Marc Bolan Songwriter 1973 Album: 2023

T.Rex
May 25, 2023
2 min read

A vinyl-only intimate series that focuses on the private and creative Marc Bolan

This 16-track selection is compiled and annotate by Mark Paytress

Pressed on 140g black vinyl

Following the success of the 1LP “Songwriter: 1970” and 2LP “Songwriter: 1971” sets, Demon Records is proud to announce a new release in the Marc Bolan “Songwriter” series. This is a vinyl-only, intimate series that focuses on the private and creative Marc Bolan, with the emphasis on how that affected his songwriting.

T.Rex: Songwriter: 1973 (1LP)

Release Date: May 26, 2023

“Songwriter: 1973” takes in a period of change during which Bolan was very active in recording studios in the US and Europe. As the sleeve note says: “In developing, accelerating and refining a ‘T. Rex sound’ with Tony Visconti at the controls, Bolan had achieved two things. He’d joined Elvis Presley and The Beatles as an unprecedented pop phenomenon turned youth culture legend. And he’d become synonymous with a musical sound. Now, in 1973, with a pack of dressed-up disciples breathing down his neck and critics eager to knock his success, the budding anti-star wanted out”.

With a selection of finished recordings and working versions, this 16-track compilation charts Bolan’s attempts to move away from and develop the sound he had invented.

This release has been compiled and fully annotated in a 1800-word note by Mark Paytress, author of the definitive biography “Marc Bolan: The Rise And Fall of a 20th Century Superstar”, and the recently-published “Glam! When Superstars Rocked The World, 1970-74”.

Track Listing

1 Midnight (Master Version)

2 Down Home Lady (Version 4)

3 Sitting Here (Original B-side)

4 Saturation Syncopation (Alias All Alone) [version 3]

5 Satisfaction Pony (Original B-side)

6 The Avengers (Superbad) [solo Electric]

7 Change (Album Version)

8 Liquid Gang (Working Version)

9 Sound Pit (Album Version)

10 Spanish Midnight

11 Galaxy (Album Version)