| "Celebrate Summer" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by T. Rex | ||||
| B-side | "Ride My Wheels" | |||
| Released | 12 August 1977 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:38 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Marc Bolan | |||
| Producer(s) | Marc Bolan | |||
| T. Rex singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Celebrate Summer" is a song by English rock band T. Rex, which was released in 1977 as a non-album single. The song was written and produced by Marc Bolan. "Celebrate Summer" was the last T. Rex release before Bolan's death in a car crash on 16 September 1977. [1]
"Celebrate Summer" was recorded at AIR Studios in April 1977. After the release of T. Rex's twelfth studio album Dandy in the Underworld in March 1977, Bolan spent April recording in Decibel Studios then AIR Studios. From the sessions at AIR Studios, he remixed and partially re-recorded the title track for its upcoming release as a single and recorded "Celebrate Summer" with T. Rex bandmates Herbie Flowers on bass and Tony Newman on drums. [2]
Writing for Record Mirror in 1977, Bolan said, "'Celebrate Summer' has a very definite new wave feel about it. If anyone thinks it is deliberate they are quite right. I know a good thing when I hear it, and am young enough to enjoy adrenalin-rush rock." [3]
"Celebrate Summer" was released by EMI Records on 12 August 1977. It was issued in a special picture sleeve bag. [4] The song failed to garner significant airplay on BBC Radio when it was released, but did generate play on Radio Luxembourg and Radio Clyde. [5] [6]
To promote the single, T. Rex performed the song on Bolan's British TV series Marc on three occasions, with broadcast dates of 24 August, 31 August and 21 September, the latter being a posthumous broadcast after Bolan's death on 16 September. The episode broadcast on 7 September also featured the song being danced to by the dance troupe Heart Throb. [7]
In the Record Mirror Reader's Poll for 1977, "Celebrate Summer" reached number 4 in the 'best single/album sleeve' category. [8]
On its release, Edwin Pouncey of Sounds felt "Celebrate Summer" had a "strong punk influence" and considered it to be Bolan's "best [single] for ages". [9] Charles Shaar Murray of New Musical Express wrote, "For one golden instant I thought Marc had finally pulled off the unalloyed pop triumph that he needs as a convincing viable follow-up to 'Get It On'. This isn't it, but it's certainly the most likeable single he's made for a very long time, even though it borrows the melody and chord sequence of the Deviants' 'Let's Loot the Supermarket'." [10]
Robin Smith of Record Mirror considered the song to be Bolan "return[ing] to his former glories". He said, "A sound reminiscent of his early days that takes off faster than a flight of white swans." [11] Stan Sayer of the Daily Mirror commented, "Is Bolan really feeling his age or is he going, tongue in cheek, back in time with this chirpy little rock 'n' roller? The words may be modern, but the beat isn't. Still, a great combination." [12]
In a retrospective review of the song, Dave Thompson, writing for AllMusic, described the song as "a thunderous re-creation of Bolan's classic old sound fed through the fiery updating of its punk rock legacy". He noted the "simple ingredients" of "pulsing guitar, heart-attack percussion, and a lyric which stands among the key anthems" and believed the song should have achieved "enormous" success. [13] Mark Paytress, in his 2002 book Bolan: The Rise and Fall of a 20th Century Superstar, considered it to be "merely a quirky piece of upbeat pop" with only "a few seconds of blistering white noise guitar" recalling a new wave sound. [14]
7-inch single (UK and France) [15] [16]
7-inch single (Germany) [17]
T. Rex
Production
Marc Bolan was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex. Bolan was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 as a member of T. Rex.
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, and reached number 4 in the UK charts and number 17 in the US.
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. It was released on 5 July 1968 by record label Regal Zonophone.
"Get It On" is a song by the English rock band T. Rex, featured on their 1971 album Electric Warrior. Written by frontman Marc Bolan, "Get It On" was the second chart-topper for T. Rex on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it was retitled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" to avoid confusion with a song of the same name by the group Chase.
"Jeepster" is a song by English glam rock act T. Rex. It was released on 5 November 1971 by record label Fly as a single from the group's sixth studio album Electric Warrior. The B-side, "Life's a Gas", is taken from the same album. Several artists have recorded cover versions of it. Both of the single's tracks were written by Marc Bolan and produced by Tony Visconti.
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 leading single "I Love to Boogie" had been a hit single in the UK the previous year, peaking at number 13 in the singles chart.
"Ride a White Swan" is a song by English band T. Rex. It was released as a stand-alone single on 9 October 1970 by record label Fly, and was the first single credited under the band's new, shorter name. Like all of the band's songs, it was written by the group's singer, guitarist and founder Marc Bolan. The song was included on the US version of the 1970 album, T. Rex.
Bolan's Zip Gun is the tenth studio album by English rock band T. Rex, released on February 1975 by record label EMI.
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".
"I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their fifth studio album, Very (1993). The song describes a person normally hesitant to unwind and show his feelings, who—because of some event in his life—suddenly becomes willing to loosen up. It was released in the United Kingdom on 29 November 1993 as the album's third single, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, where it was released in January 1994, it reached number two on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
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.
"Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. The song is a medley of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", a 1967 song by Frankie Valli, though in an arrangement informed by the 1982 disco version of the song by Boystown Gang rather than the original. The song accompanied "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?", the third single from their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990), as a double A-side in the United Kingdom (both singles were released separately in the United States). Released in March 1991, the song became the duo's 15th consecutive top-20 entry in the UK, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart. The band have said that they thought the guitars in the original sounded similar to a sequencer.
"Irresistible" is a song written and recorded by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley. It was released three times as a single; the first being in 1985 as a non-album single under his band's name Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel In 1986, a remixed version of the song was released by Harley as a solo single in the UK, and in 1992, he re-released this version as a single in Europe from his solo album Yes You Can. "Irresistible" was written by Harley and produced by English producer Mickie Most.
"Give It Up" is a song by English band Talk Talk, released by Parlophone in 1986 as the third single from their third studio album The Colour of Spring. The song was written by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene, and produced by Friese-Greene. "Give It Up" peaked at number 59 in the UK Singles Chart.
"The Soul of My Suit" is a song by English rock band T. Rex, which was released in 1977 as the second single from their twelfth and final studio album Dandy in the Underworld. The song was written and produced by Marc Bolan. "The Soul of My Suit" reached number 42 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 50 for three weeks.
"Dandy in the Underworld" is a song by English rock band T. Rex, which was released by EMI in 1977 as the third single from their twelfth and final studio album Dandy in the Underworld. The song was written and produced by Marc Bolan.
"Madman" is a song by the new wave band Cuddly Toys, which was released in Japan in 1979 and in the UK in 1980 as the lead single from their debut studio album Guillotine Theatre. The song, dating to 1976–77, originated as a composition by Steve Harley and Marc Bolan, with later contributions by David Bowie. Cuddly Toys' version of the song reached number 19 in the UK Independent Singles Chart in July 1980.
"I Don't Believe in You" is a song by English band Talk Talk, released by Parlophone in 1986 as the fourth and final single from their third studio album The Colour of Spring. The song was written by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene, and produced by Friese-Greene. "I Don't Believe in You" peaked at number 96 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Another Day Comes (Another Day Goes)" is a song by English singer Kiki Dee, released in 1986 as the first single from her eighth studio album Angel Eyes. The song was written by David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart and Patrick Seymour.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)