T.REX
1973 Australian Tour
Apollo Stadium,
South Australia, Australia
6th November 1973

01. Tuning Up & Marc Bolan Intro
02. 20th Century Boy
03. Chariot Choogle
04. Telegram Sam
05. Buick McKane (Incomplete) > Drum Solo >
06. Jeepster >
07. Hot Love (Incomplete & Fades Out)
08. Get It On (Incomplete & Fades In)

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The Band
Marc Bolan - Vocals, Lead guitar & Tambourine
Mickey Finn - Percussion, Backing Vocals & Whistle
Steve Currie - Bass Guitar & Backing Vocals
Bill Legend - Drums
Jack Green - Guitar & Backing Vocals

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Australian 1973 Tour Dates
Sydney, NSW – Hordern Pavilion 3rd November - Taped
Sydney, NSW – Hordern Pavilion 4th November
Adelaide, SA – Apollo Stadium 5th November - Taped
Melbourne, VIC – Festival Hall 7th November
Brisbane, QLD – Festival Hall 10th November – Taped

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This Adelaide recording completes the trio of Australian tour recordings I’ve had from late 1973 to sometime in the mid-1980’s.
The first was the Australian tours opening show Sydney 1973-11-03 from the master cassette taped by Doris Death & myself that can be found here.

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=690788

In the accompanying Sydney torrent notes you can read how popular Marc / T.Rex were here in the early to mid 70's

The second recording Brisbane 1973-11-10 was the tours final show which I’d received from a bloke that brought his copy from the taper who’d placed a for sale ad in a Brisbane newspaper not long after the tour,
making my copy a 3rd generation. The Brisbane recording has often been mislabelled as being the Melbourne 1973-11-07 concert but its 100% confirmed to be the Brisbane concert as the DJ who introduces the show
mentions Brisbane Radio Station 4IP. To date no Melbourne recording has surfaced.

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=697568

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This Adelaide recording I received decades ago is one off from the master cassette from the taper GT, he’s a big Marc Bolan / T.Rex fan.
It was he who introduced the fade in & outs in this raw transfer, the songs that are incomplete are from a combination of tape flips, taping malfunctions but this is his complete recording.

As far as I know this recording hasn't been widely circulated, if at all as in Cliff McLenehan's excellent "Marc Bolan /T.Rex 1947 - 1977 A Chronology" book no set list for this date appears but set lists for
Sydney & Brisbane do.

All 1973 Australian T.Rex concerts kicked off with an DJ introduction from one of that cities major radio stations, so I can’t see that the Adelaide concert being any different, however it’s missing here as I
presume that the taper started recording after the DJ’s introduction. Just after the 00:05 mark the taper is heard saying “Was him Rick, was him” apparently they’d spotted Marc Bolan somewhere earlier that day
but they weren’t 100% postive until they saw him come onstage.

Marc’s definitely in a more upbeat mood in Adelaide than he was at the Sydney / Brisbane shows, here he indulges more with the audience, it sounds like there’s more teenyboppers among the Adelaide audience than in Sydney
& Brisbane noticeable by their occasional screaming, with T.Rex being a big part of the UK Glam Rock movement they attracted a lot of young females, so perhaps Marc was comfortable with the Adelaide screamers as it may
have reminded him of the female heavy UK audiences in the throes of T.Rextasy. Adelaide is a very engeretic audience as can be heard by their clapping along to Telegram Sam, Jeepster, Hot Love plus their response in Get It On.

As stated above three songs on this recording are incomplete, the first Buick McKane starts after Marc has finished singing the lyrics so only the instrumental part remains, Hot Love fades out, Get It On fades in not long
after it starts & continues for just over 22 minutes. Even with three incomplete songs the Adelaide recording is the longest 1973 Australian T.Rex concert that we have recordings of.

At the end of Chariot Choogle just after the applause there’s a cut which misses the start of Marc reciting some lines he’s made up on the spot which then leads Marc into having a discussion with Micky Finn who instead of
talking replies to Marc’s comments with electronic whistling (which he can be seen doing in the Born To Boogie Wembley 1972 film footage) Marc’s talks about having to do the next number (Telegram Sam) without it, whatever it is.

Bolan is cetainly enjoying himself as the Adelaide Telegram Sam is longer than the versions performed on the other two Aussie recordings. Tonight, unlike the Sydney Telegram Sam there’s no “Me, I fuck but I don't care,
I ain't no square because I’ve cut my hair” as Marc sang acknowledging he’d had his long curls shorn for the Japanese /Australian tours, instead Adelaide gets “Me I fuck, I don’t dare (instead of care) I’m no square with my
corkscrew” (no hair) with the word fuck being screamed out.

In Jeepster Marcs sings the line “Tie my kangaroo down” which is a reference to the Rolf Harris song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" which was a hit song in Australia, the UK & other countries in 1960. During the drum solo
that ends Buick McKane it must have become hot inside the old Apollo Stadium as an Aussie fellah can be heard saying “Marc Bolan’s got no top on” which identifies the Australian 1973 tour photos with Marc in a vest
after removing his shirt / jumper as being from the Adelaide gig.

Even though myself & fellow Marc Bolan / T Rex fans were somewhat disappointed in the Australian 1973 November’s concerts thanks to Marc’s self-indulgence by turning most songs into overlong jams at the expense of not
playing more well-known songs such as my 2nd favourite T.Rex single (after 20th Century Boy) Metal Guru, Solid Gold Easy Action, Children Of The Revolution. However, I’m still glad that 51 years ago I was able to see the
self-indulgent self-opinionated sometimes arrogant but loveable bopping elf in a live setting.

I loved his musical output since I first heard T.Rex as a 15yo when I brought Electric Warrior, as a now just turned 68yo I still play that album along with The Slider, Tanx & still get the same enjoyment as I did first time around.

Hearing of his death in London on the 18th September 1977 did had an affect on me, I recall for example hearing the news reports about the passing of Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Hendrix & Jim Morrison, by then I was familar
with their music jowever their passing didn't have the same impact as I was much younger when they were at their height whereas Marc Bolan / T. Rex music were a big part of my musical teenage years. Whenever I've been in
London I’ve visited the accident site in Barnes, on each visit the sadness that I felt upon hearing the news returns, heightened when other fans who've also gathered there at the same time as myself are visibly upset
decades after his death.

Thanks to the taper GT, thanks to mjk5510 as always for an excellent job in remastering & thanks to Goody for checking that we are running at the right pitch & concluded that it was!

Enjoy,
Waz

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To those wondering what a 1973 T.Rex Aussie show was like then have a gander at the below Midnight Special TV Show on youtube.

https://youtu.be/tyQ1FpW2MyY

Ep 35 - The Midnight Special Episode | September 28, 1973
Hosted by Seals & Crofts with special guest appearance by Paul Butterfield's Better Days, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Arlo Guthrie, Leo Kottke, T. Rex, Uriah Heep, and Wolfman Jack.a

T.Rex perform live versions of Hot Love & Get it On, the latter with Marc whipping his guitar, filmed just over a month before arriving in Australia with the same line up with extra guitar player Jack Green but minus the backing singers Gloria Jones & Sister Pat Hall.


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