Get It On [MFP]

GET IT ON presents 18 tracks of alternate versions of songs by the British glam rocker.
Personnel: Marc Bolan (vocals, guitar).
Released at a time when Marc Bolan's commercial star was about as low as it could get, this budget-priced compilation harks back to an earlier, more glorious, time, when (almost) everything T. Rex touched turned to gold. Ten solid hits lead the way -- from "Ride a White Swan" to "I Love to Boogie," together with a clutch of early album tracks ("Jewel," "Cosmic Dancer," "One Inch Rock") -- to deliver not a well-rounded portrait of T. Rex at their peak, but at least a sharply individualistic one. Of course, there are a lot of better collections available today, more authoritative summaries of Bolan's greatest hits, and all of them are remastered to within an inch of perfection. Get It On, on the other hand, sounds hissy and compressed, the consequence of stuffing seven songs on each side of vinyl. But still it's a thrilling listen, and if your copy has some scratches and crackles, then turn it up even louder! ~ Dave Thompson