Marc Bolan, the late glam rock pioneer and frontman of T. Rex, has been honoured in London with the unveiling of an English Heritage blue plaque outside his former Maida Vale home. The tribute coincides with the release of a previously unheard T. Rex track, I’m Dazed, recorded in 1975 but lost to time until now.
The plaque was revealed at 31 Clarendon Gardens, the flat Bolan shared with his wife June in the early 1970s. It was here that Bolan crafted some of his most enduring hits, including Hot Love, Metal Guru and 20th Century Boy. The residence became a hub for his creative energy during the peak of T. Rexmania, when screaming fans would gather outside the building day and night. By 1972, the constant attention forced Bolan to move on, but not before the flat had become a defining space in his artistic journey.
The unveiling took place on what would have been Bolan’s 78th birthday, 30 September, and drew a crowd of fans, friends and fellow musicians. Legendary Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman CBE, who played on T. Rex recordings, led the tributes alongside Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie and The Damned’s Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies.
“Marc was a truly remarkable person, with an extraordinary clarity of vision about what he wanted to achieve,” Wakeman said. “If he is with us in spirit today, I am sure he would be absolutely thrilled to see this plaque – and would probably write a song about it.”
BBC Radio 3’s Petroc Trelawny, a member of the English Heritage blue plaques panel, called Bolan “a visionary who led a glitter-drenched revolution that transformed the sound – and style – of the 70s”. He added: “This plaque marks the building he called home at the peak of his artistry. From here, he captured the imagination of a generation.”
To mark the event, Demon Music Group has unearthed two rare recordings from long-forgotten studio tapes. I’m Dazed, a song never heard before, was first recorded at Paris’ famed Château d’Hérouville in March 1975, before this alternate version was tracked at Munich’s Musicland Studios the following month. Engineered by Reinhold Mack (Queen, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC), it features the classic mid-70s T. Rex line-up of Bolan, Steve Currie, Gloria Jones, Davy Lutton and Dino Dines.
A rare alternate take of Billy Super Duper has also surfaced. Both tracks were mixed from the master tapes by musician and producer Steven Wilson, a self-confessed T. Rex superfan.
Martin Barden, consultant to Demon Music, described finding the tapes as “like discovering hidden treasure”. “When Marc’s voice came through, it was magical. These recordings offer a remarkable new window into Bolan’s world at a time when he was living an itinerant life, hopping between borders and producing some of his most innovative music.”
The I’m Dazed release continues a steady stream of rediscovered T. Rex material over the past decades, underscoring Bolan’s prolific creativity in his short lifetime. Since his tragic death in a car accident in 1977 at just 29, his work has continued to resonate across generations. His influence stretches from David Bowie and Elton John to contemporary acts like The Smiths, Primal Scream and even the Britpop wave of the 90s.
Bolan’s career highlights are extraordinary. Between 1970 and 1973, T. Rex scored 11 Top 10 UK singles, including four Number Ones (Hot Love, Get It On, Telegram Sam and Metal Guru), as well as three chart-topping albums. Their 1971 record Electric Warrior is considered a cornerstone of glam rock, alongside classics such as Ride A White Swan, Children Of The Revolution and I Love To Boogie.
In 2020, T. Rex were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Ringo Starr calling Bolan “a poet” during the ceremony. That induction included tributes from Joan Jett, Billy Idol, and archival footage of David Bowie praising his friend’s genius.
Bolan’s legacy also endures through his philanthropy. His estate continues to donate royalties to the PRS Members’ Fund, which supports songwriters and composers in times of hardship.
The new plaque now places Bolan alongside other greats commemorated by English Heritage, including Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon. The blue plaques scheme, founded in 1866, is the oldest of its kind in the world, with each plaque acting as a permanent marker of cultural history.
Watch the video for I’m Dazed below:
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
