Rhino Records has re-issued the 1971 album from T. Rex titled Electric Warrior. In an era when hippie rock was in and many artists were "posing" as such to gather more fans, T. Rex was already there. The only problem with that is the style grows tiring at a rather quick pace.

Cosmic Dancer which is Track 2 is a mixture of a catchy beat paired with eerie and borderline disturbing lyrics. Jeepster is an R&B based track that Marc Bolan gives credit to Elvis Presley for the sound. Described as a bathroom-based percussion, Elvis used the toilet in the studio to tap out the beat of Treat Me Nice with his hands. Marc did the same thing, but failed at reaching anywhere near the magic Elvis portrayed in his musical ventures.

The only track on this reissue is Bang a Gong (Get it On) which was by far, the most popular T. Rex song in America. It is one of the only tracks on this whole set that doesn't make you wonder what the U.K. was thinking when they gave this band the joy of tasting popularity.

There are 7 previously unreleased bonus tracks on this CD and there is probably a reason for that. These tracks sound like all the others and don't contribute much to the CD. The final track is an interview that was done with Marc Bolan when the album was originally released. Even Bolan hits on the point during the interview on how America doesn't understand their style. He mentions how Great Britain gave them more of a following and he only asks that Americans give the album a chance.

If you are a fan of the British hippie/underground sound of the 70's, then you may want to give it a chance. Personally, it would just be a $15.00 coaster in my house.

GRANT LAWSON

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