Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan was T.Rex, and his sleek glam-rock compositions, complete with erotically charged lyrics about Jeepsters and diamond-star haloes, made for state-of-the-art '70s cool. A profound influence on David Bowie and a generation of subsequent bands, Bolan balanced his sexed-up, stack-heeled style with finely hewn melodies and minimalist grooves; his most memorable work was simultaneously rocking, sensuous, danceable, poignant and profound. Just listen to a track like the exquisite "Cosmic Dancer" to understand why Marc Bolan's vision transcends the glittery subgenre to which critics often consign him.
Born Mark Field in the East London neighborhood of Hackney, he dabbled in skiffle music as a lad and briefly served in the psych-folk outfit John’s Children before striking out on his own. He formed the band Tyrannosaurus Rex, which gradually segued from folk-rock to heavier, riff-based material and shortened its name to the far catchier T.Rex, scoring hits like “Bang a Gong,” “Ride a White Swan,” “Jeepster,” “Telegram Sam,” “Metal Guru,” “20th Century Boy” and plenty more besides. He died in 1977, and was conducting bold musical experiments to the very end. The rock landscape of the era is unthinkable without him, and his influence on the sound and style of three decades’ worth of bands that followed in his wake is breathtaking. He may have been a 20th Century Boy, but he was undoubtedly one of the inventors of 21st Century rock and roll.
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Marc Bolan T-Shirts
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