Marc Bolan (September 26, 1965) – “Life’s a Gas for the Latest Pop Sensations” Feature - The Observer
George Melly profiles the fledgling Marc Bolan while considering promising newcomers to the pop world. The feature follows the unknown seventeen-year-old during an early Decca recording session and highlights his distinctive songwriting, unusual imagery and emerging commercial potential.
Publication: The Observer
Date: September 26, 1965
Country: United Kingdom
George Melly recalls first meeting Marc Bolan through Mike Pruskin, described as Bolan’s personal manager, publicist and image projector. Bolan is presented as a quiet and shy seventeen-year-old from a family of Soho costermongers who had already modelled, acted and spent time in France and Italy.
Melly attended a session at Decca Studios where Bolan recorded a self-written song about a wizard. The recording involved session musicians, a flautist, a small female choir, an arranger and an American A&R representative. Numerous takes were completed before the finished performance received approval.
The article explains that Bolan had originally recorded the composition himself with guitar accompaniment before Pruskin secured the Decca session. Although the completed production was considered commercial, Melly believed that something of Bolan’s original creative impulse remained. Bolan’s voice is compared with Donovan’s and traced to the influence of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, but the songs themselves are recognised as his own work.
CONTEXT AND NOTES
The feature captures Marc Bolan at the very beginning of his recording career, before widespread recognition. Its importance lies in documenting an early studio session and identifying qualities that already distinguished Bolan as a songwriter and performer.
The article presents Bolan’s fantasy-based writing as a form of genuine escapism rather than protest music.
References to wizards and an earlier interest in black magic reveal the imaginative themes surrounding Bolan’s earliest work, while Melly’s assessment suggests that the young artist possessed promise beyond the carefully developed publicity image.
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Event: Marc Bolan’s early recording session at Decca Studios
Era: 1965 early solo recording period
Tone: Observational and cautiously optimistic
Photography: No photography described in the supplied article text
WHAT THE ARTICLE SHOWS
• George Melly observing Marc Bolan during an early Decca recording session
• Bolan recording a self-written song about a wizard with session musicians
• Early recognition of Bolan’s distinctive songwriting, voice and imaginative themes
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