T. Rex

A companion to the several compilations of Marc Bolan's BBC recordings, Spaceball gathers together a batch of rare radio tapes recorded in the U.S. during the elfin singer/songwriter's abortive attempt to become an American superstar. Disc one was recorded in Los Angeles and Boston in 1972, on the back of Electric Warrior, the closest T. Rex came to a U.S. hit. Unfortunately, these solo acoustic performances are a pale shadow of the glossy electric boogaloo of that album; hearing Bolan's lyrics clearly (which even in the '60s were mostly stoned hippie babble, but by the early '70s were utterly nonsensical) isn't often a plus, and songs like "Jeepster" and "Baby Strange" miss the hard candy crunch of the studio takes. Disc two is more successful, as the first half includes the full early-1971 lineup of T. Rex in a New York radio station, and the second half features the core lineup of Bolan on acoustic guitar and Mickey Finn on percussion, not to mention a very odd almost pop-art radio commercial for Electric Warrior. There's a horrifyingly bad 12-minute version of "Jewel" and a torturous "blues" version of "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" to utilize the forward skip button on immediately, but the rest of the disc is hugely entertaining. Regardless, however, Spaceball is only for the most devout of Marc Bolan fans. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide