T. Rex (band)

Before finding teenybopper adulation as a 1970s glam rock pop group T. Rex began life as Tyrannosaurus Rex, darlings of the hippy/lighter weight end of the UK Underground scene in 1960s London. The band was founded by Marc Bolan in 1967 and gave exactly one performance as a five-piece rock band at The Roundhouse before immediately breaking up in disarray. Bolan retained the services of percussionist Steve Peregrin Took, and the duo began producing eccentric pastoral and folk-tinged ditties steeped in Tolkienian mythology, with spiritual homages to Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran thrown into the whimsical mix for good measure.

Discography

As Tyrannosaurus Rex

Albums

My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair ... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows (7/7/68) Best Chart Position: #15

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• Marc Bolan Vocals, Acoustic guitar
• Steve Peregrin Took backing vocals, drums, pixiephone, percussion
• John Peel story reader

Prophets, Seers and Sages, the Angels of the Ages (14/10/68)

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• Marc Bolan Vocals, guitar
• Steve Peregrin Took bongos, African drums, kazoo, pixiephone, Chinese gong

Unicorn (18/5/69) Best Chart Position: #12

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• Marc Bolan Vocals, guitar
• Steve Peregrin Took bongos, African drums, kazoo, pixiephone, Chinese gong

A Beard of Stars

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• Marc Bolan: vocals, guitar
• Mickey Finn: percussion

Singles

• "Debora" b/w "Child Star" (19/4/68) Best Chart Position: #34 ~ Weeks in Chart: 7
• "One Inch Rock" b/w "Salamanda Palaganda" (23/8/68) Best Chart Position: #28 ~ Weeks in Chart: 7
• "Pewter Suitor" b/w "Warlord of the Royal Crocodiles" (14/1/69)
• "King of the Rumbling Spires" b/w "Do You Remember?" (25/7/69) Best Chart Position: #44 ~ Weeks in Chart: 1

As T. Rex

Albums

• T. Rex (1970)
• Electric Warrior (1971)
• The Slider (1972)
• Tanx (1973)
• Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow (1974)
• Light of Love (1974) - released in North America only
• Bolan's Zip Gun (1975)
• Futuristic Dragon (1976)
• Dandy in the Underworld (1977)

Singles

• "Ride a White Swan" (1970)
• "Hot Love" (1970)
• "Get It On" (1971)
• "Jeepster" (1971)
• "Telegram Sam" (1972)
• "Metal Guru" (1972)
• "Children of the Revolution" (1972)
• "Solid Gold Easy Action" (1972)
• Notable posthumous releases include the reissue of the expanded The Beginning of Doves, in 2002 which is a very interesting collection of early songs and demos recorded in between John's Children and Tyrannosaurus Rex, and The Children of Rarn, demos for the sub-Tolkien concept album that Bolan and Visconti had been talking about for years as the project that would re-establish Bolan as a creative force to be reckoned with.