Marc Bolan
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Marc Bolan: Top of the Guitar Parade
Guide by Steve Turner, Beat Instrumental, June 1972
BEHIND EVERY success story there’s a team of guitars. Marc Bolan decided to give his chosen few a taste of the publicity he’s been getting ...
The Cosmic Dancer: The Short, Brilliant Ride of Marc Bolan
Retrospective by Nicky Parade, Rock's Backpages, September 2001
IT IS LONDON, JANUARY 1970. A new pop decade has begun, and two of its budding stars are huddled together at the Trident recording studio, ...
Audio interviews
Interview by Keith Altham, Rock's Backpages audio, October 1971
Marc talks about the latest T. Rex album Electric Warrior: how it's not as simple as it sounds, its reception, and how it relates to Tyrannosaurus Rex. He goes on to discuss his change as a performer, and the new way he presents himself; being accused of selling out; 'Hot Love', 'Get It On', 'Ride A White Swan' and the three minute single, and writing musical science fiction.
File format: mp3; file size: 15.5mb, interview length: 16' 11" sound quality: ***½
Interview by John Pidgeon, Rock's Backpages audio, 1974
Bolan looks back at Tyrannosaurus Rex and the British underground scene; turning electric and the Beard of Stars album; 'Ride a White Swan'; and ruminates on glitter, image and stardom.
File format: mp3; file size: 21.8mb, interview length: 23' 49" sound quality: ****
Interview by Keith Altham, Rock's Backpages audio, 1975
Marc on life on the road, rock'n'roll literature, his image and clothes, guitars, "chicks", Elvis and a whole lot more
File format: mp3; file size: 57mb; length: 59' 19" sound quality: ****
Interview by Ian Ravendale, Rock's Backpages audio, 10 March 1977
The T. Rex frontman talks about his current tour with the Damned, his new album Dandy in the Underworld, and about his (sadly to be unfulfilled) future plans.
File format: mp3; file size: 3.6mb, interview length: 08' 54" sound quality: *****
Tony Visconti on Marc Bolan (1981)
Interview by John Tobler, Rock's Backpages audio, September 1981
Producer Visconti talks about the newly released T. Rex in Concert: the original stereo recordings, and what he did to improve them; on first meeting Marc in hippie club Middle Earth; why they stopped working together; the definitive version of T. Rex; Bolan vs. Bowie; Marc's charisma and arrogance; the 'Children of Rarn' demos; Bolan's ongoing legacy and the meaning of 'Metal Guru'.
File format: mp3; file size: 18.4mb, interview length: 19' 09" sound quality: ****
List of articles in the library
Marc Bolan: Knit Yourself A Pop Singer — Marc and Mike Will Tell You How
Report and Interview by Maureen Cleave, The Evening Standard, 23 October 1965
HUMILITY AMONG POP SINGERS used to be all the rage. "Mr. Presley," the interviewer would ask, "is it to luck or to talent that you ...
Marc Bolan: "I believe in reincarnation"
Profile and Interview by Steve Turner, Beat Instrumental, February 1971
AT THE DAWN of Britain's history Marc Bolan was a bard; in 1956 he served in the 2 I's coffee house to the skiffling rhythms ...
Marc Bolan: Energy Is What It's All About
Interview by Keith Altham, Record Mirror, 17 April 1971
MARC BOLAN is ready to take on the world following his incredible success with two maxi singles, 'Ride A White Swan' almost indecently closely followed ...
Interview by Ed Jones, Cracker, November 1971
I interviewed him in the afternoon, before his concert on 30 October 1971, at The Empire Theatre, Edinburgh — that began at 11.30pm — as ...
Marc Bolan: Hot Rods and Hot Love
Profile and Interview by Steve Turner, Beat Instrumental, November 1971
CAMOUFLAGED WELL enough to stand unnoticed in front of a rainbow, Marc Bolan sat crosslegged on his sofa and explained that "too much" had happened ...
Marc Bolan: Hendrix Said I'd Be Big, But I Don't Give A **** As Long As I Can Boogie
Interview by Danny Holloway, New Musical Express, 5 February 1972
Outspoken Danny Holloway series ...
Marc Bolan: A Weird Kid With No Friends
Interview by Danny Holloway, New Musical Express, 12 February 1972
Outspoken Danny Holloway series ...
Interview by Steve Turner, Beat Instrumental, October 1972
The following interview with Marc Bolan took place in a restaurant near Little Venice in London. Originally the meeting was to have taken place at ...
The Boogie Merchants: Marc Bolan
Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 9 December 1972
CAROLINE BOUCHER takes a bleary, cross-eyed view of Marc Bolan who started life as a Tooting Mod, progressed to a flower child, bopped as an ...
Interview by Andrew Tyler, Disc, 16 December 1972
RINGO WAS always supposed to be like that empty-headed klutz who followed Peter Sellers everywhere in the Magic Christian — a good-humoured and honourable Tonto-figure ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 September 1973
DESPITE the critical savaging that Marc Bolan regularly receives – he ain't gonna do a Jethro Tull and give up. Marc was accused of being ...
The Low-Profile Marc Bolan: Finished with "R&R Lunacy"
Interview by Andrew Bailey, Rolling Stone, 20 December 1973
LONDON — THE man who put the bump and grind back into British pop music was a few minutes late arriving at his West End ...
Marc Bolan (1974) [transcript]
Transcript of audio interview by John Pidgeon, Rock's Backpages transcripts, 1974
This is a transcript of John Pidgeon's interview. Listen to the audio of this interview. ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
MARC BOLAN is a star. Still. However much heavy water has passed under the bridge of rock and roll sighs, Mr B. commands respect. And ...
Marc Bolan & T. Rex: Zinc Alloy And The Hidden Riders Of Tomorrow (EMI BLNA 7751) ****
Review by Rosalind Russell, Disc, 2 March 1974
Bolan: more depth in style ...
Marc Bolan: Zinc Alloy And The Hidden Riders Of Tomorrow (EMI)
Review by Andrew Tyler, New Musical Express, 2 March 1974
I WAS HOPING the spangled dwarf was going to pull off something approaching musical competence just so as I could do my small bit to ...
Fashion: The Politics of Flash
Report and Interview by Nick Kent, New Musical Express, 6 April 1974
NICK KENT traces the Rise and Fall of The Satin Jacket...and generally walks it like he talks it into the land of 'Rock Chic.' ...
Ringo's Agenda: Movie, Music, But No Beatles
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 23 May 1974
LOS ANGELES — "No, it's not getting back together, I promise you, not this year, folks," said Ringo Starr, who should know whether "it," the ...
Marc Bolan: T Rex Flashes Light of Love on America
Profile by Michael Gross, Circus, October 1974
EARLY IN 1972, Marc Bolan and T. Rex were the biggest, bestest and baddest rock band in England. Every one of their singles shot instantly ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 November 1974
A MYSTERIOIUS lack of bubble seems to be affecting Master Marc Bolan's latest offering, the Zip Gun Boogie, as it is known to those who ...
Marc Bolan: Past, Present, and Future
Interview by Alan Betrock, Rock Scene, March 1975
IT'S A WEEKDAY night in New Jersey and there's another school day to face tomorrow. Yet the Joint in the Woods is packed to the ...
Gloria Jones: Keeping Up With The Joneses
Interview by Robin Katz, Record Mirror, 8 May 1976
GLORIA JONES is the sultry lady sprawled across the sheets who screams through T. Rex's 'Get It On'. Very Tina Turner, and judging from all ...
Marc Bolan (with a lot of effort and no help from any stimulants) Pulls It Together
Interview by David Hancock, National RockStar, 29 January 1977
featuring DAVID HANCOCK on handbag ...
Marc Bolan: Son Of Magical Pouting Panache
Interview by Paul Morley, New Musical Express, 19 March 1977
Yep, Here we go again. But this time it promises to be different. BOLAN MARC TWO makes his come-back on tour with The Damned, and ...
Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, September 1977
"OH THAT'S REALLY Polaroid! You've gotta keep the ending!" David Bowie rocked with laughter and Marc Bolan wiped away the tears that had threatened to ...
Comment by Paul Morley, New Musical Express, 24 September 1977
IT'S DULLY strange — just a few fast days after reading and hearing the effect on so many lives that Presley's 'Heartbreak Hotel' had — ...
Obituary by Rosalind Russell, Record Mirror, 24 September 1977
Even people who didn't care for his records acknowledged his charisma ...
Rock and Roll Heart: Marc Bolan 1947-1977
Obituary by Roy Carr, New Musical Express, 24 September 1977
MARC BOLAN was born on September 30, 1947, in Hackney Hospital, East London, the second son of Sid and Phyllis Feld. ...
Marc Bolan: My Life Alone by Gloria Jones
Interview by Rosalind Russell, Record Mirror, 26 November 1977
WHAT WERE you doing on the morning of September 16 this year? Were you, like me, numb with the shock of hearing that Marc Bolan ...
As Fans Worship At The Tree Where Bolan Died... T. Rextacy lives
Retrospective by David Hancock, Evening News, London, 7 June 1979
THERE'S ONE guaranteed way to make sure any party is a dancing success — keep playing T. Rex hits. ...
Retrospective by Ira Robbins, Trouser Press, May 1980
Marc Bolan's brief blaze of glory ...
The NME Consumers' Guide To Marc Bolan, part 1
Retrospective by Paul Morley, New Musical Express, 20 September 1980
INDEPENDENT TELEVISION are currently repeating five shows from the three year old Marc series. Marc Bolan was star in and presenter of a pop show ...
The NME Consumers' Guide To Marc Bolan, part 2: The Rise And Fall Of Bolanmania
Retrospective by Paul Morley, New Musical Express, 27 September 1980
BOLAN WENT electric and it was deemed, astoundingly, that he'd 'sold out'. For wanting to reach young people with vibrant pop music at a time ...
Retrospective and Interview by Deanne Pearson, The Face, October 1981
Original Mod, prototype New Romantic... uhmm... but that's another story. This one's about the people trying to keep the Bolan legend alive. Second Coming of ...
The Music Game as Played by Simon Napier-Bell — Label Owner, Songwriter, Producer, Manager
Interview by Jim Green, Trouser Press, October 1981
"THE OTHER day I was discussing doing a new kind of record deal for the States. The record companies are going to hate it, but ...
Retrospective by Keith Altham, Gold, June 1994
PUTTING MARC BOLAN into any kind of historical perspective is still no easy matter, even though 17 years have passed since his death on Friday, ...
Guide by Barney Hoskyns, Harpers & Queen, 1998
TEN GREAT GLAM ROCK ALBUMS you cannot afford to live without... ...
Book Excerpt by Jim Farber, 'Rolling Stone: The Seventies' (Little, Brown), 1998
ON A SWAMPY July night in 1974, I left my suburban home bound for David Bowie's Diamond Dogs concert, dressed in midnight-blue eyeliner, hepatitis-yellow platforms ...
Comment by David Stubbs, Uncut, November 1998
Why the frightening prospect of a full-scale Glam revival fills David Stubbs with dread… ...
When Marc Bolan died, pop lost its brightest star. This man lost his daddy
Interview by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 18 November 1998
Now Rolan Bolan is making his own bid for fame. Caroline Sullivan met him ...
"Catch A Bright Star And Place It On Your Forehead": The Rise of Marc Bolan
Book Excerpt by Mark Paytress, Omnibus Books, 2002
An extract from Bolan: The Rise And Fall Of A 20th Century Superstar by Mark Paytress, first published by Omnibus Press in 2002. (378pp, currently ...
Retrospective and Interview by Mark Paytress, MOJO, September 2002
IT'S BEEN SAID THAT IN 1967 MANAGER SIMON Napier-Bell served Marc Bolan with an ultimatum: join The Yardbirds or John's Children. The very idea of ...
Retrospective by Barney Hoskyns, Daily Mirror, September 2002
A MONTH before the tragic car crash that killed him on September 16, 1977, a 29-year-old Marc Bolan told fellow pop star Steve Harley: "I'd ...
Marc Bolan: The Jurassic Years
Retrospective and Interview by Rob Chapman, MOJO, September 2002
IN DECEMBER 1967 The Observer devoted a large portion of its Sunday Colour Supplement to the London Underground. Complete with obligatory hip-speak glossary (an "A ...
Tony Visconti: Bowie, Bolan and the Brooklyn Boy — The Autobiography (Harper Collins)
Book Review by Robert Sandall, The Sunday Times, 18 February 2007
IT CAN'T have been easy choosing the alliterative lineup for the sub-title of this rock'n'roll memoir. After Phil Spector, Tony Visconti is probably the most ...
Book Review by Mark Paytress, MOJO, April 2007
A life in music, rich in chemical romances, bickering stars and some wonderful work, is recounted with great dignity, says Mark Paytress ...
Retrospective by Barney Hoskyns, Uncut, February 2010
THERE IS ONLY one Starman in the room right now and his name is David Bowie. Flying high after his Top 5 astral novelty hit ...
Memoir by Caroline Boucher, The Observer, 15 August 2010
Hippie food in rundown Notting Hill in the early '70s. It was hardly glam… ...
Simon Reynolds: Shock & Awe – Glam Rock And Its Legacy (Faber)
Book Review by Jamie Atkins, Record Collector, November 2016
AFTER DEFINING studies of post-punk (Rip It Up & Start Again) and nostalgia (Retromania), Simon Reynolds turns his gaze to glam in all its glory. ...
Peter Stanfield: Pin-Ups 1972 (Reaktion)
Book Review by Barney Hoskyns, The Critic, August 2022
ROCK'N'ROLL years are all the rage these days. Ever since Jon Savage published his monumental 1966 (in 2015), the anni – particularly the 1970s – ...
see also John's Children
see also Gloria Jones
see also T. Rex
see also Rolan Bolan
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