T.Rex (The Brown Album) is released in the UK. the fifth studio album by English Glam Rock band T. Rex and the first released under that name since changing their name from Tyrannosaurus Rex. Released by record labels FlyRecords in the Uk and Reprise in the USA. Although the album was credited to T. Rex, all the recordings (as well as the cover shot) were done when they still were Tyrannosaurus Rex, with the two-man lineup of singer/songwriter/guitarist Marc Bolan and percussionist Mickey Finn, although producer Tony Visconti played bass and recorder on a couple of tracks. “Ride A White Swan” was recorded during the same sessions but did not appear on the album. They officially changed the band name to T. Rex to release that single in October 1970
The album continued in the vein of the duo’s previous album A Beard Of Stars with an even further emphasis on an electric rock sound and the addition of strings on several tracks. Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, aka “Flo and Eddie“, sang backup vocals for the first time on a T. Rex song, “Seagull Woman”. They would go on to sing on most of the group’s subsequent string of hits.
The album contained electric reworkings of two old Tyrannosaurus Rex songs, one of which, “The Wizard”, was originally recorded even earlier than Bolan’s pre-T.Rex band Johns Children. The second was an electric version of the second Tyrannosaurus Rex single, “One Inch Rock”, with an intro of scat-singing by Bolan and Finn. The remaining short songs, however, were new material.
At The time of release Ride A White Swan was high in the Charts at number 6 and a UK tour ongoing, yet the song was not included.
T. Rex
Hi-Fly 2
Recorded at Trident Studios, London
Marc Bolan – vocals, guitar, organ, bass
Mickey Finn – vocals, bass, drums, percussion
Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman – backing vocals
Engineer: Roy Thomas Baker
Producer: Tony Visconti
1. The Children Of Rarn (Short Organ version)
2. Jewel
3. The Visit
4. Childe
5. The Time Of Love Is Now
6. Diamond Meadows
7. Root Of Star
8. Beltane Walk
9. Is It Love?
10. One Inch Rock
11. Summer Deep
12. Seagull Woman
13. Sun Eye
14. The Wizard
15. The Children Of Rarn (Short Organ version)
The Fat Angel Sings 