Electric Warrior
Electric Warrior | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 24 September 1971 | |||
Recorded | March–June 1971 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Glam rock | |||
Length | 39:35 | |||
Label | Fly (UK), Reprise (US) | |||
Producer | Tony Visconti | |||
T. Rex chronology | ||||
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Singles from Electric Warrior | ||||
Electric Warrior is the second studio album by English rock band T. Rex, their sixth since their debut as Tyrannosaurus Rex. The album marked a turning point in the band's sound, moving away from the folk-oriented sound of the group's previous albums and pioneering a more flamboyant, pop-friendly glam rock style.[1]
The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and became the best selling album of 1971. Specifically, the single "Get It On" helped promote the album's success and reached the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Retitled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" by the US record company, it also became the band's only North American hit.
Electric Warrior has since received acclaim as a pivotal release in the glam rock movement. It had a profound influence on later musicians of different genres.
Promotion
Marc Bolan, in a 1971 interview contained on the Rhino Records reissue, said of the album, "I think Electric Warrior, for me, is the first album which is a statement of 1971 for us in England. I mean that's... If anyone ever wanted to know why we were big in the other part of the world, that album says it, for me."[2]
Bolan was a guest on the BBC Television show, Cilla, in January 1973. He and Cilla Black sang an acoustic version of "Life's a Gas".[3]
Artwork
The cover artwork was designed by English art design group Hipgnosis, based on a photo taken by Kieron "Spud" Murphy of Marc Bolan at a T. Rex concert.[4][5] The image is printed in metallic gold on a matte black background, at least for the original UK issue on Fly Records and the first German issue on Ariola. Murphy also took the photo of the band that was used for the poster that was included with the first issue in the UK and Germany. A hype sticker ("free T. Rex poster inside") advertised the poster in the UK. Some hype stickers for modern "remastering" campaigns are designed in a similar style as the original hype sticker. The poster picture was used for the gatefold of the US issue on Reprise Records. The inner sleeve artwork of the UK issue, portraits of Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn, was drawn by artist George Underwood. The first German Ariola issue used the inner sleeve artwork for the gatefold.
Release
Electric Warrior was released on 24 September 1971 by record label Fly in the UK and Reprise in the US. It went to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, staying there at the slot for 8 weeks. The album remained in the UK chart for a total of 44 weeks.[6] It was preceded by the single "Hot Love", a hit single in the UK, where it stayed at number 1 for six weeks.[7] In the US, Electric Warrior reached number 32 in the Billboard 200 chart.[8]
Two singles were released from the album: "Get It On" and "Jeepster". "Get It On" was T. Rex's biggest selling single, and became the band's only top-ten US hit.[9] In the United States, "Get It On"'s title was originally changed to "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" to distinguish it from Chase's song "Get It On", which was also released in late 1971.[10]
Reception
Contemporary reviews
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Pitchfork | 9.5/10[15] |
Uncut | [16] |
Record Collector | [17] |
In a positive 1972 review for
Retrospective reviews
Retrospectively, Electric Warrior has received critical acclaim and is regarded as one of Marc Bolan's best works. Chris Jones of
Accolades
In 1987, Electric Warrior was ranked number 100 in
Legacy
The album is credited as the first glam rock album, pioneering the development of the glam scene.[1]
Use in media
"Cosmic Dancer" is featured prominently in the soundtrack of the final segment of the 2019 Netflix documentary Dancing with the Birds, in which a male Carola's parotia successfully woos a female into mating with his courtship display.[33]
"Jeepster" can be heard playing on a jukebox in Quentin Tarantino's 2007 film Death Proof.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Marc Bolan
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Mambo Sun" | 3:40 |
2. | "Cosmic Dancer" | 4:30 |
3. | "Jeepster" | 4:12 |
4. | "Monolith" | 3:49 |
5. | "Lean Woman Blues" | 3:02 |
Total length: | 18:33 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Get It On" | 4:27 |
2. | "Planet Queen" | 3:13 |
3. | "Girl" | 2:32 |
4. | "The Motivator" | 4:00 |
5. | "Life's a Gas" | 2:24 |
6. | "Rip Off" | 3:40 |
Total length: | 19:36 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "There Was a Time" | 1:00 |
13. | "Raw Ramp" | 4:16 |
14. | "Planet Queen" (Acoustic Version) | 3:00 |
15. | "Hot Love" | 4:59 |
16. | "Woodland Rock" | 2:24 |
17. | "King of the Mountain Cometh" | 3:57 |
18. | "The T. Rex Electric Warrior Interview" | 19:35 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Rip Off" (Work in Progress) | 2:30 |
13. | "Mambo Sun" (Work in Progress) | 3:57 |
14. | "Cosmic Dancer" (Work in Progress) | 5:15 |
15. | "Monolith" (Work in Progress) | 4:47 |
16. | "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" | 4:43 |
17. | "Planet Queen" (Work in Progress) | 0:56 |
18. | "The Motivator" (Work in Progress) | 4:19 |
19. | "Life's a Gas" (Work in Progress) | 3:14 |
Personnel
T. Rex
- Marc Bolan – vocals, guitar
- congas, bongos, vocals
- Steve Currie– bass
- Bill Legend– drums, tambourine
Additional personnel
- Howard Kaylan – backing vocals
- Mark Volman – backing vocals
- Rick Wakeman – keyboards on "Get It On"
- Ian McDonald – saxophone
- Burt Collins – flugelhorn
Technical personnel
- Tony Visconti – production, string arrangements
- engineering
- Martin Rushent – tape operator
- George Underwood – artwork, photography
- George Marino – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (1971–1972) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[34] | 15 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[35] | 14 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[36] | 12 |
UK Albums Chart[37] | 1 |
US Billboard 200[8] | 32 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1972) | Position |
---|---|
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] | 24 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[40] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b c d Huey, Steve. "Electric Warrior – T. Rex". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Marc Bolan interview [Electric Warrior US Rhino remastered CD reissue]". 2003.
- ^ "Life's A Gas – Cilla Black & Marc Bolan Song – BBC Music". BBC. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
Hann, Michael (15 September 2014). "Cilla Black: five unlikely musical moments". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
Dave Milton. "Marc Bolan & Cilla Black – Life's A Gas". Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2018 – via YouTube. - ^ Paytress, Mark. Bolan: The Rise and Fall of a 20th Century Superstar. Omnibus Press. 2003.
- ^ "Kieron "Spud" Murphy Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "T. Rex Electric Warrior Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "T. Rex Hot Love Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ a b "Electric Warrior – Billboard". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ "T. Rex – Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ Roberts, Chris (30 September 2016). "It's Electric: How Marc Bolan Made The Greatest Album Of His Career". Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 16 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ Q (9/01, pp.137–8) – 4 stars out of 5 – "...Glistening, seemingly extra-terrestrial prettiness....bewitching stuff..."
- ^ Burgess, Andrew (23 April 2012). "T Rex – Electric Warrior". MusicOMH. MusicOMH. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- Rocks Back Pages. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ Needs, Kris. "T.REX – ELECTRIC WARRIOR: DELUXE EDITION". Record Collector. Record Collector. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ a b Gerson, Ben (6 January 1972). "T. Rex Electric Warrior review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ Jones, Chris (29 September 2003). "BBC – Music – Review of T. Rex – Electric Warrior (SACD)". BBC Music. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- Pitchfork. 23 June 2004. Archived from the originalon 20 July 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
- ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
- ^ Colegate, Mat (7 May 2015). "At His Modjesty's Request: Paul Weller's Favourite Albums". The Quietus. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ Peacock, Tim (1 August 2014). "Searching For The Cure". Recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ Hasson, Thomas (18 April 2013). "Like Choosing A Lover: Viv Albertine's Favourite Albums". The Quietus. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
- ^ "Spot Five Records That Move The Animal in Producer/Sideman Extraordinaire John Parrish (PJ Harvey/Eels)". CMJ New Music Monthly: 18. November 2002.
- ^ "Bobby Gillepsie'S Fan-Ish Inquisition". NME. 5 February 2000. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ Moody, Paul (21 May 2019). "Primal Scream's Most Seminal Moments, As Told By Bobby Gillespie". Anothermanmag. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "Pixies – Hear Me Out / Mambo Sun [12" inch vinyl]". Infectious Music – INFECT584LP. 2020.
- ^ Waters, Hannah (23 October 2019). "In Netflix's 'Dancing withe the Birds,' We See the Other Side of Bizarre Avian Spectacle". Audubon.org. The National Audubon Society. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – T. Rex – Electric Warrior". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ "The Official UK Charts Company: All the Number 1 Albums". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. 1972. Archived from the originalon 9 May 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "British album certifications – T. Rex – Electric Warrior". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – T. Rex – Electric Warrior". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
External links
- Electric Warrior at Discogs (list of releases)