Songwriter - 1973: Vinyl LP

A new release in the Marc Bolan “Songwriter” series. This is a vinyl-only, intimate series that focuses on the private and creative Marc Bolan, with the emphasis on how that affected his songwriting.  Songwriter: 1973 takes in a period of change during which Bolan was very active in recording studios in the US and Europe. As the sleevenote says: “In developing, accelerating and refining a ‘T. Rex sound’ with Tony Visconti at the controls, Bolan had achieved two things. He’d joined Elvis Presley and The Beatles as an unprecedented pop phenomenon turned youth culture legend. And he’d become synonymous with a musical sound. Now, in 1973, with a pack of dressed-up disciples breathing down his neck and critics eager to knock his success, the budding anti-star wanted out”. 

With a selection of finished recordings and working versions, this 16-track compilation charts Bolan’s attempts to move away from and develop the sound he had invented.

This release has been compiled and fully annotated (in a 1800-word note) by Mark Paytress, author of the definitive biography Marc Bolan: The Rise And Fall of a 20th Century Superstar, and the recently-published Glam! When Superstars Rocked The World, 1970-74.