Ron Asheton's New Order - Victim of Circumstance (US 1978)

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Source: Japan 24-Bit Remaster

The New Order was an American hard rock and protopunk band. The band was based in Los Angeles and existed from early 1975 to October 1976.

After The Stooges imploded in 1974, former Stooges lead guitarist Ron Asheton formed a new band, ultimately acquiring drummer Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson, bass player Jimmy Recca and keyboardist Scott Thurston. For a while, the new band shared rehearsal space at a house owned by Ray Manzarek, during his collaboration with Stooges' lead singer Iggy Pop.

When The New Order's first singer Jeff Spry was forced to quit the band (due to jail time incurred from a drinking/quaalude related DUI coupled with failure to perform community service), The New Order's first drummer, K.J. Knight, recommended Dave Gilbert as a replacement. K.J. and Gilbert had both been veterans of the 1971/1972 incarnations of Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes. After keyboardist Scott Thurston quit, his position was filled by a second guitarist, Ray Gunn, another Detroit veteran who was recommended by Dennis Thompson.

Leading up to the making of The New Order's first demo tapes, long time Blue Öyster Cult producer, Sandy Pearlman, was approached to produce the band but ultimately this didn't come together. The back cover of the Declaration Of War album bears the inscription: "This album is dedicated to the CULT", furthering the links with the Blue Öyster Cult.

A projected collaboration with '60s and '70s Rock impresario, Kim Fowley, was also talked about, but never came to fruition.

The New Order had at least one classic, the song Rock 'n' Roll Soldiers, later covered by The Hitmen and more recently covered by The Hellacopters. One of the lyrics from the song, the infamous battle-cry "The War Against The Jive", is used as the heading to the liner-notes of Radio Birdman's 2001 release, The Essential Radio Birdman (1974 - 1978). The exact heading is: "Total Victory: Radio Birdman's War Against The Jive".

After the similarly bitter ending of Radio Birdman, the two groups (Radio Birdman and The New Order), merged and become New Race, featuring Ron Asheton and Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson, with Radio Birdman's lead singer Rob Younger, lead guitarist Deniz Tek and bass player Warwick Gilbert. This band started and ended in 1981, with no studio material recorded, but three live albums released, with two of the three first released on Revenge Records, then re-released recently on Vivid Sound Corporation.

Tommy Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Fred Sonic Smith, Ron Asheton and Scott Asheton

Some years after leaving The New Order, singer Jeff Spry and his guitarist brother, Joe Spry, formed the new wave band, Felony, which had a much played 1983 hit song ("The Fanatic") on the influential Los Angeles radio station, KROQ-FM. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the 1983 movie, Valley Girl. A video was made from "The Fanatic" "The Fanatic" video was shot in Hollywood, California in 1983 and aired on MTV. The Fanatic video includes a cameo of Jeffrey Spry with his first wife, SAG actress, Lucrecia Sarita Russo. On March 9, 1991, Jeff Spry shot himself, leaving behind his second wife, Tamara and daughters, Desirae & Natasha. His real name was Jeffrey Scott Spirelli.

Following The New Order's split in the fall of 1976, Dave Gilbert eventually joined The Rockets, a straight ahead rock band formed in 1972 that evolved out of the famous Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels. The Rockets made six albums, on three major labels, from 1977 to 1983. Dave Gilbert died in 2001 from cancer of the liver after a lifetime struggle with drugs and alcohol addictions, although he had embraced sobriety sometime before being diagnosed with cancer and was survived by his wife, Dee Gilbert.

In 1989, Victim of Circumstance was released on vinyl and CD on the Revenge Records label. This release consisted of eight unreleased rehearsal recordings, with side one of the original vinyl release presented as four bonus tracks on the CD version. In April 2008, the CD was re-released on the Japanese import label, Vivid Sound Corporation. This new release has the same title and track listing as Victim of Circumstance, but has the same cover art as the original 1977 vinyl release - although "The New Order" logo's font has been revamped and changed. Vivid Sound Corporation also re-released the second and third live albums by the related Ron Asheton/Dennis Thompson band, New Race.

01. Victim of Circumstance 
02. Sold for Cash Girl 
03. Sex Drive 
04. 1975 No Taboos 
05. Never Be the Same Again 
06. Can't Quit Ya 
07. Sidewinder 
08. Hit and Run 
09. Lucky Strike 
10. Declaration of War 
11. Hollywood Holidays 
12. Sidewinder 

1. New Order 1978
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2. New Order 1978
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3. New Order 1978

Slade - Hippodrome London 1972 FM & Victoria Theatre 1975 FM (Bootleg)

Size: 258 MB
Bitrate: 320
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Found in DC++ World
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BIOGRAPHY (Wikipedia)
Slade (originally known as The N'Betweens, then Ambrose Slade, and now Slade II) are an English glam rock band from Wolverhampton/Walsall. They rose to prominence during the early 1970s with 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones. 

The British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles. They were the first act to achieve three singles enter at number one; all six of the band's chart-toppers were penned by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea. Total UK sales stand at 6,520,171, and their best-selling single, "Merry Xmas Everybody", has sold in excess of one million copies.

Following an unsuccessful move to the United States in 1975, Slade's popularity waned but was unexpectedly revived in 1980 when they were last minute replacements for Ozzy Osbourne at the Reading Rock Festival. The band later acknowledged this to have been one of the highlights of their career. The original line up split in 1992 but the band reformed later in the year as Slade II. The band has continued, with a number of line-up changes, to the present day. They have now shortened the group name back to Slade.

A number of diverse artists have cited Slade as an influence, including alternative rock icons Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins, punk pioneers the Ramones, Sex Pistols, the Undertones, the Runaways and the Clash, glam metal bands Kiss, Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, Poison and Def Leppard and pop-rock stalwarts the Replacements, Cheap Trick and Oasis.

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Music tells of Holder's powerful vocals, guitarist Dave Hill's equally arresting dress sense and the deliberate misspelling of their song titles for which they became well known.

The band members of Slade grew-up in the Black Country area of the West Midlands: both the drummer Don Powell, and bass guitarist Jim Lea were born and raised in Wolverhampton, lead vocalist Noddy Holder was born and raised in the nearby town of Walsall, and lead guitarist Dave Hill was born in Devon and moved to Wolverhampton while a child. 

Writings by and about Slade frequently mention The Trumpet public house in Bilston as a band meeting place, especially in their early days. Slade have released over 30 albums, three of which reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart. Their releases have spent a total of 531 weeks in the UK charts and they have earned 23 top 30 UK hits as of 2013.

Slade dominated the UK charts during the early 1970s, out-performing chart rivals, such as Wizzard, Sweet, T. Rex, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Smokie, Gary Glitter, Roxy Music and David Bowie. Slade achieved twelve Top 5 hit singles in the UK between 1971 and 1974, three of which went straight to #1. Of the 17 Top 20 hits between 1971 and 1976, six made No. 1, three reached No. 2 and two peaked at #3. No other UK act of the period enjoyed such consistency in the UK Top 40 and this feat was the closest any group had come to matching the Beatles' 22 Top 10 records in a single decade (1960s). Slade sold more singles in the UK than any other group of the 1970s. In 1973 alone, "Merry Xmas Everybody" sold over one million copies globally, obtaining gold disc status. They toured Europe in 1973 and the US in 1974.

Slade moved to the US in the mid-1970s, in an attempt to break into the American market and although this was largely unsuccessful, they left their mark on a number of US bands who have since cited Slade as an influence. During the late 1970s, the band returned to the UK following years of commercial failure both at home and abroad. Slade's career was unexpectedly revived when the band were asked to perform at the 1980 Reading Festival when Ozzy Osbourne pulled out at the last minute. For the next two years, the band produced material tailored towards the heavy metal scene and by 1984, they finally cracked the American market with the hits "Run Runaway" and "My Oh My." This new-found success did not last long, however, and despite a top 25 UK hit in the early '90s the band split shortly after in 1992.

Early years (1966–70)
In 1964, drummer Don Powell and guitarist Dave Hill were part of a Midland-based group called the Vendors. Regulars on the club circuit, they had also recorded a privately pressed four-track EP. At the time, Noddy Holder was playing guitar and contributing to vocals in Steve Brett & the Mavericks. Signed to Columbia Records, the band released three singles in 1965. 

After listening to American blues artists such as Sonny Boy Williamson II, John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf, the Vendors decided on a change of direction and name. As the 'N Betweens they gained greater recognition and began to get supporting gigs with acts such as the Hollies, the Yardbirds, Georgie Fame and Spencer Davis.

The Mavericks and the 'N Betweens were on their way to separate gigs in Germany when they met on a ferry in 1965. Powell and Hill asked Holder if he would be interested in joining The 'N Betweens but Holder declined. Later, back in their home town of Wolverhampton, the musicians met again and this time Holder agreed to join the group. Jim Lea, whose musical background and strong bass guitar skills were considered an asset, had already been recruited. Lea, who also played the piano and guitar, had been in the Staffordshire Youth Orchestra and had gained first class honours in a London music-school practical exam.

By 1966, this new version of the 'N Betweens had recorded a promo single of the Otis Redding track, "Security," and a self-penned song, "Evil Witchman," released on Highland Records. A further single, "You Better Run" was released on Columbia Records and produced by Kim Fowley. This last single was reported by Powell to have topped the regional midland charts although it failed to make any national impact. 

Between 1966 and 1967, the band's performance centred on the R&B and Tamla Motown styles, while Noddy's flair for showmanship began to give the band a focus. During 1967, the band recorded the track "Delighted to See You" which remained unreleased until 1994, where it featured on the various artists compilation Psychedelia at Abbey Road. Although the group did not record again for roughly two years, they built up a respectable reputation on the live circuit.

A local promoter, Roger Allen spotted the group in 1969 and alerted the head of A&R at Philips Records, Jack Baverstock. The group spent a week in the Philips studio at Stanhope Place recording an album, after which Baverstock offered to sign the group to Fontana Records if they changed their name and obtained London-based management. The band were initially hesitant because of the reputation gained as the 'N Betweens' but eventually agreed to Ambrose Slade, a name inspired by Baverstock's secretary, who had named her handbag Ambrose and her shoes Slade. Baverstock also found the group an agent, John Gunnel, who had previously worked with the entertainment entrepreneur Robert Stigwood.

The band's debut album Beginnings, released in mid-1969, was a commercial failure as was the instrumental single "Genesis" and follow up single "Wild Winds Are Blowing". While the album was being recorded, the band were visited by Gunnel and his business partner, Animals' bassist, Chas Chandler. Chandler was impressed with what he heard in the studio, and after seeing the band live the following day, offered to manage them. As Chandler had previous managerial experience with Jimi Hendrix, the band accepted.

Chandler was not pleased with the debut album and thought the band would benefit from writing their own material and a change of image. The band adopted a skinhead look as an attempt to gain publicity from what was a newsworthy youth fashion trend but this also added an unwelcome association with football hooliganism. Noddy Holder and Don Powell were particularly tough individuals already, and the skinhead look exacerbated the disturbing effect of having "toughs" in the band. In 1970, the band shortened their name to Slade and released a new single, a cover of Shape of Things to Come which despite a performance on United Kingdom music show Top of the Pops, failed to chart.

Chandler moved Slade to Polydor Records, believing a higher profile label would boost sales. The instrumental "Genesis" from the band's debut album, had lyrics added and was released as "Know Who You Are," but again, the single failed to make any impression on the UK chart as did the album Play It Loud, released in late 1970 and produced by Chandler himself. Later though, the album would be retrospectively well received by fans and critics.

Success and peak (1971–74)
Chandler had been managing the band for almost two years without success when he suggested releasing a version of the Bobby Marchan song, "Get Down and Get With It", originally performed by Little Richard. Slade still enjoyed a good reputation as a live act and the song had been used in their performances for many years. Always popular, the song's lyrics demanded audience participation and it was hoped that the feeling of a live gig would be projected into the studio recording. The song was released in mid-1971, and by August the single had entered the top 20 in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 16.

The band members grew their hair long and allied themselves to the glam rock movement of the early '70s. Hill's stage costumes also became notable during this period. Many of Holder's costumes during this period, including the trademark Mirror Top Hat, were made by Dorothy "Dolly" Annakin – a sister of Holder's friend Ron Annakin. Chandler now demanded the band write a follow-up single themselves which led to Lea and Holder writing Coz I Luv You. The song was written in half an hour and started a writing partnership which would continue throughout Slade's career. 

Upon hearing the track played to him acoustically, a pleased Chandler predicted the song would make number one. While recording, the band felt the song's sound to be too soft and so clapping was added. The song's misspelled title also became a trademark for Slade while causing a furore among British school teachers. The attendant appearance on BBC Television's Top of the Pops brought Slade to a wider audience as well as pushing "Coz I Luv You" to number one in the UK charts. In November 1971, NME reported that Slade had turned down a multi-million dollar campaign, including a television series and a heavily promoted tour of the US. "But", commented Holder, "acceptance would have meant the cancellation of many commitments here – and the last thing we want to do is to mess around [with] the people who have put us where we are".

A second single entitled "Look Wot You Dun", was released at the start of 1972, peaking at number four and a live album was released in March. The album Slade Alive! proved to be successful, spending 52 weeks in the UK Album charts, peaking at number two. It also did well abroad, topping the Australian charts and giving the band their first chart entry in America. The album was recorded over three nights at a newly built studio in Piccadilly in front of 300 fan-club members. Today the album is regarded as one of the finest live albums ever made.

Two months later, the band released "Take Me Bak 'Ome". The single became Slade's second UK number one and charted in a number of other countries, including America where it reached number 97 in the Billboard singles chart. Slade achieved their third number one when "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" was released later that year, pushing the band towards greater recognition. The song became a popular live number and is today, one of Slade's more recognised singles.

Released in November 1972, the album Slayed? peaked at number one both in the UK and Australia, where it relegated Slade Alive to the second spot; and reaching number 69 in America. Both Slade Alive! and Slayed? are widely considered to be two of the finest albums of the Glam Rock era. The final single of 1972, "Gudbuy T' Jane", was released shortly after, peaking at number two in the UK being kept from the top spot by Chuck Berry's single "My Ding-A-Ling". The single was a big worldwide hit but only managed to reach number 68 in the American Billboard Chart.

In early 1973, "Cum on Feel the Noize" was released and went straight to number one, the first time a single had done so since The Beatles' "Get Back" in 1969.  
Another worldwide hit for Slade, the single again failed to impress in America where it made number 98. The follow-up single "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me", again went straight to number one but reports were later made that the song was recorded as a joke and was not intended for release. Despite being a hit single, "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me" was never performed on Top of the Pops because the producers of the show would not allow Slade to perform as a three-piece band. A promotional video with dancers was shown instead. Slade quickly disowned it and have not performed it live since.

A car crash in Wolverhampton on 4 July 1973 left Powell in a coma and his 20-year-old girlfriend, Angela Morris, dead. The band's future was left in the balance as Slade refused to continue without their drummer although Lea's brother, Frank, covered Powell's position at the Isle of Wight Festival to avoid disappointing fans. Powell, who'd suffered breaks to both ankles and five ribs, successfully recovered after surgery and was able to rejoin the band ten weeks later in New York, where they recorded "Merry Xmas Everybody" – in the middle of an August heatwave. Powell still suffers with acute short-term memory loss and sensory problems as a result of the accident. Whilst Powell was recovering, and in an attempt to keep up momentum, the band released a compilation album Sladest, which topped the UK and Australian charts in the first week of its release. A new single, "My Friend Stan", was also released. It marked a change from previous records, being more piano based and sounding more like a novelty song. During the recording sessions, Powell who was walking with the aid of a stick, had to be lifted up to his drum kit. The single was successful, peaking at number two in the UK and number one in Ireland.

The Christmas-themed song "Merry Xmas Everybody" was Slade's last single of 1973 and became the band's last ever number one in the UK. Based on melodies from discarded songs written six years previously, it became Slade's best-selling single ever. The song has remained popular and has been released many times since, charting on a number of occasions.

The band began to experiment with different musical styles, moving away from their usual successful rock anthems. Following the success of "My Friend Stan", Slade released the album Old, New, Borrowed and Blue, in February 1974 which went to number one in the UK  Re-titled "Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet", the album was another disappointment in the US, failing to break into the top 100. The following month saw a new single released. "Everyday" was a piano led ballad which made number three in the UK charts. The next single, "The Bangin' Man" saw a return to a more guitar-based sound, again reaching the number three position.

Stateside (1975–77)
By mid-1975, the band had become disillusioned with their lack of success in America. Feeling that they were becoming stale and had achieved all they could in Europe, Slade decided to a make a permanent move to the States and try to build a solid reputation from live performances; just as they had previously done in the UK. According to the Slade Fan Club newsletter of August and September 1975, the band took twelve tons of equipment, worth approximately £45,000 at the time. 

Throughout the remainder of 1975 and 1976, Slade toured the US, often with other bands such as Aerosmith, ZZ Top and Black Sabbath, only returning to the UK for TV performances of new singles.

Between tours Holder and Lea began writing for a new album which was heavily influenced by American artists and aimed at an American audience. 

The group booked themselves into New York's Record Plant Studios in mid-1975 to record the album Nobody's Fools. 

Featuring backing vocals from Tasha Thomas, it contained elements of soul, country and funk music.

The first two singles from the new album, "In For a Penny" and "Let's Call It Quits" were released in November 1975 and January 1976 respectively, both made number 11 in the UK charts although the latter made no impression outside of the UK. 

The album, released in March 1976, failed to make any impact in America and was also a disappointment in the UK where it peaked at number 14 and dropped out of the charts completely after only 4 weeks. 

The final track from the album was the title track "Nobody's Fool". Released in April, it failed to chart at all, the first to do so since the band's rise to fame in 1971. Fans within the UK accused the band of 'selling out' and forgetting about their fan base at home.

Lineups:
♦ Noddy Holder – Vocals, Guitar, Bass Guitar
♦ Dave Hill – Guitar, Vocals, Bass Guitar
♦ Jim Lea – Bass Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards, Violin, Guitar
♦ Don Powell – Drums, Percussion

Slade - Golders Green Hippodrome, London 1972.05.28 FM Broadcast

01. Hear Me Calling  05.18
02. Like A Shot From My Gun  03.22
03. Look Wot You Dun  03.34
04. Keep On Rocking  03.50
05. Move Over Baby  o4.36
06. Mama We Are All Crazy Now  03.25
07. Lady Be Good  01.02
08. Coz I Luv You 05.22
09. Take Me Back `Ome  04.16
10. Get Down And Get With It  06.43
11. Good Golly Miss Molly  03.49


Slade - New Victoria Theatre, London 1975.04.24 BBC Broadcast

01. Them Kinda Monkeys Can't Swing  05.01
02. The Bangin' Man    04.49
03. Gudbuy T'Jane  04.43
04. Far Far Away  04.27
05. Thanks for the Memory  05.28
06. How Does It Feel  05.13
07. Just a Little Bit  07.30
08. Everyday  04.43
09. OK Yesterday Was Yesterday  05.04
10. Raining in My Champagne  06.14
11. Let the Good Times Roll  06.42
12. Mama Weer All Crazee Now  04.30

Part 1: Slade 1972 & 1975
Part 2: Slade 1972 & 1975
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Part 1: Slade 1972 & 1975
Part 2: Slade 1972 & 1975
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Part 1: Slade 1972 & 1975
Part 2: Slade 1972 & 1975

T. Rex - BBC Radio Sessions & More (Bootleg)

Size: 235 MB
Bitrate: 320
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Found in OuterSpace
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The most iconic band of the U.K. glam rock scene of the '70s, T. Rex were the creation of Marc Bolan, who started out as a cheerfully addled acolyte of psychedelia and folk-rock until he turned to swaggering rock & roll with boogie rhythm and a tricked-up fashion sense. For a couple years, T. Rex were the biggest band in England and a potent cult item in the United States. If their stardom didn't last, their influence did, and T. Rex's dirty but playful attitude and Bolan's sense of style and rock star moves would show their influence in metal, punk, new wave, and alternative rock; it's all but impossible to imagine the '80s new romantic scene existing without Bolan's influence.

Marc Bolan was born Mark Feld on September 30, 1947 in Stoke Newington, London, England. The youngster seemed cut out for a career in showbiz nearly from the start; he started playing guitar at the age of nine when he and some friends formed a skiffle band, and he made his professional acting debut in 1963, playing a minor role on the children's television series Orlando. After a brief run as a child model, Bolan (his stage name a contraction of Bob Dylan) dove into music, and released his first single, "The Wizard," in November 1965, shortly after he signed a deal with Decca Records. 

After cutting a few more unsuccessful singles, which found Bolan moving into a direction clearly inspired by Dylan and Donovan, Simon Napier-Bell took over as his manager, and in 1967 Bolan became a member of the notorious psychedelic band John's Children. While he was in John's Children long enough to write and sing lead on their single "Desdemona" and tour Europe as the Who's opening act, Bolan left the group after a mere four months, and quickly began writing songs for his next project.

My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows Before 1967 was out, Bolan had launched his new group, Tyrannosaurus Rex, with a show at London's Electric Garden. However, Bolan booked the gig before he finalized the band's lineup; legend has it he was still auditioning musicians the day of the show, and by all reports the debut was disastrous. Abandoning his original concept of a four-piece band, Bolan reworked Tyrannosaurus Rex into an acoustic duo, with Marc on guitar and vocals and Steve Peregrin Took on percussion. 

Bolan's loopy but engaging lyrical sensibility and Eastern-influenced melodies, coupled with Took's use of hand drums and unconventional percussion devices, helped to earn the group a loyal following in London's hippie community, and they were championed by the legendary BBC disc jockey John Peel. The duo scored a deal with Regal Zonophone Records, and their debut album, My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows, was released in July 1968; the album was produced by Tony Visconti, who would go on to produce nearly all of Bolan's subsequent work. 

The second Tyrannosaurus Rex album, Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages, appeared just three months later, and the third, Unicorn, came out in May 1969, shortly after the publication of The Warlock of Love, a book of poems written by Bolan. However, Bolan and Took found themselves increasingly at odds, as Took's behavior became more outré, especially during a largely unsuccessful American tour, and Unicorn proved to be his last album with Tyrannosaurus Rex.

A Beard of StarsMickey Finn took over as the duo's percussionist, and in 1970 they recorded the album A Beard of Stars as well as the single "Ride a White Swan," and both saw the band moving in a new direction, venturing away from the fading U.K. hippie scene. Bolan had begun playing electric guitar, giving the songs a bigger and buzzier sound, and Finn's handclaps and percussion provided a stompdown backbeat that turned Tyrannosaurus Rex from a folk act into a potent if minimal rock band. 

The duo acknowledged their shift in direction with their fifth album, which bore their new name, T. Rex. "Ride a White Swan" was a surprise smash in the U.K., and the T. Rex album also fared well, and Bolan doubled down on the group's new proto-boogie sound by expanding T. Rex to a quartet with the addition of trap drummer Bill Legend and bassist Steve Currie. Bolan also took to sporting top hats, feather boas, and glittery outfits on-stage, giving their shows a welcome sense of flash, and while some of Bolan's older fans blanched at his abandonment of his folkie impulses, the release of Electric Warrior in September 1971 was all the consolation he needed. 

The album was a major hit, rising to the top of the U.K. album charts and establishing T. Rex as one of Britain's biggest bands, while also helping to launch the glam rock era that would dominate U.K. rock for the next several years. 

The album spawned two U.K. hit singles, "Jeepster" and "Bang a Gong (Get It On)," and while the former made little impact in the United States, the latter cracked the American Top 40, and T. Rex developed a growing cult following in the United States, especially on the West Coast, where the glam crusade found its greatest American success.

The Slider As "T. Rexstasy" took hold in the U.K. and Europe, Bolan and his crew released The Slider in July 1972, which offered more of the group's crunchy hard rock boogie and Bolan's sly, playful lyrics; the album was another smash in the U.K., rising to number four on the album charts, while it peaked at a more than respectable number 17 in the United States. The album was also recorded while a film was being made about Bolan and T. Rex, Born to Boogie, directed by none other than Ringo Starr. 

But neither of the two singles, "Telegram Sam" nor "Metal Guru," made much of an impression in the United States, and neither did the non-album single "20th Century Boy," though it was a smash in the U.K. Surprisingly, T. Rex opted not to feature the song on Tanx, issued in January 1973, and the album rose no further than number 102 in America, and it received lukewarm reviews in the U.K. and Europe, though sales there were still impressive. 

By the time T. Rex released their next album, Gloria Jones had joined T. Rex on keyboards and backing vocals (she was also in a romantic relationship with Bolan, despite the fact he was married at the time), and the group displayed a new R&B influence on 1974's Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow. However, the album's reception confirmed the bloom was off the rose for T. Rex; the single "Teenage Dream" failed to crack the U.K. Top Ten, and the LP wasn't even released in the United States.

Bolan's Zip Gun Early 1975 saw the release of Bolan's Zip Gun, which was produced by Bolan after Tony Visconti bowed out, and only featured drummer Bill Legend on one track, with drummer Davy Lutton and keyboard man Dino Dines joining the group. Once again, the album wasn't issued in America, though a combination of tracks from Zinc Alloy and Zip Gun was released stateside by Casablanca Records as Light of Love. Bolan became a tax exile who relocated to California, which made him the target of more unfriendly reports in the British music press.

Futuristic DragonBolan was on the rebound in early 1976 with the release of Futuristic Dragon, an ambitious set that featured a bigger sound than T. Rex's last few albums, and while it once again went unreleased in the United States, reviews were positive and the album was a modest commercial success. Bolan also became a father with the birth of Rolan Bolan, his son by Gloria Jones, and he returned to England, where he became the host of a pop music show, Marc, that featured performances by Bolan, artists from the height of the glam rock days (including David Bowie), and rising stars on the punk rock scene, including the Jam, Generation X, and the Boomtown Rats. 

As Bolan's star was on the rise, he returned to the studio to make a new album; Dandy in the Underworld was credited to T. Rex, but was almost entirely the work of studio musicians after the final breakup of the classic T. Rex lineup. The album received positive press in the U.K., but Bolan had little opportunity to bask in its success; he died in an auto accident on September 16, 1977. 

While both Mickey Finn and Bill Legend toured with bands calling themselves T. Rex in the wake of Bolan's death, for nearly all fans the notion of T. Rex without Marc Bolan seemed absurd, and the band's legacy has been kept alive through reissues of T. Rex's recordings and archival collections of rarities from Bolan and the group, and by covers of their songs from acts as diverse as Guns N' Roses, the Violent Femmes, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Replacements, the Power Station, and the Bongos.

T. Rex (Marc Bolan)
BBC Radio 1 Sessions

01. Misty Coasts Of Albany
02. Once Upon the Seas of Abyssinia
03. Iscariot
04. Chariots of Silk
05. Beltane Walk
06. Sailors of the Highway
07. Girl
08. Life's a Gas
09. Jeepster
10. Cadillac
11. Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart
12. Pavillion Of The Sun
13. Wind Cheetah
14. By the Light of the Magical Moon
15. ummertime Blues
16. Fluff with song info

Bonus Tracks:
17. The street & babe shadow (tanx-sessions)
18. Satisfaction pony (complete rough vers

ion)
19. Black jack (recorded 1973 as “big carrot”)
20. You gotta jive to stay alive (complete recording)
21. Monolith (different version)
22. Rock on (slider-sessions)
23. My world is empty without you (duet with marsha hunt)
24. Cosmic dancer (electric version)
25. Sailors of the highway (complete recording)
26. Nameless wildness (jam version)
27. Alligator man (unpublished song, undated)
28. Jet tambourine (unpublished song, undated)
29. Demon queen (unicorn outtake)
30. Wind cheetah (live bbc 1970)
31. Hippy gumbo (orchestrated version)
32. Sleepy maurice (1967 acetate)
33. Find a little wood (beard of stars outtake), 
34. Dreamy lady (unplugged demo)
35. Dawn storm (different version)
36. Do i love thee (zip gun outtake)
37. A paw of fur an air of doom (orchestrated poem 1973)

Part 1: T. Rex 1.
Part 2: T. Rex 2.
or
Part 1: T. Rex 1.
Part 2: T. Rex 2.
or
Part 1: T. Rex 1.
Part 2: T. Rex 2.