Electric Warrior - T. Rex

An extraordinary two-CD set that's as much a tribute to an album as it is to an artist, reprising the Electric Warrior sessions and the way in the songs evolved and developed. Included are three versions of "Get It On," including one with just Bolan's original basic rhythm guitar track, and working versions of much of the rest of the album. The opening uncut version of "Get It On" running more than six minutes is worth the price of admission, and it gets better from there are we hear the album get pieced together. In contrast to some bootlegs that give take after take, the editing here is judicious and worthwhile, giving a succinct audio documentary style account of the creation of this landmark album. And the sound, from the original raw session tapes in mid-1990's transfers, is a lot crisper than the Warner Bros. standard CD of the album--the guitars have a sharp, slashing attack, the drums are close, and the bass is very hard and heavy, like being at the session, and you haven't lived until you've heard Bolan's raw version of "Honey Don't." As a bonus, there's also an interview with Bolan about the album, done at the time of its recording, on Disc Two. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide