Marc Bolan: Tales from the Book of Time - Catherine Lambert

Don't be fooled by the big letters at the top of the sleeve. This is not a Marc Bolan album. Rather, it is a collection of 15 of his early (Tyrannosaurus Rex era) songs, as performed by singer Catherine Lambert, to a backing straight out of a renaissance-themed new age album. Indeed, the orchestration -- recorders, cello, guitar, organ and so forth -- complement the lyrics in a way that Bolan's own vision only suggested; there is a stately beauty to Lambert's "The King of the Rumbling Spires," for example, that you would never get from the electric guitar, while the song selection itself is as flawless as Lambert's vocal. Pure, almost crystalline, but drenched in feeling, her performance tops a beautiful album that, though it's a million miles from the T. Rex sound, should nevertheless be included in every survey of Bolan's songwriting. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide