T. Rex - Bolan Boogie (UK release May 5, 1972)
T. Rex - Bolan Boogie (UK release May 5, 1972)
The first 'proper' album I ever heard, although I didn't personally own a copy until a good few years later. Actually a compilation, (something I didn't, in my youthful enthusiasm, realise at the time,) Bolan Boogie features all of T. Rex's pre-EMI hits, plus a liberal sprinkling of other tracks from the Fly era. Over 30 years later this is still my favourite Bolan album, not due to nostalgia but because of the varied selection of excellent songs.
I adored the fragile charm of the more acoustic Tyrannosaurus Rex, and I loved the in-your-face strut of T. Rex at the height of their glam-rock fame, so inevitably the transition period between the two extremes provides a rich vein of entertainment for me. This album provides a near perfect snapshot of this stage of Bolan's evolution. As well Ride A White Swan/Hot Love/Get It On/Jeepster, there are such gems as Raw Ramp, Woodland Rock and (for my money) the definitive version of Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues. If I could only keep a single Bolan artefact from my collection then this would be the one. Definitely.