If you’re a Metal Guru, or just a serious Marc Bolan/T. Rex fan, then the completist in you just might be screaming for this upcoming 6CD Box, At The BBC featuring performance tracks from the BBC vaults.
From Bolan’s formative early years with John’s Children, to his Tyrannosaurus Rex incarnation , and finally, Bolan’s archetypal GlamRock period where he performed as T. Rex, this HUGE Box of BBC, and Peel recorded classics is likely to put the smile on the face of every serious Bolan fan on this earth.
Here is what are contained within:
The first disc contains an enviable BBC session (the only session, as it’s reported) with Bolan’s John’s Children band, which was recorded for BBC Radio One – Saturday Club way back in June of 1967. This disc also contains all of the sessions that were recorded for John Peel’s Top Gear show between November of 1967, and December of 1968.
Disc Two has four Top Gear sessions recorded in June of 1969, and the In Concert performance from January of 1970. Also included are three interview sessions for the Night Ride show.
Disc Three rewards with a Top Gear session form October of 1970, as well as two recorded songs from the “lost” Bob Harris BBC session from November of 1970. The CD will also be home to the Dave Lee Travis session form December of 1970, and a five songs recorded in December of 1970 for the Peel Sunday Concert.
Disc Four has eight songs recorded from Radio One Club that were played on the show in March and July of 1971. There is a Bob Harris “Sound of The Seventies” session from August 1971, an interview with Tony Norman (1971), Keith Altham (1972), and a performance of “Telegram Sam” for the Peter Powell BBC show in January of 1972.
The remaining two CDs contain exclusively recorded mixes for the BBC between May of 1972, and January of 1974, and interviews with Johnny Moran, Nicky Horne, Anne Nightingale, and David Hamilton that featured the great and missed Marc Bolan.
All six discs were complied by Clive Zone, with an essay by Mark Payress (who wrote Marc Bolan – A 20th Century Superstar), and remastered to the best quality that could be achieved at Universal Mastering, London (Keiron McGarry). It is stated that these are old tracks, and more than a few might not be as perfect as the others, but that goes with the territory of old tracks and tapes.
Clive Zone explored the BBC vaults for six years to assemble this collector’s box designed for the serious Marc Bolan fan.
At The BBC is scheduled for UK release on August 26, and will set you back a few pennies. But if you’re a Bolan fan in every respect, you won’t mind the sacrifice. Myself? I’d hole up in my music room until I absorbed every last note.
Enjoy the (cut ‘n pasted but completely formatted by me) track-listing of these six CDs:
Tracklisting Disc 1
DISC ONE – John’s Children and Tyrannosaurus Rex
John’s Children – BBC Radio One – Saturday Club : TX 17-6-1968
01: Jagged Time Lapse ( 2:38 )
02: Interview with John Hewlett ( 0:53 )
03: The Perfumed Garden of Gulliver Smith ( 2:46 )
04: Daddy Rolling Stone ( 2:12 )
05: Hot Rod Mama ( 3:11 )
06: Top Gear jingle – ( 0:12 )
BBC Radio One – Top Gear : Recorded 30-10-1967
07: Highways with chat ( 1:54 )
08: Dwarfish Trumpet Blues with chat ( 2:36 )
09: Scenescof with interview ( 2:18 )
10: Child Star with chat ( 3:02 )
11: Pictures of Purple People with interview ( 2:50 )
12: Hot Rod Mama with interview ( 3:00 )
BBC Radio One – Top Gear : Transmitted 24-3-1968
13: Knight with chat ( 2:30 )
14: Frowning Atahuallpa with chat (4:41 )
15: Strange Orchestras ( 1:53 )
16: Afghan Woman with chat ( 2:04 )
17: Deborah with chat ( 3:18 )
18: Mustang Ford with chat ( 3:17 )
BBC Radio One – Top Gear : Transmitted 14-7-1968
19: Stacey Grove with chat ( 1:53 )
20: One Inch Rock with chat ( 1:43 )
21: Salamanda Palaganda with chat ( 2:11 )
22: Eastern Spell with chat ( 1:35 )
23: Wind Quartets with chat ( 2:59 )
BBC Radio One – Voice of Pop : Transmitted 21-9-1968
24: Juniper Suction – Poem ( 0:31 )
25: Juniper Suction – song with interview ( 1:46 )
BBC Radio One – Top Gear : Transmitted 10-11-1968
26: The Friends with chat ( 1:23 )
27: Conseuala with chat ( 2:24 )
28: The Seal of Seasons with chat ( 1:40 )
29: Evenings Of Damask with chat ( 2:25 )
30: The Travelling Tragition ( 1:47 )
Tracklisting Disc 2
DISC TWO –Tyrannosaurus Rex
BBC Radio One – Top Gear : Transmitted 16-2-1969
01: Pewter Suitor with chat ( 1:21 )
BBC Radio One – Top Gear : Transmitted 11-5-1969
02: Interview with Brian Matthews ( 1:33 )
03: Chariots of Silk ( 2:32 )
04: Once Upon The Seas of Abyssinia with chat ( 2:29 )
05: Nijinsky Hind with chat ( 2:23 )
06: The Misty Coast of Albany with chat ( 2:27 )
07: Iscariot with chat ( 2:03 )
BBC Radio One – Night Ride : Recorded 11-6-1969
08: A Star of Youth – Poem with Interview ( 1:04 )
09: A Ship of Rhythm – Poem with Interview ( 1:36 )
10: The Winged Man With Eyes Downcast To The Moon – Poem with interview (0:54)
BBC Radio One – Top Gear : Transmitted 17-11-1969
11: Interview with Brian Matthews ( 0:57 )
12: Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart ( 2:37 )
13: Pavilions Of Sun ( 2:52 )
14: A Day Laye ( 2:01 )
15: By The Light Of A Magical Moon ( 2:47 )
16: Wind Cheetah ( 2:33 )
BBC Radio One – In Concert – Recorded 1-1-1970 (complete with chat)
17: Hot Rod Mama – Live ( 2:17 )
18: Deborah – Live ( 3:44 )
19: Pavilions Of Sun – Live ( 3:36 )
20: Dove – Live ( 4:27 )
21: By The Light of the Magical Moon – Live ( 3:49 )
22: Elemental Child – Live ( 7:05 )
23: The Wizard – Live ( 9:21 )
Tracklisting Disc 3
DISC THREE – T.Rex
BBC Radio One – Top Gear : Recorded 26-10-1970
01: Ride A White Swan ( 2:04 )
02: Jewel ( 3:34 )
03: Elemental Child ( 7:46 )
04: Sun Eye ( 2:01 )
BBC Radio One – Sounds of the 70s : Transmitted 16-11-1970
05: My Baby’s Like a Cloud Form ( 1:25 )
06: Funk Music – Jam ( 1:46 )
BBC Radio One – Dave Lee Travis show : Recorded 9-12-1970
07: Summertime Blues ( 3:35 )
08: Jewel ( 3:21 )
09: Hot Love ( 3:10 )
BBC Radio One – In Concert : Transmitted 20-12-1970 (complete and different )
10: Debora ( 5:36 )
11: Elemental Child ( 8:54 )
12: Woodland Bop medley with Woodland Bop / Conesuala / The King Of The Mountain Cometh / Woodland Bop ( 7:29 )
13: Ride A White Swan ( 3:10 )
14: Jewel ( 7:53 )
Tracklisting Disc 4
DISC FOUR –T.Rex
BBC Radio One – Radio One Club : Recorded 9-3-1971
01: Woodland Rock with chat ( 2:28 )
02: Beltane Walk ( 2:23 )
03: Seagull Woman – Backing Track ( 2:20 )
04: Hot Love ( 2:49 )
05: Interview with Keith Altham ( 3:53 ) – 16th April 1971
BBC Radio One – Radio One Club : Recorded 20-7-1971
06: Jeepster ( 3:11 )
07: Get It On ( 4:41 )
08: Electric Boogie with chat ( 1:55 )
BBC Radio One – Sounds of the 70s with Bob Harris : Recorded 3-8-1971
09: Bob’s On – jingle
10: Sailors of The Highway
11: Girl
12: Cadilac with chat
13: Jeepster
14: Life’s A Gas
15: Christmas Is A Good Time – Jingle ( 0:18 )
16: Interview with Tony Norman ( 9:44 ) – 4th December 1971
17: Telegram Sam ( 2:50 ) – Peter Powell show – 29th January 1972
18: Interview with Keith Altham ( 15:38 ) – 5th February 1972
Tracklisting Disc 5
DISC FIVE –T.Rex
(all mixes done specifically for the BBC )
01: Metal Guru ( 2:08 )
02: Interview with Andrew Salkey – 13th May 1972 ( 7:01 )
03: The Slider ( 3:29 )
04: Mystic Lady ( 3:07 )
05: Rock On ( 3:18 )
06: Main Man ( 4:14 )
07: Interview with Johnny Moran – 26th August 1972 ( 14:35 )
08: Children of the Revolution – transcription September 1972 ( 2:29 )
09: Solid Gold Easy Action ( 2:06 )
10: 20th Century Boy ( 3:41 )
11: Free Angel ( 2:13 )
12: Interview with Nick Horne – 6th March 1973 ( 7:35 )
13: Rapids ( 2:47 )
14: Mad Donna ( 2:16 )
15: The Grover – David Hamilton show – June 1973 ( 3:00 )
16: Midnight ( 3:04 )
Tracklisting Disc 6
DISC SIX – T.Rex
01: Interview with Anne Nightingale – June 26th 1973 ( 4:50 )
02: Black Jack – Big Carrot ( 3:21 )
03: Truck On ( Tyke ) ( 3:11 )
04: Sitting Here ( 2:19 )
05: Teenage Dream ( 5:19 )
06: Interview with Michael Wale- January 11th 1974 ( 12:23 )
07: Light of Love ( 3:29 )
08: Explosive Mouth ( 2:32 )
09: Zip Gun Boogie ( 3:21 )
10: Space Boss ( 2:57 )
11: New York City ( 3:33 )
12: Dreamy Lady – David Hamilton Show – 23rd September 1975 ( 3:09 )
13: Do You Wanna Dance – 23rd September ( 2:34 )
14: Interview with David Hamilton for Insight ( 3:34 )
15: : Interview with Anne Nightingale for Insight ( 5:49 )
16: I Love To Boogie– David Hamilton Show – 18th June 1976 ( 2:17 )
17: Celebrate Summer – David Hamilton Show – 19th August 1977 ( 2:12 )