Release date: 30.01.1976
Label: EMI Records
Production: Marc Bolan
Length: 40:22
Genre: glam rock/blue-eyed soul
Rating: 8.5
In 1976, just before the release of their eleventh and second-to-last album, “Futuristic Dragon”, it looked like Marc Bolan and his T. Rex had hit rock bottom, both artistically and commercially, with the below-average predecessor “Bolan’s Zip Gun” (1975). Most people were convinced that after such a massive blow to his ego and his popularity, Bolan would never get back on his feet, so they were more than a little surprised when he returned the following year with quality live shows and in good musical and visual shape. An even bigger surprise was a very solid new T. Rex album, which came wrapped in a great cover by British visual artist George Underwood, who had designed the cover of Bolan’s Tyrannosaurus Rex debut back in 1968 and has done sleeves for plenty of other well-known artists as well.
After the split with Tony Visconti, Bolan finally proved on “Futuristic Dragon” that he’d grown up as a producer too, surprising everyone with a quality production, while also bringing quite a few refreshing songwriting ideas and using some new instruments like the sitar, along with some interesting sound effects. Mickey Finn and Bill Legend were replaced on drums by the more technically skilled Davy Lutton, while the symphonic arrangements were handled by American keyboardist Jimmie Haskell. Stylistically, “Futuristic Dragon” was once again closer to T. Rex’s glam rock roots and sounded more English than American. Here and there you could also catch the influence of the increasingly lively disco scene, while elsewhere Bolan even started showing some art rock tendencies and experimenting with proto-punk and heavy metal. Bolan’s love of fantasy and science fiction became more obvious on most of the tracks than ever before, even more than in his early, psychedelic phase.
“Futuristic Dragon (Introduction)” was a short but dramatic, properly heated and unexpectedly experimental intro to the track “Jupiter Liar”, which was clear proof that Bolan had found just the right formula between his trademark glam rock and the occasional soul seasoning, courtesy of backing vocals from his wife Gloria Jones. On “Chrome Sitar” Bolan surprises with the use of the sitar, while the female vocal harmonies are laid over the central guitar melody really nicely. On “All Alone” you could hear disco influences that blended surprisingly well into the new, far livelier T. Rex sound. “New York City”, which came out as a single, was, apart from some slightly clichéd hand claps, stuffed with grand orchestral arrangements, bouncy rhythms, fun effects, splendid backing vocals and a strong central melody.
“My Little Baby”, dedicated to Rolan, Bolan’s only child with Gloria Jones, was soaked in positive vibes and tasteful symphonic arrangements, while Bolan’s vocals practically burst with zest. The birth of his son was obviously one of the key events behind his big positive turnaround. On the punchy, innovative “Callling All Destroyers”, one of the most interesting moments on “Futuristic Dragon”, you could pick up elements of both proto-punk and heavy metal. The instrumental “Theme For a Dragon” boasted an epic, bombastic atmosphere, and at times it feels like its main motif, with that mighty symphonic arrangement, was made for some fantasy movie.
“Sensation Boulevard”, with its explosive, multi-layered chorus, was another successful compromise between the traditional T. Rex glam rock approach and some of the newer stylistic influences. “Ride My Wheels”, steeped in a futuristic mood, featured nostalgic backing vocals and romantically tinted harmonies. “Dreamy Lady”, which was released as a single, was a pure disco experiment and contained one of Bolan’s most vivid vocal performances on the album. “Dawn Storm” was pure glam rock classic that sounded like it had been made three years earlier, when T. Rex were at their artistic and commercial peak, and it was one more proof that, despite his increasingly eclectic sonic experiments, Bolan had no intention of giving up his loyalty to glam. The closing treat “Casual Agent” is an energetic, erotically spiced-up finale that once again confirms T. Rex were back in superb artistic form. Among the singles from this period, “Laser Love” stood out.
“Futuristic Dragon” was a welcome sign that Bolan’s T. Rex had managed to pull themselves out of a slump and storm back onto the glam rock scene with one of their best and most eclectic efforts. Bolan, who had managed to shake off the label of former teen idol from the early seventies, was then starting to grow into a noticeably more mature artist, one who wasn’t afraid to experiment with some new genres, disco first among them. That’s exactly why it seems like an even bigger tragedy that the next T. Rex album, “Dandy in the Underworld” (1977), which put him back among the leading rock icons, turned out to be Bolan’s last, since he died in a car crash that same year.
Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Futuristic Dragon (Introduction) (1:52)
2. Jupiter Liar (3:40)
3. Chrome Sitar (3:13)
4. All Alone (2:48)
5. New York City (3:55)
6. My Little Baby (3:06)
7. Calling All Destroyers (3:53)
8. Theme for a Dragon (2:00)
9. Sensation Boulevard (3:48)
10. Ride My Wheels (2:25)
11. Dreamy Lady (2:51)
12. Dawn Storm (3:42)
13. Casual Agent (2:53)
T. Rex:
Marc Bolan – vocals, guitar, moog
Gloria Jones – backing vocals, clavinet
Steve Currie – bass guitar
Davy Lutton – drums
Jimmie Haskell – string arrangements
