speed of dark

Most people my age who care a lot about music have replaced their vinyl libraries from the 60's and 70's with CDs and iTunes downloads (unless perhaps they are still playing their vinyls). But out of all my LPs, there is only one vinyl that made the transition to CD.

Way back when I was a freshman in college, I had a good friend named Brian who was my music mentor. One night in his black-lit den with the glowing psychedelic posters, he put a record on the turntable and said, "You have to listen to this."

The room filled with the kind of music I imagined the elves of Lothlórien would sing. A strange voice like none I've heard before or since began to chant.

"Who IS this?" I asked, but he refused to tell me.

I couldn't understand a word.
"Are they singing in English?"
He put his finger to his lips. Ssssh. Just listen.

The record ended with a little story (written by Marc Bolan but read by famous British producer, John Peel), the voice alternating between the speakers.

Only when it was done did Brian hand me the album cover: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Unicorn (1969). This was their third album and the last before Bolan switched from acoustic to electric guitar. The lyrics were, in fact, in English, but unlike any I'd ever heard:

"Stone jars stacked with stars on her shoulders/ Hunters of pity she slew." ("Chariots of Silk")
"Pining pillar of the wild willows end/ Womanly waiting for your manly friend." ("The Misty Coast of Albany")
"She swayed and swam/ Just like a prancer/ A gypsy dancer/ A salty shimmered shell of foam" ("The Seal of Seasons")
The sea beasts scull the waters/ Feeling fear for thee/The hawks that tamed the skies/ Wish you so well to be. ("The Sea Beasts")
--Lyrics to Unicorn--

What???

I had to have it. Over these near-40 years (amazing, isn't it?) I have listened to it countless times, and its utter oddness still thrills me. If, as some argue, the true measure of greatness is originality, then here lies genius because I know of nothing else like it. The quaint vocabulary seems taken from some ancient age of innocence, sort of like Beirut's melodies do, but the source is some much deeper fantastical past.

U.S. readers who know T. Rex only from hits like "Bang a Gong" and "Jeepster" may be perplexed by Unicorn's complete otherworldliness. Unlike the other Tyrannosaurus Rex albums, Bolan excised all modern terms from these songs, which sets it apart from all his other work lyrically. But notice his trademark alliterations--the repetition of a consonant sound within a phrase or sometimes an entire verse. This style is consistent throughout his song-writing.

My friend Brian told me he had seen Tyrannosaurus Rex at the New Orleans Pop Festival (August 31, 1969), and he had never heard two people make so many sounds. The two people were Marc Bolan and Steve Peregrine Took, in his last few months of association with the band. Shortly afterward, Mickey Finn took his place, the band name was abbreviated, T. Rex turned electro-pop, and Bolan became leader of the glam wave and left his indelible stamp on Brit-pop. Less than ten years after the release of Unicorn he was killed in an auto accident.

I ripped these tracks as higher-quality mp3s than usual, the better for you to enjoy their exquisite and unique beauty.

Chariots of Silk
The Seal of Seasons
The Sea Beasts

Fan Website | Discography
Two nice fan MySpace sites with commendable song selections, including Tyrannosaurus Rex's first single, "Deborah": Tyrannosaurus Rex | Marc Bolan
Buy: Amazon.com
Some interesting but poor-quality live versions: iTunes