T.Rex - Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow - A Creamed Cage in August 1974 [EAC - FLAC] (oan)
Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow - A Creamed Cage in August is a
studio album released by Marc Bolan & T.Rex in February 1974.
At the time, Marc Bolan's success in the UK was beginning to slip, as a result of
two factors: his constant desire to "crack" the US market (which resulted in a
lessened effort on the UK charts), and his desire to expand T.Rex's sound. This
can be seen on 1973's Tanx, which included new guitar effects, chord changes,
string arrangements and other studio "tricks" Bolan had not employed before.
He had been listening to a sizable amount of US soul and R&B, no doubt
influenced by his new affair with a backup singer and clavinet player he had hired
for his 1973 US tour - Gloria Jones. These new sounds, in retrospect, were a year
and a half before David Bowie's pioneering "Young Americans" album, often
credited with making the most successful transition from UK glam rock (which was
losing popularity) to radio-friendly, soul-influenced pop/rock. However, as
successful as Bolan was in combining his new influences with his old, the
boogie/rockabilly sound at the core of the classic T.Rex sound can still be heard in
the guitar work and the harmonies,in particular on the track "Nameless Wildness".
The songs reflect a darker mood than on Bolan's earlier releases, with lead track
"Venus Loon" having quite grotesque subject matter. This was surely refective of
Bolan's inner uncertainty about his status in the rock world now that he was no
longer a teen idol. Other songs such as "Galaxy" and "Change" contain similar
forebodings and dark imagery. The music, too, is ambitious and complex,
containing some of Marc's most inventive extended guitar solos.
The album divided fans and critics into the two camps that would remain with him
until his death - those that derided him as a washed-up teen idol, and those who
believed he would eventually make a resurgence in popularity. At that moment,
however, Zinc Alloy marked a downturn in his fortunes - the contemporaneous
album single, "Teenage Dream", made it only to #13 in the UK charts. While that
would be a success for most groups, Bolan had spent all of 1971-1973 enjoying
constant Top Ten and Top Five UK hits, including four #1's.
T.Rex would not enjoy another Top 20 UK hit until "New York City", in the summer
of 1975..
All tracks composed by Marc Bolan.
1. "Venus Loon" ~ 3:01
2. "Sound Pit" ~ 2:50
3. "Explosive Mouth" ~ 2:26
4. "Galaxy" ~ 1:48
5. "Change" ~ 2:47
6. "Nameless Wildness" ~ 3:06
7. "Teenage Dream" ~ 5:45
8. "Liquid Gang" ~ 3:17
9. "Carlisle Smith & the Old One" ~ 3:16
10. "You've Got to Jive to Stay Alive - Spanish Midnight" ~ 2:35
11. "Interstellar Soul" ~ 3:26
12. "Painless Persuasion v. the Meathawk Immaculate" ~ 3:26
13. "The Avengers (Superbad)" ~ 4:28
14. "The Leopards Featuring Gardenia and the Mighty Slug" ~ 3:36
Playing Time.........: 00:46:19
Total Size...........: 308.14 MB
