A BEARD OF STARS

Bolan goes electric, swapping his acoustic guitar for organ and electric guitar, and gets a new percussion partner in Mickey Finn; the result is that this Tyrannosaurus Rex album shows the first significant advance in the group's sound since their debut. The songs are also more diverse and better-written than on the previous three albums, and the production job is also superior. Bolan's voice is clearer and more distinct, and his vocals are easier to make out than on My People Were Fair or Prophets, Seers and Sages, so as a consequence the album is just significantly more listenable. Plus there's no John Peel fairytale this time around.