Marc Bolan and T. Rex

Bolan Zip Gun

released from visconti

Review Score:

(10/10)
This is one of my favourite TRex albums. I hesitated to by it at first because of the poor reviews it had picked up over the years. Its interesting how rock history is written. It seems people didn't want to attribute too much accolade to Bolan so they gave it to Visconti instead ergo Visconti leaves and Bolan falls. This idea continued to such an extent that the production of the comeback Dandy in the Underworld album was ascribed to Visconti who in fact had no dealings with Bolan after Zinc Alloy. Bolan was supposed to be short of ideas when he made this album. In fact he recorded two albums in this year (1974) this one and Futuristic Dragon and the previous year if he had included all the single A+B sides and unreleased material on Zinc Alloy it would have been a double album, hardly the output of someone short of ideas.

This album is Bolan's most varied and at the same time most commercial. Bolan resisted the path to heavy rock which was the commercial music of the early 70's. He parted company with Steve Took over this and after he parted company with Visconti he put out what could be termed an anti heavy rock album. I'll just run through the styles to wet your appetite.
Light of Love - pop , Solid Baby - rock , Precious Star - soul , Token of My Love - The sea of love a la Bolan , Space Boss - two drum rock , Think Zinc - glam a la glitter band , Till Dawn (my favourite) - sweet soul , Girl in the Thunderbolt Suit - glam a la Bolan , I really love you Babe - Bolan does Dylan , Golden Belt - funk , Zip Gun Boogie - boogie (of course).

Looking back it seems that it was Visconti who was in fact stuck for ideas, he went on to produce Thin Lizzy, not a bad band but not in Bolan's class. Bolan got married, cleaned up his life and broadened his musical horizons.

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