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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ?...

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

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.

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.

This album is awesome. Iconic album cover. Tons of groove and swagger. Electric Warrior is where it's at.

An all time great.

It is hard to ignore the importance of this album, as a fundamental glam rock record. And while I enjoyed listening to this, some of the glam rock that was to follow is very much superior. I liked a lot of the songs - mostly the hits (Mambo Sun, Cosmic Dancer, Get It On). But there are definitely some weaker and repetitive songs on this album. Planet Queen was my least favourite, and I didn't feel much for Girl and Rip Off either. I'm torn between a 3 or a 4 out of five, but I'm feeling generous today so 4/5 it is.

I was gonna hate on this because I don't care for this kind of hippie-to-dinosaur-rock type stuff, but I enjoyed my time here. Good music to zone out to, and really, the only time I'd seek it out is watching a period piece movie or maybe driving a Chevy SS, but it's got its place and it's immaculately made. 3 for my taste, 4 for the total package and Bang a Gong, which is a known quantity for a reason. It's fun!

really liking this!! I'm 99% sure Natural Villian by Twin Peaks samples Lean Women Blues??? Ugh this album just reminds me so much of the bands and the music that were so formative to me when I was younger and it's so fun bc this album was probably so formative to them when they were younger!!!!! Music makes the world go round baby!

Gonna be honest, David Bowie kind of scratches the itch I’ve got for 70’s glam a little better than T-Rex. (Not sure I like that metaphor - makes it sound like I picked up some kind of rash from Noddy Holder in 1971). It’s probably because I heard Bowie first. Had I heard this T-Rex record first, I may feel differently, who knows. All that said, and thanks for bearing with me with me on that Slade reference, I really enjoy this record. It’s great from start to finish, not a bad song to be found. Even more impressive is that I don’t mind listening to the well known songs, even though I’ve heard them countless times - the mark of a truly great record. (Oh, maybe I should have said “the Marc of a great record”… No? Yeah, you’re right…glam rock puns have a very small audience that they might land with, even if I think they’re…“Sweet”. Damn it, man…You can’t help yourself can you?)

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.

Just listen to ‘Get It On’ and you’ve heard it. Every other song is about the same but not as good.

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

OK, if you are gonna name yourself "T.Rex," name your album "Electric Warrior" and put a badass rock stance silhouette on your cover, I'm going to expect some big, rocking, loud shit. You are not T.Rex, you are not even Allosaurus! You are Stegosaurus, Planteating with strings background Warrior. That's fine. Just be honest with us.

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.

There are like 2 decent songs. The rest of the album is kinda boring. Womp womp.

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

Massively influential.

An album that sounds like sex. The vocals are among the sexiest ever recorded and the beat of the music is pure sex at its naughtiest, at its most joyful, it seduces your ears & then rest of you all the way to your toes. Electric Warrior was pivotal in popularizing glam rock. It would go on to influence in one way or another any music that mattered for the next decade plus. No punk band in 1975/76 (at least in the UK) not have a copy of this album in their practice room. A huge hit in the UK in 1971 & a moderate one in the US the same year. Go on & get it on but first get this album your partner will thank you!

I've listened to this album 4 times today and am confident that I find it to firmly be a 4.5/5. I find a really interesting diversity in the bands that I see inspired by this album - Wilco, The Black Keys, amongst others. I haven't studied the lyrics, but the sound is just interesting and unique. Will come back to this in the future. Round up just because it's the first time in a while that I listened to an album I haven't previously discovered and really enjoyed it.

Amazing vibe, just so cool and filled with great hooks. Lots of classics on this one, banger after banger.

Love love love

Informs a lot of future glam and metal with the riffs and jams on this album.

I loved it. Musically, the arrangements are usually simple, or even understated, but every song makes an impact because the band ooze cool and charisma. None the worse for the lyrics being a bit trippy in places.

As fresh as ever. Some of the albums don’t deserve their place in this list but this one really does

This is a surprise. I already owned this album but hardly had any memory of it. It's really excellent. Although it is supposed to be the birth of glam rock, this is far beyond any cheap, cheesy or bubblegum-like music, this is very well thought through rock. It is characterized by a jumpiness that keeps your attention. The arrangements are really strong. And yes, like more often, the big hit (Get it on) is probably the poorest or least interesting track of the album.

Support your local electrician. Without them, we would be lost in society.

Oh yeah!!! Electric Warrior is already one of my favorite albums of all time. I listened to this last week, and the week before that.

Excelente disco

Van begin tot eind knallen. Echt zo'n plaat waar je soms ontzettend zin in kan hebben. De strings geven een aantal nummers ook echt een mooie extra laag.

classic album, so many bangers

its a bop

Haven't listened to this in full since I was a teenager. Better than I remember. Every song had me groozin'. No misses. Perfect album?

SO good

Vinyl: Yes Fav: Jeepster Notes: This is a top 10, maybe top 5 album for me

Have the live version of this.. gotta love a bit of T.Rex

What a rad album

Yeah, alright. It's been a little bit since I've gotten a legitimate 5/5 But this one from track one to the end was fantastic. No notes.

Fantastic, great from start to finish. Favourite tracks: Mambo Sun & The Motivator Definitely worth a relisten. 5/5

Bang a gone, get it on

Basically ground zero for glam rock. Influenced a number of bands from the New York Dolls to the Black Keys. Big fan of this one

Wow! I can't believe I haven't listened to this before now. I loved every minute! Bang a Gong (Get it On) is the only track I had heard (I'm pretty sure everyone has probably heard this song at least once) and it's not even close to the best song on the album! Definitely going to be coming back to listen to more T Rex in the future. Favourite tracks: Mambo Sun, Cosmic Dancer, Bang a Gong (Get it On), Girl, Rip Off

Hell yeah

Top ten all time.

This is an excellent Glam Rock album. It is a shame Marc Bolan died so soon. His influence is felt by many artists, even today. Although I prefer "The Slider" to this album. With songs like "Jeepster" and "Planet Queen", you can't go wrong.

Classic!

4.5

Это шикарный альбом, запись, саунд и музыка - все песни можно переслушивать бесконечно.

Great groovy album. Great singer. Stand out song - Hot Love

another glam-rock classic from the Cosmic Dancer

It's glam rock whilst it was still cool. A bit of slow rock and roll, a bit of blues, and all the bells and whistles of Bolan Glam. Every track is a banger. Such an infectious groove throughout just dripping with cool, camp sleaze. I was slightly surprised to be reminded it was made in 1971. Other than the old school production quality (which I love) it sounds 15 years younger than it is. Great album and nice to see an old favourite on this list.

Varför har jag inte lyssnat på detta förut. Fantastisk platta! Fem!

Good music. Album reminds of a Mumford and Sons album where each song sounds similar to the last and they could literally be melded as one and the entire album a single long song.

I like this song because I like the beat and the instruments. I like this song too I also like the beat but the songs all sound the same

I have loved this album for a long time. Mambo Sun opens it with an awesome groove and the killer guitar tone which sets the stage for the rest of the album. The thing about T. Rex is that no one else sounds like T. Rex. Great stuff here.

Wouldn't listen again, now I understand what the word funky means. That said wasn't bad. No songs saved

whole album felt like that star man song. I liked it

I love this album. It still sounds so contemporary to me too.

possibly the coolest album of all time.

Definitely need to explore more T. Rex. I loved this. The hits are familiar but I know so little about the band. I'll start to change that by spinning this one again.

"Gotta put my long legs on."

I must be a paleontologist the way I love T. Rex

5/5

The first 4 T. Rex albums are pretty much perfection in my opinion. Still listen to them regularly. Such as shame we didn't to see what Bolan would do later in life, because I have no doubt there many more amazing works to come