Comments on: FT Top 100 Tracks Of All Time: 37: T-REX – Metal Guru

By: Gavin

Gavin — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:22:17 +0000

Metal Guru has been copied by The Smiths with their track “Panic”. Morrisey & Marr are big T.Rex fans and Louis X1V on their track “A Letter To Dominique”. Marc has influenced more than most over the past 30 years.

By: pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør

pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:33:40 +0000

“satisfaction pony” — i smugly rest my case

By: pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør

pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:28:08 +0000

by the valid scientific test of “what’s available this morning by disreputable download”, i declare

i: bolan is considered prog not glam
ii: yet — possibly more than any other pop figure? — his ooo00vre has escaped the prison shackles of its originary LP-ification into starbursts of randomly dodgy singles compilations (true for ever, i suspect: the oldest LP that i “own” which actually belongs to an ex = a hooky mid-70s t rex comp, w.E’s name in neatly melancholy biro on it)

picking up on pete’s insight, i think bolan had the best ear of anyone in pop for the musicality of real words when considered as mere silly nonsense (“mere silly nonsense” being a territory pop and rock became strangely fearful of, to its detriment)

and of course “HOT GOBLINISM” — a dismissive term invented by long-forgotten proto-punk rockwriter pete fowler for the thing bolan had done; which is to invest a resolutely sex-averse language territory (two parts tolkien to one part narnia) with unfettered just-post-prepubescent wild maenad energy

it helped that he was cute and charming: “I wouldn’t have felt safe with Bolan and all his wild girls if we’d met them without Aslan,” as the hellbound Pevensie girl puts it in Prince Caspian

By: LondonLee

LondonLee — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:54:28 +0000

I have one of those, plus ‘Electric Warrior’ of course. Think that’s me sorted for my T.Rex needs.

By: AndyPandy

AndyPandy — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:15:36 +0000

There’s been at least 2 TV advertised big selling Top Ten compilation albums in the past twenty years that span all the hits from 1968-77.

By: a logged-out pˆnk s lord whatnot

a logged-out pˆnk s lord whatnot — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:27:29 +0000

though you can’t see it on that cover, “my people blah blah” was made by Tyrannosaurus Rex rather than T.Rex — THIS WAS ONCE VERY IMPORTANT

By: The Lurker

The Lurker — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:38:41 +0000

#2 – Actually, there are a few compilations that span Bolan’s whole career – there’s a Greatest Hits that’s the first album that comes up if you search for T Rex on Amazon – but they are indeed vastly outnumbered by cheapo compliations that only cover half of his output.

By: Martin Skidmore

Martin Skidmore — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:10:10 +0000

He was a huge idol of mine – he remains one of my favourite singers, lyricists, guitarists, songwriters and sex symbols. I think he was the first man I ever fancied. I saw T. Rex live in, I guess, 1977, their last tour, supported by the Damned, I think it was. Metal Guru may be his loveliest pop number.

By: Tommy Mack

Tommy Mack — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:01:41 +0000

‘no greatest hits in wake of Levi’s ad’ – you still can’t get all their hits on one CD, can you? Because they’re spread over 2 different record labels. Seems frankly preposterous when even The Fall, who’ve to date produced 254 albums for 131 different labels, each one selling an average of 41 copies, managed to corral all their best bits onto one double album.

By: Kat but logged out innit

Kat but logged out innit — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:05:50 +0000

Oh dear, I just read that as ‘M People Were Fair…’ and was just about to splutter my indignation that no they bloody weren’t. Similar attitude to hair though, it seems!