T. Rex The Slider - Album July 21 1972
- T.Rex
- Jul 21, 1972
- 4 min read
Format: LP • Vinyl • Album • Cassette • 8‑Track Cartridge • Promo Editions • International Variants
Label: T. Rex — BLN 5001 • 1E 062 ◦ 93596 Country: UK
Release Date: 21 July 1972
Genre: Glam Rock • Power Pop Style: Peak‑era T. Rextasy studio album with heavy, string‑laden glam and acoustic ballads
Overview
“The Slider is the seventh studio album by English rock band T. Rex, and the third since abbreviating their name from Tyrannosaurus Rex.” “It was released on 21 July 1972 by record labels EMI and Reprise. Two number-one singles, ‘Telegram Sam’ and ‘Metal Guru’, were released to promote the album.”
Cut at the absolute height of T. Rextasy, The Slider follows the chart‑dominating Electric Warrior and consolidates Marc Bolan’s status as “King of Glam”. Written largely on tour in late 1971, the album balances hard‑rocking “Zep Rex” riffing with intimate, confessional ballads. Commercially, it hit #4 in the UK and #17 in the US, while critically it has come to be seen as one of the definitive glam rock albums.
The sleeve credits Ringo Starr with the front and back cover photographs, taken at John Lennon’s Tittenhurst Park during filming of the Born to Boogie movie. The iconic grainy black‑and‑white portrait of Bolan in top hat and glitter jacket was accidentally over‑processed in the darkroom, giving it its distinctive texture.
Issued in a non‑flip‑back cover, issued with a red thick paper inner sleeve carrying full lyrics and credits.
Labels T. Rex – BLN 5001 / 1E 062 ◦ 93596, with one version noted for omitting “T. REX” under the track listing on the labels.
Track Listing
— Side A
Metal Guru — 2:25
Mystic Lady — 3:09
Rock On — 3:26
The Slider — 3:22
Baby Boomerang — 2:17
Spaceball Ricochet — 3:37
Buick MacKane — 3:31
— Side B
Telegram Sam — 3:42
Rabbit Fighter — 3:55
Baby Strange — 3:03
Ballrooms of Mars — 4:09
Chariot Choogle — 2:45
Main Man — 4:1
Personnel
T. Rex Marc Bolan — vocals, guitar Steve Currie — bass guitar Mickey Finn — percussion, congas, hand percussion, vocals Bill Legend — drums
Additional Personnel
Mark Volman (“Flo”) — backing vocals Howard Kaylan (“Eddie”) — backing vocals Tony Visconti — producer, string arrangements, backing vocals
Technical
Dominique “Freddy” Hansson — engineering David Katz — orchestra master Ringo Starr — sleeve photography Mick O’Halloran — front‑of‑house technician / lead road manager Steve Little — stage manager / PA to Marc / roadie Micky Marmalade — roadie / drive
Recording Notes
Most songs were written and demoed in late 1971 while touring the UK. Early sessions (1–3 November 1971) at Rosenberg Studios, Copenhagen produced “Telegram Sam”, “Baby Strange”, “Cadilac”, “Thunderwing” and an early “Spaceball Ricochet”, with overdubs at Trident Studios in London.
On Elton John’s recommendation, the bulk of the album was recorded at Strawberry Studios, Château d'Hérouville near Paris to avoid UK tax. Sessions from 3 February and 8–12 March 1972 yielded “The Slider”, “Rock On”, “Metal Guru”, “Mystic Lady”, “Spaceball Ricochet” (remake), “Rabbit Fighter”, “Main Man”, plus B‑sides “Lady” and “Sunken Rags” and the outtake “Buick MacKane and the Babe Shadow”.
Further recording (31 March–2 April) back at Rosenberg produced “Buick MacKane”, “Baby Boomerang” and “Chariot Choogle”, along with a 12‑minute rehearsal of “Children of the Revolution” for the Born to Boogie film. Final backing vocals by Flo & Eddie and mixing were completed at Elektra Sound Recorders, Los Angeles in early April
Musically, the album is harder‑rocking than Electric Warrior, with Bolan dubbing the heavier cuts “Zep Rex”. Elaborate studio techniques (phasing, reverb, backwards guitars) and Visconti’s strings create a dense glam sound, while ballads like “Spaceball Ricochet” and “Main Man” show a vulnerable, direct address to fans.
UK Variants
LP, Album (Stereo / Standard labels)
T. Rex — BLN 5001 / 1E 062 ◦ 93596 — UK, 1972 (red lyric inner, regular cover)
T. Rex — BLN 5001 — UK, 1972 (label text variations)
T. REX — BLN 5001 / 1E 062 ◦ 93596 — UK, 1972 (capitalised artist credit)
LP, Album, Mispress, Stereo — T. Rex — BLN 5001 / 1E 062‑93596 — UK, 1972
LP, Album, White Label
T. Rex — BLN 5001 — UK, 1972 (white label promo/test)
Cassette, Album
His Master’s Voice — TC‑BLN 5001 / 1E 244 ◦ 93936 — UK, 1972
His Master’s Voice — TC‑BLN 5001 / 1E 244 ◦ 93596 — UK, 1972 (green label variant)
8‑Track Cartridge, Album, Stereo
EMI — 8X‑BLN 5001 / 1E 346 ◦ 93596 — UK, 1972
International Variants (Selective)
Argentina
LP, Album — T. Rex — BLN 5001 — 1972
Australia
LP, Album — T. Rex — BLN 5001 — 1972
LP, Album, Stereo — T. Rex — BLN 5001 — 1972
LP, Album, Stereo — T. Rex — BLN 5001 / T Rex — BLN‑5001 — 1972
Austria / Europe
LP, Album — Ariola — 86 294 IT — 1972
Brazil
LP, Album — T. Rex — BLN 5001 — 1972
Canada
LP, Album, Gatefold — Reprise — MS 2095 / 2095 — 1972
Cassette, Album — Reprise — CRX‑2095 (white shell / paper labels / Dolby variants) — 1972
8‑Track Cartridge, Album — Reprise — 8RM‑2095 (standard and yellow shell) — 1972
Albums Chronology
Electric Warrior — 1971
The Slider — 1972
Tanx — 1973
Singles Featured on This Album
Telegram Sam — single A‑side
(21 January 1972)
Metal Guru — single A‑side
(5 May 1972)
Both singles reached #1 in the UK, forming the commercial spearhead for The Slider and defining the peak of T. Rextasy.
Sources
Discogs 45cat Wikipedia Original UK LP The Slider (BLN 5001) — sleeve, lyric inner, label documentation International discography entries (Argentina, Australia, Europe, Brazil, Canada, etc.) Official UK and US chart archives Session and reissue documentation (Rabbit Fighter (The Alternate Slider), The Slider Recordings) Contemporary reviews: NME, Melody Maker, Sounds, Disc & Music Echo, Creem, The New York Times
Copyright Notice
All album artwork, photographs, and original text excerpts 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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