T. Rex – Metal Guru

America missed the boat on T-Rex. The only substantial hit they had here was Bang a Gong.The song peaked at #1 in the UK and #45 in Canada in 1972. In the UK they were huge and for a short time rivaling The Beatles early popularity. ‘Metal Guru’, T Rex’s fourth and final UK No.1. It topped the chart for four weeks from May–June 1972.

This was a busy time for the band. They were working on the album between March and April 1972 and Ringo Star took  photographs for the front and back cover for the album The Slider.

T Rex The Slider.jpg

At the time Ringo was taking the pictures he was also starting a documentary about T Rex called Born To Boogie. I do give the doc a thumbs up…I have it and watched it a few times. It shows just how popular T.Rex was during the early seventies.

Marc Bolan: “It’s a festival of life song. I relate ‘Metal Guru’ to all gods around – someone special, a godhead. I thought how God would be, he’d be all alone without a telephone.”

Metal Guru

Metal Guru, is it you?
Metal Guru, is it you?
Sittin’ there in your armor-plated chair, oh yeah

Metal Guru, is it true?
Metal Guru, is it true?
All alone without a telephone, oh yeah

Metal Guru, could it be
You’re gonna bring my baby to me?
She’ll be wild
You know, a rock ‘n’ roll child, oh yeah

Metal Guru, has it been
Just like a silver-studded sabre-tooth dream?
I’ll be clean, you know
Pollution machine, oh yeah

Metal Guru, is it you?
Metal Guru, is it you? Oh yeah

Metal Guru, could it be
You’re gonna bring my baby to me?
She’ll be wild
You know, a rock ‘n’ roll child, oh yeah

Metal Guru, is it true?
Metal Guru, is it true?
All alone without a telephone, oh

Metal Guru, could it be
You’re gonna bring my baby to me?
She’ll be wild
You know, a rock ‘n’ roll child, oh yeah

Metal Guru, is it you?
Metal Guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Metal Guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Metal Guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah

Metal Guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Metal Guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Metal Guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Metal Guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah

Metal Guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball fan, old movie and tv show fan... and a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

33 thoughts on “T. Rex – Metal Guru”

  3. it’s a new one to me! I kind of think they were over-rated in Britain and under-rated here. I like “Jeepster” and “20th Century boy” by them a lot. Definitely one of themost extreme examples of star power that didn’t carry across the ocean, along with The Jam.

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  4. Funny how some acts are popular in the UK but don’t cross over- and the other way around also. T. Rex is one of the best that just didn’t translate for some reason.

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      2. ” I feel the US audience has no taste.” I agree totally. The British got their inspiration from us but then ran with it…past us.

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  9. Brilliant record. When this came out it was love at first hearing for me, a real anthem. T.Rex, along with Bowie, were massive influences on British pop music through punk and New Romantics and 80’s Indie music. When Marc Bolan was killed in a car crash after he’d just finished filming his TV pop show in 1977 (which spearheaded punk music) it was a massive shock and blow to me, and all his fans.

    Glam was colourful, energetic, retro, visual which was what the UK needed at that time in a struggling, cold, less-affluent black and white holdover 60’s world, and it upset your parents which was a big bonus to teenage fans. In the more sunny laid-back musical world of the USA, West Coast Rock seemed more appropriate. I first toured the USA West Coast in 1979 and the music just seemed to fit the glorious weather while the UK was having another (angry) music revolution with punk and New Wave as the country headed into mass unemployment, strikes and riots.

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    1. I always liked Glam…some of my first memories are of David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust. I wish Bolan would have caught on over here much more and I really can’t understand why he didn’t…same with Slade.

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      1. Oops that’s a typo. It was the guy I babysat for who had the awesome album collection. He worked 3rd shift and slept during the day and his wife went to work. I had the albums and headphones and life was good!

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