When Glam and Punk First Met: Dandy in the Underworld by T. Rex
When Glam and Punk First Met: Dandy in the Underworld by T. Rex

On March 1, 1977, T. Rex released its twelfth and final album, Dandy in the Underworld. Recorded during the breakout period of punk rock in the UK, the title suggested a glam icon’s warm embrace of a radical new cultural phenomenon – a “dandy” making his way through the “underworld” of punk.

T. Rex and its charismatic lead singer, Marc Bolan, had long affirmed themselves as the deities of glam rock – merging psychedelia, fashion, and heavy riffs into a swirling mix of theatrics and pop success during the early seventies. However, the mid-seventies found Bolan in a bit of a creative slump. Luckily, he found new energy in the emerging punk scene.

In early 1977, T. Rex embarked on a tour with punk founders The Damned and also released Dandy in the Underworld. Within its tracks, punk sensibility and glam knowhow merged to create an innovative and catchy sound. Sadly, this was to be Marc Bolan’s final record, having died in a car crash in September, 1977.

The beautiful pressing of this album featured at Fourth Rock Records is a 2014 reissue from Demon Records. It is pressed on 180 gram vinyl, and features a die-cut cover, and lyrics.


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