Electric Warrior
| Electric Warrior | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by T. Rex | ||||
| Released | 24 September 1971 | |||
| Recorded | March–June 1971 at Trident Studios and Advision Studios, London, England; Wally Heider Studios, Los Angeles; Media Sound Studios, New York City, United States | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:02 | |||
| Label | Fly (UK), Reprise (US) | |||
| Producer | Tony Visconti | |||
| T. Rex chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Electric Warrior | ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
| BBC Music | favourable |
| Robert Christgau | B |
| Pitchfork | 9.5/10 |
| Q |  |
| Rolling Stone | favourable |
| Uncut | 8/10 |
Electric Warrior is the sixth studio album by English rock act T. Rex. The album marked a turning point in the band's sound, dispensing with the folk-oriented music of the group's previous albums and pioneering a flamboyant, pop-friendly take on electric rock and roll known as glam rock.
The album reached number 1 on the UK charts and became the best selling album of 1971. The top 10 single "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" also became the band's only US hit. Electric Warrior has since received acclaim as a pivotal release of the glam rock movement.
The cover artwork was designed by British art design group Hipgnosis, based on a photo taken by Kieron "Spud" Murphy at a T. Rex concert at the Albert Hall, Nottingham on 14 May 1971.
Electric Warrior was released on 24 September 1971 by record label Fly in the UK and Reprise in the US. Electric Warrior reached number 32 in the US Billboard 200 chart and went to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, staying there for several weeks and becoming the best-selling album in the UK in 1971. It was preceded by the single "Hot Love", a million-selling single in the UK, where it stayed at number 1 for six weeks.
Two singles were released from the album: "Get It On" and "Jeepster". "Get It On" was T. Rex's biggest selling single, and became the band's only top-ten US hit. In the United States, "Get It On"'s title was originally changed to "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" to distinguish it from Chase's song "Get It On", which was also released in late 1971. The printing of the song title "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" on the back cover of original Reprise Records North American pressings of Electric Warrior is in a different typeface from the surrounding text, with the song's original title retained on the lyric sheet.
Electric Warrior has received acclaim from critics.
In his retrospective review, Steve Huey of AllMusic gave the album 5/5 stars, writing "the real reason Electric Warrior stands the test of time so well – despite its intended disposability – is that it revels so freely in its own absurdity and willful lack of substance. Not taking himself at all seriously, Bolan is free to pursue whatever silly wordplay, cosmic fantasies or non sequitur imagery he feels like; his abandonment of any pretense to art becomes, ironically, a statement in itself. Bolan's lack of pomposity, back-to-basics songwriting, and elaborate theatrics went on to influence everything from hard rock to punk to new wave. But in the end, it's that sense of playfulness, combined with a raft of irresistible hooks, that keeps Electric Warrior such an infectious, invigorating listen today."
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