A concious effort had been made for 'Futuristic Dragon' to come across as good enough to reverse the T Rex commercial decline. That it didn't is almost irrelevant now, although I should point out it did spawn a couple of minor hit singles in 'Dreamy Lady' and the deliriously simple groove of 'New York City'. Still, we'll go back to 'Dreamy Lady' for a second. A lovely synth led melody, a truly gorgeous feel throughout the entire song. Not for a single second like any Bolan single before it, although sadly for him, it failed to pick up enough enthusiasm amongst record buyers to return Bolan to the heights he wanted. Ok, so 'Dreamy Lady' was a slight change of direction, the same can't be said for 'New York City'. This song is classic Bolan from start to finish, it's a crying tradegy it never reached the very highest reaches of singles charts, stalling instead at number twenty. Still the lyric and structure of the song is simplicity itself. The entire lyric, repeated a number of times, runs as follows. Did you ever see a woman / Coming out of New York City / With a frog in her hand / Did you ever see a woman / Coming out of New York City / With a frog in her hand / I did don't you know / And don't it show . What this could possibly mean is anyones guess, but I don't think trying to read meaning into it is quite the point of the song. The point of the song is the groove, man. Of nearly as high a standard is the glam, groove romp of 'Sensation Boulevard', Bolan was back?
Synth sounds attempt to spur forwards 'Ride My Wheels' before it denegerates into the kind of sluggish, tired sounding groove that has marred certain Bolan albums ever since 'Tanx'. Still, 'All Alone' is good! 'Theme For A Dragon' a brief two minute instrumental that at least showed that Bolan didn't 'need' any production assistance from the likes of Tony Visconti, although if he had worked with different producers, who is to say it wouldn't have helped him? 'Calling All Destroyers' features some nifty Bolan guitar and rocks pretty hard, I'd love to have heard it performed live, complete with extended solos. The synth sounds threaten to drench the otherwise perfectly excellent 'Chrome Sitar'. Second song 'Jupiter Liar' has a classic Bolan groove and is one of the finest songs on the album, the harmonies are fine, the song is tight. What more do you need? All the way through to the very fine closing track 'Casual Agent', 'Futuristic Dragon' seems to show a more concerted album length effort from Bolan. Apart from the odd piece of filler here and there, every song has something. A good half of the album is utterly recommended, the other half doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the whole. It all balances out in the end to leave 'Futuristic Dragon' as rating as one of the better Bolan LPs.
Tracklist for Futuristic Dragon:
1. "Futuristic Dragon (Introduction)" 1:52
2. "Jupiter Liar" 3:40
3. "Chrome Sitar" 3:13
4. "All Alone" 2:48
5. "New York City" 3:55
6. "My Little Baby" 3:06
7. "Calling All Destroyers" 3:53
8. "Theme for a Dragon" 2:00
9. "Sensation Boulevard" 3:48
10. "Ride My Wheels" 2:25
11. "Dreamy Lady" 2:51
12. "Dawn Storm" 3:42
13. "Casual Agent" 2:53
Synth sounds attempt to spur forwards 'Ride My Wheels' before it denegerates into the kind of sluggish, tired sounding groove that has marred certain Bolan albums ever since 'Tanx'. Still, 'All Alone' is good! 'Theme For A Dragon' a brief two minute instrumental that at least showed that Bolan didn't 'need' any production assistance from the likes of Tony Visconti, although if he had worked with different producers, who is to say it wouldn't have helped him? 'Calling All Destroyers' features some nifty Bolan guitar and rocks pretty hard, I'd love to have heard it performed live, complete with extended solos. The synth sounds threaten to drench the otherwise perfectly excellent 'Chrome Sitar'. Second song 'Jupiter Liar' has a classic Bolan groove and is one of the finest songs on the album, the harmonies are fine, the song is tight. What more do you need? All the way through to the very fine closing track 'Casual Agent', 'Futuristic Dragon' seems to show a more concerted album length effort from Bolan. Apart from the odd piece of filler here and there, every song has something. A good half of the album is utterly recommended, the other half doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the whole. It all balances out in the end to leave 'Futuristic Dragon' as rating as one of the better Bolan LPs.
Tracklist for Futuristic Dragon:
1. "Futuristic Dragon (Introduction)" 1:52
2. "Jupiter Liar" 3:40
3. "Chrome Sitar" 3:13
4. "All Alone" 2:48
5. "New York City" 3:55
6. "My Little Baby" 3:06
7. "Calling All Destroyers" 3:53
8. "Theme for a Dragon" 2:00
9. "Sensation Boulevard" 3:48
10. "Ride My Wheels" 2:25
11. "Dreamy Lady" 2:51
12. "Dawn Storm" 3:42
13. "Casual Agent" 2:53