T-Rex – The Studio Albums 1970–1977 (Vinyl Box Set Review)
Not that long ago, I reviewed T. Rex – The Studio Albums 1970–1977 CD box set from Demon Records. It was a solid, affordable way to get Marc Bolan’s core studio catalogue in one place, and many of you picked it up on the back of that review.
But then a comment appeared underneath the video:
“Phil, have you seen the vinyl set? It’s far more impressive than the CD one.”
So of course… I had to take a look.
Same albums, very different experience
This vinyl box contains the same eight studio albums, spanning 1970 to 1977. What it doesn’t include are the non-album singles and bonus tracks – and honestly, that makes complete sense. Trying to shoehorn those into an extra LP would only have pushed the price up even further.
At around £160, this is very much a different proposition to the CD set. But once you open it up, you can immediately see where the money has gone.
Faithfully recreated albums – with flair
Each album is beautifully reproduced, right down to the original sleeves, inserts and lyric inners. The card stock feels substantial, the printing is sharp, and everything has been handled with real care. A couple of things are different for those of you who bought the originals – Zinc Alloy does not have a Gatefold sleeve and the poster from Electric Warrior is also not included. I imagine these were changed for cost reasons.
Every album is pressed on split-colour vinyl, chosen to suit the character of each record:
T. Rex (1970) – orange and black
Electric Warrior (1971) – gold and black (of course it is)
The Slider (1972) – red and black
Tanx (1973) – silver/grey and black
Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow (1974) – blue and black
Bolan’s Zip Gun (1975) – pink and black
Futuristic Dragon (1976) – yellow and black
Dandy in the Underworld (1977) – white and black
T-Rex’s catalogue has been treated rather unevenly over the years. During the late ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, decent pressings were often hard to find. Many of us ended up with the old Marc On Wax editions – serviceable at the time, but not exactly definitive.
And let’s be honest: a lot of original early-’70s T-Rex albums partied hard. These records went to parties, were lent out, scribbled on, and didn’t always make it home again. Finding clean originals today isn’t easy – or cheap.
This box solves that problem beautifully.
What’s missing – and why that’s okay
Yes, it’s true: classics like “Children of the Revolution” and “20th Century Boy” aren’t here. They weren’t part of the original albums, and there simply aren’t enough tracks to justify an extra LP without inflating the price even more.
If you want those, Demon also has you covered elsewhere – but this box is about the albums, and in that context it absolutely succeeds.
If you’re a casual listener, the CD box or a good compilation will probably do the job.
But if you’re a Marc Bolan fan, a vinyl collector, or someone rediscovering these albums after years of worn-out originals, this set is something special.
ORDER THE T-REX VINYL ALBUMS BOX SET HERE
ORDER THE T-REX CD ALBUMS BOX SET HERE
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
