At the height of T. Rexstasy, an international anthem. Fly your freak flag, brothers and sisters!
Kronomyth 7.3: No, you won’t fool the children of the revolution.
This might be the last T. Rex song that really mattered. Yes, it’s basically a slowed-down version of “Buick Mackane” with a new chorus under the hood, but oh what a chorus! Children of the Revolution was the last rallying cry for T. Rexstasy that stirred up the old allegiances for me. “Solid Gold Easy Action” was, well, spastic, and the whole thing started to sink after Tanx.
If “Children of the Revolution” sounds like classic T. Rex, it should. The song was written and first recorded during the sessions for The Slider, and first appeared in the film Born to Boogie featuring Elton John and Ringo Starr in a different version. The single mistakenly alludes to the film as the source, but the single version was re-recorded in a studio without the participation of Elton and Ringo.
The single was released internationally with Jitterbug Love on the B side and, in many countries, a bonus third track, Sunken Rags. Both songs have more in common with the classic sound of The Slider than the noisy, approaching Tanx. “Jitterbug Love” has an interesting rhythm and uses some voice distortion that almost sounds like a second guitar. “Sunken Rags” lacks the punchy production of vintage Tony Visconti but it’s still worth salvaging from obscurity.
I don’t associate T. Rex with any one song (they simply had too many great songs to pick from), but “Children of the Revolution” may be the closest they’ve come to an anthem. Given the single’s remarkably international distribution, no doubt the seeds of a musical revolution were being sown for future generations…
Original three-track 7-inch single version
A1. Children of the Revolution (Marc Bolan)
B1. Jitterbug Love (Marc Bolan)
B2. Sunken Rags (Marc Bolan)
Original 7-inch single version
A1. Children of the Revolution (Marc Bolan) (2:28)
B1. Jitterbug Love (Marc Bolan) (2:57)
The Players
Marc Bolan, Steve Currie, Mickey Finn, Bill Legend. Produced by Tony Visconti.
The Plastic
Released on three-track 7-inch single on September 8, 1972 in the UK (T.Rex, MARC 2), on October 12, 1972 in Australia (T.Rex, T.REX-10013), on November 2, 1972 in Japan (Odeon, EOR-10200) and in 1972 in Belgium, Denmark and Norway (EMI, MARC 2), Brazil (EMI/T.Rex, MARC 2), Finland, Greece and Israel (T.Rex, MARC 2), Italy (T Rex, 3C 006 93790), Sweden (T.Rex, 4E 006-93790) and Yugoslavia (EMI/T.Rex, STR-88614) and on two-track 7-inch single in 1972 in Argentina (T.Rex, 1567), Austria, Germany and the Netherlands (Ariola, 12 325 AT), France (CBS, REX 8420), Portugal and Spain (Ariola, 12.325-A) and Turkey (Stateside, TSS 4141) with regional picture sleeve; reached #2 on the UK charts.
