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.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

The reverse cover of Unicorn follows a convention begun by Bob Dylan with Bringing It All Back Home: the pair are pictured lurking in a Bayswater flat surrounded by their influences – LPs, books and objets d'art. These range from the modish to the obscure – Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, The Bible, works of William Blake, a Muddy Waters LP, tabla drums and toy cymbals, etc. The photo sums up Bolan's earnest playfulness and the duo's position as both typical within their scene and a unique proposition. The music on Unicorn, with its melancholic grandeur, marks the high water mark for pixie-rock.

Related Topics:
Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home - Lamb - Shakespeare - The Bible - William Blake - Muddy Waters

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By 1969 there was a clear rift between the two halves of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Bolan and his girlfriend June Child (ex-girlfriend of Syd Barrett) were living a quiet life, while Took had fully embraced the anti-commercial/community spirited/drug-taking ethos of the UK Underground scene centered around Ladbroke Grove. Took was also attracted to the most anarchistic elements such as Mick Farren/Deviants and members of the Pink Fairies Rock 'n' Roll and Drinking Club.

Related Topics:
1969 - Syd Barrett - Drug - UK Underground - Ladbroke Grove - Mick Farren - Deviants - Pink Fairies

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By now Took was writing his own songs and wanted the duo to perform them, a suggestion which Bolan firmly refused. probably the final straw for Bolan was when Took 'donated' two songs of Bolan's to Twink's Think Pink album.

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Bolan's relationship with Took ended after Unicorn, although they were contractually obliged to go through a US tour which was was doomed before it began. Poorly promoted and planned, the tour saw the acoustic duo senselessly billed alongside loud electric acts. Took commented that the audience often did not even notice they had started their set and he would sometimes strip to the waist and whip himself in Iggy Pop manner.

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As soon as he returned to the UK, Bolan replaced Took with bongo player Mickey Finn (his real name), who would remain with Bolan until 1975. They made A Beard of Stars, the final album under the name Tyrannosaurus Rex. Unlike Took, Finn had no songwriting aspirations.

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As well as progressively shorter titles, the albums began to show higher production values, more accessible songwriting from Bolan, and experimentation with electric guitars and a rock sound. The breakthrough was in "King of the Rumbling Spires" (recorded with Steve Took) which used a full rock band. This era also saw the publication of The Warlock of Love, a book of Bolan's poetry; derided by critics, it nevertheless became the best-selling poetry book of its time.

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