Marc Bolan "The Early Singles 1964-1968 [6 CD-Singles Box Set] (2006)

Before Marc Bolan's name became synonymous with glam rock, he duly toiled away on the bottom rungs of the music business releasing a string of (now beyond collectible) singles under various monikers, which despite moderate critical acclaim, all failed to chart. A more insecure man may have decided to call it quits, but not our androgynous hero of the fuzz guitar! Imagine, a world without Marc Bolan! Includes both sides of Marc's first demo, his first three singles, singles released with John's Children and early Tyrannosaurus Rex.Current collector prices would demand you drop several thousand pounds for the original Decca and Parlophone pressings of Marc Bolan's first recordings. This box set gives you the same music, in the same 7", 45-rpm format, for a fraction of the price -- and then some. In fact, only three of the singles within were actually released as 45s during Bolan's lifetime, the couplings of "The Wizard"/"Beyond the Rising Sun," "The Third Degree"/"San Francisco Poet," and "Hippy Gumbo"/"The Misfit." The remainder -- "The Road I'm On"/"Blowing in the Wind" (credited here to Toby Tyler), "Sleepy Maurice"/"Cat Black," and "Hot Rod Mama"/"Sarah Crazy Child" (Tyrannosaurus Rex) draw from archive recordings that did not really start circulating until after Bolan's death. All should be familiar to even the halfway conscientious collector, either in their original form or via Bolan's own subsequent remakes -- the 20th Century Superstar box set rounds them all up in CD form. But the vinyl artifacts are attractive regardless, with custom picture sleeves that not only draw from period photographs, they utilize period art standards, too. Earmark's customary use of the highest quality vinyl rounds out an excellent package. --Dave Thompson, All Music Guide (Rating: 4/5 stars)trax:

Disc 1

1. The Road I'm On (Gloria) 2. Blowin' In The Wind

Disc 2

1. The Wizard 2. Beyond The Risin' Sun

Disc 3

1. The Third Degree 2. San Francisco Poet

Disc 4

1. Hippy Gumbo 2. Misfit

Disc 5

1. Sleepy Maurice 2. Cat Black

Disc 6

1. Hot Rod Mama 2. Sarah Crazy Child

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