T. Rex – Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow (2015 Reissue on 180g Vinyl)

Released on 1 February 1974, Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow is the fifth studio album by T. Rex (their ninth since their debut as Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1968). It was the first and only album to be released under the moniker ‘Marc Bolan & T. Rex’.

Journalist Alexis Petridis wrote that the album features a variety of styles including ‘the funky clavinet, the Jerry Lee Lewis piano, the backing vocals of his new partner Gloria Jones, the strings, the horns and the trebly, distorted guitar on which Bolan would fire off extravagant, Hendrixesque solo.’

Zinc Alloy was met with bemusement by the listening public. It reportedly confused listeners and divided the band’s fanbase at the time, while critical reception was universally negative. Critical re-evaluation has been more favourable, but it remains an oddity in the T. Rex canon due to its style incorporating funk and R&B influences. The album peaked at No. 12 in the UK Albums chart.

Track Listing

Side One

1. Venus Loon
2. Sound Pit
3. Explosive Mouth
4. Galaxy
5. Change
6. Nameless Wildness
7. Teenage Dream

Side Two

1. Liquid Gang
2. Carsmile Smith and the Old One
3. You’ve Got to Jive to Stay Alive - Spanish Midnight
4. Interstellar Soul
5. Painless Persuasion v. the Meathawk Immaculate
6. The Avengers (Superbad)
7. The Leopards Featuring Gardenia and the Mighty Slug