The Slider

4.7 - Have loved Cosmic Warrior since I first heard it and love this one maybe even more. Wonderful glam rock, which I love, without the more do-woppy elements of CW that I don't prefer. On initial listen, I'm hearing no weak moments. Just an upbeat, fun and stylish record from beginning to end. Lush orchestrations, shimmery guitar, solid fills and solos, sexy sneering attitude.

Heard this more times than the national anthem. This album feels like a close friend. Every track is energetic, catchy, and GREAT.

Totally unfamiliar with this band. Album extremely listenable. I’m really impressed with this. Like the Kansas City reference in Baby Boomerang.

Always here about t-rex in reference to Bowie. I can see why. Feels very fresh from track one. Real classics jump right out at you, and this one does. I have yet to know a song, but they all feel familiar. It's very obvious how this influenced decades of pop and rock.

Marc Bolan could have rivalled David Bowie in creativity and spark. He did at this stage and this album proves it. Shame he didn't keep up the momentum and his life was tragically cut short before any chance of a second act. Solid album filled with glam stompers and cosmic jams

T Rex is consistently good throughout Bolan's all too brief career. This is easily my second favorite T Rex album, just a smidgen behind "Electric Warrior." Every song is so enjoyable and they all mesh well together. He makes rock and roll sound so fun and inviting. Doesn't take itself too seriously but at the same time feels very genuine and heartfelt. Lighthearted perhaps, but by no means "lightweight." The songs still manage to resonate emotionally without getting too down or sorry for themselves; something people tend to equate with "serious" music. "The Slider," by contrast, is a nimble celebration of life and is a joy to listen to in that regard. I think it's an absolutely valid take, which is often overlooked artistically for some reason. I guess most people, or perhaps critics, would rather stew in their own heartache and misery? Not me, give me T Rex any day.

Beautiful rock album, sending it back almost 50 years yeeshhh

Amazing glam rock, the title track is a mellow beautiful song. Start to finish, amazing songs

There isn’t a noticeable difference in approach between this record and Electric Warrior. In some respects, the tongue-in-cheek innuendo and downright silliness are amped up a bit (with track titles like “Baby Boomerang” and “Chariot Choogle” it’s clear Mark Bolan doesn’t take himself too seriously). Only someone as charismatic and unique as Bolan could pull off those eccentricities without falling into parody. He achieves the delicate art of making glam rock a legitimate vehicle for chart success without compromising the music. That’s because these songs are simply so outstanding that they cannot be ignored. Behind the playful facade, there’s a top quality songwriter. Tony Visconti’s production is fleshed out a lot more on this record and it makes nearly every one of these tracks a winner. Although it spawned two chart hits in “Metal Guru” and “Telegram Sam”, album cuts like “Buick McKane” could easily have landed him on Top of the Pops. That’s how good this record is. Highly influential from an utterly singular character in the history of pop music.

This is such a fun album, a favorite from one of my favorite bands. The Slider probably is the quintessential expression of Marc Bolan's vision as an artist. This is his moment musically, and he would never quite capture it again. The sound of the album is distinctive, full of great, glammy, hooky songs. It’s good old fashioned sexpot rock and roll embellished with the loveliest string arrangements and some killer guitars. T. Rex has a true pop sensibility while also being unabashedly strange, building on Bolan's origins in psychedelic music. The band moves effortlessly from ethereal to full on rocker mode. They've got songs that pull at your heartstrings and songs you want to crank the volume on and just rock out to. You can hear all the little tendrils that grew out of this music and ended up seeding everything that came after it for many years, from heavy metal to post punk and indie. As a front man, Bolan is confident, puckish and sexy, but he’s also unafraid to show his vulnerability. His vocal delivery is all at once quirky, heartfelt and expressive. The lyrics run the gambit from fanciful to achingly sad and are best enjoyed if you don't over analyze them. Fave Songs: Main Man, Telegram Sam, Ballrooms of Mars, Rabbit Fighter, Buick McCane

Individually I like a lot of this. As an album it drags and meanders too much for me.

Mysticism and pop can be a perfectly fine combination. Sometimes a perfect one. But it can quickly turn turgid if the artist gets dumb about transcendence being antithetical to pop. Suddenly, they think tempo, vibrancy, structure and precision are the enemy. Weird, huh? I mean, two years previous to The Slider, Moondance proved for a whole album that there's little more spiritually elevating than perfect songform. Not that Bolan doesn't get it right some of the time here. Metal Guru and Telegram Sam for example. Some more than fleeting moments elsewhere. But then he reveals himself as the easily distracted type, quick to get his head turned by all the 60s psychedelia signified by that silly hat. If he was alive today, he'd be a shortsighted England fan, riding the wave of the Euros success one second, crying for change (probably in the shape of Jude Belligham or Jack Grealish) the next. Haranguing Southgate, the pop maestro, for exercising too much control, for trying to be too perfect, for not *letting loose*. Taking risks. Running free. All of which must leave Southgate, folder brimming with meticulously orchestrated scores tucked under his arm, utterly perplexed.

Marc Bolan and T. Rex is like the original garage band. They make it seem like anyone can do this rock and roll thang. They make it seem fun and loud and easy. Just guitars, a look, loud amps, and chooglin’. Of course it’s not easy. As Marc Bolan’s knack for tight, playful songwriting and place as a frontman and rock visionary evidences. I prefer The Slider to 1971’s Electric Warrior, which, to me, feels more polished somehow—more nuanced in certain ways—but overall subtler. Compared to The Slider whose sheer rawness and power is unmistakeable. My favorite kind of album. Fun, loud, distorted, power-poppy rock music for getting up and doing things. The sound is infectious. Between T. Rex and Big Star, every kid with a rock n roll dream had proof that dreams really do come true.

Sounds great 50+ years later, still immediate and exciting. So many great tunes on this, and contemporary stand-alone singles. Neck-and-neck with Bowie here, but didn't even make it to 30! Imagine a post-punk T.Rex...

I only knew T.Rex by name, never listened to it before. With that being said, I felt completely in love this album! Every track is great! Doing some research I found that T.Rex was a seminal band that had influence on a lot of other musicians. I think this album had a lot of influence on Bowie. Ballrooms Of Mars, for example, reminded me A LOT of the Ziggy Stardust era. Favorite tracks: * Buick Mackane * Metal Guru * Ballrooms Of Mars

I love me some 70s Glam Rock

This album oozes style. Sounds WAY ahead of its time; parts of this sound just like a lot of 21st century indie rock. Other parts felt very glam of course. I was charmed

This album continues T. Rex’s lush glam rock approach. The lyrics are occasionally psychedelic and oblique but the music itself is much more. T. Rex employs a sound that is well filled out, uses many instruments, and has a full sense of harmony. This power pop includes a lot of sounds from the Beatles but also has a wiry electric frenetic feel that pushes the genre forward. T. Rex’s influence on artists such as Bowie and Queen would be immense and the seeds of that can be heard here.

I've just been informed that I've been doing this little exercise for an entire calendar year now. And one of my favorite parts is when you get an unfamiliar album that's so fucking good, without any skips, that you just let Spotify take the controls and keep serving up similar music after the album ends (which is why Spotify is my preferred platform for listening to these). So I, ahem, Get It On (a song not on this album) to the sound of Old T. Rex as the album closes with the great "Main Man", and the follow up song is..."Summer In The City" by The Lovin' Spoonful? I had to assume the Spotify Algorithm was drunk, but then I got to hear the aforementioned Bang A Gong (Get It On) followed by some freaking Moody Blues, and a trippy tune called "Barabajagal" by Donovan (featuring Jeff Beck). This is a long way to say that perhaps T. Rex defies definition in some circles, and might be one reason why it took so long for Marc Bolan's band to finally get elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This one's an absolute banger that I'll likely regret not bumping up to a 5.

Comparing T. Rex to Bowie is futile because they just weren't going for the same thing. Bowie was using glam rock as a tool in a far wider musical spectrum that he had in mind. T. Rex embodied glam rock with a sense of sensuality and a grittiness akin to Iggy Pop. This guy just rocked with passion and that's precisely why I love him so much.

The lead singer on this album cover looks like the lovechild of Noel Fielding and Slash (of Guns & Roses) cosplaying as Willy Wonka

For a while there, I thought that T-Rex kept recycling three songs, which is appealing but repetitive. Then they started breaking out on the second side. Chariot Choogle is a much fun as the title suggests. Great album.

Loved it. Ty Segal made a career ripping this album off

The Glitter Pixie at his best here. His transformation from Mod to Glitter King (Via Hippydom) was almost complete here. Lovely album stand outs of course are "Metal Guru" & "Telegram Sam" Definitely worth a listen if you have never heard of Marc Feld!

Metal guru, could it be? You're gonna bring my baby to me? After the earth rattling, glitter spewing roar of Electric Warrior, Marc Bolan knew he had to keep up the pace in what was now the sped-up rat race of the glam rock world. Ziggy Stardust had made his presence felt, Roxy Music was approaching with its re-make and re-model and a endless array of flamboyant characters were soon popping up amongst the fray. What was Marc and T. Rex to do but make, in my opinion, the best album of their career? Well, simply that. While The Slider does have it's fair share of eccentric characters, they don't occupy the album's space as much as the supernova soundscape does; for Marc and the band's sheer confidence is on full display and shines so brightly that it could replace the sun in the solar system. One wouldn't have foretold the beginning of the end that was approaching and how overshadowed T. Rex would become but, for now, it was the children of the revolution taking hold and they weren't being fooled; for this was their soundtrack and mine too. For when I am sad, I slide towards this and it can get me through. A glam rock masterpiece.

Great! Liked it

great album, added like half of the songs to my playlist

Solid rock album start to end.

This is a rich album, low-key brilliant and heavy. Opener aside, none of the songs called themselves out as hits over the single play-through my day afforded me; they feel too cool for that, have stick but don’t pander, a hangover record. I drank it up. The feints towards LED Zeppelin threaten to eclipse the originals, “Chariot Choogle” coming off as a Dadaist “Kashmir”.

Absolutely killer. Never had listened to T. Rex before but this is now going into regular rotation. Heavy riffs, great melodies and sing-along choruses. Def seeing the T. Rex inspiration in a lot of modern day artists like Ty Segall and Smith Westerns.

I found this album actually pretty difficult to rate— like a lot of reviewers here, I noticed a lot of repetition, but something about these tracks hold a unique charm that surpasses the technical “good” of each track. I really enjoyed this album. There’s a certain sexiness, replay-value, catchiness, that I really quite like. It’s grungy, glamorous, and a lot of fun. It’s hard to believe this album is pushing 50 years old, it really has a lot of modern feel and value. Lyrically it is average with some catchy hooks, but again something about this album keeps me coming back, its compelling. 4/5

pretty good. Should listen to more T.Rex!

I dug it!

Oozes cool and talent

I enjoyed this way more than I expected. Double-track vocaling, reverb drums, acoustic-fuzz guitar combos, all must have been a novelty at the time. Great songwriting. Great stuff.

4, super good rock n roll.

- its fun - its David Bowie

"The Slider" is the seventh album since T. Rex started as Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1968. It was recorded in France and Denmark to avoid British tax laws. It was excellently produced by Tony Visconti and that is one of the strengths of this album. Marc Bolan and T. Rex were pretty much the poster kids of early 70's glam rock which was at the height of it here. I've always liked this album...big guitars riffs, sing along choruses and the as-mentioned production. The album starts out big with the production and the second single "Metal Guru." Strings and the back-up vocals remind me of 60's pop and somewhat doo-wop. Bolan said it was about envisioning a god-head like figure without a telephone. Whatever that means. Great song. A great chunky guitar chorus and riff on "Rock On." Horns included. I think the back-up singers are actually men but they sound like females. That's pretty consistent throughout a lot of these songs and it's a strength. Bolan is broke up about a relationship and he's on the floor. A tougher guitar sound opens "The Slider." The song is slower and ominous sounding with the strings and back-up singers. Sniffling sounds. Well, he is pretty obviously singing about doing cocaine. The second side I found decidedly stronger than the first. The first single "Telegram Sam" begins it with with a classic guitar riff. Geez, I wonder why? It sounds a lot like "Get It On." No matter. Both are great songs. About a festival of life. The last three songs end this album very strongly. "Ballrooms of Mars" is a little slower, almost a ballad. Great guitar solos especially the outre with layered guitars. "Chariot Choogle" has a stomping guitar riff, great vocal chorus and backing vocals. He's turned on by a girl. Bolan randomly shouting "Yeah" is another highlight. Another great chorus in "Main Man." Acoustic guitar. This song appears very auto-biographical. An interesting way to end. I've only really listened to "The Slider" and "Electric Warrior" from T. Rex. Both of them are great and highly recommended. I don't know if I need to go any further. Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. Anyway, this one was fun.

Really solid album start to finish.

pretty good!!!

No. 281/1001 Metal Guru 4/5 Mystic Lady 4/5 Rock On 4/5 The Slider 4/5 Baby Boomerang 4/5 Spaceball Ricochet 4/5 Buick Mackane 3/5 Telegram Sam 4/5 Rabbit Fighter 3/5 Baby Strange 3/5 Ballrooms Of Mars 4/5 Chariot Choogle 3/5 Main Man 4/5 Average: 3,69 A lot of great songs on here. Loses a bit of steam towards the second half.

I was really unsure what to expect, especially after the first song was called metal guru. But this was a pleasant surprise. The guitar on some songs was pretty fire. Rabbit Fighter and Baby Strange were some of my favorite songs. Perhaps Slash have found some inspiration from this guy.

Pleasantly surprised! Not a perfect album, definitely some weird tracks. But there are some bangers! Rock On, Buick something. Good stuff.

sommige nummers waren echt bangers buick mccane was echt nice maar algemene album niet mijn ding

The counter-movement of intellectual rock, which in turn were the antithesis of progressive rock of those years. It has a slight trash factor (6/10). FT: Rock On

Not a fan. Didn’t really get what he was going for. The genre itself sounded like The Beatles’ classmates who got jealous and decided to do LSD too and see what happened. Heard some doowop elements too but just couldn’t glom onto it.

Great glam rock!

Yep, that's a good one

Five stars

ridiculous and deeply moving, macho and completely fey, all at the same time

This T. Rex album brings me utter joy. It’s like if Bowie didn’t take himself quite so seriously.

Great album! Will be listening to again.

That was unexpectedly good. I heard a couple of songs that I've heard covers of. All said I've enjoyed it enough that I am going to download the entire discography and add it to my collection

T.Rex is incredible.

In my mind The Slider was always a little bit weaker than Electric Warrior, but after listening to both albums I think they are equally good. Perhaps you need to know the Tyrannosaurus Rex albums or the first T.Rex album (which is also great) in order to realize this: but they are both *universally* good (not just within their own genre).

sem t rex nao teria bowie nao teria nada

I’ve really been sleeping on T. Rex, apparently. Another fantastic album from them. Didn’t vibe with this one quite as much as Electric Warrior, but it’s still really good and has some stellar songs. My favorite songs are “Metal Guru,” “Ballrooms of Mars,” and “Main Man.” Definitely going to listen to a lot more T. Rex going forward.

Old favourite

Love T Rex. Never heard of them before this list. It’s like finding new classics rock.

Yeah, great jams all the way through.

Wow! Que descubrimiento. Me recuerda a Mika y a Queen en algunas canciones. En cualquier caso me encanta.

Another favorite of mine. I heard the song Slider on a Coca-Cola commercial and looked up the song. The Shins did a cover of Baby Boomerang.

I have never listened to the entire album, so this was a real treat!

Whenever people say "The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?" the correct answer is always "T Rex'

This is such a fun album from one of my favourite bands The Slider sums up Marc Bolan's as an artist. its a great sound, not too serious and stunning music. glam rock at its best with some top guitar riffs ready to be borrowed. Favourite song: baby boomerang Least favourite: Album artwork: great cover

T.Rex is a great artist and this album stood out.

Great stuff!!

Hell yeah

These guys were ahead of their time! I can hear their influence in a lot of today’s rock music.

Buen álbum

Great listen

I liked this.

10/10 absolutely incredible bursting with talent not one second wasted

Underrated and under appreciated 70's glam rock masterpiece. Every single song on this album is a good time. T.Rex does not get talked about enough in the canon of formative 70's rock. The oddball/talented combo is off the charts here with an eclectic mix of styles and flavours coming together to give the listener something truly unique. There's a distinct sonic thumbprint that T.Rex has that makes their songs instantly recognizable in the special way that all iconic acts have. All killer, no filler, this album rules.

Nice finding!

Man what a fun, fun album. I wasn't very familiar with this band (I only knew Bang a Gong) but I really enjoyed this album. The songs were fun, catchy and meshed well together. I expect I'll be listening to this one a lot in the near future

FUN! That's the word that comes to mind for me when I think about this album. Such a glam rock gem. It may take precedence over "Electric Warrior" for me at this point, insofar as which album I would put on on a random Thursday. A flawlessly-produced collection of three-minute gold nuggets of pop.

Hard to believe it was made in 1972, loved it.

Very good

I have been effin’ my ear holes with this record for the past 30 years! My dad turned me on to this in my teens and it only gets better with age. Glam jams from a true rock god!

Reasonably distinct from the Anglo nonsense tradition is Anglo unhingement. Any T. Rex promises on that front are answered and then some on The Slider. Pick it up in suspiciously wet left ear sounds on the title track. Carry on with glances at track titles as appropriate. Mind-expanding in a dimension of its own. Another first-rate entry in guitar music not to think on overlong.

Wow vilken grej!

More than *Cosmic Warrior*, this is the definitive T.Rex album. Or maybe they had two of them. You have a lot of talented tunesmiths in this list, but it takes someone named Marc to... hit the mark twice. Number of albums left to review: 626 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 183 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 85 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 112

немного квирный, напомнил тома - друга этьенна

T. Rex is my #1 ‘three drinks and two hits’ band. When I’m the perfect level of buzzed, no other band sounds as good. This album is top to bottom great, always a blast to put on. “Metal Guru” is a gold standard start-with-a-bang opener, “Main Man” is a *chef’s kiss* mid-tempo closer and in between are 11 more riff-centric sexy as hell glam rock songs. I have a special place in my heart for “Spaceball Ricochet,” which I’ve listened to on repeat in the past. There’s something very romantic about that song to me.

Love this album

т рех ето секс

Marc Bolan was a pop music genius and this shows why

Love it! I don’t know why it reminds me to Chris Bell’s I am The Cosmos

Own this on vinyl and never get tired of it. The variety, honesty and creativity of the songs, and general grooviness make it timeless for me. Buick Mackane is a straight-up banger

A great album from a great band, T. Rex is glammy and loud as hell, but it isn't afraid to be experimental and take a lot of risks occasionally. This album, with its mix of folk, glam rock, early heavy metal and space music, is a great proof of the band's creativity.

Kanye west

El antecedente de bowie 💚

Very good I liked how this sounds

Brilliance

Classic

Very enjoyable rock n roll

Hits the spot

I wonder what Andrew Wood used to listen to...

Since all I've listened to before was Cosmic Dancer, I can call The Slider my first T.Rex experience. Well, the album is extremely easy to dive into. The songs are catchy, but not primitive. Actually, it feels like something I've been listening to for years. Great album!