Tanx

Sometimes I wonder if I listen to the music of T.Rex a little differently than most. What I like about the band is the way Marc Bolan delivers these devastatingly sad and extremely emotional vocal melodies that basically feels soul-crushing the way they're delivered with so much feeling and compassion. Even when they rock as hard as possible I still sense a good deal of emotion. It makes me think Marc Bolan was the kind of guy willing to go the extra mile to please his fans. I also admire that the band occasionally takes elements of the late 50's rock scene in terms of vocal melody catchiness and revamps the entire genre into Bolan's very own style. I imagine in the early 70's nobody had any idea what to think about T.Rex. People were probably thinking "What kind of music IS this? Is it heavy rock, psychedelic rock, funk, soul, glam or what?" Well apparently now it's clear- it's a variety of everything.Oh and the sound quality thanks to the recording production? WOW! Right up there with the best albums of 1973 such as Quadrophenia, Dark Side of the Moon and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. I'm completely speechless how loud and *cool* this album sounds. While people may compare it to David Bowie's Young Americans, I fail to hear a similarity. Young Americans is most certainly centered around funk and soul and coming across somewhat annoying in a few spots (his cover of the Beatles "Across the Universe" anyone?) in addition to being a victim of aimless songwriting at times, whereas Tanx leans heavily on the rock side of the spectrum with subtle elements of funk and soul. Tanx also gets the edge for being VERY consistently enjoyable with no weak points anywhere.Tanx really is a fantastic album from a songwriting perspective. The two parts of "Tenement Lady" blow me away, especially the much sadder second half when the pace slows down. Sort of unusual and surprising for Marc to blend two songs together and make them one but he accomplishes such a feat here and it works *very* well. Perhaps the high point for me is "Mister Mister". The saxophone is cleverly tucked in the back (the way it should be) in order to focus on Marc's sincere vocal style displayed very well here, and I admit I even come close to crying during the chorus. Odd, offbeat and surreal use of orchestration that's totally distinct of the T.Rex sound, too. Love it."Broken-Hearted Blues", "Electric Slim & the Factory Hen", and "Mad Donna" are BRILLIANT examples of top-notch vocal melodies. Yes these songs are really short and some may argue they feel undeveloped, and you know, there may have been a point I would have felt the same way (this would have been long before I really understood T.Rex, such as 15 years ago when my father first introduced me to the Slider and I wasn't sure what to think of a good portion of it). However now it's perfectly crystal clear that nobody sounds like T.Rex so with *that* in mind, yeah, this is some prime stuff."Born to Boogie" is insanely heavy for 1973 (and catchy- try NOT to get wrapped up in the line "Baby baby, I was born to boogie! Impossible to dislike it!)". This is what I mean about the band borrowing elements of the 50's rockabilly style and totally transforming it into a completely different monster. My God what a band. Now here's something that will blow your mind- "The Street & the Baby Shadow" seems like it's entirely based around one simple beat and one vocal melody, and it's *awesome!* I mean I've heard hundreds of progressive rock tracks that range from 5 to 20 minutes long and touch upon several different ideas and arrangements, but most of them have't been able to blow me away like this one simple beat can, and the saxophone at the end? Superbly appropriate the way it repeats the melody! Speaking of T.Rex writing devastating tunes that can break down and reveal your emotional side, "Highway Knees" fits that description doesn't it? The way Marc sings "I could have loved her, oh yes I could" WILL make you cry!!! Oh and is that a flute in the middle? Whatever that instrument is, it's located in *just* the right spot to provide a moment of uplifting encouragement. Even the guitar solo -as brief as it is and the fact it resembles Crazy Horse for a moment- is entirely fitting too.Speaking of the Slider, "Life Is Strange" would fit in perfectly with that album. This is where Marc Bolan basically gives the vocal performance of the century and makes it very clear that the band certainly had their own thing going on. Who sings in such a devastating and surreal way all the while keeping a strong vocal melody fully in check? Only Marc Bolan. Perhaps "Left Hand Luke & the Beggar Boys" is the only questionable song, but only because it's a couple minutes overlong. A very strange combination of soul, blues, glam and clever use of female vocals makes it stand out, but it's not a favorite of mine.All the bonus tracks are spectacular. You won't fool the "Children of the Revolution" and you'll be humming the chorus all night while fooling nobody! The more unusual chorus from "Jitterbug Love" is highly memorable for being able to dance to it... I think. "Solid Gold Easy Action" is eerie thanks to the lyrics and the circumstances surrounding Marc's death. VERY weird line about a fox and a tree and well, you probably know that Marc died when his car hit a tree and the word "Fox" was on the license plate of the vehicle. All I can say is that's one horrible coincidence but don't let it take anything away from the fact this song is extremly upbeat, catchy and fun."20th Century Boy" is sort of popular these days. Maybe it was back in the day too, but I wasn't there so I wouldn't know. For some reason this song has been catching on with the younger generation and you can hear it on TV commercials, TV shows and movies. Seriously, this song has been everywhere lately, and deservedly so- loud guitars, strong vocal melody, and actually this song could pass for heavy metal without actually being heavy metal. It's all part of Marc's unique and mysterious bag of tricks. I was humming the chorus from "Free Angel" all day yesterday. The slow-moving and extra heavy guitar riff blows me away and feels very Slider-ish which can only be a major positive. The chorus is drastically different being more soulful and just odd (and actually almost Neil Young-like!) and that's what makes T.Rex so fascinating and worth your time.Overall, Tanx may not be receiving the kind of attention it deserves, but rest assured- the songwriting is just as solid as the stuff from Electric Warrior and the Slider.

Great album!!! Yep, it's 1972 again and I'm a freshman in high school and T.Rex rocks!! Still sounds great 41 years later! I won't get deep into the musicality of the music , Marc Bolan was a master of simplicity, his chord progressions and guitars licks are at times a homage to Chuck Berry and 3 chord rock and roll. But his spin is fun and gritty! On the other hand the slower acoustic styleballads and songs masterfully use his cool,quirky vocal stylings to create a sound that made T.Rex stand out. You can catch yourself singing along to lyrics that maybe don't make any sense at all but you can't stop because the song sounds so cool! Marc Bolan was your bipolar gritty boogie rocker and acoustic guitar strumming hippy dippy cosmic balladeer all at once-great combination. Even today, I don't think his music really sounds all that dated, very catchy and fun to listen to. nothing against compilations, but the trilogy to own is Electric Warrior, The Slider, and Tanx- you will have what i consider the best and will not tire of listening to each in it's entirety.

Been building my vinyl collection up and already had Electric Warrior and Slider so figured I'd give this a listen. It's amazing. Marc Bolan was a genius and doesn't get near enough recognition for his contributions rock and roll. Sadly too many people only know Bang a Gong and most of them think its a Powerstation song.

I thought I knew T. Rex with Electric Warrior and The Slider. While Tanx is the last album that legendary Tony Visconti produced for Bolan, you can hear the give and take. Instead of of a meticulously crafted gem, it has the feel of a band that’s found its groove, much like the Who with Who’s Next. Buy.

I guess I'm mostly going to reiterate what other reviewers have said here-- Tanx is a bit of a departure from the two previous T. Rex albums, and it may take a few listens for it to really sink in with you. BUT this record is every bit a classic as Electric Warrior and The Slider. If you love those albums, my guess is, over time if not right out of the gate, you'll come to love this work as well.

This was the last super good record by Bolan, not that the later ones were bad. Hearing a beautiful clean vinyl copy allows one to break a couple windows out at full volume with crystal clarity. This isn't the best premium quality vinyl pressing I've had but it's solid and very enjoyable.

After I bought this cd I got the songbook. I can play a few of the songs on guitar. This is a must have for any T. Rex fan.

Love the guitar in their music.