Bolan’s Zip Gun | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 1975 | |||
Recorded | February - August 1974 | |||
Studio | MRI, Hollywood | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 33:42 | |||
Label | T.REX (UK), Ariola (Germany) | |||
Producer | Marc Bolan | |||
T. Rex chronology | ||||
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Singles from Bolan’s Zip Gun | ||||
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Bolan's Zip Gun is the tenth studio album by English rock band T. Rex, released on February 1975 by record label EMI.
Eight of the eleven songs on the album had already been released in the US the previous year on the Light of Love album on Casablanca Records. Zip Gun was a repackage with three extra tracks. [1] However, it was the only T. Rex album that failed to chart in the UK. [1]
The critical and commercial failure of the ambitious Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow in early 1974 rattled Bolan, who suddenly became uncertain as to what would please the public. With Bill Legend having quit the T. Rex lineup at the end of 1973, Davey Lutton was made drummer and new girlfriend Gloria Jones was made a permanent member on clavinet and backing vocals. Guitarist Jack Green and singer Pat Hall, who had filled out the band's live lineup in 1973, were dismissed from the group and in July 1974 Dino Dines was added as a second keyboardist. [2] That same month, the new lineup's single "Light of Love" could only manage to reach number 22 on the UK charts, T. Rex's worst placing yet, as the press began to savage him as a portly has-been. As a result, his drinking and cocaine use further increased and he soon left England for tax purposes, settling down in the French Riviera and Hollywood Hills. [1]
Bolan wanted to continue the funk and soul based direction recently glimpsed on Tanx and especially Zinc Alloy , although the production of the new album featured starker, stripped-down arrangements (perhaps as a reaction to the backlash given the heavily orchestrated Zinc Alloy ) and lyrics which were simple and direct, often consisting of just three or four lines repeated over and over. [1] Several of the songs also had a futuristic tone, especially "Space Boss", "Think Zinc", and "Golden Belt", Bolan being a great fan of science fiction. The album also featured a twin-drum sound on some tracks, notably "Solid Baby", provided by Davy Lutton and Paul Fenton. [1]
The first sessions for the new album were held at Scorpio Sound in London at the same time Bolan was producing a solo album for Sister Pat Hall. On February 22 "Think Zinc", "Solid Baby" and "Teen Angel" were put to tape, while on the 23rd sax player Howie Casey joined them for "Space Boss" and a remake of "Solid Baby". [2] On the 28th the outtake "Sky Church Music" was attempted along with a jam of 50s rock'n'roll standards, with additional overdubs to "Think Zinc" on March 7. In the meantime, Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow was released to a negative reception on March 1.
Sessions moved to Musicland Studios in Munich, where much of Zinc Alloy had been recorded, from March 21-25 with Bolan as producer. These sessions were considered dispiriting and unproductive although the outtake "Metropolis Incarnate" was attempted on the 21st, followed by two more outtakes "Preacher" and "Saturation Syncopation" plus an early version of "Light of Love" on the 23rd. [2] Two more rehearsals, a Fats Domino cover "I'm In Love Again" and an untitled track known as "Na Na Na", broke down. On March 25 another attempt at "Light of Love" along with another outtake, "Why Stay", were recorded. Further sessions at Scorpio Sound in April attempted to complete the Pat Hall solo album, although it was to be shelved shortly afterward. [2]
Work on the new T. Rex album continued at MRI Studios in Hollywood with Bolan producing and Gary Ulmer engineering, but with several members of the band not invited; [1] the first session on May 14 resulted in working versions of "Light of Love" and "Token of My Love". On the 17th a remake of "Metropolis Incarnate" retitled "Teenage Angel" was attempted as well as the only serious recording sessions for the "Children of Rarn" project Bolan had conceived back in 1970, with rough versions of "The Children of Rarn", "We Are Dworn" and "Rarn Rarn" laid to tape along with another outtake, "Video Drama". [2] On the 19th further work was done on "Light of Love", with "Do I Love Thee", "Golden Belt" (working title "Dishing Fish Wop") and "I Really Love You Babe" (working titles "One From Column 13" and "Precision Debating") completed on the 21st. May 23 saw working versions of "Precious Star", "Girl In The Thunderbolt Suit", and "Golden Belt", while May 28 produced further work on "Girl In The Thunderbolt Suit" (named "Burrito Blue Jean Wop"), a remake of "Video Drama" and another outtake named "Every Lady". [2] Final overdubbing and mixing proceeded through June and July at MRI, with one final song, "Zip Gun Boogie", recorded in late August at Scorpio Sound. Another track, "Till Dawn" was pulled from the August 1973 sessions for Zinc Alloy and featured Bill Legend on drums.
With cover artwork credited to John Kosh, Bolan’s Zip Gun was released on February 14, 1975 on the T. Rex label (distributed by EMI). [3] Two singles were pulled for release prior to the album: "Light of Love" on July 5, 1974 which reached number 22 in the UK Singles Chart, and "Zip Gun Boogie" on November 1, which reached number 41. Press coverage for both singles was not favorable, and the album was released to complete indifference from the public, failing to chart at all in the United Kingdom.
Bolan's Zip Gun would be the last T. Rex album to feature Mickey Finn on percussion, who was fired from the group in January 1975. [1]
In 1994, Edsel Records's released Bolan’s Zip Gun as part of their extensive T. Rex reissue campaign, but cut down on the number of bonus tracks. A companion release, entitled Precious Star (The Alternate Zip Gun), was released in 1995 which contained alternative versions, studio rough mixes, a live version and demos of the main album and bonus tracks. A combined album digipak was released in 2002.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Pitchfork | 5.9/10 [5] |
PopMatters | 4/10 [6] |
Upon release, Bolan's Zip Gun was poorly received by critics. [4] In the UK, Kate Phillips of NME complained it was "a far cry from the pure voices and guitars of the old Rex days...it might drive you mad, but after six or seven minutes you don't really notice whether it's playing or not". [2] Barbara Charone of Sounds stated that "what sounded like good, simple fun two years ago comes off sounding like inferior exercises in self-indulgence today" while Jan Iles of Record Mirror joked that "most of Marc's rumblings ride faster than a white swan but won't get to the top half as quickly!" [2]
In a retrospective review, AllMusic praised the diversity of the material, with tracks like "the delightful knockabout "Precious Star," the unrepentant boogie of "Till Dawn" and the pounding title track" which was a return to the "understated romp he had always excelled at", "Token of My Love" was described as "equally incandescent" for being a playful blues. Reviewer Dave Thompson noted that a sparser sound "emphasized the rhythms, heightened the backing vocals, and left rock convention far behind. "Light of Love," "Golden Belt" and the heavyweight ballad "I Really Love You Babe"" all had "an earthy authenticity". [4]
Pitchfork wrote, "A purposeful return to the looser sound of Electric Warrior , Gun fires blanks. For all its directness, the album is mostly perfunctory, working some of the same sounds and ideas, but the results lack movement and liveliness; Bolan's mojo definitely wasn't working. Worse, he really doesn't sound invested in these songs." However, reviewer Stephen M. Deusner noted that the alternate takes on the second disc of the 2014 reissue were "rougher and rawer" and "vastly improve on these songs, bringing out a charmingly stiff boogie piano on "Precious Star" and the popping bass line on "Light of Love". [5] PopMatters shared a similar opinion saying that "Zip Gun contains enough good moments to preclude classification as a disaster, but just barely." However, reviewer Whitney Strub praised a few tracks saying, ""Light of Love" opens things on a glam-funk note, and "Precious Star" offers irresistibly creamy doo-wop." [6]
Bolan biographer Mark Paytress called it a "fabulously flawed crystal ball which at its best made a virtue of trance-like repetition years before late seventies Industrial Music and early eighties Hip Hop paved the way for the entire dance music explosion". [1]
All tracks are written by Marc Bolan, except as noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Light of Love" | 3:16 |
2. | "Solid Baby" | 2:37 |
3. | "Precious Star" | 2:53 |
4. | "Token of My Love" | 3:40 |
5. | "Space Boss" | 2:49 |
6. | "Think Zinc" | 3:25 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Till Dawn" | 3:02 |
2. | "Girl in the Thunderbolt Suit" | 2:20 |
3. | "I Really Love You Babe" | 3:33 |
4. | "Golden Belt" | 2:41 |
5. | "Zip Gun Boogie" | 3:26 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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12. | "Do You Wanna Dance?" | Bobby Freeman | 2:13 |
13. | "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (sung by Gloria Jones) | Steve Cropper, Otis Redding | 2:20 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Light of Love" | 2:22 |
2. | "Solid Baby" | 2:29 |
3. | "Precious Star" | 2:45 |
4. | "Token of My Love" | 3:40 |
5. | "Space Boss" | 3:17 |
6. | "Think Zinc" | 3:23 |
7. | "Till Dawn" | 4:54 |
8. | "Girl in the Thunderbolt Suit" | 2:42 |
9. | "I Really Love You Babe (Precision Debating)" | 3:06 |
10. | "Golden Belt" | 3:28 |
11. | "Zip Gun Boogie (Live)" | 9:11 |
12. | "Do You Wanna Dance?" | 2:15 |
13. | "Dock of the Bay" | 2:22 |
14. | "Solid Baby" | 6:06 |
15. | "Till Dawn (Marc's Guide)" | 4:44 |
16. | "Till Dawn" | 4:29 |
17. | "Till Dawn" | 4:03 |
18. | "Girl in the Thunderbolt Suit (Blue Jean Bop)" | 2:39 |
19. | "Dishing Fish Wop (Golden Belt)" | 3:17 |
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [7] | 89 |
Marc Bolan was an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex. Bolan strongly influenced artists of many genres, including glam rock, punk, post-punk, new wave, indie rock, Britpop and alternative rock. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 as a member of T. Rex.
Gloria Richetta Jones is an American singer and songwriter who first found success in the United Kingdom, being recognized there as "The Queen of Northern Soul". She recorded the 1965 hit song "Tainted Love" and has worked in multiple genres as a Motown songwriter and recording artist, backing vocalist, and as a performer in musicals such as Hair. In the 1970s, she was a keyboardist and vocalist in Marc Bolan's glam rock band T. Rex. She and Bolan were also in a committed romantic relationship and had a son together.
The Slider is the seventh studio album by English rock band T. Rex, and the third since abbreviating their name from Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was released on 21 July 1972 by record labels EMI and Reprise. Two number-one singles, "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru", were released to promote the album. Issued at the height of the band's popularity, The Slider received acclaim from critics, reaching number 4 in the UK Albums Chart and number 17 in the US.
Futuristic Dragon is the eleventh studio album by English rock band T. Rex, released worldwide on 30 January 1976 by EMI Records bar North America. The album was preceded by two successful singles that went into the UK chart, "New York City" and "Dreamy Lady". The album saw Marc Bolan continuing to experiment, blending rock with soul music and disco elements on certain tracks.
A Beard of Stars is the fourth studio album by English psychedelic folk band Tyrannosaurus Rex, and their last before changing their name to T. Rex. It was released in March 1970 by record label Regal Zonophone.
Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages is the second studio album by English psychedelic folk band Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was released on 1 November 1968 by record label Regal Zonophone.
T. Rex is a 1970 album by Marc Bolan's band T. Rex, the first under that name and the fifth since their debut as Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1968. It was released on 18 December by record labels Fly and Reprise. The album continued the shift begun by its predecessor from the band's previous folk style to a minimal rock sound, with an even balance of electric and acoustic material.
Tanx is a 1973 album by rock band T. Rex, the eighth since their debut as Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1968, and the fourth under the moniker T. Rex. It was released on 16 March by record label EMI. Tanx was a musical departure from previous works: still containing tracks in the vein of The Slider, singer and songwriter Marc Bolan showed his interest for soul music, funk and gospel. Female backing singers appeared on a few tracks. New instruments such as mellotron were used, played by producer Tony Visconti, allowing the T. Rex sound to evolve.
My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows is the debut album by psychedelic folk band Tyrannosaurus Rex. The release of the album was planned for early May but delayed until 5 July 1968 by record label Regal Zonophone.
"Hot Love" is a song by English glam rock band T. Rex, released as a standalone single on 12 February 1971 by record label Fly. It was the group's first number one placing on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained at the top for six weeks beginning on 14 March 1971.
"Children of the Revolution" is a song by T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan. It was a UK No. 2 hit single in September 1972. The song broke their sequence of four official single releases all reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, although it did reach the summit position on the New Musical Express and Melody Maker charts, becoming the last T. Rex single to do so on any UK chart. It did not receive a regular album release.
"20th Century Boy" is a song by T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan, released as a stand-alone single on 2 March 1973.
Dandy in the Underworld is the twelfth and final studio album by English rock band T. Rex. It was released on 11 March 1977 by record label EMI. It reached No. 26 in the UK charts, the band's highest-charting album since 1974's Zinc Alloy. The lead-off single "I Love to Boogie" had been a hit single in the UK the previous year, peaking at number 13 in the singles chart.
Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow is an album by English rock band T. Rex, the ninth since Tyrannosaurus Rex's debut LP. It was released in March 1974 on the T.Rex record label, distributed by EMI. It was the first and only album to be released under the moniker "Marc Bolan & T. Rex".
Light of Love is a US-only album released by British rock band T. Rex in 1974. It is composed of 3 tracks previously released in the UK on the album Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow, together with 8 songs recorded in the Spring of 1974 at Music Recorders Inc. Studios in Hollywood which would later appear on the album Bolan's Zip Gun. The album was engineered by Gary Ulmer and, in the absence of Tony Visconti, was produced by Marc Bolan himself. The album marked the first time that a T. Rex album had been produced without Tony Visconti and also marked Bolan's debut in this role. "Till Dawn", was re-recorded for Bolan's Zip Gun with Bolan at the controls.
T. Rex were an English rock band, formed in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan, who was their leader, frontman and only consistent member. Though initially associated with the psychedelic folk genre, Bolan began to change the band's style towards electric rock in 1969, and shortened their name to T. Rex the following year. This development culminated in 1970 with their first hit single "Ride a White Swan", and the group soon became pioneers of the glam rock movement.
"Teenage Dream" is a 1974 single by Marc Bolan and T. Rex, appeared also on the album Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow.
"Light of Love" is a 1974 single by the British glam rock band T. Rex. The track is taken from the album Bolan's Zip Gun whilst its B-side, "Explosive Mouth", features on the 1974 album Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow. In the US, both songs appeared on the US only compilation album Light of Love. Rolling Stone magazine's Ken Barnes praised the single's "upbeat" and "economical" sound in a 1974 review, claiming Bolan's new output to be "fresh and attractive".
"The Groover" is a 1973 single by the British glam rock band T. Rex. Neither the track nor its B-side are taken from an album. However, they are often added as bonus material on re-releases of the 1974 album Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow.
Billy Super Duper is an album by English glam rock band T. Rex and Marc Bolan's second posthumous album release. Released in 1982 by record label Marc on Wax, it was the first LP of entirely new and unheard material released after Marc Bolan's death in 1977 as the previous posthumous release, You Scare Me to Death consisted of augmented versions of demos first released in 1974. Billy Super Duper consists of studio outtakes and home demos recorded by the band between 1972 and 1977, with arrangements produced by John and Shan Bramley. The album was intended to "complete" the demos and bring them up to date with contemporary music.