Album Review: "Electric Warrior" by T. Rex

Even though part of this journey is to find current bands to listen to, there will always be a tendency to look back into the past. I'm shamed to admit that not only is this band absent from the library but completely unknown to my consciousness.

Upon a close listen to this record, the song "Bang A Gong" stood out to me as something that's made its way around and into my ears, but it's still shocking to me how this band was an unknown to me. This is another gross failure by St. Louis's Classic Rock Radio. KSHE and the U-Man, I'm looking at both of you, and don't even mention KSHE Classics if you play them there.

That got a little angry there didn't it? Let's try to find the plot again shall we? This album just drips 70's rock guitar tone. The guitar sound that defined the 70's, ike a whetted sharpening stone being put to use, has its muddy paws all over the songs.

This is an album from bygone days. This record was not made as a collection of songs, but as a statement that takes over forty minutes to be heard.

Sandwiched between the songs being mashed with perfect 70's overdrive, there are softer ballads that show a wonderful second side to this band. The second track, "Cosmic Dancer," is augmented with a beautiful string arrangement.

This is the kind of record that doesn't lend itself to the 21st Century days of shuffling. Listening to just a song here and there would never do this set of tunes justice. When the first track starts, it takes off and it doesn't let go. This truly is a 70's Arena Rock masterpiece by a band who was a folk group just a couple albums before this one.

Year: 1971
Genre: Rock, Arena Rock

Tracklisting:

1) Mambo Sun
2) Cosmic Dancer
3) Jeepster
4) Monolith
5) Lean Woman Blues
6) Bang A Gong (Get It On)
7) Planet Queen
8) Girl
9) The Motivator
10) Life's A Gas
11) Rip Off