The T.Rex Classic ‘Electric Warrior’ Turns 50 Today

‘Electric Warrior’, the sixth album but first breakthrough for T. Rex, was released on this day on 24 September 1971.

The first T.Rex album ‘My People Were Fair and Had Sky In Their Hair But Now They’re Content To Wear Stars on Their Brows’ was released in 1968 under the name Tyrannosaurus Rex. The name was shortened to T. Rex in 1970 and first used on the single ‘Ride A White Swan’.

The fifth album ‘T.Rex’ was released 18 December, 1970 with ‘Electric Warrior’ coming 10 months later.

‘Electric Warrior’ was the first truly international T.Rex hit album reaching no 1 in the UK, no 15 in Australia and no 32 in the USA. The album featured two major global hits ‘Jeepster’ and ‘Get It On’.

The T.Rex line-up for ‘Electric Warrior’ was Marc Bolan (died 1977), Mickey Finn (died 2003), Steve Currie (died 1981) and Bill Legend (the only surviving member).

Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman, who played piano on Cat Stevens ‘Morning Has Broken’ and David Bowie’s ‘Life On Mars’ also played keyboards on T.Rex’s ‘Get It On’.

‘Electric Warrior’ is considered the first Glam Rock album. In the liner notes for a Rhimo reissue of the album Marc Bolan says, “I think Electric Warrior, for me, is the first album which is a statement of 1971 for us in England. I mean that’s… If anyone ever wanted to know why we were big in the other part of the world, that album says it, for me.”

Paul Weller says ‘Electric Warrior’ is one of the greatest albums of all-time.

In pop culture the album is seen in the movie ‘Billy Elliot’ (2000) with Billy putting the album on a turntable and selecting ‘Cosmic Dancer’. Quentin Tarantino used ‘Jeepster’ in ‘Death proof’ (2007). ‘Cosmic Dancer’ is also in ‘Velvet Goldmine’ (1998) and ‘Sex Education’ (2020). Nick Cave covered the song for ‘AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T.Rex’ (2020).