Bowie vs Bolan

To add a bit of extra educational spice I’m hoping to listen to what Marc Bolan was up to at the same time as our B-boy. Mind you, I’m not fond of Bolan’s solo stuff so I might get bored and jack it in. But in the mean time,
here’s Bowie vs Bolan: 1967!




















Whilst the Bow-ster was failing to chart with his first solo album,
Marc Bolan was busy also failing to chart with his chums in the band John’s Children.


And just as Bowie was ruining good tunes with clunky rhymes while he got the hang of lyric writing,
who should be up to the same tricks but Marcy-Boy Bolan!

Check out this Bolan lyric from Desdemona:
“Just because Toulouse Lautrec
Painted some chick in the rude
Doesn't give you the right
To steal my night
And leave me naked in the nude”

Naked in the nude? What!!!



As far as I can tell, in 1967 Bolan wrote 4 songs for John’s Children (Desdemona, Midsummer Nights Scene, Sarah Crazy Child and Go-Go Girl), a couple of which are OK.
All of which feature him giving a crackin’ backin’ vocal under dull performances from lead singer Andy Ellison.
All of which are shallow affairs about gettin’ it on with ladies and freakin’ out on drugs.
And all of which sound like cod Psychedelia-by-numbers.
We’re talking ‘Listen to the flower people’ era Spinal Tap folks!



I doubt I will ever listen to John's Children again so I do declare David Bowie the winner of 1967! Yay Bowie!









I don’t fancy his chances in 1968 though….