Tanx
| Tanx | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by T. Rex | ||||
| Released | 28 January 1973 | |||
| Recorded | Chateau d'Herouville, France | |||
| Genre | Glam rock | |||
| Length | 35:03 | |||
| Label | EMI (UK), Reprise (US) | |||
| Producer | Tony Visconti | |||
| T. Rex chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10 |
| PopMatters | 7/10 |
| Rolling Stone | unfavourable |
| The Quietus | favourable |
Tanx is the eighth studio album by English glam rock act T. Rex, released on 28 January 1973 by record label EMI. Tanx was a musical departure from previous works: still containing tracks in the vein of The Slider, Marc Bolan showed his interest for both American soul music and funky music. Female backing singers appeared on a few tracks. New instruments such as saxophone and mellotron were used, allowing the T. Rex sound to evolve.
Upon its release, Tanx peaked at number 3 in the UK Albums chart.
The recording sessions first took place in France in August, and then in October 1972 after the American tour. In the US, the band had appeared on stage, accompanied with female soulful backing singers on a few dates. Bolan recorded "Left Hand Luke and the Beggar Boys" with other female singers who had worked for Aretha Franklin. They doubled Bolan on the soulful choruses but were not credited on the sleeve. "The Street and Babe Shadow" with saxophone as one of the main instruments, showed Bolan adding a funky side into his music. "Life is Strange" and "Broken Hearted Blues" were ballads closer to the T. Rex sound while "Shock Rock" was a boogie track.
Bolan wanted to get away from the traditional T. Rex. He spent time in the studio to overdub all the instruments and add effects. The opening number " Tenement Lady" allowed the band to use a mellotron and Bolan used a phased effect on his vocals.
Tanx was released on 28 January 1973 by record label EMI in the UK and Reprise in the US. Tanx was a hit in UK and Europe but it failed to match the success of The Slider in the US, reaching only No. 102 in the album charts. Curiously, the popular single "20th Century Boy" recorded during a stay in Japan and not in France, was not included on the album, which may have affected sales, as the album (unlike its two predecessors) did not include a hit single. The album is also widely known to be the last of T. Rex's string of successes since Electric Warrior; their next album Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow would prove to be a financial failure and put Bolan's musical career in jeopardy until 1976. It's also T. Rex's last album released under Reprise Records in the US, as Light of Love, released under Casablanca Records (like Reprise, distributed through Warner Bros. Records), would be the last of their albums released in the US.
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