Watch now I'm gonna slide (The Slider - T-Rex)

Member Name: sit2020

Product:	The Slider - T-Rex
Date:	05/06/07 (220 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great album

Disadvantages: none

This album has become a classic, being released back in 1972 it is another example of music that stands the test of time.
Some call it glam rock others pop or indeed rock. Whatever title it is given this is music at its purest form, the album has so much to offer the listener, the tracks offer a diverse range of sounds, from slow ballads through to upbeat tempos.
The Slider saw T Rex at its peak, it followed another classic album called Electric Warrior and a lot of people doubted that this album could be as good. For me The Slider is the best album that was ever released by T Rex.

T Rex was a band fronted by Marc Bolan (whose life was tragically cut short in a car crash two weeks before his thirtieth birthday) As with a lot of bands in the seventies they undertook changes and evolved. To a lot of people T Rex and Marc Bolan were one and the same. The London born lead singer wrote all the tracks on this album.

When I first heard this album I thought a lot of the lyrics to be very strange, in fact I thought that about most of the songs ever released by T Rex (including songs released when the band were called Tyrannosaurus Rex). Now I am of the opinion that a lot of the lyrics are based in Marc Bolan’s mystical ideals. If you listen carefully to the lyrics you can find a lot of references that are based in Wicca (white magic). You will also find lyrics that are rock and roll based. This all adds up to some very original lyrics. This Album is full of examples of this.

For those listening to this for the first time, they may well be surprised at how familiar a lot of the tracks are to them, this is due in part to so many tracks ending up in the backgrounds of films and television adverts. Also a lot of musicians have found themselves producing music that has been influenced by the music of Marc Bolan and T Rex.

The original vinyl album consisted of thirteen tracks and in keeping with re-releases the CD has three bonus tracks. I personally think that the bonus materiel was never really needed as the original album was already the complete package. The tracks are as follows, also I have included snippets of the lyrics of each track to help you get the feel of what for me is a fantastic album.

The Original Tracks

1- Metal Guru (2m 25secs)
A rocking track, upbeat and happy, this made No1 in the UK chart when released as a single
“Metal guru could it be
you're gonna bring my baby to me
she'll be wild you know
a rock and roll child”

2 - Mystic Lady (3m 09secs)
Slower track more of a ballad, quite dark lyrics, the music is what makes this track.
“Baby mystic lady
you do own my night
put my dogs to fright
yea yea yea yea yea”

3 -Rock On (3m 26secs)
Lyrics at their strangest, but a good fast rocking pace, a toe tapper of a track
“mild mouthed rita
she's a chevy chase cheetah
loves everyone everyone”

4 – The Slider (3m 22secs)
With a deep base, this ballad type song has a slow melodic pace, it gives me a feeling of sadness
“I have never never kissed
A car before
It's like a door
I have always always
Grown my own before
All schools are strange”

5- Baby Boomerang (2m 17secs)
Short and fast, I think Marc enjoyed recording this
“baby boomerang baby boomerang
you never spike a person
but you always bang the whole gang”

6 - Spaceball Ricochet (3m 37secs)
Again the pace drops, this is more poetry sang to music
“deep in my heart
there's a house
that can hold
just about all of you”

7 - Buick Makane (3m 31secs)
Well this track is fast and furious rock and roll
“buick buick buick mackane
will you
buick mackane will you be my
girl”

8 - Telegram Sam (3m 42secs)
This when released as a single also made a UK No.1, a mid paced track again with very odd lyrics
“bobby's alright
bobby's alright
he's a natural born poet
he's just out a sight”

9 - Rabbit Fighter (3m 55secs)
Yet again a switch of pace, slow but still with a rock feel to it
“call me rabbit fighter you know it's true
'cos babe I'll rabbit fight all over you”

10 - Baby Strange (3m 03secs)
A mid paced track, I will let you decide what you think this one is about
“oooo you're strange
don't lame me baby strange
don't lame me baby”

11 - Ballrooms of Mars (4m 09secs)
I really love this track, slow and deep, if you understand the words you will here the ballad
“you ooooo dance
with your lizard leather boots on
and pull the strings
that change the faces of men
you diamond browed hag
you're a gutter-gaunt gangster
John Lennon knows your name
and I've seen his”

12 - Chariot Choogle (2m 45secs)
Very fast paced, with musical changes throughout
“girl you are a groove
you're like the planets when you move
see the winter' coming
in a two finned caddy
gonna walk upon the waters
go oooo yea”

13 - Main Man (4m 14secs)
This brings the album to its conclusion, with a slow track, haunting melody and lyrics that could only have been written by Bolan.
“are you a god man
are you now are you now
are you a frog man
are you now are you now are you now”

The CD Bonus Tracks
As I have said earlier in this review these are purely a bonus on the CD (however I have seen that they are not on all the CD’s of The Slider)
14 - Cadilac
15 - Thunderwing
16 – Lady

I really enjoyed writing this review, it gave me time to remember the past, the odd lyrics, and with often deeper meanings if you can find them make this a classic of an album.
It is worth remembering that a lot of today’s heavy rock bands have taken a lot of T Rex on board.

Summary: A golden oldie