Marc Bolan And T. Rex ‎– Across The Airwaves

Marc Bolan And T. Rex – Across The Airwaves

Across The Airwaves is a fascinating collection of BBC radio performances from Marc Bolan and his various incarnations of Tyrannosaurus Rex and T. Rex, originally released in the UK in 1982 on Cube Records. The 21-track album brings together recordings made between 1969 and 1971, capturing Bolan's remarkable musical transformation from the acoustic, mystical world of Tyrannosaurus Rex to the electrified glam-rock sound that would make T. Rex one of Britain's biggest bands.

The earliest material comes from the Tyrannosaurus Rex period, including “The Misty Coast Of Albany”, “Iscariot”, “Once Upon The Seas Of Abyssinia”, “Misty Mist”, “Chariots Of Silk” and “Scenescof”. These performances reflect the intimate psychedelic-folk style Bolan developed with acoustic guitar and percussion, before his partnership with Mickey Finn and the move towards the electric T. Rex sound. The collection then moves into the early T. Rex period with tracks such as “Girl”, “Life's A Gas”, “Jeepster”, “Beltane Walk” and “Jewel”.

The later performances are especially valuable for fans of the classic T. Rex era, including “Hot Love”, “Summertime Blues”, “Pavillions Of Sun” and “Ride A White Swan”. The collection also includes “Sailors Of The Highway”, an otherwise particularly interesting BBC performance which was not originally released as a T. Rex studio album or single.

The album was issued by Cube Records as ICS 1004 in January 1982, with contemporary trade press describing it as a collection of previously unreleased BBC recordings and noting that the tracks reflected the progressive change in Bolan's style as he changed musical partners and moved from the Tyrannosaurus Rex name to T. Rex.

For collectors of Marc Bolan, Tyrannosaurus Rex and T. Rex, Across The Airwaves offers something different from a conventional greatest-hits collection: these are radio performances that document the development of one of Britain's most distinctive songwriting voices, from psychedelic acoustic folk through to the beginnings of glam rock.

Tracklist:

Side A
A1. Tyrannosaurus Rex – The Misty Coast Of Albany – 2:24
A2. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Iscariot – 1:55
A3. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Once Upon The Seas Of Abyssinia – 2:05
A4. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Misty Mist – 1:51
A5. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Chariots Of Silk – 2:33
A6. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Scenescof – 1:42
A7. T. Rex – Girl – 2:15
A8. T. Rex – Life's A Gas – 2:17
A9. T. Rex – Jeepster – 3:13
A10. T. Rex – Beltane Walk – 2:11
A11. T. Rex – Jewel – 3:23

Side B
B1. T. Rex – Sailors Of The Highway – 2:36
B2. T. Rex – Suneye – 2:01
B3. T. Rex – A Daye Laye – 2:00
B4. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Wind Cheetah – 2:31
B5. Tyrannosaurus Rex – By The Light Of A Magical Moon – 2:46
B6. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Hot Love – 3:10
B7. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart – 2:43
B8. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Summertime Blues – 3:36
B9. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Pavillions Of Sun – 2:53
B10. T. Rex – Ride A White Swan – 2:01