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105-599: Drawing heavily from goth rock acts such as Bauhaus and The Cure , as well as dub and reggae , Black Dream stood in direct contrast to the traditional guitar-oriented styles which had defined Chinese rock up to that point. The album's haunting production, coupled with Dou's stream-of-conscious vocal delivery, established it as China's first alternative album. The album has been ranked among Taiwan's best 1990s pop albums. After leaving seminal Chinese hard rock band Black Panther in October 1991. Dou immediately established

210-537: A Soldier") have still only been given a limited official release in 2015 on seven-inch vinyl. Both songs are in a folk style reminiscent of Dylan and Donovan . A third song, "That's the Bag I'm In", written by New York folk singer and Dylan contemporary Fred Neil , was also committed to tape, but has not yet been released. In June 1966, a second official single was also released, with session-musician accompaniment, "The Third Degree", backed by "San Francisco Poet", Bolan's paean to

315-596: A car crash in 1977. A memorial stone and bust of Bolan, Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine , was unveiled at the site where he died in Barnes , London. His musical influence as guitarist and songwriter is profound; he inspired many later acts over the following decades. Bolan's March 1971 appearance on the BBC's music show Top of the Pops , wearing glitter on his face, performing the UK chart topper "Hot Love"

420-433: A clause that when it ends you're on your own – and that means financially, too." During an interview in 1975, Bolan was also asked about his sexuality, and said that he was bisexual. Bolan never learned to drive, fearing a premature death; he feared he would die before reaching 30 years old. Despite this fear, cars or automotive components are at least mentioned in, if not the subject of, many of his songs. He also owned

525-546: A cover of the song along with Marc Bolan's son, Rolan , on backing vocals. His music is still widely used in films, recent notable cases being Breakfast on Pluto , Death Proof , Lords of Dogtown , Billy Elliot , Jarhead , Moulin Rouge! , The Truman Show , Herbie: Fully Loaded , Breaking-Up , Hot Fuzz , Click , School of Rock , Scott Pilgrim vs. the World , Baby Driver and Dallas Buyers Club . Bolan

630-496: A documentary by Ringo Starr about T. Rex including a concert filmed at London's Wembley Empire Pool in March 1972. Mixed in were surreal scenes shot at John Lennon 's mansion in Ascot and a session with T. Rex joined by Ringo Starr on a second drum kit and Elton John on piano. At this time T. Rex record sales accounted for about six per cent of total British domestic record sales. The band

735-432: A fascination with women's clothing, an unlikely characteristic for a British male rocker at the time. Bolan followed "Ride a White Swan" and T. Rex by expanding the group to a quartet with bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend , and cutting a five-minute single, " Hot Love ", with a rollicking rhythm, string accents and an extended sing-along chorus inspired somewhat by " Hey Jude ". Bolan performed "Hot Love" on

840-646: A lesser extent, the BDSM culture. Gothic fashions within the subculture range from deathrock, punk , androgynous , Victorian , to Renaissance and medieval -style attire, or combinations of the above, most often with black clothing, makeup and hair. Crimped hair was popular among gothic fans in the 1980s. In the 1990s, several acts such as PJ Harvey , Marilyn Manson , Manic Street Preachers , and Nine Inch Nails included gothic characteristics in their music. According to Rolling Stone , PJ Harvey's music in 1993 "careens from blues to goth to grunge , often in

945-430: A lifeline to the heart of show business, as Warren saw Bolan's potential while he spent hours sitting cross-legged on Warren's floor playing his acoustic guitar. Bolan at this time liked to appear wearing a corduroy peaked cap similar to his then -current source of inspiration, Bob Dylan . A series of photographs was commissioned with photographer Michael McGrath, although he recalls that Bolan "left no impression" on him at

1050-582: A live cover of "20th Century Boy" as the B-side to their single " Kurenai ". In 1990, Baby Ford did a cover of "Children of the Revolution" that appeared on the album Oooh, The World of Baby For . In 1991, Japanese rock band T-Bolan were named after T. Rex and Bolan. "It felt like he actually cast a spell. I've no doubt every aspect of how he presented himself was just an outpouring of his understanding that things could be magical, things could be heightened. Out in

1155-470: A mix of new and established bands and performed his own songs. By this time Bolan had lost weight, appearing as trim as he had during T. Rex's earlier heyday. The show was broadcast during the post-school half-hour on ITV earmarked for children and teenagers and it was a big success. One episode reunited Bolan with his former John's Children bandmate Andy Ellison , then fronting the band Radio Stars . Bolan's longtime friend and sometimes rival David Bowie

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1260-510: A number of vehicles, including a white 1960s Rolls-Royce that was loaned by his management to the band Hawkwind on the night of his death. On 16 September 1977, Bolan was a passenger in a Mini 1275GT driven by Gloria Jones as they headed home from Morton's Club Restaurant in Berkeley Square , London. Both had been drinking alcohol , and after crossing a small humpback bridge near Gipsy Lane on Queens Ride, Barnes , South West London,

1365-547: A popularity in the UK comparable to that of the Beatles , with a run of eleven top ten singles, four of which reached number one: " Hot Love ", " Get It On ", " Telegram Sam " and " Metal Guru ". The 1971 album Electric Warrior , with all songs written by Bolan, received critical acclaim, reached number 1 in the UK and became a landmark album in glam rock. From 1973, he started marrying rock with other influences, including funk , soul , gospel , disco and R&B . Bolan died in

1470-470: A remake of Bolan's "Girl" from Electric Warrior , and has himself produced tracks for Bolan's son Rolan. In 1983, NWOBHM band Girlschool covered "20th Century Boy" on their Play Dirty . In 1984, the Replacements released a cover of "20th Century Boy" as a B-side to the single " I Will Dare "; it is also included on the reissue version of their album Let It Be . In 1985, Duran Duran splinter band

1575-445: A resurgence of the goth subculture, fueled largely by crossover from the industrial, electronic and metal scenes; and goth culture and aesthetic again worked itself into the mainstream consciousness, inspiring thriving goth music scenes in most cities and notoriety throughout popular culture. Beginning in the early 1990s, gothic metal fused "the bleak, icy atmospherics of goth rock with the loud guitars and aggression of heavy metal." In

1680-453: A scene where a Black Sabbath groupie is telling aspiring journalist William Miller (said to be created in Crowe's own image) about how, "Marc Bolan broke her heart, man. It's famous," regarding the character of Penny Lane, played by Kate Hudson . In 2000, Naoki Urasawa created a Japanese manga entitled 20th Century Boys that was inspired by Marc Bolan's song, " 20th Century Boy ". The series

1785-578: A shift in sound and commercial success. Southern Death Cult reformed as the Cult , a more conventional hard rock group. Bauhaus members reformed as the psychedelia-influenced Love and Rockets achieving both critical and commercial success during the late 1980s and '90s. In their wake, the Mission , which included two former members of the Sisters of Mercy (Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams), achieved commercial success in

1890-580: A t-shirt with an image of Bolan on the front. The main riff of Oasis ' 1994 hit " Cigarettes & Alcohol " is lifted from "Get It On". In 1993, Adam Ant covered the track live on his Persuasion tour. The song was included on a private preview show on 21 February 1993 in Burbank, Los Angeles which was recorded and released, complete with the cover version, as a live bonus CD with 1994 pressings of his Antmusic: The Very Best of Adam Ant collection. The Cameron Crowe-created movie Almost Famous features

1995-568: A taste for literary romanticism, morbidity, religious symbolism, and/or supernatural mysticism." Critic John Stickney used the term "gothic rock" to describe the music of the Doors in October 1967, in a review published in The Williams Record . Stickney wrote that the band met the journalists "in the gloomy vaulted wine cellar of the Delmonico hotel , the perfect room to honor the gothic rock of

2100-407: A venue for the goth scene: the band Specimen gave many concerts there. That same year, Ian Astbury of the band Southern Death Cult used the term "gothic goblins" to describe Sex Gang Children 's fans. Southern Death Cult became icons of the scene, drawing aesthetic inspiration from Native American culture and appearing on the cover of NME in October. In February 1983, the emerging scene

2205-709: Is a multiple award-winner, and has also been released in North America. The story was adopted into three successful live-action movies from 2008 to 2009, which were also released in the US, Canada and the UK. In 2003, Depeche Mode 's Martin Gore recorded covers of "Life Is Strange" and "Left Hand Luke and the Beggar Boys", and included them as b-sides of the single "Stardust". In 2006, Def Leppard released their album Yeah! , which contains covers of their favourite bands while growing up,

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2310-860: Is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie and the Banshees , Joy Division , Bauhaus , and the Cure . The genre itself was defined as a separate movement from post-punk. Gothic rock stood out due to its darker sound, with the use of primarily minor or bass chords, reverb, dark arrangements, or dramatic and melancholic melodies, having inspirations in gothic literature allied with themes such as sadness, nihilism, dark romanticism, tragedy, melancholy and morbidity. These themes are often approached poetically. The sensibilities of

2415-480: Is another forerunner genre of gothic rock. Pitchfork wrote: "Although it abandoned the psychedelic color palette and exchanged alien worship for a vampire cult, goth kept glam's theatricality intact, as well as its openness to experimentation." In April 1977, critic Dave Marsh of The Morning Record described Philip Glass 's current album North Star as "the best neo-Gothic rock since John Cale and Terry Riley 's Church of Anthrax , or more appropriately,

2520-498: Is cited as the start of the glam rock movement. Music critic Ken Barnes called Bolan "the man who started it all". The 1971 album Electric Warrior has been described by AllMusic as "the album that essentially kick-started the UK glam rock craze." Producer Tony Visconti , who worked with Bolan during his heyday, stated: "What I saw in Marc Bolan had nothing to do with strings, or very high standards of artistry; what I saw in him

2625-524: Is still cited by many guitar-centric bands as a huge influence ( Joy Division / New Order 's Bernard Sumner has said that the first single he owned was "Ride a White Swan".) However, he always maintained he was a poet who put lyrics to music. The tunes were never as important as the words. In 2007, the English Tourist Board included Bolan's Rock Shrine in their guide to Important Sites of Rock 'n Roll interest 'England Rocks'. As reported in 2011,

2730-627: The Pornography album, which is considered as "the Cure's gothic piece de resistance". They would later become the most commercially successful of these groups. The Cure's style was "withdrawn", contrasting with their contemporaries like Nick Cave 's the Birthday Party, who drew on blues and violent turmoil. With the Birthday Party's Junkyard album, Nick Cave combined "sacred and profane" things, using Old Testament imagery with stories about sin, curses and damnation. Their 1981 single " Release

2835-427: The beat poets . Neither song made the charts. In 1966, Bolan turned up at Simon Napier-Bell 's front door with his guitar and proclaimed that he was going to be a big star and he needed someone to make all of the arrangements. Napier-Bell invited Bolan in and listened to his songs. A recording session was immediately booked and the songs were very simply recorded (most of them were not actually released until 1974, on

2940-457: The "gothic" label "became a critical term of abuse" for a band like Bauhaus , who had arrived on the music scene in 1979. At the time, NME considered that "Siouxsie and the Banshees, Adam and the Ants and even... Joy Division" opened up "a potentially massive market" for newcomers like Bauhaus and Killing Joke : journalist Andy Gill then separated these two groups of bands, pointing out that there

3045-625: The 1999 Brit Awards ) in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine . In every decade since his death, a Bolan greatest hits compilation has placed in the top 20 UK albums and periodic boosts in sales have come via cover versions from artists inspired by Bolan, including Morrissey . In 1991, Morrissey and David Bowie performed a duet of "Cosmic Dancer" at the Inglewood Forum in Los Angeles. In 1993, Guns N' Roses covered "Buick MacKane" on "The Spaghetti Incident?" , and their guitarist Slash has worn

3150-446: The 2000s, critics regularly noticed the influence of goth on bands of that time period. English band The Horrors mixed 1960s garage rock with 1980s goth. When referencing female singer Zola Jesus , writers questioned if she announced the second coming of the genre as her music was described with this term. In terms of fashion, gothic bands incorporated influences from 19th-century Gothic literature along with horror films and, to

3255-473: The BBC television show Top of the Pops wearing glitter on his face: the performance was later recognized as the foundation of glam rock. For the viewers, it was a defining moment: "Bolan was magical, but also sexually heightened and androgynous ". The song was number one in the UK Singles Chart for six weeks and was quickly followed by " Get It On ", a grittier, more adult tune that spent four weeks in

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3360-556: The Bats " was particularly influential in the scene. Killing Joke were originally inspired by Public Image Ltd. , borrowing from funk, disco , dub and, later, heavy metal . Calling their style "tension music", Killing Joke distorted these elements to provocative effect, as well as producing a morbid, politically charged visual style. Reynolds identified the Birthday Party and Killing Joke as essential proto-goth groups. Despite their legacy as progenitors of gothic rock, those groups disliked

3465-696: The Doors and, certainly, early Velvet Underground". In March 1979, Kent used the gothic adjective in his review of Magazine's second album, Secondhand Daylight . Kent noted that there was "a new austere sense of authority" to their music, with a "dank neo-Gothic sound". The second Siouxsie and the Banshees album, also released in 1979, was a precursor in several aspects. For journalist Alexis Petridis of The Guardian , "A lot of musical signifiers... – scything, effects-laden guitar, pounding tribal drums – are audible, on... Join Hands ". In September, Joy Division's manager Tony Wilson described their music as "gothic" on

3570-544: The Doors". The author noted that contrary to the "pleasant, amusing hippies ", there was "violence" in their music and a dark atmosphere on stage during their concerts. Stickney ultimately titled his article, "Four Doors to the Future: Gothic Rock Is Their Thing". Musicians who initially shaped the aesthetics and musical conventions of gothic rock include Marc Bolan , the Velvet Underground ,

3675-509: The Doors, David Bowie , Brian Eno , and Iggy Pop . Journalist Kurt Loder would write that the song " All Tomorrow's Parties " by the Velvet Underground is a "mesmerizing gothic-rock masterpiece". However, Reynolds considers Alice Cooper as "the true ungodly godfather of goth" due to his "theatrics and black humor ". Nico 's 1968 album The Marble Index is sometimes described as "the first truly gothic album". With its stark sound, somber lyrics, and Nico's deliberate change in her look,

3780-463: The Flat Field in 1980, and the album is often considered the first gothic rock album. In the early 1980s, post-punk bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Cure included more gothic characteristics in their music. According to Reynolds, with their fourth album, 1981's Juju , the Banshees included several gothic qualities, lyrically and sonically, whereas according to The Guardian , Juju

3885-486: The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow showed that Bolan was attempting to create richer, more involved music than he had previously attempted with T. Rex. He expanded the line up of the band to include a second guitarist, Jack Green, and other studio musicians, and began to take more control over the sound and production of his records, including by then girlfriend Gloria Jones on keyboards as well as backing vocals. Eventually,

3990-463: The Ladybirds on backing vocals (later finding fame with Benny Hill ), and studio session musicians playing all the instruments. "The Wizard", Bolan's first single, was released on 19 November 1965. It featured Jimmy Page and Big Jim Sullivan , was produced by Jim Economides, with music director Mike Leander . Two solo acoustic demos recorded shortly afterwards by the same team ("Reality" and "Song for

4095-709: The March Violets , who performed in a similar style. According to Reynolds, the March Violets "imitated Joy Division sonically". Another band, the Danse Society was particularly inspired by the Cure's Pornography period. American gothic rock began with 45 Grave and Christian Death . This harder, more punk rock -influenced style of gothic rock became known as deathrock . Christian Death combined "self-consciously controversial tactics" with Los Angeles punk and heavy metal influences. Their singer Rozz Williams committed suicide by hanging in 1998 at age 34. 45 Grave

4200-636: The Power Station , with Robert Palmer as vocalist, took a version of "Get It On" into the UK Top 40 and to US No. 6, the first cover of a Bolan song to enter the charts since his death. They also performed the tune (with Michael Des Barres replacing Palmer) at the Live Aid concert. In 1986, Violent Femmes covered the song "Children of the Revolution" on their album, The Blind Leading the Naked . In 1989, X released

4305-503: The Stooges , the Velvet Underground, the Birthday Party, Suicide , and the Fall , created a new, harder form of gothic rock. In addition, they incorporated a drum machine . Reynolds identified their 1983 single " Temple of Love " as the quintessential goth anthem of the year, along with Southern Death Cult's "Fatman". The group created their own record label, Merciful Release , which also signed

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4410-508: The Sugarcubes . Reynolds has spoken of a shift from early goth to gothic rock proper, advanced by the Sisters of Mercy . As journalist Jennifer Park put it, "The original blueprint for gothic rock had mutated significantly. Doom and gloom was no longer confined to its characteristic atmospherics, but as the Sisters demonstrated, it could really rock". The Sisters of Mercy, who cited influences such as Leonard Cohen, Gary Glitter , Motörhead ,

4515-468: The UK Singles Chart. Regarded as one of the band's best songs, Paste and Billboard ranked it number one and three on their lists of the top 10 T. Rex songs. In 1972, he achieved two more UK number ones with " Telegram Sam " and " Metal Guru " taken from The Slider , and two number twos in " Children of the Revolution " and " Solid Gold Easy Action ". In the same year he appeared in Born to Boogie ,

4620-597: The UK from tax exile in the US and Monaco and to the public eye with a low-key tour. Bolan made regular appearances on the LWT pop show Supersonic , directed by his old friend Mike Mansfield and released a succession of singles, including "New York City" which reached the top 15. By then, Bolan was current with the music scene, incorporating disco elements in Futuristic Dragon and the single " Dreamy Lady ". The last remaining member of Bolan's halcyon era T. Rex, Currie, left

4725-471: The age of nine, he was given his first guitar and began a skiffle band. While at school, he played guitar in "Susie and the Hula Hoops", a trio whose vocalist was a 12-year-old Helen Shapiro . During lunch breaks at school, he would play his guitar in the playground to a small audience of friends. At 15, he was expelled from school; according to one of his friends: "He'd done something wrong and he went to see

4830-470: The album The Beginning of Doves ). Only "Hippy Gumbo", a sinister-sounding, baroque folk-song, was released at the time as Bolan's third unsuccessful single. One song, "You Scare Me to Death", was used in a toothpaste advertisement. Some of the songs also resurfaced in 1982, with additional instrumentation added, on the album You Scare Me to Death . Napier-Bell managed the Yardbirds and John's Children and

4935-410: The album became a crucial music and visual prototype for the gothic rock movement. Gothic rock creates a dark atmosphere by drawing influence from the drones used by protopunk group the Velvet Underground, and many gothic singers are influenced by the "deep and dramatic" vocal timbre of David Bowie, albeit singing at even lower pitches. Although gothic rock is an offshoot of post-punk , glam rock

5040-469: The backing vocals on " 20th Century Boy ", which peaked at number 3 in March, and mid-year "The Groover" which went to number four. Tanx , parts of which found him heading towards soul, funk and gospel, was both a commercial and critical success in several European countries. "Truck On (Tyke)" missed the UK top 10 reaching only No. 12 in December. However, " Teenage Dream " from the 1974 album Zinc Alloy and

5145-505: The band Dreaming ( Chinese : 做梦乐队 ; pinyin : Zuòmèng yuèduì ). Many of the tracks on Black Dream were written during this period. Dreaming released one song, "希望之光" ( pinyin : Xīwàng Zhī Guāng ; "Light of Hope") before disbanding in October 1992. All lyrics are written by Dou Wei; all music is composed by Dou Wei and Dreaming, unless noted Personnel as listed in the album's liner notes are: Gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth )

5250-586: The band was brief. Following an ill-fated German tour with the Who , Bolan took some time to reassess his situation. Bolan's imagination was filled with new ideas and he began to write fantasy novels ( The Krakenmist and Pictures Of Purple People ) as well as poems and songs, sometimes finding it hard to separate facts from his own elaborate myth – he famously claimed to have spent time with a wizard in Paris who gave him secret knowledge and could levitate. The time spent with him

5355-567: The band's equipment had been repossessed by their label Track Records . Unperturbed, he rallied to create Tyrannosaurus Rex, his own rock band together with guitarist Ben Cartland, drummer Steve Peregrin Took and an unknown bass player. Napier-Bell recalled of Bolan: "He got a gig at the Electric Garden then put an ad in Melody Maker to get the musicians. The paper came out on Wednesday, the day of

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5460-464: The band's record label, Fly , released the Electric Warrior track " Jeepster " without Bolan's permission. Outraged, Bolan took advantage of the timely lapsing of his Fly Records contract and left for EMI , who gave him his own record label, the T. Rex Wax Co. Its bag and label featured a head-and-shoulders image of Bolan. Despite the lack of Bolan's endorsement, "Jeepster" peaked at number two in

5565-508: The bulk of Bolan's fortune, variously estimated at between £20 and £30 million (approx $ 38 – $ 57 million), remains in trust. The T. Rex singer captivated generations with his strutting music and hyper-sexual charisma. Bolan strongly influenced artists of many genres, including glam rock, punk , post-punk , new wave , indie rock , Britpop and alternative rock . After seeing Bolan wearing Zandra Rhodes -designed outfits, Freddie Mercury enlisted Rhodes to design costumes for

5670-474: The car struck a fence post and then a tree. Bolan died at the scene. Jones was critically injured. The car crash site has become a shrine to his memory, where fans leave tributes beside the tree. In 2013, the shrine was featured on the BBC Four series Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places . The site, Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine , is owned and maintained by the T. Rex Action Group. His funeral service

5775-732: The complete package." The 1973 album Still by Pete Sinfield mentions Bolan by name in the title track: "Beatles and Bolans, raindrops and oceans". In December 1980, "Telegram Sam" was the fourth single released by British gothic rock band Bauhaus . Also in 1980, the Bongos were the first American group, with "Mambo Sun", to enter the Billboard charts with a T.Rex cover. Since then, Bongos frontman Richard Barone has recorded several other Bolan compositions ("The Visit," "Ballrooms of Mars"), worked with T.Rex producer Tony Visconti for his current solo album, Glow (2010, Bar/None Records ) that includes

5880-485: The court hearing on 5 October 1976, Deputy Judge Donald Ellison declared: "I am satisfied that the husband committed adultery with the co-respondent, and that the wife finds it intolerable to live with him", and granted a decree nisi. Twelve months after that date, it was to become a decree absolute, thus severing the Bolans' matrimonial ties. "The facts are that she initially left me, and we just grew apart," Bolan explained after

5985-420: The duo's music, buying a white Fender Stratocaster decorated with a paisley teardrop motif from Syd Barrett . After replacing Took with Mickey Finn , he let the electric influences come forward even further on A Beard of Stars , the final album to be credited to Tyrannosaurus Rex. It closed with the song "Elemental Child", featuring a long electric guitar break influenced by Jimi Hendrix . Marc Bolan,

6090-460: The earliest of Bolan's known recordings. He signed to Decca Records in August 1965. At this point his name changed to Marc Bolan via Marc Bowland. There are several accounts of why Bolan was chosen, including that it was derived from James Bolam , that it was a contraction of Bob Dylan, and – according to Bolan himself – that Decca Records chose the name. He recorded his debut single "The Wizard" with

6195-616: The first couple of Doors albums". Reynolds retrospectively described Kate Bush 's 1978 song " Wuthering Heights " as "Gothic romance distilled into four-and-a-half minutes of gaseous rhapsody". In the late 1970s, the word "gothic" was used to describe the atmosphere of post-punk bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees , Magazine and Joy Division . In a live review about a Siouxsie and the Banshees' concert in July 1978, critic Nick Kent wrote that concerning their performance, "parallels and comparisons can now be drawn with gothic rock architects like

6300-405: The first disastrous electric gig, "He didn't have the courage to try it again; it really had been a blow to his ego... Later he told everyone he'd been forced into going acoustic because Track Records had repossessed all his gear. In fact he'd been forced to go acoustic because he was scared to do anything else." The original version of Tyrannosaurus Rex with Took released three albums; two reached

6405-610: The first song on this album is "20th Century Boy". Joe Elliott wanted to sing "Metal Guru" while Vivian Campbell wanted "Telegram Sam" but end up agreeing to "20th Century Boy". " Children of the Revolution " was performed by Elton John and Pete Doherty of the Libertines at Live 8 , in 2005. U2 's Bono and Gavin Friday also covered "Children of the Revolution" on the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack . In 2020, Kesha would also record

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6510-400: The founder and leader of the psychedelic folk band Tyrannosaurus Rex, with whom he released four critically acclaimed albums and had one minor hit "Debora". Bolan had started as an acoustic singer-writer before heading into electric music prior to the recording of T. Rex's first single " Ride a White Swan " which went to number two in the UK singles chart. From 1970 to 1973, T. Rex encountered

6615-477: The genre led gothic rock lyrics to exhibit literary romanticism , morbidity, existentialism , religious symbolism, or supernatural mysticism. Gothic rock is an offshoot of post-punk and, according to AllMusic , "took the cold synthesizers and processed guitars of post-punk and used them to construct foreboding, sorrowful, often epic soundscapes." Early gothic rock had introspective or personal lyrics, but according to AllMusic, "its poetic sensibilities soon led to

6720-456: The genre led the lyrics to represent the evil of the century and the romantic idealization of death and the supernatural imagination. Gothic rock then gave rise to a broader goth subculture that included clubs, fashion and publications in the 1980s, 1990s, and into the 21st century. According to music journalist Simon Reynolds , standard musical fixtures of gothic rock include "scything guitar patterns, high-pitched basslines that often usurped

6825-466: The gig. At three o'clock he was interviewing musicians, at five he was getting ready to go on stage.... It was a disaster. He just got booed off the stage." Following this concert, Bolan pared the band down to just himself and Took, and they continued as a psychedelic -folk rock acoustic duo, playing Bolan's songs, with Took playing assorted hand and kit percussion and occasional bass to Bolan's acoustic guitars and voice. Napier-Bell said of Bolan that after

6930-512: The group in late 1976. In early 1977, Bolan got a new band together, released a new album, Dandy in the Underworld , and set out on a fresh UK tour, taking along punk band the Damned as support to entice a young audience who did not remember his heyday barely five years previously. Later in 1977, Granada Television commissioned Bolan to front a six-part series called Marc in which he hosted

7035-615: The group's name to T. Rex. Bolan and his producer Tony Visconti oversaw the session for "Ride a White Swan", the single that changed Bolan's career which was inspired in part by Mungo Jerry 's success with " In the Summertime ", moving Bolan away from predominantly acoustic numbers to a more electric sound. Recorded on 1 July 1970 and released later that year, it made slow progress in the UK Top 40 , until it finally peaked in early 1971 at number two. Inspired by his muse, June Child, Bolan developed

7140-400: The headmaster, or the deputy headmaster, Mr Pearson. He said he was going to give him the cane and Mark said no. He told him to hold out his hand and Mark nutted him." He appeared as an extra in an episode of the television show Orlando , dressed as a mod . Bolan briefly joined a modelling agency and became a "John Temple Boy", appearing in a clothing catalogue for the menswear store. He

7245-494: The imagination that startles the slumbering mind and body from their sloth". That year, myriad goth groups emerged, including Flesh for Lulu , Play Dead , Rubella Ballet , Gene Loves Jezebel , Blood and Roses, and Ausgang . The 4AD label released music in a more ethereal style, by groups such as Cocteau Twins , Dead Can Dance , and Xmal Deutschland . The Icelandic group Kukl also appeared in this period, which included Björk and other musicians who later participated in

7350-501: The label. Adam Ant 's early work was also a major impetus for the gothic rock scene, and much of the fanbase came from his milieu. Other early contributors to the scene included UK Decay and Ireland's Virgin Prunes . Gothic rock would not be adopted as "positive identity, a tribal rallying cry" until a shift in the scene in 1982. In London, the Batcave club opened 21 July 1982 to provide

7455-420: The melodic role [and] beats that were either hypnotically dirgelike or tom-tom heavy and 'tribal ' ". Reynolds described the vocal style as consisting of "deep, droning alloys of Jim Morrison and Leonard Cohen ". Several acts used drum machines downplaying the rhythm's backbeat . Gothic rock typically deals with dark themes addressed through lyrics and the music's atmosphere. The poetic sensibilities of

7560-599: The mid-1980s to early 1990s, as did Fields of the Nephilim and All About Eve . European groups inspired by gothic rock also proliferated, including Clan of Xymox . Other bands associated with gothic rock include All Living Fear , And Also the Trees , Balaam and the Angel , Claytown Troupe , Dream Disciples , Feeding Fingers, Inkubus Sukkubus , Libitina, Miranda Sex Garden , Nosferatu , Rosetta Stone , and Suspiria . The 1990s saw

7665-467: The next Queen tour in 1974. Bolan was the early guitar idol of Johnny Marr , who later found fame as the guitarist of the influential indie rock band the Smiths . In 1979, Siouxsie and the Banshees released a cover of "20th Century Boy" as the B-side to the single " The Staircase (Mystery) ". The band had played the song live for several months and on the first anniversary of Bolan's death in 1978 played

7770-469: The ordinary world, he managed to cast a spell over all of us." " 20th Century Boy " introduced a new generation of devotees to Bolan's work in 1991 when it was featured on a Levi's jeans TV commercial featuring Brad Pitt , and was re-released, reaching No. 13 in the UK. The song was performed by the fictional band the Flaming Creatures (performed by Placebo , reprised by Placebo and David Bowie at

7875-425: The pixie prince of glam rock , remains a huge influence in music and fashion. Becoming more adventurous musically, Bolan bought a modified vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar (featured on the cover of the album T. Rex ), and then wrote and recorded his first hit " Ride a White Swan ", which was dominated by a rolling hand-clapping back-beat, Bolan's electric guitar and Finn's percussion. At this time he also shortened

7980-505: The ruling. "There were no great scenes, no smashing things up. It just suddenly happened one day. We weren't a couple anymore." He also used the opportunity to shed a little light on his sexuality. "Anyway, I'm gay," he only half-jested. "I can't say I was a latent homosexual – I was an early one. But sex was never a great problem. I'm a great screwer". Asked about the institution of marriage, he replied: "Gloria doesn't want to get married and neither do I. If I ever marry anyone again, I'll put in

8085-549: The song as the encore when they performed at Aylesbury Friars. Emerging in the New Romantic movement in the early 1980s, Boy George spoke of the impact Bolan and Bowie had on him: "They represented a kind of bohemian existence that I – at that point – could only imagine living. I loved the music. The first time I ever saw Marc Bolan really, properly was singing 'Metal Guru' and just loved him. I don't think you can separate an artist from what they wear or what they sing – it's kind of

8190-657: The space of a single song" whereas American artists such as Marilyn Manson combined "atmosphere from goth and disco" with " industrial sound". In 1997, Spin qualified Portishead 's second album as "gothic", "deadly" and "trippy". Critic Barry Walters observed that the group got "darker, deeper and more disturbing" in comparison to their debut album Dummy . In the late 2010s, the Twilight Sad included gothic elements in their music. Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( / ˈ b oʊ l ə n / BOH -lən ; born Mark Feld ; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977)

8295-489: The style of his youthful hero, Cliff Richard , the "English Elvis"), which was later released posthumously by Danielz and Caron Willans in 2008 as a very limited edition seven-inch vinyl after the original tape recording was passed onto them by Delaroy-Hall. This track is one of Bolan's first professional recordings. Bolan then changed his stage name to Toby Tyler when he met and moved in with child actor Allan Warren , who became his second manager. This encounter afforded Bolan

8400-487: The television show Something Else , and their producer Martin Hannett described their style as "dancing music with gothic overtones". In 1980, Melody Maker wrote that "Joy Division are masters of this gothic gloom". When their final album Closer came out a couple of months after the suicide of their singer Ian Curtis , Sounds noted in its review that there were "dark strokes of gothic rock". Not long after,

8505-590: The time. Warren also hired a recording studio and had Bolan's first acetates cut. Two tracks were later released, the Bob Dylan song " Blowin' in the Wind " and Dion 's "The Road I'm On (Gloria)". A version of Betty Everett 's " You're No Good " (still unreleased) was later submitted to EMI for a test screening but was turned down. Warren later sold Bolan's contract and recordings for £200 to his landlord, property mogul David Kirch , in lieu of three months' back rent, but Kirch

8610-502: The top fifteen in the UK Albums Chart. They also had a top 40 hit "Debora" in 1968. They were supported with airplay by BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel . One of the highlights of this era was when the duo played at the first free Hyde Park concert in 1968. Although the free-spirited, drug-taking Took was fired from the group after their first American tour, they were a force within the hippie underground scene while they lasted. Their music

8715-608: The top spot. The song, re-titled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" when released in the US, reached No. 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1972. Dressed in a satin sailor suit, but also – and most importantly – with the glittery gold teardrops beneath his eyes. This performance is often acknowledged as the birth of glam. His androgynous style has been an enduring influence on fashion. From Gucci to Saint Laurent, fashion has long drawn inspiration from his style. He knew how to subvert gender norms into fantastical new shapes. In November 1971,

8820-497: The underground days (Bolan had played guitar on Bowie's 1970 single "Prettiest Star"; Bolan and Bowie also shared the same manager, Les Conn, and producer, Tony Visconti) but their friendship was also a rivalry, which continued throughout his career. Bowie's 1972 song " All the Young Dudes " name-checked T. Rex. Bowie's song " Lady Stardust " is generally interpreted as alluding to fellow glam rock icon Bolan. The original demo version

8925-508: The vintage T. Rex line-up disintegrated. Bolan's marriage came to an end because of his affair with backing singer Jones, which began in July 1973. He spent a good deal of his time in the US during this period, continuing to release singles and albums, putting R & B influences with rock on Bolan's Zip Gun . In September 1975 Gloria Jones gave birth to Bolan's son, whom they named Rolan Bolan (although his birth certificate lists him as 'Rolan Seymour Feld'). That same year, Bolan returned to

9030-469: Was art rock on certain album tracks and pop on the singles. Their bassist, Steven Severin , attributed the aesthetic used by the Banshees around that time to the influence of the Cramps . The Cure 's "oppressively dispirited" trio of albums, Seventeen Seconds (1980), Faith (1981) and Pornography (1982), cemented that group's stature in the genre. The line "It doesn't matter if we all die" began

9135-418: Was a difference "between art and artifice". However, Bauhaus's debut single, " Bela Lugosi's Dead ", released in late 1979, was retrospectively considered to be the beginning of the gothic rock genre. According to Peter Murphy , the song was written to be tongue-in-cheek, but since the group performed it with "naïve seriousness", that is how the audience understood it. Bauhaus released their debut album In

9240-757: Was a former secretary to his then managers, Blackhill Enterprises , also the managers of another of his heroes, Syd Barrett , who June had previously dated. She was also influential in raising her new husband's profile in the music industry. Bolan's relationship with June was tumultuous; he engaged in several affairs over the course of their marriage, including one with singer Marsha Hunt in 1969, and another with artist Barbara Nessim while recording in America in 1971. The couple separated in 1973, after June found out about Bolan's affair with his backing singer Gloria Jones . After Bolan's death, June revealed that she had abortions during their marriage because she believed Bolan

9345-471: Was a model for the suits in their catalogues as well as for cardboard cut-outs to be displayed in shop windows. In 1962 Town magazine featured him under the name Mark Feld as an early example of the mod movement in a photo spread orchestrated by Evening Standard columnist Angus McGill . In 1964, Bolan met his first manager, Geoffrey Delaroy-Hall, and recorded a slick commercial track backed by session musicians called "All at Once" (a song very much in

9450-479: Was an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex . Bolan strongly influenced artists of many genres, including glam rock, punk , post-punk , new wave , indie rock , Britpop and alternative rock . He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 as a member of T. Rex. In the late 1960s, he rose to fame as

9555-402: Was at first going to slot Bolan into the Yardbirds. In early 1967 he eventually settled instead for John's Children because they needed a songwriter and he admired Bolan's writing ability. The band achieved some success as a live act but sold few records. A John's Children single written by Bolan called " Desdemona " was banned by the BBC for its line "lift up your skirt and fly". His tenure with

9660-415: Was clearly visible, and the band stopped playing after a few seconds. With no time for a retake, the occurrence was aired. Bolan began his first serious romantic relationship, with Teresa Whipman, in 1965. They broke up in 1968 when Bolan met June Ellen Child. The pair immediately fell in love and moved into a flat together after knowing each other for only a few days. They married on 30 January 1970. She

9765-466: Was described as "positive punk" on the front cover of NME : in his article, journalist Richard North described Bauhaus, Theatre of Hate and UK Decay as "the immediate forerunners of today's flood", and declared, "So here it is: the new positive punk, with no empty promises of revolution, either in the rock'n'roll sense or the wider political sphere. Here is only a chance of self-awareness, of personal revolution, of colourful perception and galvanization of

9870-580: Was entitled "He Was Alright (A Song for Marc)" In 1973, Bolan played twin lead guitar alongside his friend Jeff Lynne on the Electric Light Orchestra songs " Ma-Ma-Ma Belle " and "Dreaming of 4000" (originally uncredited) from On the Third Day , as well as on "Everyone's Born to Die", which was not released at the time but appears as a bonus track on the 2006 remaster. For the following recording sessions, he recruited soul female singers for

9975-588: Was filled with Bolan's otherworldly poetry. In 1969, Bolan published his first and only book of poetry entitled The Warlock of Love . Although some critics dismissed it as self-indulgence, it was full of Bolan's florid prose and wordplay, selling 40,000 copies and in 1969–70 became one of Britain's best-selling books of poetry. It was reprinted in 1992 by the Tyrannosaurus Rex Appreciation Society. In keeping with his early rock and roll interests, Bolan began bringing amplified guitar lines into

10080-542: Was held on 20 September 1977 at the Golders Green Crematorium in North London . Bolan's ashes were later buried under a rose bush. Bolan's funeral was attended by David Bowie , Rod Stewart , Tony Visconti and Steve Harley among other musicians. Bolan had arranged a discretionary trust to safeguard his money. A small, separate Jersey -based trust fund has allowed his son to receive some income. However,

10185-442: Was introduced by his personal assistant, Chelita Secunda, although Bolan told John Pidgeon in a 1974 interview on Radio 1 that he noticed the glitter on his wife, June Child's dressing table prior to a photo session and casually daubed some on his face there and then. Other performers – and their fans – soon took up variations on the idea. The glam era also saw the rise of Bolan's friend David Bowie , whom Bolan had come to know in

10290-600: Was more inspired by heavy metal than Christian Death and featured female singer Dinah Cancer . Some punk and garage rock bands like The Cramps , The Gun Club , Lydia Lunch , The Nuns , The Misfits and T.S.O.L. have been credited to be influential on both the sound and the aesthetics of the Goth subculture in America, being subsequently credited to be pioneers in the "Goth Punk" sub-genre. Notable 1980s American Goth bands include Super Heroines , Human Drama , The Wake and Kommunity FK . Later stages of Gothic Rock came with

10395-455: Was not mature enough to be a father. Bolan and Gloria Jones were in a committed romantic relationship from 1973 until his death in September 1977. The couple had a son together in September 1975 and the three of them lived together for nearly two years until Bolan's death. At the end of June 1976, June Bolan sued for divorce on the grounds of adultery, citing Gloria Jones as the third party. At

10500-460: Was of East End Ashkenazi Jewish origin, and of Russian and Polish ancestry, while his mother was English, originally from Fulham . Moving to Wimbledon , southwest London, he fell in love with the rock and roll of Gene Vincent , Eddie Cochran , Arthur Crudup and Chuck Berry and hung around coffee bars such as the 2i's in Soho . Bolan was a pupil at Northwold Primary School, Upper Clapton. At

10605-408: Was often alluded to but remained "mythical". In reality the wizard was probably American actor Riggs O'Hara with whom Bolan made a trip to Paris in 1965. Given time to reinvent himself, after John's Children, Bolan's songwriting took off and he began writing many of the poetic and neo-romantic songs that appeared on his first albums with T. Rex . Bolan left John's Children when, among other problems,

10710-491: Was raw talent. I saw genius. I saw a potential rock star in Marc – right from the minute, the hour I met him." Bolan was born at Hackney Hospital and grew up at 25 Stoke Newington Common, in the borough of Hackney , east London, the second child of Simeon ("Sid") Feld (1920-1991), a cosmetics salesman and former lorry driver, and Phyllis Winifred (née Atkins; 1927-1991), who ran a stall at Berwick Street Market in Soho . His father

10815-509: Was reportedly selling 100,000 records a day; however, no T. Rex single ever became a million-seller in the UK, despite many gold discs and an average of four weeks at the top per number one hit. No T. Rex record was certified until 1985, as the record company had to pay for it, which Bolan's did not in the 1970s. Bolan took to wearing top hats and feather boas on stage as well as putting drops of glitter on each of his cheekbones . Stories are conflicting about his inspiration for this – some say it

10920-424: Was the final guest on the last episode of Marc . Bowie's solo song "Heroes" was the show's penultimate song; Bolan signed off, naming some of the musicians: "All the cats; you know who they are"; they then began to play a bluesy song, over the closing credits. After four words of Bowie's vocals, however, Bolan stumbled forward, and off the stage, but managed to grab the microphone, and find a smile. Bowie's amusement

11025-528: Was too busy with his property empire to do anything for him. A year or so later, Bolan's mother pushed into Kirch's office and shouted at him that he had done nothing for her son. She demanded he tear up the contract and he willingly complied. The tapes of the first two tracks produced during the Toby Tyler recording session vanished for over 25 years before resurfacing in 1991 and selling for nearly $ 8,000. Their eventual release on CD in 1993 made available some of

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