Release date: 14.10.1968
Label: Regal Zonophone
Production: Tony Visconti
Length: 30:22
Genre: psychadelic folk
Rating: 6/10
“Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages,” the second album from psychedelic folk rockers Tyrannosaurus Rex, with Marc Bolan on guitar and vocals and Steve Peregrin Took on percussion, came out toward the end of 1968, just a few months after the debut from this strange psychedelic folk-rock duo. Compared to the Tyrannosaurus Rex debut, which drowned completely in psychedelic fantasies, daydreaming and abstract lyrics, a slight step forward in Bolan’s growth as a songwriter and poet could already be felt on certain tracks of the second Tyrannousaurus Rex effort. Still, Bolan stubbornly stuck to the acoustic nature of his creations, which only rarely stepped outside the bounds of psychedelic folk.
The first experimental surprise on the album came from the opener “Deboraarobed,” which was the first Tyrannousaurus Rex single “Debora” recorded in reverse. Back then that was an innovative and even provocative move; today it comes across as nothing special at all. Bolan’s acoustic guitar arrangements were played with even more commitment than before, while his distinctive singing was still markedly psychedelic and still developing. The occasional short, mostly bizarre psychedelic experiments with dissonant sounds in the vein of “Juniper Suction” were still business as usual.
Oriental music influences were likewise still strongly present on most of the songs, while the mystical lyrics at times collided with Tolkien (“Aznael the Mage”) and travelogues from exotic lands (“Eastern Spell”). Took expanded his arsenal of exotic percussion even further. Beyond bongos, it now included a pixiphone, a Chinese gong, African drums and even a kazoo. On the closer, “Scenescof Dynasty,” Bolan’s vocals are accompanied only by handclaps, which is plenty for a solid psychedelic-rustic vibe.
With their insistence on strange, often abstract and metaphysical lyrics, fully acoustic and obscure song structures, exotic percussion and Bolan’s idiosyncratic vocal approach, Tyrannosaurus Rex were an odd sight even in the experimentally spiced second half of the sixties. A slight step forward from the debut was noticeable, but “Prophets, Seers & Sages” still remains interesting mainly for devotees of the legendary figure and work of Marc Bolan. Although the commercial response to this album was far from bad, most people only discovered it once Bolan’s T. Rex had already become glam rock champions and a global sensation. The first cracks between Bolan’s ever-growing ego and Took, who wanted to contribute his own songwriting ideas, started showing already on the next Tyrannosaurus Rex effort, “Unicorn” (1969).
Review by: Peter Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Deboraarobed (3:33)
2. Stacey Grove (1:59)
3. Wind Quartets (2:57)
4. Conesuala (2:25)
5. Trelawny Lawn (1:46)
6. Aznageel the Mage (1:59)
7. The Friends (1:19)
8. Salamanda Palaganda (2:15)
9. Our Wonderful Brownskin Man (0:51)
10. Oh Harley (The Saltimbanques) (2:19)
11. Eastern Spell (1:41)
12. The Travelling Tragition (1:48)
13. Juniper Suction (1:13)
14. Scenescof Dynasty (4:07)
Tyrannosaurus Rex:
Marc Bolan – vocals, guitar
Steve Peregrin Took – percussion, backing vocals
