“Bang A Gong, Not Teaser”
Dr. Rox Remember When?
WDGY: Article #120: Feb 2021
By: RLSchwinden aka MrZerr0
So when I was a kid growing up in Sioux City, Iowa where I got my music interests from, basically was my Uncles; Jeff S. & John U. or my Aunt Cat, as there wasn’t, much to choose from as far as Radi0 went, my memory was 3 stations; KMNS, KTRI & KSCJ, I do vividly remember taking an interest in Top 40 Radio as soon as Summer 1972, but for some reason they were still playing Top 40 hits on the radio from the previous year, when I 1st remember hearing “Get It On, Bang A Gong” a #10 hit. I thought it was a really cool song, but I never heard of them before or since that song, until later in 1980, or 81 when Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, had mentioned in a interview that one of his main influences was “T-Rex” and that he and the other members of “Def Leppard” had permed their hair to resemble Marc Bolan of “T-Rex” now at that time I loved Def Leppard’s “High N Dry” album and later their “Pyromania” album. In late 1985 I was in a Cover-Original Band “Scepter” in Des Moines, Iowa, one of the cover songs we did at that time was “Get It On, Bang A Gong” as Robert Palmer & half of “Duran Duran” had a hit with it at the time. I am a huge Ringo Starr fan and one time in an interview he stated that “The song “Back Off Boogaloo” was about Paul McCartney, but was informally written with Marc Bolan at dinner at my (Ringo’s) house one night”
So I thought “Well, then this T-Rex must be great so one of the 1st vinyl records I bought when I 1st started at “RecordShop” in Valley West Mall was 1985’s “T-Rextasy” on WB records, um …. I was a little disappointed … while I loved “20th Century Boy” the only other song I really enjoyed was “Summertime Blues” I had heard “Jeepster” covered by “Davy Jones & Toast” from a cassette bootleg of their 1977 US Tour, and I thought it was kind of a funny song. Little did I know at the time the 1st 5 albums by T-Rex, they were essentially a folk duo, that used to be classified as “Beatnik Music” as I had seen the cover of “Electric Warrior” I was miss lead to think “T-Rex” was in the ranks of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin & Alice Cooper, wow, was I wrong. So the next vinyl I purchased on T-Rex was “Electric Warrior” then “Slider” which contained “Buick Mackane” then “Tanx” which had “Country Honey” and finally “Unicorn” , at that time back then, T-Rex, was just a near miss for me ….
In 1995 to 1998 I worked for “Worst Buyz Co” and in their Corporate Newsletter in 1996 (which I Still Own this particular Issue) they announced their own CD Label “Master Tone” (no really made Vinyl from 1987 to 2012, therefore No ONe was able to Buy Vinyl from this period) would be releasing an extensive catalog of BBC Recordings by almost 100 Artists, such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, R.E.M. Jethro Tull & T-Rex to name a few, and these titles would only be available at their own stores. Ultimately they only released 5; T-Rex, Jethro Tull and 2 others and a Led Zeppelin “Interviews” CD. Somehow it did NOT dawn on the “Big Box Giant Retailers” that while they may have stuck a deal with the BBC, they did NOT have a deal to distribute certain bands music, the was still own and controlled by the respective Publishers, Song Writers, Artists and the Record Labels who owned them. Because of these Laws in the Music Industry, “Master Tone” was reduced to releasing Interview CDs with a Booklet to recoup their investment losses, to be fair, those releases are kinda cool for the hard core collector
Jump ahead a few years ago (12 to be exact) when I opened Mr. Zer0’s 55113 in Roseville. As soon as we opened droves of people came in asking for T-Rex vinyl, we brought in a few from Calif. and they were priced about $50.oo each, they sold immediately. So much so I decided I needed to look deeper into this T-Rex. Only a few years earlier than this I began to fly the banner of Tommy R. Bolin from Sioux City, Iowa, and I kept running into the same reaction; “Oh yea, I really like that song he had “Bang A Gong” then I would respond “No, that’s T-Rex, Tommy Bolin, was in DEEP PURPLE & JAMES GANG” to add to the confusion, Marc died a mere 9 months after Tommy did. Moving ahead a few more years to 2017 when I got my gig at WDGY, Tommy Bolin was “PsychoGello Show” #3 and T-Rex was Show #22, in a effort to distinguish to 2 from each other. So once again I delved into the catalog of T-Rex, only to reassure myself that T-Rex was really a Beatnik Duo. I remember about 2018 or so the “T-Rex Tribute Band: Electric Warrior” was playing the “Turf Club” in St. Paul, I really wanted to go but did not make it there for some reason. Then I met an artist Taylor James Ellis, who has created many artworks for Mr. Zer0’s, because he came into the store in search of T-Rex Vinyl. So after all this I have listened to most of T-Rex’s catalog which is far more on 45 Singles than full length albums, to find there are a few songs of T-Rex, I Really Love: “Cadillac” “Laser Love” “20th Century Boy” “Buick Mackane” & “Summertime Blues” . So there it is fans, my personal experience on T-Rex. And now a brief history and their discography;
He was born Mark Feld on 30 Sept 1947 in London, ENG. and passed on 16 Sept 1977. Formed in late 1967 after “John’s Children” “Tyrannosaurus Rex” was just Bolan and percussionist Steven Peregrin Took: 1949 -1980; London. Later replacing Took with Mickey Finn: 1947 -2003; Surrey. in 1971 they added Bassist Steve Currie: 1947 -1981; Lincolnshire, ENG. was also killed in a car crash like Bolan) & Drummer Bill Legend: 1947 Essex, ENG. & Vocalist (and lover) Gloria Richetta Jones: 19 Oct 1945; Cincinnati, OH. and several others over the years.
Discography:
Solos Singles: Marc Bolan;
“The Wizard/Beyond the Rising Sun” 1965
“The Third Degree/San Francisco Poet” 1966
“Hippy Gumbo/Misfit” 1967
John’s Children Mar – June 1967
“Desdemona/Remember Thomas A Beckett” 1967
Tyrannosaurus Rex , T-Rex, Marc Bolan & T-Rex:
“My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair… But Now They’re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows” July 1968
“Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angles Of The Ages” October 1968
“Unicorn” May 1969
“Beard Of Stars” March 1970
“T-Rex” Dec 1970
“Electric Warrior” Sept 1971
“Bolan Boogie” 1972
“The Slider” July 1972
“Tanx” March 1973
“Zinc Alloy And The Hidden Riders Of Tomorrow” Feb 1974
“The Beginning Of Doves” As Marc Bolan: 1974
“Light Of Love” Aug 1974
“Bolan’s Zip Gun” Feb 1975
“Futuristic Dragon” Jan 1976
“Dandy In The Underworld” Mar 1977
a Book “Warlock Of Love” 1969
27 Single 45s; with over 20 Non-LP Songs
Over 50 Live or Compilation CDs
Here’s a breakdown of my 2 radio shows on “T-Rex”
“PsychoGello Show” Episode #22 Dec 2017
“She Was Born To Be My Unicorn” May 1969
“Dragon’s Ear” March 1970
“Summertime Blues” Oct 1970
“Hot Love” Feb 1971
“Jeepster” September 1971
“Buick Mackane” July 1972
“20th Century Boy” March 1973
“Country Honey” March 1973
“Mr. Zer0’s Cover Up Show” #4 “T-Rex” March-2021
“Get It On, Band A Gong” Power Station March 1985 #6 on the Charts
“The Wizard” Johnny Thunders: June 1978
“Telegram Sam” Bauhaus: July 1980
“Children Of The Revolution” Violent Femmes: 1986
“Buick Mackane” Guns N Roses: Nov 1993
“20th Century Boy” Drain STH: Aug 1999
“Life Is Strange” Martin L. Gore (Depeche Mode): Apr 2003
“Metal Guru:” Rooney: June 2005
“Jeepster” Joan Jett: Sep 2020
Check out my Radi0 Show of almost 4 years on Radi0 WDGY: 740AM, Streaming, FM: 92.1, 103.7, 107.1 Sunday’s at 7am.
You can hear Past Episodes of the “PsychoGello Show” & the “Cover Up” Show @ www. mrZeroS.Com -Podcast
You can hear 32 of Mr. Zer0’s “Evolation Show” and Guest hosting on 18 “Hits And History” Programs on MixCloud.Com under MrZeros, Evolation & Hits And History.
Ok, fans, that’s all for now… tune in next time: MrZerr0
Mr. Zer0’s
*Est. 2009
1744 Lexington Ave. N.
Roseville, MN. 55113
www.MrZeroS.Com
Music, Games, Toys, Movies & That’s IT!
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