📰 The Best of T. Rex – Mar. 1971

Writer: Disc and Music Echo

Date: March 6, 1971

Length: 4–5 min read

A brief but telling snapshot of T. Rex at the moment they crossed from underground mystique into mainstream fascination — captured through a compact review of their new budget compilation.

A woodland past re‑packaged for a chart‑bound future.

In early 1971, Disc and Music Echo assessed The Best of T. Rex as both a history lesson and a reminder of the band’s strange, shimmering early magic. The review highlights the group’s shift from cult curiosity to chart force, while acknowledging the unevenness of the compilation itself.

📰 Key Highlights

• Budget compilation released on Fly Records (TON 2)

• Tracks span from “Debora” onward

• Only two singles included: “Debora” and “One Inch Rock”

• Two new tracks featuring Mickey Finn and Steve Peregrine Took

• Review verdict: “Quality — so‑so. Value for money — good.”

📰 Overview

By March 1971, T. Rex were no longer the underground darlings of the late ’60s. “Ride a White Swan” had cracked the charts, “Hot Love” was rising fast, and Marc Bolan’s transformation from acoustic mystic to electric pop star was underway. Into this moment arrived The Best of T. Rex, a low‑priced Fly Records compilation designed to capitalise on the band’s sudden visibility.

The review in Disc and Music Echo frames the album as a selective, somewhat uneven retrospective — a curated glimpse into the duo’s earlier, more esoteric period. While not comprehensive, it offers listeners a taste of the band’s woodland mythology just as their sound was beginning to evolve into something louder, brighter, and more commercial.

📰 Source Details

Publication / Venue: Disc and Music Echo

Date: March 6, 1971

Format: Album Review

Provenance Notes: Summary and transformation based on visible text from the scanned clipping.

📰 The Story

The review opens by noting how quickly T. Rex had shifted from underground favourites to chart contenders. With interest in the band surging, Fly Records issued The Best of T. Rex as a budget‑priced introduction to their earlier work.

The compilation begins with “Debora,” the duo’s breakthrough single, and includes “One Inch Rock” as the only other chart‑recognised track. The rest of the selection is described as subjective — a curated wander through the group’s mystical, acoustic era rather than a definitive anthology.

Two new tracks, “Once Upon the Seas of Abyssinia” and “Elemental Child,” are highlighted for featuring both Mickey Finn and Steve Peregrine Took, bridging the group’s shifting line‑ups and sonic identities. The reviewer recommends “Cat Black (The Wizard’s Hat)” and “Salamanda Palaganda” as essential listening for anyone seeking the band’s early woodland enchantment.

The verdict is concise: musically uneven but worthwhile for the price — a snapshot of T. Rex before the glitter, before the glam, before the roar of the electric boogie.

📰 Visual Archive

A monochrome Disc and Music Echo clipping featuring a portrait of Mickey Finn and a short review of The Best of T. Rex.

📰 Caption

Disc and Music Echo, March 6, 1971 — Mickey Finn and the early T. Rex catalogue revisited.

📰 Related Material

• The Best of T. Rex (Fly TON 2)

• “Debora” (1968)

• “One Inch Rock” (1969)

📰 Closing Notes

This small review captures a transitional moment — the last breath of the duo’s mystical folk era before T. Rex exploded into glam‑rock superstardom. A modest compilation, but a meaningful one for tracing the band’s evolution.

#ReleaseChronicle #TRex #MarcBolan #1971

📰 Sources

• Disc and Music Echo (March 6, 1971)

• Contemporary T. Rex discography context

📝 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.