1974-1977 5CD + 2LP

19741977 brings together the most overlooked yet arguably most pioneering period ofMarc Bolan and T. Rexs glittering career, capturing the final creative burst that produced some of Marcs most adventurous and influential music.The deluxe 5CD edition rounds up the final three T. Rex studio albums Bolans Zip Gun, Futuristic Dragon and Dandy In The Underworld alongside a run of peerless lateperiod singles and Bsides including New York City, Dreamy Lady, The Soul Of My Suit and, of course, I Love To Boogie. Across these recordings, Marcs restless muse moves effortlessly through soul and RampB Ride My Wheels, Dreamy Lady, protoglam metal Zip Gun Boogie, The London Boys and the nervy, sharpedged energy of tracks like Think Zinc and Celebrate Summer, foreshadowing the punk explosion happening in London at the time a scene Marc had already profoundly influenced.At the heart of both the 5CD and 2LP editions are a wealth of previously unreleased rehearsal takes and studio demos, lovingly mastered and curated from a stash of Marcs own tapes unearthed at the end of 2024. Recorded across London, the USA, Germany, France and Manchester, the sessions document an artist brimming with renewed creativity and a band determined to keep the tapes rolling wherever they travelled.Included is Im Dazed, the longrumoured lost T. Rex single discovered among those same tape boxes in 2024. Remastered and released on cosmic yellow seveninch on Marcs birthday in 2025 backed with a new take of Billy Super Duper and remixed by Steven Wilson it coincided with Marc receiving an official English Heritage Blue Plaque, making him one of only five pop musicians to receive the honour alongside Freddie Mercury, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley. Two strikingly different versions of Im Dazed appear here the 2025 single mix and a slower, moodier take led by languid drums, clavinet and piano.The 5CD edition also features the newly discovered complete recordings from the 1977 MARC Granada TV show. Previously only available via inferior broadcast tapes with mono sound, edits and added audience applause, the original fulllength studio recordings presumed lost for nearly fifty years reveal T. Rex classics such as Ride A White Swan, Hot Love and Jeepster in vastly improved quality.The 2LP edition distils the cream of these unearthed recordings into a beautifully curated vinyl set focused on the eras most revelatory rehearsals, demos and rarities.Both editions feature photography by Kevin Cummins and were curated for Demon Music Group by T.Rexpert Martin Barden, with mastering undertaken by AIR Studios Phil Kinrade. The 5CD set is presented in deluxe 7 packaging with a 24page book featuring new sleeve notes by Jude Rogers, rare imagery and scans of Marcs original studio tapes.