Bolan's Zip Gun

Sound DNA

• Rock
• Glam Rock

• fuzzy
• swaggering
• theatrical

About

Marc Bolan and T. Rex led the rock revolution in the early ‘70s, taking it out of the hands of hippies and conceptual artists with overblown big ideas, and putting it in the sweaty palms of impatient youth who wanted to dance and stomp to the new “glam rock” sounds. After a run of hit records between 1970-73, 1974’s <i>Zinc Alloy & the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow</i> signaled Bolan’s move to heavily saturated soul sounds — not exactly what the kids wanted to hear in 1974. <i>Bolan’s Zip Gun</i> followed suit, and was the first T. Rex record without producer Tony Visconti on board. Backlash by fickle fans ensued, and years later, it’s hard to hear why a record like <i>Zip Gun</i> was so maligned. Beautifully straddling soul and glam-pop, tunes like “Light of Love,” “Solid Baby,” “Precious Star,” and “Zip Gun Boogie” are Bolan at his best, and show the artist stretching into what was undeniably fresh territory. But fans balked at the futuristic disco sheen of some tracks (“Think Zinc” and “Golden Belt”), and bemoaned the lack of fuzzed out guitars, missing out on some great T. Rex moments.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits