MARC BOLAN / T.REX : 'SKYCLOAKED LORD OF PRECIOUS LIGHT' 1972 BLUE VINYL LP
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27
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Description
MARC BOLAN / T.REX : 'SKYCLOAKED LORD OF PRECIOUS LIGHT' (EARS121)
Remastered from the original tapes - This is Bolan at the peak of his powers both artistically and commercially.. Recorded February 1972 and sprinkled with explosive renditions of tracks from both 'Electric Warrior' and the soon to be issued 'The Slider'.
Marc Bolan was always brutally aware of radio’s power to influence, especially when it came to promoting himself. In the pre MTV world of the early 1970’s, not only getting one’s self played on radio, but the artistes willingness to make themselves accessible to the multitude of predominately FM stations, keen to go that extra mile and have the artist come into the studio for a bit of banter and hopefully an acoustic (or full band session), became a very common place occurrence (particularly in America) from the late 60’s onwards. By the early months of 1972 Marc Bolan was already a seasoned veteran, having done more sessions for the BBC back in the UK than almost anyone over the previous four years.
Americana was slowly becoming Marc Bolan’s obsession. He was astute enough to realise that the sheer size of the American continent, meant he would have to work it even harder than he had done in breaking down the barriers in Britain and Europe over the previous year.. The signs were good. Electric Warrior released in the autumn of the previous year was still doing good business on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for almost eight months. The single from the album ‘Bang A Gong (Get It On)’ had been a slow burner since it’s release on August 7, eventually spending no less than eight months climbing the American charts peaking at number 10..
When T.Rex flew into Los Angeles on February 14th (Valentine’s Day) 1972, they were gearing themselves up for an incendiary set of performances, all designed to propel Marc and T.Rex into the stratosphere. The radio performance you are holding was recorded for K.DAY Radio in Los Angeles on 15th February, and was originally slotted in to help promote the band’s gig the following evening at the Hollywood Palladium. The K.DAY performance itself was such a tour de-force that Warner Reprise (Bolan’s American record label) quickly picked up on it and circulated transcription discs to other FM stations as the tour trundled along. The set list is magical and contains a liberal sprinkling of songs from the Electric Warrior album, interspersed by several tracks as yet unheard (and in some cases unrecorded), from what would eventually become The Slider album.
Although suffering from jet lag, this session is rightly regarded by many as Bolan’s finest radio performance, even now some 45 years after the event it’s easy to see why, with it still sounding as vibrant and vital as it did all those decades ago. Bolan’s route to success in America was never going to be an easy one and ultimately time ran out on him. He also missed out on not having a Tony De Fries type figure (that Bowie employed to such devastating effect) to open the doors. Bolan’s entourage on these American trips unbelievably never went beyond the four band members, Marc’s wife June Childe, manager Tony Howard, and the ever faithful road crew of Mickey Marmalade and Mick O’Halloran (who also doubled as sound engineer). Not really the army required to mount a serious attack on a country as vast as America.
However contrary to persistent rumours that Bolan’s attempts to take America were always fated to fail, the overall feel of concert reviews at the time suggested differently. Robert Hillburn of the Los Angeles Times had this to say of the debut performance at the Hollywood Palladium. “While T.Rex didn’t bring it’s English hysteria with it to the Palladium Tuesday night, the response was enthusiastic and the group’s strengths . . . suggest the hysteria may just be a matter of time. The ingredients are there.” By the time the tour wound up at Carnegie Hall on Sunday 27th February one could be forgiven for thinking that Bolanmania was imminent in the States. Bob Kirsch from Billboard had this to say “Headlining for the first time in New York, Britain’s T.Rex showed why they are causing more commotion in England than any band since the heyday of the Beatles . . . Bolan’s a true showman, he proved an excellent musician and a capable singer. By the time a frenzied ‘Summertime Blues’ encore ended, T.Rex had treated New York to one of it’s most uninhibited and enjoyable evenings in a long time. . . .”
Extracts from album Sleeve Notes © 2017 Andrew Gardner/Easy Action Recordings
SIDE ONE
* Spaceball Ricochet
* Jeepster
* Cosmic Dancer
SIDE TWO
* Mainman
* Ballrooms Of Mars
* Mystic Lady
* Girl
* Baby Strange
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