Futuristic Dragon - Mythical Creature Collectible Figurine for Home Decor, Gaming & Fantasy Enthusiasts | Perfect for Shelf Displays, D&D Campaigns & Gift Giving

As a newly minted Marc Bolan fan, I don't know much about T. Rex albums yet so any album I pick from the catalog is going to be a bit of a risk as to whether I'll appreciate it or not. So far so good. This month's purchase of that back catalogue was Futuristic Dragon, which I was really nervous about because of what I had read the style of music was & how sales at the time were down as Bolan pursued this musical direction. I was half expecting a disco cd. Phew! It's not, though some songs are flavored by it. This is a musical leap from Electric Warrior few bands can boast of. Gone is that simple, stripped down model in favor of the expansive sounding, the almost bombastic. It's oozing with the confidence & swagger of a young musician flexing his abilities & showing his increasing complexity as a performer wanting to deliver a true sonic soundscape of funky jams for his fans. The album is solid but for an instrumental & the opening homage to the titular dragon with sounds that reminded me a lot of Lennon's solo work & one you would swear Rundgren was in the room on. The songs are all good & while there may not be a Get it On or Ride a White Swan moments, the work here is so earnest & direct you don't really mind because you're still singing the songs or humming a few bars throughout the day. Overall I'd say it does sound a bit dated (you know listening this album is a child of the 70s) but not enough to take away from the overall pleasure of it. It's definitely done in what I refer to as the NYC sound (think Young American by Bowie, Reed's Take a Walk on the Wildside & the like) so if you enjoy that, you'll definitely enjoy this as well.