Artist

T. Rex

UK band

London, United Kingdom • 1967 – 1977

T. Rex is a music group from London, United Kingdom, active 1967–1977. Their discography on Gatefold includes 24 records.

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Albums tracked

333

In collections

1967

Since

Biography

T. Rex was a British rock band, formed in London in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band began as a psychedelic folk-rock combo called Tyrannosaurus Rex, a name that was later shortened to T. Rex. In the 1970s, the band had success with glam rock hits like "Jeepster", "Get It On", "Ride a White Swan", "20th Century Boy", "Children of the Revolution", "Hot Love", "Telegram Sam", and "Metal Guru". After their success in the early and mid-1970s, the band broke up after Bolan was killed in a 1977 car accident.

The Arc of T. Rex

The pivots — what forced T. Rex to reinvent.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex Folk Years
Before the glitter, it was just Bolan and Steve Peregrine Took playing bongos and acoustic guitars in a flat in Ladbroke Grove. They were signed to Regal Zonophone and produced four albums of whimsical, Tolkien-inspired psych-folk that sounded like a fever dream in a forest. The shift started when Bolan bought his first electric guitar and Took got kicked out for wanting to play more aggressive, anarchist rock. It was a weird, claustrophobic start that gave Bolan the melodic foundation he’d eventually amplify.
The T. Rextasy Peak
Everything changed when Mickey Finn replaced Took and Visconti brought in the strings for the self-titled 1970 record. They shortened the name to T. Rex and suddenly the hippie folk was replaced by a stomp that redefined the UK charts. Electric Warrior and The Slider were the result of Bolan finding his swagger and Visconti using the studio to create a thick, warm wall of sound. It was the birth of glam rock—heavy on the boogie, drenched in reverb, and completely obsessed with the teenage experience.
The Soul and Zinc Fade
By 1974, the original lineup was fractured and Bolan was chasing the American market by leaning into R&B and gospel backing vocals. He brought in Gloria Jones on keyboards and backup vocals, moving away from the crunch of the early 70s toward a more cluttered, experimental production style. Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow was a messy attempt at a concept album that confused the fans who just wanted more three-minute bangers. It was a chaotic period of transition where the glitter started to peel, right before he started to find his feet again with the punk crowd.

Influences

Eddie Cochran — Bolan was obsessed with the 1950s greaser aesthetic and Cochran’s 'Summertime Blues' provided the blueprint for the T. Rex stomp. You hear it in the stripped-back, driving rhythm of 'Jeepster' and 'Telegram Sam.' It’s the DNA of rock and roll simplified for a new generation.
Howlin' Wolf — Bolan explicitly cited the Chess Records bluesmen as his vocal gods, particularly the growl and grit of Howlin' Wolf. That weird, shaky vibrato Bolan used was his attempt to mimic the primal energy of the Delta blues. It’s the sound of a London kid trying to be a werewolf.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience — Bolan saw Hendrix play at the Saville Theatre in 1967 and it fundamentally broke his brain regarding what a guitar could do. He moved from the acoustic Tyrannosaurus Rex sound to the electric era because he wanted that same stage presence and feedback control. He spent years trying to capture that same cosmic-guitar-god aura.
The Everly Brothers — The vocal harmonies and the tight pop structures of the Everlys were Bolan's school for songwriting. He utilized those clean, stacked intervals in the backing vocals on 'Hot Love' and 'Metal Guru.' He took 50s pop perfection and dipped it in silver paint.
John's Children — Bolan was briefly the guitarist for this chaotic mod-pop band under manager Simon Napier-Bell. They were known for being a disaster live, but the band's penchant for loud, bratty performance taught Bolan that being a spectacle was just as important as the music. It was his first real taste of the industry's dark side.