Track Listing
A1: Mambo Sun
A2: Cosmic Dancer
B1: Jeepster
B2: Monolith
B3: Lean Woman Blues
C1: Bang a Gong (Get It On)
C2: Planet Queen
C3: Girl
D1: The Motivator
D2: Life's a Gas
D3: Rip Off
Mastered on Mobile Fidelity's State-of-the-Art Mastering System: Presents Reverb, Colors, Tones, and String Arrangements in Full-Tilt Glory
Bang a gong and get it on. At once sardonic, flamboyant, and trashy, T. Rex's uncommonly unique Electric Warrior catapulted leader Marc Bolan to stardom, triggered an ongoing fascination with glam rock, and launched a movement that soon involved David Bowie, Roxy Music, Mott the Hoople, and more. Yet none of those namesake artists ever released a record that out-glammed, out-innuendoed, out-thrusted, or out-camped Electric Warrior - named the 160th Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone and included in the celebrated book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Mastered on Mobile Fidelity's state-of-the-art mastering system, pressed on dead-quiet vinyl at RTI, and housed in a gatefold sleeve, the label's numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP set gives the 1971 landmark the widescreen sound quality it has always deserved. Tony Visconti's warm, reverb-soaked production and Roy Thomas Baker's ace engineering remain two of the work's most famous and revered elements. Here, the production and music can be experienced in all its full-tilt glory, from the subtle albeit elegant classical touches to the instantly identifiable Les Paul guitar licks to Bolan's sensual, wispy, are-they-or-aren't-they-serious vocals.
As Sean Egan wrote in the liner notes of a long-out-of-print reissue: "The sound is recognizably rock, yet a previously unheard exotic variant, almost as if concocted by inhabitants of one of the Tolkien-esque worlds common in Bolan's lyrics. The strings are overt but discreet in shape and tone, injecting just the right amount of class." All these aspects and more come to life with a realism, vibrancy, detail, and textural palpability that surpass the presentation on any prior analog edition. If you can hear colors, this audiophile version of Electric Warrior will stimulate your inner synesthesia.
At the time of the album's creation, such cosmic-related phenomenon were well within Bolan's orbit. But the differences between Electric Warrior and the singer/guitarist's earlier works are as vast as those that divide high art and low-brow culture. Chief among them: Bolan's decision to channel his acoustic hippie-inspired visions into hyper-sexualized, metaphor-rich statements that benefit from amplified foundations. And still, part of the songs' charm relates to how they tread a fine line between rock and pop.
Save for the lashing out of "Rip Off," Electric Warrior retains a mellow core underlined by a gauzy tint, gossamer temperament, and crushed-velvet feel. The perception that he record contains blustery heaviness is furthered - and initiated - by the now-iconic album cover, which depicts a giant-sized Bolan standing in front of an equally giant amplifier stack, striking a rock-star pose and giving the impression everything within is designed to go to the proverbial 11 on the volume knob. Akin to a majority of the songs themselves, the visual functions as clever illusion, absurd humor, ostentatious simplicity, and playful pretense.
Bursting with excessive fun and unchecked libido, T. Rex's catchy boogies, shuffles, and vamps scoot by on a seemingly impossible blend of concise hooks, non-sequitur fantasies, and theatrical swagger. From the chart-topping "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" to the beautiful "Life's a Gas," the R&B-stoked hit "Jeepster" to the pout of "Motivator" and galactic soul of "Planet Queen," Bolan, percussionist Mickey Finn, and boards manipulator Visconti craft a rewardingly strange, parallel universe of sound, style, and sex that still has no equal.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs: T. Rex, Electric Warrior Vinyl LP Review
"Played nearly half a century on, Electric Warrior still sounds crisp, fresh and self-assured. Recording quality is light years behind today's state-of-the-art, but this Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs version does a great job of letting its basic warmth and charm flood out. To my ears, T. Rex always sounded better on vinyl than CD, and this sumptuous reissue really drives the point home. The rich timbre of the instruments - largely lost on digital transfers - is here vibrant and glowing, while Bolan's voice sounds wonderfully intimate, expressive and earthy."
Read the full review by David Price on StereoNET
GAIN 2(TM) Ultra Analog(TM) System for Vinyl
GAIN 2 Ultra Analog(TM) is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's founding fathers - Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL's most heralded past releases.
The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog(TM) system is comprised of a Studer(TM) tape machine with customised reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog(TM) system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)
First and foremost, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs only utilise first generation original master recordings as source material for their releases. MFSL then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog(TM) system to fully extract the master's sonic information. The lacquers are then plated in a specialised process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the d...
Orders are typically dispatched from our Hallam warehouse (Melbourne, Victoria) within 24 to 48 hours of payment being received, via Australia Post.
Delivery times vary by location, but estimated timeframes are between 2 - 8 business days.
Some items cannot be delivered to PO Box addresses or Parcel Lockers.
Orders which are especially large or heavy must be shipped via courier and will require an address where there is someone available during the day to receive and sign for the items.
Estimated Delivery Time Frame: 2-8 business days