyan ismeretlen album amit mentettem gyűjteménybe. Ez a korai féldepis indie vibe nagyon bejött.

I really liked this! Very much my vibe

Tengo una debilidad especial por T Rex

Love this album. One of the first albums I bought on vinyl as a kid when it came out. I listened to this constantly. The remastered expanded version is even better. I’m still not sure what a Jeepster is though….

I really liked this. Loved it in Billy Elliot. Life’s a Gas was a perfect penultimate song and Rip Off brought it all together. Get it On was almost too good everything after felt lesser but I still loved it all. If The Boss got 5 then this masterpiece deserves 5 too

Noiiice. Haven’t touched this one since the 70s era, so nice to revisit. Lives up to the hype for the most part. Some new songs stood out.

Glam rock. Un megahit. Vinilo.

Like it!

A personal favorite.

classic, chill rock. get it on is a banger

Wow. This is the band that Ty Segal based his sound on, no doubt. Turned me onto T. Rex. What a record.

T. Rex are the epitome of cool for me. This album oozes swagger and sexuality. It rocks hard but also sounds tossed off and casual. And it's stacked with great songs. "Mambo Sun" is such a great opener. That drumbeat combined with the riff captures that laidback rock star style so well. "Jeepster" is a classic too. I love the dirtbag poetry of the line "Girl, I'm just a Jeepster for your love." Brilliant. The riff is so catchy. I've heard a few bands copy it (and even heard T. Rex basically reuse it on other songs) and I don't blame them. It's awesome. "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" is the huge hit here and I love it. It always makes me happy when I hear it. I'm also a big fan of the closing track "Rip Off." It sounds wild and loose. The slower "Life's a Gas" that comes right before it would have been a fine song to end the album on but I love when bands sneak in one more high energy number before the end. Just great from beginning to end. One of my personal favorite rock albums.

Wow this is still really great music, time has only made this recording better. Marc Bolan was a brilliant composer and musician that unfortunately passed way before his time. David Bowie had it right.

I loved this so so so much. Trex has always floated on the periphery for me. I knew some songs but never committed to an album. I was so surprised by how much sound they could fit into an album. Some songs reminded me of ELO. Some were pure rock-n-roll and some made me feel feels. I love it.

Easily one of the best glam albums.

Excellent album. I can see where artists l listen to get their style from!! Wow

SINAAA

Bolan and T. rex are criminally underrated. Paved the way for bowies swag