Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow
| Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow – A Creamed Cage in August | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Marc Bolan & T. Rex | ||||
| Released | 1 February 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Genre | Glam rock | |||
| Length | 46:17 | |||
| Label | T.REX (UK) Ariola (Germany) | |||
| Producer | Marc Bolan | |||
| T. Rex chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow – A Creamed Cage in August | ||||
| ||||
Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow (subtitled A Creamed Cage in August) is the ninth studio album by Marc Bolan & T. Rex, released on 1 February 1974 on the T.Rex label, distributed by EMI.
Background and recording
Marc Bolan was one of the first British artists to record at Musicland Studios in Munich; most basic recordings were done here during the second half of 1973.
His US label Reprise had dropped him and he was struggling to find another US label to sign him in the US. When he finally got a deal with Casablanca Records he had recorded lots of new material and decided to release it along with a couple of tracks from Zinc Alloy as the Light of Love album. Thus neither Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow nor Bolan's Zip Gun were issued in the US in the '70s.
Release
Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow was released on 1 February 1974.
When originally released the initial pressings were a multi-layered triple gatefold sleeve, a latticework image of the current cover featuring singer Marc Bolan's face in a pale gold surround. Japanese manufacturer Teichiku reinstated this as an elaborate limited edition paper sleeve in 2001.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Pitchfork | 5.8/10[2] |
| Uncut | 7/10[3] |
The album divided fans and critics into the two camps, a mixed critical reaction that would remain with him until his death. Some derided him as a washed-up teen idol, and others believed he would eventually make a resurgence in popularity. At that moment, however, Zinc Alloy marked a downturn in his fortunes – the contemporaneous album single, "Teenage Dream", made it only to No. 13 in the UK charts. While that would be a success for most groups, Bolan had spent all of 1971–1973 enjoying constant Top Ten and Top Five UK hits, including four number 1s. T. Rex would not enjoy another Top 20 UK hit until "New York City" in the summer of 1975.
Reissues
Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow was first reissued on the 'Marc On Wax label in 1983. The original cover art couldn't be used for legal reasons. This version was expanded to include a bonus disc (bonus tracks on the 1985 CD issue). The first disc (at 33 1/3 RPM) being the original Zinc album, the second disc (at 45 rpm) included all non-album singles and B-sides from 1974 – "Satisfaction Pony" (as a needle drop, as the original stereo master appears to be lost), "Light of Love", "Zip Gun Boogie" and "Space Boss".
A companion release, entitled Change (The Alternative Zinc Alloy), was released in 1996 and contained alternative versions, studio rough mixes and demos of the main album and bonus tracks. The two were combined for a 2CD Edition, which was released by Edsel and Rhino Records in 2002.
Track listing
All tracks written by Marc Bolan.
| Side A | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Venus Loon" | 3:01 |
| 2. | "Sound Pit" | 2:50 |
| 3. | "Explosive Mouth" | 2:26 |
| 4. | "Galaxy" | 1:48 |
| 5. | "Change" | 2:47 |
| 6. | "Nameless Wildness" | 3:06 |
| 7. | "Teenage Dream" | 5:45 |
| Side B | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Liquid Gang" | 3:17 |
| 2. | "Carsmile Smith & the Old One" | 3:16 |
| 3. | "You've Got to Jive to Stay Alive – Spanish Midnight" | 2:35 |
| 4. | "Interstellar Soul" | 3:26 |
| 5. | "Painless Persuasion v. the Meathawk Immaculate" | 3:26 |
| 6. | "The Avengers (Superbad)" | 4:28 |
| 7. | "The Leopards Featuring Gardenia & the Mighty Slug" | 3:36 |
| 1994 CD reissue bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 15. | "The Groover" | 3:24 |
| 16. | "Midnight" | 2:49 |
| 17. | "Truck On (Tyke)" | 3:09 |
| 18. | "Sitting Here" | 2:21 |
| 19. | "Satisfaction Pony" | 2:49 |
| Change (The Alternative Zinc Alloy) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Venus Loon" | 3:05 |
| 2. | "Sound Pit (Parts 1 & 2)" | 3:01 |
| 3. | "Explosive Mouth" | 2:33 |
| 4. | "Galaxy" | 1:03 |
| 5. | "Change (Signs)" | 1:54 |
| 6. | "Nameless Wildness" | 5:19 |
| 7. | "Teenage Dream" | 5:57 |
| 8. | "Liquid Gang" | 2:56 |
| 9. | "Carsmile Smith & the Old One" | 2:34 |
| 10. | "Spanish Midnight" | 0:37 |
| 11. | "Insterstellar Soul" | 1:55 |
| 12. | "Painless Persuasion v. the Meathawk Immaculate" | 3:29 |
| 13. | "The Avengers (Superbad)" | 3:27 |
| 14. | "The Leopards Featuring Gardenia & the Mighty Slug" | 2:28 |
| 15. | "The Groover" | 2:50 |
| 16. | "Midnight" | 2:48 |
| 17. | "Truck On (Tyke)" | 1:40 |
| 18. | "Sitting There (Sitting Here)" | 2:01 |
| 19. | "Satisfaction Pony" | 3:27 |
| 20. | "Nameless Wildness (Acoustic Demo)" | 1:47 |
| 21. | "Carsmile Smith & the Old One (Solo / Acoustic Demo)" | 1:45 |
| 22. | "Carsmile Smith & the Old One (Acoustic Demo with Organ)" | 1:17 |
| 23. | "The Avengers (Superbad) (Acoustic Demo)" | 2:50 |
| 24. | "The Leopards Featuring Geraldine & the Mighty Slug (Acoustic Demo)" | 1:08 |
Personnel
- Marc Bolan - vocals, guitar
- Bill Legend - drums
- Steve Currie - bass
- Danny Thompson - double bass
- B.J. Cole - steel guitar
- Jack Green
- Lonnie Jordan - keyboards
- Big Richard, The Gloria Jones, Sister Pat Hall - backing vocals
- The Cosmic Choir - choir
References
- ↑ Thompson, Dave. "Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow – Marc Bolan & T. Rex,T. Rex | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ↑ Deusner, Stephen M. "T. Rex: The Slider / Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow / Dandy in the Underworld / The T. Rex Wax Co. Singles: A's and B's 1972–77 | Album Reviews | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ↑ "Tyrannosaurus Rex / T.Rex – A Beard of Stars / T.Rex / Tanx / Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow – Deluxe Editions – Uncut.co.uk". Uncut. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
External links
- Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow – A Creamed Cage in August at Discogs (list of releases)