Just a snippet tonight*. I had a real revelation today on my commute, one so profound that I clapped my hands really loudly and said ‘Yesss’ quite quietly – trust me on an English train in the morning, that’s pretty much the equivalent of standing on the town hall steps, dropping your trousers and shouting ‘Check it out ladies! Never knowingly undersold!’, anywhere else in the world.
The cause of my awfully un-British outburst? well something old and something new. I bought a second-hand 7″ copy of T-Rex Get It On in February 1987, knocking on for almost 28 years ago, because I’d heard it was great and because it was 50p. The A side thrilled my 15 year-old nuts off, the B-side ‘Debora’, all whimsy warbling and bongos gives me the dry heaves. Anyway the point being is that I’ve lived with this song for 2/3 of my life and as you do when you only own 6 other records, I played the living shite out of it.
My joint first record of this year** was T-Rex Electric warrior, my second ever T-Rex record – I bought the deluxe reissue 2LP version with great sleevenotes and bonus tracks etc etc. So I was listening to it on my Guy Pod this morning and at the very, very end of ‘Get It On’ when everyone’s favourite elfin glam warrior half sings, half sighs ‘meanwhile I’m still thinkin”, I suddenly twig after all this time that this is a lift/homage to Chuck Berry ‘Little Queenie’ and that’s what made me drop my trousers, metaphorically speaking.
It’s so strange that I have only noticed this now after all this time because I listen to both tracks pretty regularly, particularly ‘Little Queenie’ because its on my Car-aoke playlist, you’ll never ever hear it, but trust me I give the best vocal performance of this song ever. True story.
So there you go, another reason I quite like music, sometimes. It thrills me that even your most played tracks can show you new things occasionally, it’s a thing of constant wonderment and joy.
… and meanwhile I’m still thinkin’
498 Down (still)
*damn kids hogging the PC for homework reasons – what’s up with them? have they never listened to punk? surely they should be sticking it to the man, rather than studying?!
**along with Slayer Reign In Blood, future biographers.
I’m watching ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and who’s plastered on the walls? MB
Whew! Is the film any good? It’s another one on my to do list!
I thought it was really good. It was recommended by someone I trust. I went in skeptical and was surprised. It’s hard to look at McConaughey but you get used to it. Hard to find good new flicks. This was one.
I’ve never noticed this! In other news: Electric Warrior is the only T. Rex album I like start to finish. Hence why I will buy it some day …
Attaboy! Enlightenment! Teach us, Obi Wan.
Loved this post.
Hm. Perhaps you’ve helped me fathom why I’ve never wanted to worship at the shrine of Marc Bolan (don’t get me wrong, I love the singles but the albums are really patchy). Is he, maybe, simply a Chuck copier of modest ability? Look forward to your 5,000 word post on this.
Love those little revelations. That’s what keeps the blood pumping and the vinyl collection growing.
I think parents used to complain, kids these days and their rock & roll.
Now I’m afraid it’s kids these days, not nearly enough rock & roll!