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Of all the performers and musicians who grew out of the 1960s British counterculture, only Marc Bolan achieved the type of salacious superstardom that so many of his contemporaries equally yearned for but never achieved. It is often forgotten just how enormous Bolan was during the early 1970s, but with the possible exception of David Bowie a couple of years later, it was the man christened Mark Feld who most succinctly crossed enough boundaries to become the favoured artist for both the record buying public at large and the serious critics alike during the first half of the 1970s. This two disc set features a fascinating documentary film tracing the life and career of Marc Bolan from his days as a Mod in mid 1960s London, to the day he so sadly passed away at the age of just 28, following a horrific car accident in 1977. Featuring interviews with his girlfriend Gloria Jones, his close friend Steve Harley, manager Eric Hall, DJ and friend Bob Harris, Damned bass player and Bolan fan, Captain Sensible, and numerous other close colleagues. The film also includes rare footage and archive interviews with Marc himself, and numerous other features making this the finest Bolan documentary yet to appear. The set is completed with over an hour of previously unheard audio interviews undertaken with Bolan at various times right across his career. Finished with deluxe digi-packaging featuring rare photos, this set will prove a delight for the millions of Marc Bolan fans still flying the flag high for the brightest and most talented teen idol ever to exist.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
I can only comment on the DVD as have still to listen to the CD but I assume I will have heard it all before as well.
This is basically the 2005 'Ride On' DVD re-named and re-packaged (again) which features Danielz of T Rextasy as Bolan re-creating his last 24hrs. alive.
As much as I really admire Dalielz's work, he ain't no Marc Bolan so why have his picture on the CD, it's like putting Alastair McGowan's picture on the front cover of a David Beckham Book.
How many times are we going to be tricked into buying the same old same old stuff with new title and packaging, disappointed, I expected something new. This is the 3rd. version of 'Ride On' I own with a different title.
Maybe it's me that's stupid to keep buying these DVD's expecting something new 35 years after Bolan's death.
Don't waste your hard earned cash on this if you already own 'Ride On' or 'T.Rex the Marc Bolan Story'
Note - I will retract this review if the CD turns out to be rare and unheard material.
This is basically the 2005 'Ride On' DVD re-named and re-packaged (again) which features Danielz of T Rextasy as Bolan re-creating his last 24hrs. alive.
As much as I really admire Dalielz's work, he ain't no Marc Bolan so why have his picture on the CD, it's like putting Alastair McGowan's picture on the front cover of a David Beckham Book.
How many times are we going to be tricked into buying the same old same old stuff with new title and packaging, disappointed, I expected something new. This is the 3rd. version of 'Ride On' I own with a different title.
Maybe it's me that's stupid to keep buying these DVD's expecting something new 35 years after Bolan's death.
Don't waste your hard earned cash on this if you already own 'Ride On' or 'T.Rex the Marc Bolan Story'
Note - I will retract this review if the CD turns out to be rare and unheard material.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
It was hardly surprising that Ringo Starr, then an aspiring film-maker because he had little else to do other than churn out hits, should have made a film of Marc Bolan in 1972. Bolan was at the peak of his powers with T.Rex and the "T.Rexstacy" of screaming girls drowning out the music and trying to get a lock of Bolan's hair would have been instantly familiar to the former Beatle (who by all accounts moved through the young audience at Bolan's Wembley show largely unrecognised). Everyone said that the mayhem which followed T.Rex - and which Bolan shamelessly courted and encouraged - hadn't been seen since Beatlemania.
On stage Bolan was the glam-elf rocker powering out short, sharp songs which were big on repetition and odd lyrics. But they were great songs nonetheless: Ride a White Swan, Hot Love, Get It On, Jeepster, Children of the Revolution... In a feather boa and with stars painted on his face, Bolan was determined to be noticed and this hour-long film - with contributions from longtime friends Steve Harley and DJ Bob Harris, his girlfriend Gloria Jones and others - confirms Bolan wanted to be a star at any price, and was determined to make it even when he was a teenage Mark Feld in Wimbledon. ("He had a disturbing sense of self-belief.")
Nothing much is said here of his early life - he grew up in a Jewish working class family - but picks up the story when he was briefly in the quasi-Mod band John's Children then caught the wind of change and became a hippie in the acoustic duo Tyrannosaurus Rex singing songs of mad poetry (Tolkien, fairies, elves etc). They delivered an album with the title 'My Children Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair But Now They're Content To Wear Stars on Their Brows'. But as the hippie era faded Bolan plugged in, trimmed the name to T.Rex, dressed up and launched glam rock.
And it was all on from there: he got the stardom he so desperately wanted, flicked out hit singles notable for their economy and catchiness, had one fine album in Electric Warrior (produced by Tony Visconti) but was mostly a singles act, had a television show... and got the mania filmed by a former Beatle. But Bolan, as is clear from the testimony of freinds and those who loved him, also became increasingly difficult. His body ballooned (coke and alcohol) as did his ego. He started to lose his elfin looks and become more like Fat Elvis, but he always believed his fans hadn't deserted him.
Most had, however a second career almost began with, remarkably, the rise of punks. As Captain Sensible of the Damned says here (they opened for T.Rex on a tour at Bolan's invitation) the punks had been buying singles in the early Seventies so knew T.Rex songs, and they liked the guy. For a short while, cleaned up, losing weight, as determined to succeed as ever, it almost seemed as if Bolan could come back. But he was killed in a car accident in September 77, just two weeks short of his 30th birthday.
In this doco his friends are honest about Bolan's charm and shortcomings, and there is some decent live footage as well as well as home movie stuff of him pouting and posing for the camera - and his final day (he went to the dentist and had a few glass of wine with the guy at work!) is done through a quite feasible re-enactment.
The DVD also comes with an interview disc of Bolan speaking (undated unfortunately, sounds like early '77), and hilariously it opens with him saying he didn't ever want to get lumbered with the glam image.
Odd title too (that's Todd Rundgren) but I guess Ringo had walked off with the obvious one: Born to Boogie.
On stage Bolan was the glam-elf rocker powering out short, sharp songs which were big on repetition and odd lyrics. But they were great songs nonetheless: Ride a White Swan, Hot Love, Get It On, Jeepster, Children of the Revolution... In a feather boa and with stars painted on his face, Bolan was determined to be noticed and this hour-long film - with contributions from longtime friends Steve Harley and DJ Bob Harris, his girlfriend Gloria Jones and others - confirms Bolan wanted to be a star at any price, and was determined to make it even when he was a teenage Mark Feld in Wimbledon. ("He had a disturbing sense of self-belief.")
Nothing much is said here of his early life - he grew up in a Jewish working class family - but picks up the story when he was briefly in the quasi-Mod band John's Children then caught the wind of change and became a hippie in the acoustic duo Tyrannosaurus Rex singing songs of mad poetry (Tolkien, fairies, elves etc). They delivered an album with the title 'My Children Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair But Now They're Content To Wear Stars on Their Brows'. But as the hippie era faded Bolan plugged in, trimmed the name to T.Rex, dressed up and launched glam rock.
And it was all on from there: he got the stardom he so desperately wanted, flicked out hit singles notable for their economy and catchiness, had one fine album in Electric Warrior (produced by Tony Visconti) but was mostly a singles act, had a television show... and got the mania filmed by a former Beatle. But Bolan, as is clear from the testimony of freinds and those who loved him, also became increasingly difficult. His body ballooned (coke and alcohol) as did his ego. He started to lose his elfin looks and become more like Fat Elvis, but he always believed his fans hadn't deserted him.
Most had, however a second career almost began with, remarkably, the rise of punks. As Captain Sensible of the Damned says here (they opened for T.Rex on a tour at Bolan's invitation) the punks had been buying singles in the early Seventies so knew T.Rex songs, and they liked the guy. For a short while, cleaned up, losing weight, as determined to succeed as ever, it almost seemed as if Bolan could come back. But he was killed in a car accident in September 77, just two weeks short of his 30th birthday.
In this doco his friends are honest about Bolan's charm and shortcomings, and there is some decent live footage as well as well as home movie stuff of him pouting and posing for the camera - and his final day (he went to the dentist and had a few glass of wine with the guy at work!) is done through a quite feasible re-enactment.
The DVD also comes with an interview disc of Bolan speaking (undated unfortunately, sounds like early '77), and hilariously it opens with him saying he didn't ever want to get lumbered with the glam image.
Odd title too (that's Todd Rundgren) but I guess Ringo had walked off with the obvious one: Born to Boogie.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
I was looking forward to this mainly for the CD more than the DVD which is pretty much all what we've seen before & heard before with friends spouting out the same old stories.
HOWEVER
The CD has over 14 interviews & past comment states it was 1977 well clearly they did not play all 62 mins which are various interviews covering all Marc's career.
One main thing I noticed straight away once openning the double disc cover that the designer of the package did not do their homework. As picture on disc 2 (the CD) and on the case is NOT Marc but that of T.Rextasy's front man the amazing Danielz.
I knew this as I have a signed photo taken from the same photo set.
To me it is worth it for the interview CD alone
HOWEVER
The CD has over 14 interviews & past comment states it was 1977 well clearly they did not play all 62 mins which are various interviews covering all Marc's career.
One main thing I noticed straight away once openning the double disc cover that the designer of the package did not do their homework. As picture on disc 2 (the CD) and on the case is NOT Marc but that of T.Rextasy's front man the amazing Danielz.
I knew this as I have a signed photo taken from the same photo set.
To me it is worth it for the interview CD alone
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