Change (The Alternate Zinc Alloy) by T. Rex (Rock) (CD, Oct-1995, Edsel UK)

Way back in 1966 long before Marc Bolan became the swaggering rock-god of the British charts, in an NME interview he said "If I ever get famous I'll wear bacofoil and change my name to Zinc Alloy". Very prophetic words. He did become famous, very famous, he invented glitter rock and in 1974 he tried to change his name to Zinc Alloy. EMI freaked when the artwork to the album was presented and put a little red strip across one corner letting the public know it was in fact Marc Bolan & T.Rex.

"Changes" is the working demos for what would become a very controversial album in Bolan's career. Gone was his trademark corkscrew hair and androgyny, replaced by a lithe menacing two-toned stare on the cover. No wonder EMI freaked. The songs presented here are either in-progress, live studio run throughs or home demos. The quality throughout is excellent, and even a song like "Changes" from his own personal home tapes does not suffer from the hiss of the equipment. From "Venus Loon" (the single that never was) to "Sound Pit" to "Nameless Wildness" it's evident that Bolan had been soaking up the L.A. soul scene. Couple that with his muse Gloria Jones being part of T.Rex's Cosmic Choir, and the result is extraordinary. Years ahead of it time. A very potent blend of black US soul and rock/pop. A formula that has been copied and repeated endlessly. History will of course rave about David Bowie's Young Americans as being a landmark album, but surrounding yourself with soul session musicians and asking them to interpret your music is not what makes history. This CD is a history lesson all on its own. Both Bolan and Bowie had Tony Visconti at the controls, but it's Bolan who merges his sound, style and panache with the soul elements, not the reverse. What Bolan and Visconti produced here is still as fresh sounding as the day it was recorded, and still as unique. Copied but never equalled.

As a music fan, and a lover of both Bolan and Bowie, I know which recording I would take to a desert island with me. Try and sit still to the grooves and rhythms of this CD. Listen to the orgasmic vocals on "Nameless Wildness" and try to prevent the blood filling the brain (the version on here is much longer than the final release with Sister Pat Hall and Gloria Jones sounding like their having lesbian sex for or maybe even with the microphone!) "Liquid Gang" is dirty and sweet, and has a fantastic fade out with Bolan doing what would later be termed rapping..............I kid you not!

"Changes" is funky, it's groovy, it's playloud - a wonderful insider look at the coke-fulled world Bolan was living in at the time. His heart is on his sleeve as it is with any artist worth their salt.