Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Marc Bolan Edition

He got his start in the psychedelic band John’s Children, quickly taking control of the band. He then left to form the folky Tyrannosaurus Rex, taking a large inspiration from the fey side of The Kinks, with a heaping helping of hippie affectation. Slowly but surealy, more traditional rock and roll influences came into the mix, and he went beyond having just a bongo player, adding a drummer who played simple beats. Shortening the band’s name to T. Rex, the simple songs became the blueprint for glam rock. Although T. Rex is a one-hit wonder here in America, in England they were perhaps the biggest band in the land in the years immediately following The Beatles’ break up. After a stunning peak, with classic singles and albums such as Electric Warrior and The Slider, Bolan’s magic dissipated. We’ll never know if he could have made a comeback, as he died in a car accident in 1977 (the car driven by his wife, Gloria Jones, of “Tainted Love” fame). Let’s pay tribute to the man with the corkscrew hair by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.

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