Unicorn (Tyrannosaurus Rex album)
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Unicorn is the third studio album by English psychedelic folk (later glam rock) band Tyrannosaurus Rex (later known as T. Rex). It was released on 16 May 1969 by record labels Regal Zonophone and Blue Thumb, and was the last Tyrannosaurus Rex album to feature Steve Peregrin Took.
Content
Unicorn featured Marc Bolan on vocals, guitar, organ and phonofiddle and Took on percussion, bass and piano. The back cover depicted Bolan and Took surrounded by books that were relevant to the subject matter of the songs. The lyrics namechecked William Blake as well as the Cottingley Fairies, a famous case of two children's photographs of alleged fairies taken near their Yorkshire home.
The final song on the album, "Romany Soup", featured John Peel (an early supporter of the band) reciting a short story written by Bolan.
Release
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Unicorn was released on 16 May 1969 by Regal Zonophone in the UK and Blue Thumb in the US; it was their first album to be released in the US. It reached No. 12 in the UK Albums Chart.[2]
Unicorn was the last of Tyrannosaurus Rex's albums to feature Took; Bolan fired him after refusing to include Took's songs on the next album.[3]
In 2004, the album was remastered and reissued by A&M Records.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Marc Bolan
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chariots of Silk" | 2:26 |
| 2. | "'Pon a Hill" | 1:14 |
| 3. | "The Seal of Seasons" | 1:49 |
| 4. | "The Throat of Winter" | 1:59 |
| 5. | "Cat Black (The Wizard's Hat)" | 2:55 |
| 6. | "Stones for Avalon" | 1:37 |
| 7. | "She Was Born to Be My Unicorn" | 2:37 |
| 8. | "Like a White Star, Tangled and Far, Tulip That's What You Are" | 3:49 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Warlord of the Royal Crocodiles" | 2:11 |
| 2. | "Evenings of Damask" | 2:26 |
| 3. | "The Sea Beasts" | 2:26 |
| 4. | "Iscariot" | 2:53 |
| 5. | "Nijinsky Hind" | 2:20 |
| 6. | "The Pilgrim's Tale" | 2:07 |
| 7. | "The Misty Coast of Albany" | 1:43 |
| 8. | "Romany Soup" | 5:40 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Pewter Suitor (single A-side)" | 3:10 |
| 18. | "King of the Rumbling Spires (single A-side)" | 2:08 |
| 19. | "Do You Remember (single B-side)" | 2:15 |
| 20. | "'Pon a Hill (Take 1)" | 1:14 |
| 21. | "The Seal of Seasons (Take 1)" | 1:40 |
| 22. | "The Throat of Winter (Take 1)" | 1:46 |
| 23. | "She Was Born to Be My Unicorn (Take 1)" | 2:38 |
| 24. | "Warlord of the Royal Crocodiles (Take 1)" | 2:11 |
| 25. | "Evenings of Damask (Take 5)" | 2:16 |
| 26. | "Iscariot (Take 3)" | 1:58 |
| 27. | "The Misty Coast of Albany (Take 1)" | 1:40 |
| 28. | "Romany Soup (Take 2)" | 1:40 |
| 29. | "Pewter Suitor (Take 1)" | 3:16 |
| 30. | "King of the Rumbling Spires (Take 7)" | 2:45 |
| 31. | "Do You Remember (Take 3)" | 2:17 |
Personnel
- Tyrannosaurus Rex
- Marc Bolan - acoustic guitar, lead vocals, harmonium, organ, phonofiddle
- Steve Peregrin Took - bongos, backing vocals, African talking drum, bass, piano
- Additional Personnel
- Tony Visconti - production, piano (A5)
- John Peel - narration (B8)
References
- ^ Thompson, Dave. "Unicorn – Tyrannosaurus Rex | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ "T. Rex | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ Marc Bolan - The Final Word documentary, BBC, 2007 - comments by Tony Visconti at 27:42 point of video