In the fall of 1970, Marc Bolan, lead singer of bluesy folk-rock band Tyrannosaurus Rex, presided over his group's first American tour.
It was a total failure.
One year later, on the eve of T. Rex's first American release, Bolan found himself part of a very different band.
The name had been shortened, and original percussionist Steve Peregrine Took had been ousted and replaced by Mickey Finn. The new lineup was soon joined by Steve Currie and Bill Legend as well.
More importantly, however, were the changes T. Rex had made to its sound.
Although the blues and hippie culture still acted as two of Bolan's prime influences, they had been joined by the heavily distorted guitars, high, feminine vocals and overt pop sexuality of a genre that had yet to be named.
It would come to be known as glam rock.
Along with David Bowie's Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust, which were released stateside in the same 16-month period, T. Rex's Electric Warrior stands as one of the most influential records of its time.
It contains a unique sound that is nonetheless highly accessible, and stands as T. Rex's most successful release in America to this day.
Electric Warrior's brash refrains, mystical, and at times, incomprehensible lyrics and open disregard for musical convention combine with an acute sense of melody that has made it a key influence for countless bands in many genres.
In this one album, one can hear the sexual ambiguity of the Pet Shop Boys, the growling vocals of The Sex Pistols and the low-fi garage sensibility of The White Stripes.
T. Rex immediately sets the tone of the record with "Mambo Sun," in which fuzzy guitars zigzag in irregular patterns over a tribal beat.
Sounding like it has benefited from some quality time with paint thinner, Bolan's wavering voice rises above the instrumentation to proclaim, "My life's a shadowless horse if I can't get across to you."
The song is undeniably weird, but no more so than the rest of the album.
"Mambo Sun" is quickly followed by the more low-key "Cosmic Dancer," a song that acted as the theme for the popular film Billy Elliot. Here, Bolan seems to have come down from whatever high he was on during the recording of "Sun," and the buzzing guitars have temporarily been replaced by a delicately produced string section.
The otherwise normal song still benefits from Bolan's unique lyrical sense, containing such lines as "I danced myself into the tomb. Is it strange to dance so soon?"
Lyrically, Electric Warrior becomes more literal in the hits "Jeepster" and "Bang a Gong (Get It On)," arguably the most well-known tracks on this record.
Still, Bolan's immense creativity always puts an unusual spin on his songs.
In "Lean Woman Blues," T. Rex takes a typical blues chord progression and yet ends up with a song about a lover who "gorges me with a knife."
At the record's conclusion, the band jumpstarts the punk movement half a decade early by "Rip Off," a growling indictment of things both real and imagined.
Just seven years after the first British invasion, T. Rex staggered America with its bizarre yet highly entertaining mix of early rock influences and groundbreaking new sounds.
We've never recovered.
