Thursday, September 13, 2007

It Was 30 Years Ago Today Pt. 2 - The Rex Factor



"Goodbye from all the boys in the band, David (Bowie),everybody,all the cats you know who they are" were his final words on TV.


I won't blab on about Marc Bolan, there'll be stacks of facts flying around this anniversary weekend. Instead I've picked 2 clips that show why, at just over five feet tall he towers above any of todays pop pretenders.

I've also popped a couple of T. Rextra bonus rarities/obscurities at the bottom for download. Slider or Tanx are my recommended Albums if you enjoyed these T.Rex treats and fancy digging deeper.


20th Century Boy - from Beat Club

This is the best version EVER!!!! of 20th Century Boy, where Marc swishes like a star,and struts like champ. Grinding his guitar all the way





Next To You - from The Marc Show

Bowie and Bolan (the Dynamic Duo of Glam) duetting on a some demolition riffery in Marc's final TV appearance. This is one of only 2 songs that Bowie and Bolan wrote togther. Bolan had to be stood on a box to get in shot with Bowie, but he takes a tumble at the end.

Look out for Herbie (who wrote the bass line for Walk on The Wild Side)Flowers on Bass he also played with Bowie and Lou Reed. Tony Newman on drums, who'll be on Funky Friday soon. And spot the Raleigh Stryker T Shirt.




T. Rextras - offline at the moment

Get It On
- rocking version, of a work in progress studio run through as Bolan gives directions to the band

Sunken Rags - an .alt version slightly punchier take of Sunken Rags

Raw Ramp - brilliant overlooked B side

Thunderwing - should've been a single.

7 comments:

marmiteboy said...

Marvellous bit of geetar from Mr Bolan on 20th Century Boy there. I'm not a massive fan but that rocked.

Mondo said...

Yeah he has a scream up. In a good way.

When are we gonna some fave vid clips on Planet Marmite

Piley said...

Nice clips.

Bowie and Bolan also colaborated a few years earlier too. The story goes that following the success of Bowie's Space Oddity single in 1969, Bowie and producer Tony Visconti went back to the studio to crank out another single. Visconti was insistent on using 'London Bye Ta Ta' (an old Deram track which Bowie had recently re-recorded), but Bowie had written another song that he had used to propose to (future wife) Angie Barnett over the phone - 'The Prettiest Star'. Bowie had become pretty good friends with Marc Bolan and therefore got Bolan to do the original guitar solos. Bowie got his way and released The Prettiest Star instead of London Bye Ta Ta in 1970... It sold about 800 copies and was forgotten.

Tony Visconti later recalled that the session went well until the end when Bolan's wife June remarked to Bowie, "Marc is too good for you, to be playing on this record" Clever Girl eh?

I picked up the Bolan version of The Prettiest Star some years ago on Rykodisc's excellent 'Sound & Vision' Bowie box set. I have never seen it turn up on anything else.

Bowie later re-recorded The Prettiest Star for Aladdin Sane and Mick Ronson repeated the guitar work note for note.

Although a fantastic artist in his own right, I was shocked just how much Bolan did as a session musician on other peoples work. This excellent site give a pretty comprehensive review, and there are a few suprises (inc Ringo Starr, ELO and the biggest shock for me, Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies album):-

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~rthomas/rexdal/sessions.html

Mondo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mondo said...

I think he did Baby Get It On, Ike and Tina Turner too - there's one for Funky Friday's. Love the idea of Bowie proposing over the phone. by song probably

"Hello Angie B, I'm down on one knee, will you marry me"

Click.......

"Hello operator!," tap , tap , tap. looks at phone for explanation

bleecher said...

top clip my man ... 20th century boy .. from the bratwurst chomping music club archives... im guessing he double tracked some vocals there tho, maybe to concentrate on the plank riffery ... notice the long ,boooooooy' phrases end of chorus are finished a few feet from the mic at times... still spine tingling stuff none-the-less. top work mr mondo

marmiteboy said...

You'll have to show me how to upload the old vid clips when you visit chez Marmite Mr Hopper.