Mark Feld was born in London in 1947, and adopted the stage name Marc Bolan as a teenager. Like many British rock stars of his generation, Bolan flirted with different sounds as he adapted to the rapidly changing times, starting a skiffle band as a child before becoming a mod and then a psychedelic folkie. […]
Each week, SPIN digs into the catalogs of great artists and highlights songs you might not know for our Deep Cut Friday series. The music of T. Rex has often been used in films and television to evoke the stylish swagger and debauched effulgence of the British glam rock scene that frontman Marc Bolan led […]
Name Steven John Fucking Kilbey Best known for Idiot savant (perhaps more of the former) behind Australian band The Church. A prolific renaissance bloke, knocking out records, paintings, poems, books, and now even comics. Still haven’t choreographed a ballet, but who knows? Current city Coogee Beach, Sydney, Australia 2034. Really want to be in Bali. Sitting on a deck […]
Over the week my mother was dying, I listened to Boy George’s second solo album, Tense Nervous Headache, every night after coming home from the hospital. Locked in my bathroom, sitting on the floor, my 21-year-old self needed at least one full playthrough to help process what was happening. Less than a year later, still […]
Last year, when helping assemble SPIN‘s 50 Best Albums of 1971, I wondered if that year could have been popular music’s absolute peak. Now I’m asking myself that same question all over again. As I built a spreadsheet for 1972, gathering our writers’ votes alongside my own weird choices, I was once again struck by […]
In honor of the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony happening this weekend, Amazon Music just released a special series of covers honoring this year’s class of inductees. St. Vincent and Jehnny Beth of Savages put their flair on Nine Inch Nails’ “Piggy” and “Closer” respectively. Eyelids took on Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” off […]
In 1991, revered Brit superstars David Bowie and Morrissey performed a cover version of T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer” at a concert in Los Angeles; that live cover will finally officially be released Nov. 13. It arrives via digital download and streaming services, with a physical seven-inch single coming on Feb. 19. On the flip side of […]
As the celebration of Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex.‘s release continues, Kesha has now brought her own glamorous performance of T. Rex’s “Children of the Revolution” to The Late Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Covered in silver paint and chainlinks, she gives the 1972 single an extraterrestrial look. And with the […]
AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex is out today. And Father John Misty’s reinterpretation of T. Rex’s “Main Man” was released to mark the occasion. Misty’s version stays true to the original but has a bit more of a softer pop-rock tone that’s part of the singer-songwriter’s signature style. The compilation […]
Joan Jett has just released the video for her reinterpretation of the 1971 T. Rex track, “Jeepster.” The black and white clip shows Jett with Marc Ribot on guitar, Jim White on drums (PJ Harvey, Cat Power) and Thomas Bartlett arranging and on piano (The National, Sufjan Stevens). The cover was produced by the late […]