Marc Bolan / T. Rex (November 1, 1972) – “T. Rex Between Two Worlds” Feature - Newsday
This is another syndicated printing of the same Robert Hilburn article we identified in the Houston Chronicle and The Home News. This Newsday version is shorter and appears under a third headline, “T. Rex Between Two Worlds.”.
This Newsday printing of Robert Hilburn’s feature examines T. Rex’s struggle to translate Marc Bolan’s extraordinary British success into an equally strong American following. Bolan discusses the difficult position of T. Rex between teenage pop and the older rock audience, while emphasising that his ambition in America was to gain musical respect rather than simply become another teen idol.
Publication: Newsday (Nassau Edition)
Date: November 1, 1972
Country: United States
Published under the headline “T. Rex between two worlds”, Robert Hilburn’s article opens by referring to the question being asked in the British music press: whether America would learn to love Marc Bolan.
The article explains that T. Rex had already achieved enormous popularity in Britain, with Bolan attracting a young audience on a scale compared with Beatlemania. An estimated 50 million records are reported as having been sold in Europe during the previous two years.
America, however, was proving considerably more difficult.
Hilburn describes the tour that began in New York in September and ended in Los Angeles as T. Rex’s first major American excursion, apart from a brief promotional visit earlier in the year.
Bolan identifies the central problem as T. Rex being caught “somewhere in between” two established American audiences. On one side were the teenage followers of The Osmonds and David Cassidy; on the other were older rock listeners following performers including Rod Stewart and The Who.
Bolan believes T. Rex could be considered too heavy for the teenybopper audience but too light for older rock listeners.
Despite these difficulties, Bolan tells Hilburn that the tour had gone considerably better than some published reports suggested.
He admits that he had not expected American audiences to respond immediately and acknowledges that concentrating so heavily on Britain and other territories had resulted in America being neglected.
Bolan points to encouraging concert performances and strong album sales, noting that The Slider was approaching gold status.
Most importantly, Bolan makes clear what he wanted from America. Rather than seeking a quick commercial breakthrough, he explains that he wanted the FM rock audience and greater musical credibility.
His comment is particularly direct: “I don’t particularly want to be a hip David Cassidy here. I want the FM audience. I want respect.”
Hilburn also reports on the audience response during T. Rex’s San Francisco concert. Some people began leaving early, and the number departing increased during the opening songs. The clipping states that perhaps 1,500 or more of the 5,000 people present eventually left before the concert finished.
The article nevertheless ends with Bolan determined to continue. With the American tour completed and Bolan back in England, Hilburn predicts that his competitive nature would bring him back the following spring for another attempt at establishing T. Rex in the United States.
CONTEXT AND NOTES
This is an alternate syndicated printing of Robert Hilburn’s T. Rex article that subsequently appeared in other American newspapers under different headlines.
The Newsday edition is headed “T. Rex between two worlds”, while the later November 26 printings already in the Chronicle archive appeared as:
“Marc Bolan Loves America” - The Houston Chronicle
“T. Rex Isn’t Capturing U.S.” - The Home News
The central text, quotations and subject matter are the same, although this Newsday presentation is noticeably shorter.
For the Chronicle archive, this clipping is therefore best treated as an alternate newspaper printing rather than a separate editorial feature.
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Event: Robert Hilburn examines T. Rex’s attempts to establish a major American audience
Era: 1972 American tour / Bolanmania era
Tone: Analytical and candid
Photography: No Marc Bolan photograph appears within the supplied Newsday clipping
WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS
• Robert Hilburn’s syndicated feature appearing under the headline “T. Rex Between Two Worlds”
• Discussion of T. Rex being caught between teenage pop and older American rock audiences
• Bolan acknowledging that America would take time to conquer
• The Slider described as approaching gold status
• Bolan stating that he wanted the FM audience and musical respect
• Report of the mixed audience response at the San Francisco concert
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
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