Marc Bolan and T. Rex
Born To Boogie

Review By Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
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  Who needs TV when I got T. Rex? Do you think David Bowie respected Marc Bolan so much that he really meant that line when he wrote "All The Young Dudes" for Moot The Hopple? I do, in fact I read that Bowie was in awe of Bolan. If that is indeed true then he also must have learned well from the rock-pop icon, as he surpassed him eventually in every aspect. Lord only knows what Marc would have done if he were still with us today. With what little time he did spend on the planet he certainly amassed an awesome collection of music that we are all still enjoying to this day. Personally, the more I hear Bolan's music the more I like it. He had a unique sound. He actually was responsible for jump-starting glam rock, even though he once stated - "glam rock is dead." Indeed, he was the granddaddy of juiced up rock-pop with spaced out lyrics and guitar solos that took an audience to the stratospheres of aural delight.

Born To Boogie was Ringo Starr's baby. Ringo loved Mark and his music. He wanted to film him doing some crazy skits and catch him live in concert on Starr's own Apple Films at home were T Rextasy was exploding. This film was sitting in someone's basement collecting dust for years. Amazing as that may seem when you think about what a high profile artist Bolan was (he was responsible for 25 percent of all record sales for a few years in the U.K.), as fate would have it, the story unfolds this way. His performance was at its peak right after a U.S. tour, making this all celluloid gold. For the history and popularity of rock music itself, this had to happen. There was a very expensive and painstaking process for this film to find a new life. I must say it was quite interesting watching the extras of the DVD. They take you through the entire process of the refurbishing of the original film.

The quality of this product is outstanding and the sound is superb. Each set comes with a nice booklet complete with narratives on Bolan and some great pictures. I know it was difficult to land review copies of this and I feel grateful and honored to receive them both. Trust me, if I did not get it I was going to buy it anyway.

Some of the scenes filmed are outrageous. There is some footage of Elton John playing piano with Mark's head right in the middle of the piano, with his face painted all white, while John is sitting there playing with the biggest smirk on his face. What a jam session-Mark on guitar and singing, Elton on piano, and Ringo on drums. A super group if there ever was one, even if it only lasted for a day.

There is just so much great music and footage to enjoy in both sets; I can hardly express adequately in words how enjoyable this was. I can tell you one thing, this is quality product, and an absolute must for any rock fan. Watch a shooting star whose luminosity never dimmed. The legend of Marc Bolan and T. Rex get their due on these wonderful visual and audio collections.

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