T. Rex is the first album released under the shortened band name and the fifth overall since their debut as Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1968. Issued in December 1970 by Fly Records, the album continued the stylistic shift away from the duo’s earlier folk‑based sound toward a more minimal electric rock approach, balancing acoustic and electric textures. The previous album A Beard of Stars had charted moderately, but Marc Bolan remained frustrated at not breaking beyond cult status. T