📰 T. Rex Announce Rocker! – News Features: Feb. 1973
- T.Rex
- Feb 17, 1973
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 17
Record Mirror’s two‑page news coverage unveiling T. Rex’s new single “Twentieth Century Boy” and confirming the band’s March 1973 European tour dates.
📰 Key Highlights
• Two one‑page news articles in Record Mirror, February 17, 1973
• Announces new T. Rex single “Twentieth Century Boy” (released March 2, 1973)
• Includes Marc Bolan’s quote calling it their “best single yet”
• Confirms B‑side “Free Angel”
• Details full March 1973 European tour itinerary
• Notes Japan and Château sessions for Tanx
📰 Overview
Record Mirror’s February 17 issue delivers a major T. Rex update: the unveiling of “Twentieth Century Boy,” a track recorded in Japan and positioned as the band’s next major single. Alongside the announcement, the paper confirms a full European tour for March 1973, marking T. Rex’s return to the continent after the postponed Paris Olympia show the previous autumn.
📰 Source Details
Publication / Venue: Record Mirror
Date: February 17, 1973
Issue / Format: Two one‑page news articles
Provenance Notes: Standard Record Mirror news spread.
📰 The Story
Record Mirror leads with the headline “T. Rex Announce Rocker! Twentieth Century Bolan!”, signalling the arrival of the band’s next single. The article confirms that “Twentieth Century Boy” will be released on March 2, and that it was one of two Tanx‑era tracks recorded in Japan.
The piece highlights the guest vocalists — Sue and Sonny, Vicki Brown, Barry St. John — and saxophonist Howie Casey, underscoring the single’s rich, layered production.
Marc Bolan is quoted with characteristic confidence:
“I regard Twentieth Century Boy as our best single yet. The song has the most basic rock format since Ride A White Swan.”
The B‑side, “Free Angel,” was recorded at the Château in France, where the rest of Tanx was completed.
The second page confirms the band’s March 1973 European tour, with dates including:
• Paris – March 12
• Stockholm – March 15
• Aarhus – March 17
• Oslo – March 19
• Gothenburg – March 20
• Copenhagen – March 20
• Odense – March 22
• Brussels – March 24
Record Mirror notes that the Paris Olympia show had originally been planned for September 1972 but was cancelled when Bolan chose to refine the band’s American stage act.
Together, the two pages capture T. Rex in full momentum — a new single, a new album cycle, and a major European tour signalling their continued dominance in early‑70s glam rock.
📰 Visual Archive
“T. Rex Announce Rocker!” news pages, Record Mirror, February 17, 1973.
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📰 Closing Notes
These Record Mirror pages capture T. Rex at a pivotal moment — unveiling one of their most iconic singles while preparing for a major European tour that reinforced their status as glam‑rock royalty.
📰 Sources
• Record Mirror, February 17, 1973
• T. Rex single chronology
• 1973 European tour documentation
📝 Copyright Notice
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
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