MARC BOLAN and T REX are celebrated in a new high quality coffee table book.
Published to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of his first ever No.1 single 'Hot Love', Marc brings together more than 300 rare and seldom seen photos.
Compiled by T Rex fan Carlton Sandercock, owner of UK record label Easy Action, the book has been two years in the making and spans Marc’s career from 1965 with photos from the Evening standard announcing a new pop sensation to Marc’s untimely and tragic death in 1977. The final double page spread features fan Polaroids, which would turn out to be the last photos taken of Marc, catching him in a happy and fun moment with two of his fans. “It was important that the last chapter of the book be as positive as it was possible to be under the circumstances," says Sandercock.
Clocking in at 300 pages, this hefty hardback volume measures 14" x 11" and weighs in at a hefty 2.6 kilos. Published in an initial run of 500 copies, the first 100 will be hand numbered and will feature two professional prints not included in the book.
"Many of the photographers I knew from licencing photos for Easy Action projects." says Sandercock. "It was good to talk to and meet with some of them but sadly during the process of this book, some we lost along the way -Michael Putland, Richard Fitzgerald, Terry O Neil, Keiron 'Spud' Murphy (who took the cover image at Trident Studios during the recording of the classic Electric Warrior album).
"One highlight was meeting Peter Sanders who was Marc’s best man and also introduced him to percussionist Mickey Finn. Peter photographed three of the first four Tyrannosaurus Rex LPs as well as the iconic first T Rex album.
"One of the key frustrations was that many many original negs have since neem lost stolen over the years. It was practice in some instances for photographers to take a load of shots and send the actual negs to pop magazines as they couldn’t afford to copy them. The magazine wouldn’t ever return them, and most would end up in the bin. Classic images that as a teenager you grew up with, lost forever!
"Many of the photographers that shot Marc went on to become big names in the fashion world or well-known famous photographers who at the time were just getting a portfolio together such as Alec Byrne, Terry O Neill, Richard Imrie (who I tracked down to an island on Hawaii), David Steen...."
The Book is split into five chapters. The 60s – 1967-1970; Tyrannosaurus Rex – 1971-1973; the classic T Rex – 1974-1976; the wilderness years – 1977; the Return of the Dandy. Intensively researched, the book includes photos from UK, France, Holland, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Denmark and the USA, with live action shots amid posed sessions and album cover outtakes. The book is embellished with quotes from Marc himself as well as his fellow artists, with an exclusive introduction by famed T Rex publicist BP Fallon along with T Rex drummer Bill Legend and Marc’s partner Gloria Jones.
Marc is only available form the Official Marc Bolan Merch Co.