T. Rex / Tyrannosaurus Rex (2016) – 5 Classic Albums : CD Box
Easy Action is an archival T. Rex collection bringing together rare recordings, alternate versions, studio outtakes, rehearsals and associated material drawn from some of the group's most celebrated recording periods.
5 Classic Albums was released in 2016 by Spectrum Music and UMC as part of the long-running 5 Classic Albums budget box set series.
The collection brings together five complete albums spanning the Tyrannosaurus Rex and T. Rex years, tracing Marc Bolan's artistic development from psychedelic folk storyteller to glam rock superstar.
Presented in miniature replica card sleeves housed within a matching slipcase, the set contains five original albums spread across five compact discs.
RECORDING
The collection compiles previously issued studio albums originally released between 1968 and 1971.
Included are four Tyrannosaurus Rex albums:
• My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair... But Now They're Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows
• Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels Of The Ages
• Unicorn
• A Beard Of Stars
The fifth disc contains T. Rex's breakthrough glam rock masterpiece Electric Warrior.
STYLE & THEMES
The set showcases two distinct eras of Marc Bolan's career.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex recordings feature acoustic instrumentation, exotic imagery, fantasy-inspired lyrics and folk-rock arrangements.
Electric Warrior documents the transformation into T. Rex and the arrival of the glam rock sound that would dominate the early 1970s.
RELEASE HISTORY
Released throughout Europe in 2016, the collection formed part of the Spectrum Music 5 Classic Albums series.
Each album is housed in an individual replica sleeve and presented inside a card slipcase.
PERSONNEL
Marc Bolan – vocals, guitar, songwriting
Various personnel as originally credited on the included albums.
PRODUCTION
Label: Spectrum Music
Label: UMC
Series: 5 Classic Albums
Catalogue Number: 5372260
Format: 5 × CD Box Set
Country: Europe
Glass Mastered At: Sony DADC, Southwater
My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair... But Now They're Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows (1968)
The first disc in the collection presents Tyrannosaurus Rex's debut album, a record that immediately established Marc Bolan as one of the most distinctive voices to emerge from the British underground scene of the late 1960s.
Recorded with Steve Peregrin Took, the album introduced listeners to Bolan's unique creative universe, populated by mythical figures, exotic landscapes, fantastical imagery and highly original lyrical constructions. At a time when psychedelic music often relied upon lengthy instrumental excursions, Tyrannosaurus Rex instead embraced an intimate acoustic format built around guitar, percussion and imaginative storytelling.
Songs such as Hot Rod Mama, Mustang Ford, Strange Orchestras and Graceful Fat Sheba demonstrated Bolan's fascination with folklore, fantasy and symbolism. The album's lengthy title quickly became part of Tyrannosaurus Rex mythology and reflected the group's refusal to conform to conventional musical expectations.
While very different from the electric sound that would later make T. Rex famous, the debut album contains many of the characteristics that would remain central to Bolan's work throughout his career, including memorable melodies, unusual imagery and an unmistakable sense of individuality.
The album remains one of the most important foundations of the Tyrannosaurus Rex catalogue and provides the starting point for the artistic journey documented throughout this collection.
Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels Of The Ages (1968)
The second disc features Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels Of The Ages, the group's second studio album and a release that further expanded the mystical and poetic universe Marc Bolan had begun constructing on the debut.
Issued only months after My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair..., the album demonstrated remarkable creative productivity. Bolan's songwriting became increasingly ambitious and confident, blending acoustic folk frameworks with surreal imagery and stream-of-consciousness lyricism.
Tracks including Deboraarobed, Stacey Grove, Conesuela, Salamanda Palaganda and Our Wonderful Brownskin Man illustrate the increasingly sophisticated relationship between Bolan's words and music. The performances retained the stripped-down duo format while exploring broader emotional and musical territory.
The album also highlights the creative chemistry between Marc Bolan and Steve Peregrin Took, whose percussion work helped define the distinctive Tyrannosaurus Rex sound during this period. Together they created recordings unlike anything else being produced in Britain at the time.
Viewed retrospectively, Prophets, Seers & Sages represents an important stage in Bolan's artistic development, refining the approach introduced on the debut while paving the way for the greater musical confidence displayed on Unicorn the following year.
Unicorn (1969)
The third disc presents Unicorn, an album that many listeners regard as the finest statement of the classic Tyrannosaurus Rex duo. By this point Marc Bolan had refined his songwriting considerably while retaining the dreamlike imagery and mystical atmosphere that characterised the group's earliest work.
Songs such as Chariots Of Silk, She Was Born To Be My Unicorn and Cat Black (The Wizard's Hat) reveal a growing confidence in melody and structure, while longer pieces such as Like A White Star, Tangled And Far, Tulip That's What You Are demonstrate Bolan's increasingly ambitious artistic vision.
The album captures Tyrannosaurus Rex at a pivotal moment. Although still deeply rooted in folk and psychedelic influences, traces of the more accessible songwriting style that would soon transform the group into a major commercial force were beginning to emerge.
A Beard Of Stars (1970)
Disc four presents what is arguably the bridge between Tyrannosaurus Rex and T. Rex.
A Beard Of Stars remains one of the most significant albums in Marc Bolan's catalogue because it documents the moment when the acoustic psychedelic framework began giving way to a more electric and direct approach. The album features the final Tyrannosaurus Rex line-up before the group evolved into T. Rex and introduced a more contemporary rock sound.
Tracks such as By The Light Of A Magical Moon, Great Horse, Dragon's Ear and Elemental Child reveal Bolan moving towards a stronger guitar-based style. At the same time, the album retains the fantasy-inspired poetry and folk influences that had defined the earlier records.
Many fans and historians regard A Beard Of Stars as one of the most important transition albums of the period, documenting the final chapter of Tyrannosaurus Rex while foreshadowing everything that would follow.
Electric Warrior (1971)
The fifth and final disc contains Electric Warrior, the album that transformed T. Rex from a respected cult act into an international phenomenon.
Released in 1971, the album became one of the defining recordings of the glam rock movement and remains among the most celebrated British rock albums of all time. Featuring classic recordings such as Mambo Sun, Cosmic Dancer, Jeepster, Get It On, Planet Queen and Life's A Gas, the album showcased Bolan at the height of his powers.
The contrast between Electric Warrior and the preceding Tyrannosaurus Rex albums is one of the great stories in popular music. Within a few short years Bolan had evolved from underground folk poet to chart-dominating rock star, yet many of the themes, lyrical approaches and melodic ideas contained within the earlier work remained central to his songwriting.
By concluding the box set with Electric Warrior, the collection tells the complete story of that transformation.
SIGNIFICANCE
What makes 5 Classic Albums particularly valuable is the way it places the Tyrannosaurus Rex and T. Rex periods alongside one another.
Many retrospective collections focus exclusively on the hit-making years beginning with Ride A White Swan and continuing through the glam rock era. This set instead demonstrates that Marc Bolan's artistic development was gradual and deeply rooted in the imaginative world he created during the late 1960s.
By assembling these five albums in chronological order, the collection allows listeners to experience that evolution in a way that individual reissues cannot. The set effectively functions as a concise musical biography covering one of the most important creative periods in Bolan's career.
NOTES
• Five complete albums across five compact discs.
• Part of the 5 Classic Albums series.
• Includes four Tyrannosaurus Rex albums and one T. Rex album.
• Traces Marc Bolan's musical development from psychedelic folk to glam rock.
• Presented in miniature replica album sleeves.
• Housed in a card slipcase.
• Manufactured in the European Union.
• Glass mastered at Sony DADC Southwater.
• Barcode: 600753722602.
RELEASE HISTORY
Released throughout Europe in 2016 by Spectrum Music and UMC, 5 Classic Albums formed part of the label's continuing series dedicated to major catalogue artists.
The collection was issued as a five-CD box set, with each album housed in a miniature replica sleeve and presented together in a protective card slipcase.
PERSONNEL
Marc Bolan — vocals, guitar, songwriter
Steve Peregrin Took — percussion, vocals (Tyrannosaurus Rex era recordings)
Mickey Finn — percussion, vocals (later Tyrannosaurus Rex and T. Rex recordings)
Tony Visconti — producer (Electric Warrior)
PRODUCTION
Label: Spectrum Music / UMC
Catalogue Number: 5372260 / 0000600753722602
Series: 5 Classic Albums
Format: 5 × CD Box Set
Country: Europe
Released: 2016
Packaging: Card Mini Replica Sleeves in Slipcase
Manufacturing: Sony DADC, Southwater
Sources Discogs, 45 Worlds, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts, Demon Records, Official Marc Bolan archives
All album artwork, photographs, labels, and original text excerpts remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference.
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