Light of Love by T. Rex (Vinyl, 1974)

5014797891890

7050166393

T. Rex

Vinyl

1974

Light of Love

LP

Rock

T. Rex: Marc Bolan, Mickey Finn, Steve Currie, Bill Legend, Jack Green, Lonnie Jordan, Danny Thompson, B.J. Cole. Additional personnel: Sister Pat Hall, The Gloria Jones, Big Richard, David Katz. Includes liner notes by Mark Paytress. All tracks have been digitally remastered. By 1974, T. Rex's reign at the forefront of British rock had begun to slide. The group's singles weren't charting as high as they once did, and a slew of glam rockers arose in Bolan's wake, some of them worthy, some of them mere pretenders. So Bolan set his sights on the American market, which he had previously only reached with the "Bang a Gong" single in 1972. LIGHT OF LOVE, Bolan's first self-produced record, was not the chart-topper he had hoped for, but it has aged well. Overall, the record has an updated '50s rock feel. "Token of My Love" even begins with the line, "Do you remember when we met?" echoing the opening line of the classic "Sea of Love." Honky-tonk piano, dirty guitar, massed soul-revue backing vocals, and handclaps provide plenty of zing. The lyrics tend toward simple tales of lust and desire. Straight-ahead rockers like "Solid Baby" and "Think Zinc" with their chanted, repeated choruses, evoke the primal adolescent yearnings of classic T. Rex. Throughout the set, Bolan's vocals are engaging and utterly his own, especially on "Till Dawn," "Precious Star," and the sublime "Teenage Dream." And "Explosive Mouth" simply cooks.

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