Once Upon a Time in the Top Spot: T. Rex, Electric Warrior

43 years ago today, T. Rex earned their first and only #1 album in the UK, but it was a long-lasting one, staying in the top spot through January 29, 1972, then taking the top spot back again on February 5 and remaining there through February 19.

Marc Bolan and Steve Peregrin Took released three albums as Tyrannosaurus Rex and found a following almost immediately, even if their popularity was often more cult than mainstream, but when Took stepped out of the band after 1969’s Unicorn and Mickey Finn stepped in for 1970’s A Beard of Stars, Bolan also strapped on an electric guitar in the studio for the first time. Before the year was out, the band had simplified their name to simply T. Rex, released a self-titled album, and revealed that they’d punched up their sound considerably, turning away from the folk side of things and leaning heavily into the rock. By the fall of ’71, their transformation into glam rock heroes was complete.

Electric Warrior delivered the hits “Get It On” and “Jeepster,” of course, with the former earning T. Rex their first and only top-10 hit in the US but their second #1 in the UK – “Hot Love” had been their first – of what would prove to be a grand total of four, with the others being “Telegram Sam” and “Metal Guru.” Even beyond the singles, though, Electric Warrior made a huge impact on listeners at the time, as would become increasingly evident when some of those early ‘70s fans grew up and covered the album tracks…like, say, Morrissey (“Cosmic Dancer”), Gilby Clarke (“Life’s a Gas”), and The Bongos (“Mambo Sun”). Oh, and let’s not forget that The Power Station turned “Get It On” into a top-10 hit in 1985, actually making it a spot higher on the chart than the original (#9).

So is Electric Warrior the definitive T. Rex album? Well, that’s tough to say, as you’ll probably find just as many purists who’d say that The Slider is at least as strong an offering. But Electric Warrior is unquestionably an outstanding T. Rex album, so if that’s the one they’re remembered for by more people than not, then it’s hard to complain.