Just eighteen months ago, T. Rex was being loudly heralded as the next big thing, the next phenomenon, the next Beatles (John and Ringo nodded in agreement). They - or he, being that T. Rex is only Marc Bolan and whoever else he happens to bring along - had racked up an amazing string of charttopping singles in England, and the success of “Bang A Gong” seemed to point to a repetition of that triumph here.

It didn’t happen. We're still waiting for a follow-up hit. to “Bang A Gong,” and the lack of arty substantial singles actioq has been a jjjjBhinant factor in;$x Rex’ relative failure.-The massive hype didn’t help much 'either. Its backlash created a situation where the prospec; tive audience was forced to make a judgement before they’d heard the band, and it hurt Many of the dates on the last tour were cancelled to avoid the embarawnent of half-filled houses Their albums have sold steadily if unspectacularly, and while it indicates llkat there’s a market for T. Rex in this gl|«ntry, the size of that mallet remains a disappointment in light of what haA; been expected.