Sliding With T.Rex

When I was a teenager I used to listen to the local Classic Rock station.  If there was something on the radio I would write the name of the song and artist on a piece of paper and the next time I went to the record store I would ask if they had any.  I did this often and I'm sure the guy at the store thought I was odd. I was curious I did not care at all.  I'm sure he was happy spilling his wealth of knowledge about music to a stupid, wet behind the ears teenager.  I always had some kind of question for him and he found what I was looking for and I would pay him and be gone.

One day I had more then just a small list of music that interested me.  I had few pages of requests that seemed never ending in his mind.  You see, I was listening to a radio station that used to do a year playlist of the top 1006 songs of all time.  Every year was a bit different, but the ones that were added were the ones I wanted to hear.  I also was way too curious on why some songs went on the list one year and off the next. This list was always published in a local paper as a center spread.  I highlighted the tunes I liked.

When I looked over the list there were three T. Rex tunes. "Get It On," "Metal Guru," and "Mambo Sun." What was interesting about the T.Rex Tunes was that "Get It On" was repeated twice.  Once by him and a remake by band called Power Station.  I thought to myself that's odd why would they include two versions.  On the other hand a rocker like T. Rex having his music covered by another artist is always special. What I thought for a relative unknown to me T. Rex had three tunes.  Some knowns had one maybe two, but that made me curious to find out more.  The kist of curiosity was growing and I'm sure testing the record store guys patience.

When I came back from the record store one day I only had one T. Rex cassette.  Electric Warrior would only hold me for so long.  I asked a family member if they had any and they gave me The Slider and some mix with a few his tunes on it.  My family member was not a big fan, so he told me I could keep them.  I quickly went through Electric Warrior and I loved it.  Then came The Slider and I was even more impressed.  I kept both albums for a future listen I knew that I was going to like this guy.

Fast forward to after High School while I was still loving the T. Rex I wanted more.  It turns out that I was able to find both The Slider and Electric Warrior on vinyl and I had a friend at the record store who gave me a few other of his albums and a simple compilation of his other tunes.  One day seeking out more music I found The Slider as a two CD deluxe edition.  I picked it up and was impressed with the extra music.  Now this got interesting, the second disc of this deluxe had some tunes that should have been added to The Slider but they did not get on that album.  The friend who gave me the compilation of that he had enough material to make a double album but decided to keep it a single. Not sure if that was true or not, but I was happy none the less.

The songs that hook you in The Slider are easy.  "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru" are the hits but  the treats are "Rock On," the song "The Slider" and my personal favorite "Chariot Choogle" are pretty awesome.  Another great tune that was recorded around that time was "Children of the Revolution." On some pressings of the album that is included on The Slider. It is a classic in my book.  In all honesty the whole album flows so well and these songs just give it a punch that it only makes it better with age and repeated listenings.

If I had to pick one that you should get it would be The Slider.  I like it more it seems like if you want to be a fan of an artist always grab their lesser known recordings as well as their popular ones.  Sure Electric Warrior is great but these two albums are like two of your favorite items at the dinner table, you can have your two favorite with one sitting and this album is your close to second favorite. On the other hand you can always say it's your favorite after listening to it again and again like I have.  Once again Rock On!!!!

On a side note if you can find it in the stores or on-line there is a tribute to all of Marc Bolan/T.Rex music.  It's humorously titled Great Jewish Music: Marc Bolan.  I found it looking for something else, but liked the unusual line up with a mix of eclectic artists and their unique spin on his music.  Worth checking out.