📰 Tanx for the Memory – Album Review: Mar. 1973
- T.Rex
- Mar 10, 1973
- 3 min read
Writer: Melody Maker (Albums Desk)
Date: March 10, 1973
Length: 4–5 min read
A sharp, era‑defining Melody Maker review of T. Rex’s Tanx, capturing Marc Bolan at a transitional moment — still a glam titan, but pushing into new textures, new grooves, and a more expansive rock vocabulary.
A glam icon stretches his wings as Melody Maker weighs in on Bolan’s post‑Slider evolution.
Melody Maker’s Tanx review finds Marc Bolan in full command of his rock ’n’ roll instincts, but no longer content to repeat the formula that made him a superstar. The page pairs a striking live photograph with a column‑length critique that frames Tanx as both a continuation and a departure — a record that deepens the T. Rex sound while hinting at new ambitions.
📰 Key Highlights
• Full‑page Melody Maker album review for Tanx
• Published March 10, 1973, during T. Rex’s commercial peak
• Features a prominent photograph of Marc Bolan performing live
• Positions Tanx as an evolution from The Slider
• Includes commentary on Bolan’s American reception
• Shares page space with reviews of Motown, James Brown, and Tempest
📰 Overview
By early 1973, Marc Bolan was navigating the pressures of sustaining glam‑era superstardom. Tanx, his follow‑up to The Slider, arrived with expectations sky‑high — and Melody Maker’s review captures the tension between Bolan’s established formula and his desire to expand beyond it.
The review acknowledges Bolan’s instinctive grasp of rock ’n’ roll, praising his melodic flair and rhythmic swagger, while also noting the album’s broader palette: brass, soul inflections, and a looser, more exploratory feel. The piece situates Tanx within Bolan’s growing American ambitions, hinting at the challenges of translating UK glam success across the Atlantic.
📰 Source Details
Publication / Venue: Melody Maker
Date: March 10, 1973
Format: One‑page album review
Provenance Notes: Sourced from original print scan; includes full review text, Bolan photograph, and adjacent capsule reviews.
📰 The Story
The review opens with a confident assertion of Bolan’s enduring strengths — his understanding of rock ’n’ roll, his instinctive hooks, and his ability to command attention. Yet the critic also recognises that Tanx marks a shift: a more textured, groove‑driven record that leans into soul, funk, and brass‑heavy arrangements.
Melody Maker frames this evolution as both natural and necessary. Bolan, once the face of glam’s glitter‑stomp simplicity, is now exploring deeper rhythmic pockets and more varied production choices. The review notes that while Tanx may not deliver the immediate, explosive singles of Electric Warrior or The Slider, it offers a richer, more layered listening experience.
The accompanying photograph — Bolan mid‑performance, guitar slung low, curls haloed in stage light — reinforces the review’s central point: he remains a magnetic performer, but one increasingly interested in stretching beyond the confines of glam.
The page’s surrounding reviews (Motown, James Brown, Tempest) place Bolan within a broader musical conversation, subtly suggesting that Tanx is part of a wider shift toward more groove‑oriented, musically ambitious rock.
📰 Visual Archive
A Melody Maker album‑review page featuring a large live photograph of Marc Bolan and the full “Tanx for the Memory” review.
Marc Bolan in Tanx for the Memory — Melody Maker, March 10, 1973.
📰 Related Material
• Tanx (1973)
• The Slider (1972)
• T. Rex live performances, 1972–73
📰 Closing Notes
This Melody Maker review captures Bolan at a crossroads — still a glam superstar, but increasingly restless, ambitious, and musically expansive. Tanx stands today as one of his most intriguing transitional works, and this page documents the moment critics first recognised that shift.
📰 Sources
• Melody Maker, March 10, 1973
• Contemporary T. Rex discography
• Archival press materials
📝 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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