Solid Gold Easy Action
| ""Solid Gold Easy Action"" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 German picture sleeve by Ariola label | ||||
| Single by T.Rex | ||||
| from the album Great Hits (1972) | ||||
| A-side | "Solid Gold Easy Action" | |||
| B-side | "Born To Boogie" | |||
| Released | 1 December 1972 | |||
| Genre | Glam rock[1] | |||
| Length | 2:14 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Marc Bolan | |||
| Producer(s) | Tony Visconti | |||
| T.Rex singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Solid Gold Easy Action" is a song by T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan. It was released as a single on 1 December 1972[2] and reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart.[3][4] The song did not feature on an original studio album but was included on the 1972 Great Hits compilation album issued by EMI Records. It was beaten to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart by "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" by Little Jimmy Osmond (1 week).
Lyrical content[edit]
Kerrang! magazine founder Geoff Barton, wrote in an article for Classic Rock magazine that the first two lines of the song, "Life is the same and it always will be / Easy as picking foxes from a tree", appeared to predict Marc Bolan's own death in 1977. The number plate of the car Bolan was in during the fatal collision with a tree was FOX 661L.[5] This is one of many supposed 'prophesies' surrounding Marc Bolan's death.[6]
Other versions[edit]
- The song was covered by Department S, with backing vocals provided by Thunderthighs[7] as the B-side to the original Demon (D 1003) issue of the "Is Vic There?" single in 1980. Bananarama originally recorded the backing vocals[8] but these were replaced by Thunderthighs on the released version.[7]
- It was covered by The Fratellis in 2007 for the soundtrack of the film Hot Fuzz.[9]
- Kim Wilde performed the song live during the second leg of her Perfect Girl tour in November 2007.[10]
- In 2015 the song was used in an Asda advert in the UK.[11]
- A portion of the song was featured in the third episode of "The Good Guys (2010 TV series)".
- The song was also included in the movie The Dirt, based on the life and career of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.[12]
- Two lines from the song are included at the end of 'Top Twenty' by The Undertones.
Track listing[edit]
- "Solid Gold Easy Action"
- "Born to Boogie"
There is a 12-second un-credited spoken intro on the b-side, titled "Xmas Message", which was later called "Xmas Riff" when it was included in the Rhino Singles compilation.[13]
Personnel[edit]
- Marc Bolan – lead vocals, guitar
- Mickey Finn – congas,
- Steve Currie – bass guitar
- Bill Legend – Drums
- Sue and Sunny – Backing Vocals
- Tony Visconti – producer, string arrangement, backing vocals
Chart performance[edit]
| Chart (1972–1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Go-Set Top 40)[14] | 39 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15] | 13 |
| France (SNEP)[16] | 68 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[17] | 6 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[18] | 4 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[19] | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[4] | 2 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 822. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
(Bolan) started writing manic chant-along glam-rock hits such as "Metal Guru," "20th Century Boy," "Solid Gold Easy Action," and "Children of the Revolution."
- ^ T. Rex - Solid Gold Easy Action, retrieved 6 September 2022
- ^ Rice, Tim; Roberts, David (2001), Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, Guinness World Records, p. 435, ISBN 0-85112-156-X
- ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ Barton, Geoff (22 June 2012), 1977: Did Marc Bolan predict his own death?, Classic Rock, archived from the original on 25 June 2012, retrieved 30 May 2013
- ^ Gallucci, Michael (29 January 2013), Marc Bolan – Famous Musicians Who Correctly Predicted Their Own Death, Ultimate Classic Rock, retrieved 30 August 2014
- ^ a b Kutner, Jon (26 June 2016). "SINGLE OF THE WEEK - Is Vic There? (Department S)". jonkutner.com. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- ^ Bananarama Aie A Mwana, Bananarama UK, archived from the original on 7 July 2011, retrieved 14 January 2011
- ^ Phares, Heather. Hot Fuzz – Cherry Tree at AllMusic
- ^ Solid Gold Easy Action, Wilde Life, retrieved 14 January 2011
- ^ "Spirit Global". Spirit Music Group. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ Lifton, Dave; Wilkening, Matthew (22 June 2012), The Stories Behind the Non-Motley Crue Songs in 'The Dirt', Ultimate Classic Rock, retrieved 3 April 2019
- ^ "The T-Rex Wax Co. Singles A's And B's 1972-77 sleeve notes". Rhino Records.
Always previously described as "Xmas Message", we've recently discovered (on a handwritten white label demo) that Bolan referred to this short, seasonal spoken-word piece as "Xmas Riff". So that's what this super funk message to his fans now becomes.
- ^ "Solid gold easy action in Australian Chart". Poparchives.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ^ "T. REX – SOLID GOLD - EASY ACTION" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "Solid gold easy action in French Chart" (in French). Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc. 18 July 2013. Archived from the original on 19 March 2005. Retrieved 18 July 2013. Select "T. Rex" from the artist drop-down menu
- ^ "T. Rex – Solid Gold – Easy Action" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Solid Gold Easy Action". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "T. REX – SOLID GOLD - EASY ACTION". VG-lista.
External links[edit]
- Solid Gold Easy Action at AllMusic
- "Solid Gold Easy Action" at Discogs (list of releases)
- ASIN B000X12KZO, Solid Gold Easy Action
- Lyrics at LyricWiki
