Electric Warrior T. Rex

A bluesy, boozy, grinding, glammed-up rock 'n' roll romp if there ever was one, Electric Warrior remains influential to this day, and with good reason. Few rock albums of the 1970s matched the record for being both edgy and a pure pleasure to behold. Nearly every track sears itself instantaneously into the listener's permanent psyche with irresistible grooves and melodies delivered by Marc Bolan's original guitar-playing and androgynous vocal delivery, while the band's rhythm section moves it all along with the raunchiest of funk.

TREXstacy ! Electric Warrior is a magical, mystical gem from a truly unique artist. The experience starts with the groovy Mambo Sun. Beautiful acoustic songs Girl, Life's a gas and Cosmic dancer demonstrate his unique voice, He gets heavier with Lean woman blues, Rip OFF Bang a gong and Jeepster. Monolith, the Motivator and planet Queen round up the remainder. A work of art, sheer perfection, not a song coming even close to being filler. This is my alltime favorite album. It is a guilty pleasure. The cover bears glorious artwork. It mimics a statue that should be erected in loving memory of the super hero / smooth operator Marc Bolan truly was.

Electric Warrior is a truly timeless and magical album, full of groovy glam rock riffs and beautiful melodies. Singles "Get It On" and "Jeepster" are grungy and fun, while ballads such as "Cosmic Dancer," "Monolith," and "Girl" are simply stunning. The whole thing manages to be cohesive and a memorable body of work.
The opening track, "Mambo Sun," sets the tone for the album swimmingly, with a catchy beat and soaring harmonies, and in doing so brings in a nostalgic pop sensibility that permeates the entire record. "Cosmic Dancer" includes a serene orchestral backing that accentuates the dewy-eyed lyrics, while "Life's a Gas" is a super chill slow jam about moving on. "Girl" is the most stripped back song on the album, and all the better for it, as its folky background softly introduces horns that complement Marc Bolan's longing vocals.
My personal favorite track is the exquisite "Monolith," with rather existential lyrics and the most gorgeous melodic turns on the album. This track is sweetly atmospheric, with catchy riffs and haunting background vocals.
Electric Warrior epitomizes the sensuality of glam rock's peak, and achieves pop perfection, effortlessly, time and time again.
Be sure to also check out the standalone single "Hot Love" which was later added as a bonus track. It's just as stellar as anything else on the record!

10/10

fav tracks: Monolith, Mambo Sun, Cosmic Dancer, Get It On, Planet Queen, Girl, Hot Love

An work of beauty and magic.An collection of captivating musical gems.
When i discovered this album and artist (in the 00's) it was the best thing i heard in a long while.

There are two amazing things about this album as far as I can see. The first is Marc's quivering vocal chords. No one sings like this and no matter what song it is, you'll immediately know it's him. The other thing is that aside from Bang A Gong, he hardly made a scratch in the American buying public. Mores the pity. Few knew about him at the time (me and my tribe), but that alone doesn't excuse him relegated to the cut out bins of the early 70s,
But what of the music? I suppose you could say that Mr. Bolan borrowed aspects of his acoustic sounds into a more raw and slinky electric sound. Thus alluding to the title Electric Warrior. Fighting to be heard.
Lyrically, most of the subjects are fused in the pixey/fantasy world where Marc has set up camp. What of the women that inhabit his environment? Well, the Planet Queen uses his head like a exploder/revolver. We see that he's not shy to drop a needed sexual innuendo every now and then. He then loves the Motivator and lists, among many things, the crown she stole from the king and held for ransom., the golden cat and God knows what else this woman owns.
Marc juxtaposes slow semi-ballads with jaunty tunes cicling you like a ship from the Spanish Armada.If anything, these songs are ear candy and they certainly hook you (by the hooks of course).

In the annals of rock music history, few bands have embodied the essence of glam rock as effortlessly as T. Rex. Led by the enigmatic singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan, T. Rex created a distinctive sound that defied categorization. With their sixth studio album, "Electric Warrior," released in 1971, T. Rex cemented their status as one of the pioneering forces of the glam rock movement. With a fusion of rock, folk, psychedelia, and pop, "Electric Warrior" remains a timeless masterpiece that continues to captivate audiences. At the heart of "Electric Warrior" lies its undeniably catchy and charismatic tracks. Bolan's songwriting prowess shines through with a collection of eclectic compositions that balance between raw rock energy and poetic lyricism. The album opens with the irresistible "Mambo Sun," a song that sets the tone for what follows. Its infectious melody, combined with Bolan's sonorous vocals, draws listeners into a mesmerizing soundscape.

The true genius of "Electric Warrior" lies in T. Rex's ability to fuse diverse musical elements seamlessly. Bolan's guitar riffs are distinct and electrifying, evoking a sense of grandeur with every chord. The album's standout track, "Get It On (Bang a Gong)," is a definitive glam rock anthem. Its hypnotic rhythm, adorned with layers of silky smooth guitar work, showcases the band's keen understanding of crafting infectious grooves. Bolan's lyrics, paired with charismatic vocal delivery, create an unmistakable allure that draws listeners into a glittering musical universe. "Electric Warrior" is not simply a collection of hit singles but also a cohesive musical journey. Bolan's exploration of various genres is evident in tracks like "Jeepster," a sultry blend of rock and soul, and the ethereal ballad "Cosmic Dancer." The album's diversity is a testament to T. Rex's willingness to push boundaries and experiment with their sound. From the playful exuberance of "Rip Off" to the blues-inspired "Life's a Gas," "Electric Warrior" showcases T. Rex's versatility and artistic vision. The release of "Electric Warrior" firmly established T. Rex as one of the defining bands of the glam rock era. The album's commercial success catapulted the band to international fame and secured their place in rock history. Its influence extended far beyond the 1970s, with artists from all genres drawing inspiration from Bolan's innovative songwriting and charismatic stage presence. T. Rex's "Electric Warrior" is a timeless gem that perfectly encapsulates the essence of glam rock.

Does anybody remember T. Rex? That was a hugely successful British band, enjoying teenie star status - for 2 years, then the euphoria was over. They came from a strictly hippie background and blended folk with the typical glam rock of the early 70s. The lyrics of T. Rex, however, retained the odd, airy-fairy, cranky elements of hippiedom, talking about cosmic dancers, planet queens and mambo suns ("I was dancing when I was eight / Is it strange to dance so late / I danced myself into the tomb / Is it strange to dance so soon").

"Electric warrior" is definitively the high point of T. Rex's work, containing the chart hits "Get it on" and "Jeepster", plus classic songs like "Life's a gas" and "Rip off".

I feel attracted to the simple, almost innocent ballads with their wacky lyrics and basic chords. And I like the sexy vocals of singer Marc Bolan.

Before there was Ziggy Stardust, there was T. Rex's Marc Bolan and Electric Warrior. Hard rocking, yet poppy and with just a little gloss. Quirky, with lyrics referencing flying saucers and hippie spirituality as much as heavy, implicit sexuality sung with androgynous vocals. Electric Warrior is a consistently fun and enjoyable pioneering early work of glam rock. It's rock that is genuinely sexy and sensual. A rarity since so much classic rock is stereotyped as "cock rock" (understandable because of it's heavily masculine, often macho bent). As much as it's also rock that's as much catchy as it's hard rocking. It just makes sense this wouldn't just influence the rest of glam rock, but influence later genre's like new wave. And I can easily see Marc Bolan's uniquely androgynous and implicit expression of sexuality being the big influence that it become over artists like Prince, David Bowie, and Goldfrapp.

One of the greatest albums ever made, along with The Slider this is up with any album ever made.

Growing up in a city where a classic rock station dominated the airwaves, i was fed a steady diet of 1970's rock bands. Most of these hits were from familiar big name bands.

Every once in a while, a strange but catchy song would start playing. Something about Get it On and Bang a Gong. The singer had a very soft spoken, breathy voice. I probably didn't even know who the band was for years. Certainly it had to be a one hit wonder.

T Rex was anything but a one hit wonder. A big success in the UK and they were big before David Bowie and bigger than Bowie (I had to do a little research to ascertain this). David Bowie gives T Rex a shoutout in the All the Young dudes and they had a friendly/rival relationship for all of T Rex's career before Marc Bolan tragically died in a car accident.

On to the review. It opens with Mambo Sun, which has a nice groove and kind of fits with the Bang a Gong feel. It then leads into Cosmic Dancer which feels exactly like a David Bowie song. Jeepster is a blues boogie, i found myself wondering what guitar/amp setups they had and how it was a bit like CCR.

Monolith is a ballad, a little motown like but not much. He uses the wah wah pedal heavy.

Lean woman blues is a fuzzy slow blues jam that you could imagine Robert Plant singing.

Next we get the big hit Bang a gong (get it on). Have heard it many times. Always catchy, but this time i noticed the horn section and saxophone. Really adds alot to the band. You can see why it was a hit.

Planet queen has a nice acoustic guitar start. The song girl sounded alot like the beginning of the Kinks-Lola, interesting that later it has a trumpet sound or a keyboard playing trumpet in the song.

The motivator almost sounds like a sequel to get it on, it was even lyrically similar.

Lifes a gas was an old love ballad. I suppose lifes a gas is an old expression. Finally it finishes with Rip off. These are all the songs on the non-extended edition.

The production value was flat, something they fix on future albums, i believe i read that Elton John made sure they got a higher quality studio for the next album.

I can see why people liked the album at the time, but i wasn't motivated to get many listens in after the first few through the album. I was left mostly liking Mambo sun and Get it on. I can definitely see how they influenced David Bowie and plan on reviewing some Bowie later. I also plan to listen to some other albums by T Rex in due time. One thing is for certain, its my favorite dinosaur named band.