Tyrannosaurus Rex – Prophets, Seers & Sages / My People Were Fair (1968) 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip

My People Were Fair approaches the listener from a totally unique angle. The Bolan voice, hardened from the slight warble which carried through his early solo material (still noticeable on the backups he performed for John’s Children), remains uncompromising, but it blends so perfectly with the bizarre, almost Eastern-sounding instrumentation that the most lasting impression is of a medieval caravansary whose demented Bedouin cast has suddenly been let loose in a recording studio. It is an irresistible affair, if absolutely a child of its psychedelically-inclined time.

The most underrated of Tyrannosaurus Rex’s four albums, Prophets, Seers & Sages was recorded just six months after their debut and adds little to the landscapes which that set mapped out. There is the same reliance on the jarring juxtaposition of rock rhythms in a folky discipline; the same abundance of obscure, private mythologies; the same skewed look at the latest studio dynamics, fed through the convoluted wringer of the duo’s imagination — the already classic pop of the opening “Deboraarobed” is further dignified by its segue into the same performance played backwards, a fairly groundbreaking move at a time when even the Beatles were still burying such experiments deep in the mix. But if the album itself found the duo rooted to the musical spot, still it delivered some of Marc Bolan’s most resonant songs. Dave Thompson Allmusic.

Track listing:

Prophets, Seers & Sages, the Angels of the Ages
01. Deboraarobed
02. Stacey Grove
03. Wind Quartets
04. Conesuala
05. Trelawny Lawn
06. Aznageel the Mage
07. The Friends

08. Salamanda Palaganda
09. Our Wonderful Brownskin Man
10. Oh Harley (The Saltimbanques)
11. Eastern Spell
12. The Travelling Tragition
13. Juniper Suction
14. Scenescof Dynasty

My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair…But Now They’re Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows
01. Hot Rod Mama
02. Scenescof
03. Child Star
04. Strange Orchestras
05. Chateau in Virginia Waters
06. Dwarfish Trumpet Blues

07. Mustang Ford
08. Afghan Woman
09. Knight
10. Graceful Fat Sheba
11. Weilder of Words
12. Frowning Atahuallpa

Personnel:

Marc Bolan-Vocals, Guitar
Steve Peregrine Took-Vocals, African Talking Drums, Bongos, Chinese Gong, Assorted Percussion, Kazoo, Pixiephone
Children’s story read by John Peel
Produced by Tony Visconti
Mastered by Ray Staff