T.Rex - Mainline Albums

Tyrannosaurus Rex

For me the four Tyrannosaurus Rex albums form a natural cycle, each one representing a season and a locale. To be more precise I feel they represent transitions or movements, seasonal cusps as it were: Spring into Summer, Summer into Autumn, etc.

It is a mixture of the album cover design, the lyrics and the music. Why should that be? For me I can explain the first two. For the last, not being musically talented I appeal to the muso's amongst you for your insights.

• My People...
  === Spring / Summer ===
  It was that summer of love and peace '68. The cover illustration is full of many colours, like the flowers of a summer meadow in full bloom. "Blooms that twine around your ears, Blossoms of the royalest texture". The dedication ends "... it will be a long and glorious summer". The songs are full of images of trees, at their fullest leaf in Summer: "the burning of trees was a crime"; "through the big dark oak tree". The music, like all first albums, something special, new and full of vigour.
  
  
• Prophets...
  === Summer / Autumn ===
  Now those leaves are turning to shades of yellow and brown, like the album cover and the song sheet and, in my imagination, I am in the bosky woods and orchards of autumnal "mellow mists and fruitfulness". The images are of "...my little summer maid, Orchard eyed one...deep forest fed", "garlanded with bluebells strewn with silver birch, spring grown tiaras" (OK you got me there, it says "spring", but this ain't logic - its heart"). To me the music is mellower too, a ripening of talent and confidence.
  
• Unicorn
  === Autumn / Winter ===
  My favourite Tyrannosaurus Rex Album.
  The scene and mood change to "The misty coasts of Albany" on a winter's day. The grey, weak, winter sun is reflected in the grey of the inside cover. "Pilgim's Tale", "The Sea Beasts", "The Seal of Seasons" all put me firmly on that bleak seashore and "The Throat of Winter" in that season - "Winter, winter, winter, are you but a servant of the bad one?". The music is so much more atmospheric as well. "Iscariot" is probably my favourite track on this album.
  My copy is mono because I forgot to specify stereo when I ordered it from the little old lady in the record shop, one day...
  
  
• Beard Of Stars
  === Winter / Spring ===
  Winter because of the bleak black and white, but spring because of the promise of things to come. The first electric album and what that would lead to (hindsight is a wonderful thing). It puts me in mind of frosty March mornings, the daffodils open and and the tulips emerging. But location? I am not sure - a mythical world, perhaps.
  

My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair
But Now They're Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows (1968)

Listen very carfully at the end of side one and you will hear:

His horns are streaked with parts of you
He drinks from jars of morning dew
His eyes are locked we hold the key
So smile because there's grapes for tea
Sh-h-h
P.T.O.

The last (=Please Turn Over) is said so very quietly that I never knew it was there until someone recently pointed it out to me.

This album contains Part One of the story of Lionel Lark and Kingsley Mole
=== Q&A ===

(Tanx to Pete G. for this info.)

Q. An alternate take of People, consisting of a complete rehearsal runthough of the album with tracks that never made it to the final cut, was promised for this year but hasn't surfaced. I think Simon Napier-Bell has the rights to that one.

A. Tony Visconti has these tapes but hasn't been able to release them due to red tape. Marc and Took played the songs in a run through live for Danny Cordell and Tony and they were all recorded before the first LP was recorded. Tony claims to have not produced "People.." but instead engineered it.

See also the People... Review Page.

Prophets, Seers And Sages The Angels Of The Ages (1968)

See also the Prophets, Seers and Sages Review Page.

Unicorn (1969)

See also the Unicorn Review Page.
=== Footnote from Mark McL. ===

This album contains Part Two of the story of Lionel Lark and Kingsley Mole

=== Info from Cliff. ===
Blessed Wild Apple Girl is probably an outtake from Unicorn. It's a beautiful song. But I think the other outtake, Once Upon The Seas Of Abyssinia, is even better and a real lost gem.

It's possible that these songs were recorded after the Unicorn sessions, around the time of King Of The Rumbling Spires and Do You Remember and were originally intended for A Beard Of Stars.

A Beard Of Stars (1970)

See also the Beard Of Stars Review Page.

T.Rex

T.Rex

A change of name and a change of style.

See also the T.Rex Review Page.

Electric Warrior (1971)

For my money, *the* T.Rex album and the last one I bought as it was released.

See also the Electric Warrior Review Page.

The Slider (1972)

The only album I bought second hand.

See also the Slider Review Page.

Tanx (1973)

Getting into Glam Rock.
See also the Tanx Review Page.

Zinc Alloy And The Hidden Riders Of Tomorrow Or A Creamed Cage In August (1974)

Excellent reviews of Zinc on their own Zinc Alloy Review Page.

Bolan's Zip Gun

Very similar track listing to Light of Love.
See also the Zipgun Review Page.

Futuristic Dragon (1976)

An excellent instrumental intro.
See also the Futuristic Dragon Review Page.

Dandy In The Underworld (1977)

So many excellent reviews of Dandy they now have their own Dandy Review Page.