This year marks the 50th year since Electric Warrior was released, 24th of September 1971 and it is the one album that I have kept hold of in various forms ever since and that I will keep until I die, it is for me the most precious thing I own and the only thing I couldn't live without.
Ever since it was released, I have read just about every review of it written by those who are paid to write such things and just hear it, but not one of them has ever felt it ! It is time to correct this and write a review which from one who feels and loves what is Marc's masterpiece and gift to the world.
Tracks
Mambo Sun
Cosmic Dancer
Jeepster
Monolith
Lean Woman Blues
Get it On
Planet Queen
Girl
The Motivator
Life's a Gas
Rip Off
This is the tracks from the version that was released on 24 September 1971. There have been other versions since then with so called Bonus tracks, but while they may be of interest to some, I think I'll leave that there.
All of the tracks were written by Marc Bolan as was the music, however Tony Visconti the producer added to the music enhancing them all wonderfully as a good producer does and for that he'll also be loved.
What Marc did here was to put music to poetry, in a way that no one else did, nor (I believe) has done so in such a wonderful way since. There is no point in pontificating about them, there may be meaning beyond the words, but does it matter? I don't think it does, because poetry is just a beautiful use of words that on their own and away from their context probably don't make sense. Going back now 50 years, they made perfect sense to me and to all of those who listened at the time.
When I listen to Cosmic Dancer, I thought how beautiful it was, but I also felt a sadness come over me. I had a feeling that, if he knew it or not, Marc was foretelling us that his dance here wasn't to last long and I don't know why I felt that the time. Sadly, before the 6th anniversary of the release of Electric Warrior, Marc had danced into the tomb.
Jeepster ! Wow just Wow, this is rock and roll, I love this more than Get it On, because you just get caught up in and it is about sex, the raw hormonal passion, without the sugar coating! Every time I hear it, it takes me back to that time all those years ago, of raging hormones when you played music loudly and adult responsibilities were yet to be a weight on your soul.
Monolith is another of those tracks that the more you listen to it, the more you understand it. 50 years on I think I am just beginning to fully understand about the passing of time which in essence is what Monolith is about.
Lean Woman Blues, well it speaks for itself and for many of us it was probably the first time we'd heard the term blues. People tend to forget how Marc with his love of music, introduced us to music beyond his, well he did for me and this is just one example of how I was educated enough to explore more.
It is impossible not to love Get it On, from the opening bass to the full blown pomp of the song. Marc had got some thing here that he would continue to repeat for the next 5 years to various degrees of success on all but What Ever Happened to the Teenage Dream. His best ever? Well it is great, but this is Marc at his pomp and I love other songs more. Oh yes and as all real fans know it was Rick Wakeman that played the piano on this not Reg Dwight !!
Planet Queen opens up with the continuation of Perchance to Dream, which later I would found out was from William Shakespeare, whom I had taken little, no make that no interest in. Marc wasn't afraid of borrowing from others and making it his own and yet again to educate us so that may be just may be we'd gain some of the loves he had.
Girl is one of those songs which draws you and before you know it you end up going Wow that is wonderful. Magical Poet was weaving his dreams around us with this and we loved him even more.
The Motivator, if you listen to, even more than Get it On you can see (with hindsight that wonderful thing) the T.Rex sound coming through which would really come through on Telegram Sam the first single on the T.Rex Label. At the time we didn't know it, we only knew it was a great song.
Life's a Gas, okay so what do I say about Life's a Gas? What can I say? Through every heart ache and every pain, when I thought I would take my life I played this song and remembered the words of the Electric Warrior, that Life's a Gas. It is a break up song, or should I say, poem set to music, but not like so many of them about how bad life is without a person. What Life's a Gas does, is say look all these things I could have done, but it didn't work, but that really doesn't matter, because in the Life is fun (a gas) and this is a constant reminder and at the end there is the refrain, I hope it going to last! How many of sobbed our hearts out listening to this back then. How many more of us heart broken on 16/09/1977, played when we heard of Marc going as he said he would - That terrible day through tears I know I did and I knew that Marc would have wanted us to remember Life's a Gas.
I have never liked Rip Off the final track on Electric Warrior as it didn't seem to fit in with the rest of it. I have always felt it was a poor song and hurriedly put on to fill the album, this meant it came to a messy disjointed end. I personally think Sailors of the Highway which was done the same year and before Electric Warrior was released would have been a better conclusion. It wasn't as history tells us so this gem of a song remains unknown to most, but loved by all of us who've heard it.
50 years since the 16 year old kid first got hold of Electric Warrior, only years have passed, but not the love of it. There is still something deep inside of me, that knows, beyond wisdom that this was the right album at the right time. Trying to put this into words, if he knew it or not (and I think he did) Marc didn't just make a collection of songs, he created an emotion and that emotional connection is one which we all who heard it felt and why Marc remains so special to us and why Electric Warrior is his greatest gift to us.
