T. Rex- The Slider (Side A)

T. Rex The Slider (Side A) 1972 A1 Metal Guru 0:00 A2 Mystic Lady 2:29 A3 Rock On 5:38 A4 The Slider 9:08 A5 Baby Boomerang 12:28 A6 Spaceball Ricochet 14:44 The Slider is the seventh studio album by English rock band T. Rex, and the third since abbreviating their name from Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was released on 21 July 1972 by record labels EMI and Reprise. Two number-one singles, "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru", were released to promote the album. Issued at the height of the band's popularity, The Slider received acclaim from critics, reaching number 4 in the UK Albums Chart and number 17 in the US. Johnny Marr of the Smiths cited it as one of his favourite albums, saying: "The Slider came out and it had 'Metal Guru' on it. It was a song that changed my life as I had never heard anything so beautiful and so strange, but yet so catchy. 'Telegram Sam' was also on that album and the whole thing was unusually spooky and had a weird atmosphere, considering it was a number one record and they were essentially a teenybop band". Gary Numan also hailed it among his favourites: "Song after song after song… and the title track; it's a not typical album-title track. You'd normally go for one of the big singles and The Sliders got a very slow, lazy groove thing. It's just great. It's just the sexiest track". Retrospective reviews have been more consistently positive, often labeling the album a glam classic. Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote, "Even if it treads largely the same ground as Electric Warrior, The Slider is flawlessly executed and every bit the classic that its predecessor is". Andy Beta of Pitchfork gave the album a 9.5/10 grade, opining that the album "marked both the zenith and imminent approach of the cliff's edge for T. Rextasy. Recorded in a dilapidated castle in France, it captured Marc Bolan as the King of Glam at the absolute height of his powers". LA Weekly praised the album as "a hauntingly unique masterpiece." #trex #1972 #theslider