Mark Feld (September 14, 1965) – The Wizard / Beyond The Risin' Sun / That's The Bag I'm In Single UK: Acetate

Marc Bolan

Sep 13, 1965

3 min read

These rare Decca advance test recording acetates document an important phase in Mark Feld's early recording career before the adoption of the Marc Bolan name. Produced by Jim Economides and recorded at Decca Studios in West Hampstead, the recordings preserve some of the earliest known professionally recorded performances associated with the future T. Rex leader. Three songs are associated with these September 1965 acetate sessions: "The Wizard", "Beyond The Risin' Sun" and "That's The Bag I'm In". Surviving examples exist as single-sided Decca acetates and were created as advance test recordings rather than commercial releases.

The recordings capture Feld at the beginning of his professional career and provide a valuable insight into his development as both a performer and songwriter.

BACKGROUND

RECORDING

The recordings were made at Decca Studios, Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, London.

Production duties were handled by Jim Economides.

The surviving acetates are dated September 14, 1965.

"The Wizard" carries an original publication date of October 9, 1965.

One unusual feature of the surviving "The Wizard" acetate is the presence of two editions of the song on the A-side, with one version mastered slightly louder than the other.

The label for "Beyond The Risin' Sun" was handwritten by Mark Bolan as "Beyond The Sun".

STYLE & THEMES

The recordings reflect the mid-1960s British pop environment in which Mark Feld was developing as a performer.

The material captures a formative stage in his career and predates the psychedelic folk style of Tyrannosaurus Rex and the glam rock sound that would later make Marc Bolan internationally famous.

These recordings remain important because they document the earliest stages of Feld's professional recording career.

TRACK-BY-TRACK NOTES

Side One

• The Wizard – Surviving acetate contains two recorded versions of the song, one mastered slightly louder than the other.

• Beyond The Risin' Sun – The title appears on the surviving acetate label as "Beyond The Sun".

• That's The Bag I'm In – Known to originate from the same acetate session, although no image of the surviving acetate has been supplied.

RELEASE HISTORY

The recordings were cut as Decca advance test recording acetates on September 14, 1965.

No commercial release is known from the supplied material.

"The Wizard" subsequently received an original publication date of October 9, 1965.

The acetates later became highly sought-after collector pieces and have achieved notable auction prices.

CHARTS

Not applicable.

CHART RUN

Not applicable.

CERTIFICATIONS

Not supplied.

AWARDS

Not supplied.

PERSONNEL

Mark Feld — vocals, songwriter

Jim Economides — producer

PRODUCTION

Mark Feld recordings produced by Jim Economides at Decca Studios, Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, London.

NOTES

• Recorded on September 14, 1965.

• Produced by Jim Economides.

• Recorded at Decca Studios, Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, London.

• Issued as Decca Group Advance Test Recordings.

• All surviving examples are single-sided Decca acetates.

• "The Wizard" has an original publication date of October 9, 1965.

• The surviving "The Wizard" acetate contains two editions of the song.

• One version of "The Wizard" is mastered slightly louder than the other.

• "Beyond The Risin' Sun" appears on the acetate label as "Beyond The Sun".

• No image of the "That's The Bag I'm In" acetate has been supplied.

• The 10-inch acetate carrying a white sticker sold at auction on May 18, 2009 for £397.

• The 10-inch acetate numbered 023 sold at auction on August 6, 2013 for £1,200.

• Two known copies of the "Beyond The Risin' Sun" acetate are documented.

• The surviving acetates are among the earliest known professionally recorded Mark Feld recordings.

• These recordings pre-date the Marc Bolan stage name and the later Tyrannosaurus Rex and T. Rex periods.

• Surviving examples remain highly desirable collectors' items due to their extreme rarity and historical importance.

RELEASE VARIANTS TABLE

UK VARIANTS

Country	Label	Catalogue Number	Format	Notes
UK	Decca Group	Unknown	Single-Sided Acetate	The Wizard
UK	Decca Group	Unknown	Single-Sided Acetate	Beyond The Risin' Sun
UK	Decca Group	Unknown	Single-Sided Acetate	That's The Bag I'm In

INTERNATIONAL VARIANTS

No international variants supplied.

TRACKLIST TABLE (ALL FORMATS)

Format	Catalogue Number	Tracklisting
Single-Sided Acetate	Unknown	Side One • The Wizard
Single-Sided Acetate	Unknown	Side One • Beyond The Risin' Sun
Single-Sided Acetate	Unknown	Side One • That's The Bag I'm In

RUN-OUT ETCHINGS

No run-out details supplied.

SPECIAL PRESSINGS & VARIANTS

Variant	Notes
The Wizard Acetate	Contains two editions of the recording
Beyond The Risin' Sun Acetate	Label handwritten as "Beyond The Sun"
White Sticker Acetate	Sold at auction on May 18, 2009
Number 023 Acetate	Sold at auction on August 6, 2013
Blank Reverse Labels	Known on surviving acetates

SOURCES Discogs, 45 World, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts, Prince Vault, Sleeveographia2, RockfilesUK.

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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.