| Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 November 1968 | |||
| Recorded | 5 May – 8 August 1968 | |||
| Studio | Trident, London | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic folk | |||
| Length | 30:22 | |||
| Label | Regal Zonophone | |||
| Producer | Tony Visconti | |||
| Tyrannosaurus Rex chronology | ||||
| ||||
Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages is the second studio album by English psychedelic folk band Tyrannosaurus Rex (later known as T. Rex). It was released on 1 November 1968 by record label Regal Zonophone.
Prophets, Seers & Sages was recorded from May to August 1968 at Trident Studios in London, England and was produced by Tony Visconti.
Prophets, Seers & Sages featured Marc Bolan on vocals and guitar and Steve Peregrin Took on bongos, African drums, kazoo, pixiephone and Chinese gong.
The album opened with a revisiting of Tyrannosaurus Rex's first single "Debora", altered midway by a reversed-tape effect, as indicated by its new title "Deboraarobed". "Eastern Spell" had first been demoed in 1966 yet was passed over for the debut. The brief "Juniper Suction" also featured backwards psychedelic effects and contained oblique references to sex. The closing "Scenescof Dynasty" was a spoken word poem accompanied only by handclaps. Other tracks attempted during the sessions but not on the final album include the outtake "Nickelodeon" and the single "One Inch Rock" (also first demoed in 1966), which became a minor UK hit when it peaked at #28 that August.
Prophets, Seers & Sages was released on 1 November 1968 by record label Regal Zonophone, but failed to chart in the top 30 upon first release (it bubbled under at #44). [1] It is speculated that its sales were adversely affected by its release coming a mere three months after the debut.
The album was released in both mono and stereo editions; on the labels, "Oh Harley (the Saltimbanques)" was spelled "O Harley (the Saltimbanques)". [2]
The album was paired with the first Tyrannosaurus Rex album, My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows (1968), and re-released by Fly Records as a double album on 14 April 1972, following the success of the T. Rex albums Electric Warrior (1971) and The Slider (1972). This re-released edition of the album reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart. [1] This double LP set was released in the United States on A&M Records titled Tyrannosaurus Rex: A Beginning, and was the first time the albums were available there.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | favourable [4] |
Initial reviews for the album were nearly as positive as for the debut, with Chris Welch in Melody Maker declaring that duo had "hit upon the simplest and most effective recording sound in history". New Musical Express , however, while complimenting the lyrics, complained that the sound became unmelodic and monotonous over its length. [5]
In a retrospective review, AllMusic wrote that "the album delivered some of Marc Bolan's most resonant songs". "The already classic pop of the opening "Deboraarobed" is further dignified by its segue into the same performance played backwards, a fairly groundbreaking move at a time when even the Beatles were still burying such experiments deep in the mix". The reviewer concluded saying, "Bolan simply made one up, and in the process created a whole new language -- half nonsense, half mystery, but wholly intoxicating. [3] Tiny Mix Tapes wrote that it was a psychedelic folk album with "intense bongo action" and "strong backing vocals" . The reviewer added that "Prophets, remains a timeless album for everyone" and its original arrangements ensured it "a long life for many generations to come". [4]
"Debora", the original recording of "Deboraarobed", features in Edgar Wright's 2017 film Baby Driver .
All tracks are written by Marc Bolan
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Deboraarobed" | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Stacey Grove" | 1:59 |
| 3. | "Wind Quartets" | 2:57 |
| 4. | "Conesuala" | 2:25 |
| 5. | "Trelawny Lawn" | 1:46 |
| 6. | "Aznageel the Mage" | 1:59 |
| 7. | "The Friends" | 1:19 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Salamanda Palaganda" | 2:15 |
| 2. | "Our Wonderful Brownskin Man" | 0:51 |
| 3. | "Oh Harley (The Saltimbanques)" | 2:19 |
| 4. | "Eastern Spell" | 1:41 |
| 5. | "The Travelling Tragition" | 1:48 |
| 6. | "Juniper Suction" | 1:13 |
| 7. | "Scenescof Dynasty" | 4:07 |
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.
The Idle Race were a British rock group from Birmingham who in the late 1960s and early 1970s had a cult following but never enjoyed mass commercial success. In addition to being the springboard for Jeff Lynne, the band holds a place of significance in British Midlands' pop-rock history as a link between the Move, Electric Light Orchestra, the Steve Gibbons Band and Mike Sheridan & The Nightriders.
Regal Zonophone Records was a British record label formed in 1932, through a merger of the Regal and Zonophone labels. This followed the merger of those labels' respective parent companies – the Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramophone Company – to form EMI. At the merger, those records from the Regal Records catalogue were prefixed 'MR' and those from the Zonophone Records catalogue were prefixed 'T'. Record releases after the merger continued using only the 'MR' prefix.
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.
Unicorn is the third studio album by English psychedelic folk band Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was released on 16 May 1969 by record labels Regal Zonophone and Blue Thumb, and was the last Tyrannosaurus Rex album to feature Steve Peregrin Took.
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.
Move is the debut album by British rock group the Move, released in April 1968 through Regal Zonophone Records. The album features ten Roy Wood compositions, along with three covers which had been a prominent part of the group's live act. Although scheduled for an earlier release, the album was delayed by the theft of the master tapes, which led to the tracks needing to be re-recorded. The album was sporadically recorded between January 1967 and February 1968 at Advision, De Lane Lea and Olympic Studios in London, during gaps in their tight recording schedule when the group were not booked for any performances.
Adrian Shaw, frequently known as Ade Shaw, is a musician primarily working in the psychedelic field. He has a long history dating back to the 1960s working with such acts as Hawkwind, Country Joe McDonald, Arthur Brown, and the Deviants. Shaw played bass for former Tyrannosaurus Rex percussionist Steve Peregrin Took's band in 1974 and three years later, while appearing with Hawkwind on the former other half of Tyrannosaurus Rex Marc Bolan's TV show, was himself invited to join T.Rex; however Bolan's death very shortly thereafter prevented this.
Bucks Music Group was founded in 1967, and is one of the UK's leading and longest running international, independent music publishers. The company has a rich musical heritage, having been responsible for launching and developing the careers of music legends including Black Sabbath, David Bowie, The Move, Procol Harum, and T. Rex. Their catalogue includes works written by David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Procol Harum, DJ Fresh, Run The Jewels, James Blunt, Professor Green, Rudimental, Beyonce, CAN, David Arnold, Michael Price, Troy Miller, Sacha Skarbek, Ash Howes, Seton Daunt, Erland Cooper, Ivory Layne, Gold Spectacles, Lenny Fontana, Rob Wheeler, Kathy Brown, Maya Delilah, Max Jaeger, LIFE, Brooke Bentham, ZAND, and many more.
Dandy in the Underworld is the twelfth 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.
Bolan Boogie is a compilation album by the English glam rock band T. Rex. After Marc Bolan had left Fly Records to form his own label distributed through EMI/T. Rex Wax Co, his former label released this compilation in 1972 with recent single A- and B-sides recorded in 1970 and 1971, many of which had not appeared on previous albums. Also included are album tracks from Tyrannosaurus Rex's Unicorn (1969), A Beard of Stars (1969) and T. Rex's T. Rex (1970).
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".
Fly Records is a British independent record label, established in 1970 by the independent music publisher David Platz, and initially managed by Malcolm Jones from the offices of Essex Music in London.
T. Rex were an English rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The group came to an end after Bolan's death in a car crash in September 1977.
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.
You Scare Me to Death is a posthumous album credited to Marc Bolan of T. Rex. Released in 1981 by record label Cherry Red, it is first LP of material released after his death in 1977.
"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.
