What a magnificent indulgence it was to hear this music again. To
hear it all remastered for the best possible sound makes it much more
inviting than ever before. Marc Bolan & T. Rex made a lot of
great music in the few short years that they were in existence. For
those of you that did not know, Marc lost his life in a freak car
accident in 1977. Unfortunately, it was just before he was getting
ready to go into an entirely new direction with his music.
"20th Century Boy-The Ultimate Collection" is the definitive
T. Rex found on one CD. There have been countless collections
and rarities issued. I know I bought some of them. Until now, there
hasn't been one single CD available that has put together the early
acoustic Bolan recordings and the well-known glam rock tracks. The
recent car commercial playing the "20th Century Boy" track hasn't
hurt renewed interest in Bolan's catalog. It certainly turned my head
and reminded me of the great music that this man made. It is a rare
occasion indeed to listen to a CD with 23 tracks and enjoy every single
one. I most certainly did, and it gets better with each listen.
If Bolan had a different twist of fate and lived, I am sure he would
have given Mr. Bowie a run for his money. He was the only artist during
the seventies that even came close to keeping up with Bowie in glam rock circles.
My favs are "20th Century Boy," "Jeepster," "Children of the Revolution,"
"Elemental Child," "Ride a White Swan,"and the incredible "Slider."
Collections like this continue to give me further evidence that the
70's provided a cache of great music similar to that of the 60's.
The music is so memorable and timeless that I never tire of hearing
it. It also helps that I grew up in that period, so my relationship
to the music is more personal.
The sound keeps getting better every time an artists' catalog is re-released.
Yes, it can become an expensive hobby. It somehow becomes all worth
it when you give that CD spin though. It does it for me every time
without fail. If you have been a fan of this music you will be in
rock 'n' roll rapture, if this is the first time you have been exposed
you will become a fan straight away.
1. Debora -3:08
2. One Inch Rock-1:44
3. King of the Rumbling Spires-2:08
4. By the Light of a Magical Moon-2:48
5. Elemental Child-5:33
6. Ride a White Swan-2:13
7. Summertime Blues-2:42
8. Jewel-2:49
9. Beltane Walk-2:22
10. Hot Love-4:56
11. Bang a Gong (Get It On)-4:26
12. Raw Ramp-5:12
13. Cosmic Dancer-4:26
14. Jeepster-4:10
15. Telegram Sam-3:45
16. Metal Guru-2:24
17. Mystic Lady-3:14
18. The Slider-3:21
19. Children of the Revolution- 2:28
20. Solid Gold Easy Action-2:25
21. Born to Boogie-2:02
22. 20th Century Boy-3:38
23. I Love to Boogie-2:12
