Unicorn (album)

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Unicorn
Studio album by Tyrannosaurus Rex
Released	May 16, 1969
Recorded	Trident Studios, London
Genre	Rock
Length	39:46
Label	?
Producer(s)	Tony Visconti
Professional reviews
All Music Guide [1]
Tyrannosaurus Rex chronology
Prophets, Seers & Sages – The Angels of the Ages (1968)	Unicorn (1969)	A Beard of Stars (1970)

Unicorn is a 1969 album by British band Tyrannosaurus Rex, comprising Marc Bolan (vocals, guitar) and Steve "Peregrin" Took (bongos, African drums, kazoo, pixiephone, Chinese gong). It reached number 12 in the UK charts.

The reverse cover of Unicorn follows a convention begun by Bob Dylan with Bringing It All Back Home: the pair are pictured lurking in a Bayswater flat surrounded by their influences: LPs, books and objets d'art. These range from the modish to the obscure – Charles Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, The Bible, works of William Blake, a Muddy Waters LP, table drums and toy cymbals, etc. The photo sums up Bolan's earnest playfulness and the duo's position as both typical within their scene and a unique proposition. The music on Unicorn, with its melancholic grandeur, marks the high water mark for pixie-rock. Along with the poetic quality of many of the lyrics ("Oh, the throat of winter is upon us / The barren barley fields refuse to sway"), the final track includes John Peel's reading of a short story.

[edit] Track listing

(All songs composed by Marc Bolan)

1. "Chariots of Silk" – 2:27
2. "'Pon a Hill" – 1:15
3. "The Seal of Seasons" – 1:47
4. "The Throat of Winter" – 1:56
5. "Cat Black (The Wizard's Hat)" – 2:53
6. "Stones for Avalon" – 1:35
7. "She Was Born to Be My Unicorn" – 2:34
8. "Like a White Star, Tangled and Far, Tulip That's What You Are" – 3:47
9. "Warlord of the Royal Crocodiles" – 2:09
10. "Evenings of Damask" – 2:24
11. "The Sea Beasts" – 2:24
12. "Iscariot" – 2:51
13. "Nijinsky Hind" – 2:18
14. "The Pilgrim's Tale" – 2:05
15. "The Misty Coast of Albany" – 1:41
16. "Romany Soup" – 5:40

T. Rex

Marc Bolan • Mickey Finn • Steve Currie • Bill Legend

Steve Peregrin Took • Miller Anderson • Herbie Flowers • Jack Green • Gloria Jones • Davy Lutton • Tony Newman • Dino Dines

Discography

As Tyrannosaurus Rex: My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows | Prophets, Seers & Sages – The Angels of the Ages | Unicorn | A Beard of Stars

As T. Rex: T. Rex | Electric Warrior | Bolan Boogie | The Slider | Tanx | Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow | Light of Love | Bolan's Zip Gun | Futuristic Dragon | Dandy in the Underworld

Related articles

Born to Boogie • Blackhill Enterprises • Bolan's Rock Shrine • Marc (TV series) • Mickey Finn's T. Rex

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