Released - July 1972
Genre - Glam Rock
Producer - Tony Visconti
Selected Personnel - Marc Bolan (Vocals/Guitar); Steve Currie (Bass); Mickey Finn (Percussion); Bill Legend (Drums); Tony Visconti (String Arrangements)
Standout Track - Metal Guru
This is an album that managed to eventually sneak its way onto the list via the strength of one track. When I initially listened to The Slider, I was generally disappointed with it and even bored by elements of it. I kept coming back solely for the unignorable classic that is "Metal Guru," and slowly some of the other songs began to reveal their virtues, but it's still generally a frustratingly inconsistent record. Ultimately, it's worthy of inclusion because Bolan was an undeniably talented guy and when he was on form he could make truly great music, but it's no surprise that a steep fall in the public's favours was on the cards for T. Rex. In the wake of David Bowie's taking the world by storm via the mythic creation of his alien alter-ego Ziggy Stardust, Bolan was battling bravely. Indeed, the release of The Slider didn't show any fading fortunes just yet for the originator of glam rock, and became one of his most successful albums along with Electric Warrior, spawning two number one singles in "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru." The two were fighting on an even keel for a short while, but this album is a clear sign of where the battle was going. Bowie's work was full of so much imagination and inventiveness, such richness and variety, while Bolan seemed content to continue ploughing the same fairly tired furrows of by-the-numbers chugging glam. Even the potential advantage of the continued presence of Tony Visconti (who would go on to be one of Bowie's most innovative and loyal producers) does little to make The Slider sound particularly interesting, beyond the odd vaguely diverting string arrangement.
All this pretty much sums up my sense of unimpressed boredom when I first listened to this album, but as I say, it has "Metal Guru" on it. It might just be the very best of all T. Rex's celebrated classic singles. The clattering drums of Bill Legend, the gloriously simple drone of the descending guitar riff, and the exultant cries of the chorus of backing singers make it one of the most ecstatic, orgiastic classic rock tracks of all time, and one of Bolan's great triumphs. Ostensibly a paean to some kind of imaginary godhead, it's just as effective as some sort of call to arms to have a good time, and must be one of the very best party songs ever recorded. Even if what followed was 100% dross, I'd still be sorely tempted to include The Slider on the list just down to how much fun "Metal Guru" is. But the truth is, admittedly, that it's not dross - there is more than a little tedious material here. "Mystic Lady" consists of little more than an unimaginative strummed guitar riff while Bolan croons "Baby, baby, babe" over and over again, and to make matters even worse, there's another song called "Spaceball Ricochet" that sounds so similar that you start to feel a nagging sense of deja vu as you listen. "Rock On" is one of the only songs on the first half of the album that genuinely entertains by picking up the energy a little, and "Buick Mackane" isn't particularly tuneful but at least has some guts to it.
The album's second half is just as much of a patchy mess, really - "Telegram Sam" is an obvious choice for a lead single as it's one of the few songs with a genuinely catchy tune, although it's a long way from the best tune Bolan's ever penned. Then, after a couple more tepid, by-the-numbers glam tracks, he goes a long way towards saving the whole thing via "Ballrooms Of Mars," one of the best little-known obscure gems in the T. Rex back catalogue. It's a masterpiece of restraint, keeping itself to little more than a simple, folksy tune over a steady drumbeat and a typical lilting croon from Bolan. Just when it starts to sound like any other T. Rex ballad, Bolan's impassioned cry of "Rock!" kicks in and he unleashes one of the most impassioned, melodic and space-age sounding guitar solos ever recorded. It's an incredible moment of cathartic release, and one of very few moments where Bolan demonstrates a genuinely great understanding of structure and song-craft above and beyond writing catchy three minute pop songs, and it's one of my very favourite T. Rex songs. Sadly, the album continues to be very much in the shadow of its standout songs, and nothing else on the second side even comes close to being as memorable or noticeable or interesting as "Ballrooms Of Mars."
This review is coming across very negative, but I feel it's important for me to make the distinction between albums I genuinely love with all my heart, and albums I have a lot of respect for and interest in, and that I really like in places, but that suffer from major flaws and problems that diminish the listening experience for me, and The Slider is undoubtedly one of the latter. It's got some really fun moments, but it's an excellent testament to why Bowie emerged from the early 70s as the truly iconic artist rather than Bolan - he was consistent and he was continually inventive, there was never any sense of creative fatigue. After the release of The Slider, perhaps even Bolan began to acknowledge this as his drive and desire to be genuinely popular seemed to desert him. The albums he made over the ensuing years increasingly failed to strike a chord with the public and showed him running out of ideas (although occasionally the odd great song, like 1973's "20th Century Boy" or 1976's "I Love To Boogie" would emerge). Whether these occasional flashes of genius might one day have stabilised his creative freefall will never be known, as in 1977 he died in a car crash, robbing the world of an undeniable musical talent, regardless of how inconsistent he was. Not long before, he had buried the hatchet with Bowie and performed with him on TV. In the wake of his sad death, T. Rex have left a hugely important musical legacy, even if it's one I find frustratingly directionless and repetitive in places. But, like I said, when they were on form, they really knew how to make great music.
Track Listing:
All songs written by Marc Bolan.
1. Metal Guru
2. Mystic Lady
3. Rock On
4. The Slider
5. Baby Boomerang
6. Spaceball Ricochet
7. Buick Mackane
8. Telegram Sam
9. Rabbit Fighter
10. Baby Strange
11. Ballrooms Of Mars
12. Chariot Choogle
13. Main Man
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