T. Rex: Born To Boogie
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Movie Reviews of T. Rex: Born To Boogie
Movie Review: Now you can show everyone what we've known for years!
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally! Given T-Rex was under-appreciated in the U.S., I've always been asked what Marc Bolan and the boys were all about! Now I can simply play this wonderful 2-disk dvd and show everyone. This is the ultimate for any Bolan fan. The production is beuatiful, the sound is fantastic, and you get many additional extras including an excellent look into the restoration process, interviews with producer Tony Visconti and Marc's son, Rolan.
Filmed by Ringo Starr for Apple Films, the DVD includes the original theatrical release of Born to Boogie, as well as full coverage of the 5:30PM and 8:30PM Wembley Pool concerts. The movie has its moments, the highlight being a splendid run through Children of the Revolution in the studio with Elton John and Ringo sitting in. That version is even better than originally released single. I could do without the rest of the surreal fantasy scenes that interrupt the concert footage, but it reflects the same playful strangeness seen in Magical Mystery Tour. Given both concerts are included in their entirety, you lose nothing even though 3 songs from the 8:30 show don't make the original movie.
As for the music, it's absolutely peak T-Rex. As was the norm for 1972, both the early and late shows are 1-hour and have the same set list. Nonetheless, they are markedly different. The 5:30 show is a bit ragged, and Bolan is plagued with microphone problems (he literally has to follow the swaying microphone back and forth while singing Telegram Sam). In addition, Bolan's guitar is turned too low in the first show and the rest of the band seem a bit stiff. Yet, it still reflects a band at its creative apex (having hit it big with Electric Warrior and completed many tracks for The Slider). The second show is AWESOME and worth the purchase by itself! The band is tight, Marc's guitar is loud and driving, and the energy exchanged between Bolan and the crowd drives the set forward to increasingly intense musical peaks. I did notice that Tony Visconti (who mixed the DVD) adds some subtle lead guitar lines here and there that are clearly not being played by Marc on stage, but this is not a distraction and there are plenty of true leads played, especially as the late show fires up. The songs are as fresh today as they were in the 1972 days of T-Rexstacy. What's great is that T-Rex fans get the total live experience they've craved for years AND the unfamiliar viewer will finally "get it" and "get it on" with Marc and T-Rex. As an avid fan for over 30 years, I can finally say "I'm satisfied!" You will be too!
Movie Review: A True Artist
Summary: 5 Stars
What is good Rock 'N Roll? Many, unfortunately, confuse skillful guitar playing with talent and artistry. Regarding Rock 'N Roll, you do not need to be a great guitar player to be a great guitar player. Neither do you need a PhD in Musicology to understand what great Rock 'N Roll is all about. Marc Bolan may not have been a Joe Satriani or Alvin Lee, but he had extraordinary insight and talent. He knew exactly what to do, and how to do it. Unquestionably, as a musician and artist, he ranked right up there with the greatest.
Marc Bolan was exceptionally talented and blessed. He was his own. He made great music and had fun doing it. He didn't care about the critics. He knew what sounded good, and he knew how to create good-sounding Rock `N Roll. His music came from his essence and his heart. He once stated in an interview that the money was "secondary", and I believe it. Unlike many others, Marc was neither contrived nor packaged. He was what he was, and you either liked him or you didn't. He cared if you liked his music, but he didn't care if you didn't like his music. If you didn't like his music, then it wasn't written or performed for you. It's really as simple as that.
This DVD is great. If you have heard Marc Bolan's music and don't like it, don't buy this DVD. However, if you've ever liked any T. Rex song, such as "Bang A Gong" ("Get It On" in the UK), or "Jeepster" or "Telegram Sam" or "The Slider" or "Cosmic Dancer", etc., then this DVD is a MUST BUY.
The movie "Born to Boogie" has excellent concert footage. The band is really tight and Tony Visconti and others did a great job in restoring the old movie and enhancing the quality of the video and audio. There is some artsy-silliness with Ringo, but that can either be overlooked or considered pertinent at the time of filming.
My only minor complaint is that there are no interviews with Marc. It would have been a great compliment if an interview or two had been included on the DVD. Nonetheless, this DVD deserves Five Stars!
Movie Review: Reminds me how much I miss Marc Bolan
Summary: 5 Stars
In my youth I loved Marc Bolan and T.Rex, but never had the pleasure of seeing them perform live. The concerts featured in this DVD set do a great job of recreating what it would have been like to see them in person. Marc Bolan, what can I say? So cute, sexy, sensuous, talented and a brilliant showman. He's absolutely electric during his performances. He looked so genuinely happy, too--and humble--that fans appreciated him.
The movie portion of this set gives a glimpse of early 1970s silliness--lots of random, abstract, nonsensical bits made rather charming by the people involved, including Marc and Ringo Starr.
I think the documentary parts, with Rolan Bolan, are great. Rolan is Marc's son with Gloria Jones, and was about to turn two when Marc was killed in 1977, so he really doesn't have any memories of his dad. He goes to London seeking information from those who knew and worked with Marc. It's very informative and interesting, and gives great insight into Marc not only as a performer but as a person.
There are some fun extras, too.
I definitely, and highly, recommend this set. If you're an old T.Rex fan who perhaps hasn't thought about them in years, do yourself a favor and get this set! You'll immediately be reminded why you were a fan in the first place. If you're not old enough to have been a fan back in the day, the concerts on these DVDs may turn you into one.
Something I noticed is that the music, for the most part, doesn't sound dated--it sounds fresh and current and amazing. A good example is "Baby Strange." I love its instrumental beat. If you look for a video of this song online, search for the performance that's on the DVD, at Wembley in March '72.
The bad thing about watching this is that it reminds me Marc died way, way too soon. I'd so love to hear what he might have come up with had he not been killed in that car accident just before his 30th birthday.
Movie Review: OK Jack White-now they will all see whose act you've stolen!
Summary: 5 Stars
This superb 2-disc release joins a short list of music DVD's (2003's exhaustive, Jimmy Page-helmed "Led Zeppelin" concert anthology and the beautifully restored "The Kids Are Alright" deluxe edition) that truly demonstrate the full potential of digital audio/video technology, with respectful consideration of both the artists and thier fans. One of the legendary "lost" rock 'n' roll films of the 70's, the Ringo Starr produced "Born To Boogie" was long assumed to have been a lost cause for any kind of revival. This crystalline audio/visual peek at a unique period of Rock history is akin to capturing lightning in a bottle; because the "Age Of Bolan" only lasted for about 12 months in reality, from the release of the seminal glam rock classic "Electric Warrior" to the recording of its followup "The Slider". Indeed, Marc Bolan is at his absolute peak in this footage-a strutting, charismatic, physically beautiful androgynous Rock God in every sense of the word. The original film itself only runs 65 minutes, basically a concert movie with studio footage and a couple tongue-in-cheek vignettes tossed in. A definite highlight is the studio session footage featuring Elton John on piano and Ringo Starr on drums (!). Think about that for a second-Elton John and an ex-Beatle as your BACKUP band-that should put any doubts to rest that Marc Bolan was just a pretty face-he obviously commanded (much-deserved) respect as a musician. One caveat-the running time of the set totals about 5 1/2 hours, but you do get quite a bit of redundancy on the concert footage. The 2 one-hour sets that the original film was culled from are offered each in thier entirety, so you will notice the same 20 or so performances repeated throughout. But that is a minor quibble, as this footage does represent the only existing, intact documentation of an entire T. Rex concert (allegedly). A must-have!Movie Review: Superb on All Counts
Summary: 5 Stars
This DVD finally brings together not only the restored BORN TO BOOGIE, but also a multitude of extras, including two live concerts in which Bolan and his associates are at their peak. It's interesting to contrast the two performances; in the 5:30 show, the acoustic set is much stronger; in the 8:30 show, the electric stuff is sensational, leading off with a rousing version of CADILLAC. The restoration of the image from 16mm is absolutely first rate; most of the footage was rescued, along with the original stereo recordings, from 100s of rusting film cans in Ringo's garage. Tony Visconti, who worked with Bolan during his key era, did the remastering of the soundtrack, and it's absolutely remarkable; no distortion, and great presence. There are also interview extras, a long piece on the restoration of the film, outtakes with Elton John and Ringo during a jam session, and much, much more. As someone who saw T Rex three times in the US (at their first Carnegie Hall gig, which was a triumph, though the audience simply didn't get it; at the Palladium in NYC on 14th street, where Bolan pleaded with the audience to no avail to "get it on," and finally at a tragic gig at a dump called The Joint in the Woods in New Jersey, shortly before his untimely death), I've always felt that Bolan was severely underrated. Now, here's the proof in 2005 that T Rex, which during its heyday was responsible for 25% of all record sales in the UK (yes, that's right), was one of the masters. Buy, enjoy, and play loud. The movie itself is something of a mess, with a number of useless fantasy sequences that don't come off, but the two concerts more than make up for it; this is rock and roll history, and a copy of this should be an essential in every collection.