🔘 Flyback 2 – The Best of T. Rex – Album: Mar. 1971

🔘 Flyback 2 – The Best of T. Rex – Album: Mar. 1971

Label: Fly Records – TON 2

Date: March 1971

Tracklist: 14 tracks

Length: Approx. 10–12 min read

A budget‑priced retrospective capturing the enchanted, acoustic world of Tyrannosaurus Rex just as Marc Bolan was stepping into mainstream stardom.

A curated doorway into the duo’s mystical past.

🔘 – Key Highlights

• Budget compilation released at the height of T. Rex’s chart breakthrough

• Tracks drawn from singles, outtakes, and the four Tyrannosaurus Rex albums

• First appearance of two outtakes: “Once Upon the Seas of Abyssinia” & “Elemental Child”

• Early singles presented in stereo for the first time

• Entered the UK Albums Chart on 27 March 1971, peaking at No. 21

🔘 – Overview

By early 1971, Marc Bolan had crossed a threshold. “Ride a White Swan” had cracked the Top 10, “Hot Love” was climbing fast, and the underground mysticism of Tyrannosaurus Rex was suddenly of great commercial interest. Fly Records responded with Flyback 2 – The Best of T. Rex, a low‑priced compilation designed to introduce new fans to the duo’s earlier, enchanted catalogue.

Rather than a definitive anthology, the album offers a selective wander through the group’s woodland universe — a world of wizards, salamanders, star‑children, and whispered spells. It captures the final moment before Bolan’s transformation into a glam‑rock icon, preserving the fragile magic of the duo’s acoustic era.

🔘 – The Story

Flyback 2 is built from a mixture of sources: six tracks from singles (four of them unique to 45s), six album cuts, and two previously unreleased outtakes. All recordings date from the Tyrannosaurus Rex period, before the electric boogie of the later T. Rex sound took hold.

The compilation opens with “Debora,” the duo’s breakthrough single from 1968 — a hypnotic, percussive chant that introduced Bolan’s mystical lyricism to a wider audience. “One Inch Rock,” the only other single included, anchors the second side with its playful, rhythmic charm.

The album’s deeper cuts — “Cat Black (The Wizard’s Hat),” “Salamanda Palaganda,” “Lofty Skies,” and “Blessed Wild Apple Girl” — showcase the duo’s signature blend of acoustic guitar, bongos, and incantatory vocals. These tracks form the heart of the compilation, offering listeners a glimpse into the band’s early woodland mythology.

Two outtakes, “Once Upon the Seas of Abyssinia” and “Elemental Child,” appear here for the first time. Their inclusion adds historical weight, bridging the transition from the Steve Peregrine Took era to the Mickey Finn partnership.

Although the original mono single mixes are not preserved, several tracks appear in stereo for the first time — a subtle but notable shift for collectors and fans.

Released just as T. Rex were becoming a household name, Flyback 2 served as both a primer and a time capsule: a reminder of where Bolan had come from, even as he prepared to reinvent himself once again.

🔘 – Track List

Side A

Debora

Child Star

Cat Black (The Wizard’s Hat)

Conesuala

Strange Orchestras

Find a Little Wood

Once Upon the Seas of Abyssinia

Side B

One Inch Rock

Salamanda Palaganda

Lofty Skies

Stacey Grove

King of the Rumbling Spires

Blessed Wild Apple Girl

Elemental Child

🔘 – Variants (UK)

• LP, Compilation, Stereo/Mono — Fly Records – TON 2 (1971)

• Cassette, Compilation — Fly Records – ZCFLB 2 (1971)

• 8‑Track Cartridge, Compilation — Fly Records – Y8FLB 2 (1971)

• CD, Compilation, Reissue — A&M Records – 541 005‑2 (1998)

🔘 – Chart Performance

UK Albums Chart

• Peak Position: 21

• First Chart Date: 27 March 1971

• Weeks on Chart: 8

• Top 20: 7 weeks

• Chart Run Highlights:

23 (27/03/1971)

39 → 32 → 25 → 21 → 25 → 42 → 22 (Aug–Sept 1971)

🔘 – Context & Notes

• All recordings credited to Tyrannosaurus Rex, predating the electric T. Rex era

• Compilation includes six single tracks, four unique to 45s

• Two outtakes make their first appearance here

• Several tracks debut in stereo

• Released during the commercial breakthrough of “Ride a White Swan” and “Hot Love”

• Produced under the Fly Records budget “Flyback” series

🔘 – Visual Archive

A bold, four‑colour grid cover featuring yellow, blue, green, and red quadrants, with a circular green Fly Records emblem reading “FLYBACK – T. REX” surrounding an illustrated fly.

The vibrant Fly Records budget‑series sleeve for Flyback 2 – The Best of T. Rex (1971).

🔘 – Related Material

• T. Rex – A Beard of Stars (1970)

• T. Rex – T. Rex (1970)

• Ride a White Swan (1970)

🔘 – Discography

Previous Release: T. Rex – T. Rex (1970)

This Release: Flyback 2 – The Best of T. Rex (1971)

Next Release: Electric Warrior (1971)

🔘 – Mini‑Timeline

• 1968–70 — Tyrannosaurus Rex record four albums

• Oct 1970 — “Ride a White Swan” becomes a hit

• Mar 1971 — Flyback 2 released

• Mar 1971 — Album enters UK chart at No. 23

• Sept 1971 — Final chart appearance

• Late 1971 — Electric Warrior ignites the glam era

🔘 – Glam Flashback

Before glitter, stack heels, and screaming crowds, Bolan’s world was built from acoustic spells and woodland visions. Flyback 2 preserves that moment — the last breath of the mystic before the glam‑rock comet struck.

🔘 – Closing Notes

Flyback 2 – The Best of T. Rex stands as a bridge between eras: a curated glimpse into the duo’s enchanted past, released at the very moment Marc Bolan was stepping into the spotlight as a pop phenomenon. It remains one of the most evocative snapshots of the Tyrannosaurus Rex years.

🔘 – Hashtags

#ReleaseChronicle #TRex #MarcBolan #1971 #FlyRecords

🔘 – Sources

• Fly Records catalogue data

• Official Charts Company

• Disc & Music Echo (Mar 6, 1971)

• Wikipedia (contextual background)

🔘 – Copyright Notice

All label 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.