Marc (DVD)

...the father of glam rock Marc Bolan’s career although not totally dissipated was indeed in a slight decline towards the end of the 70’s. It was perhaps once again starting to incline with the release of “Dandy in the Underworld” on which I think he has shown his true potential as a musician. It was shortly after this release that he was given an afternoon slot on ITV with a music show called simply MARC. It was quite a simple formula where Marc performed ...
...to see the clips of Marc but there are no clips of the guests, who although maybe not as famous as the man himself did participate in his show are were contributing to his re-emergence as the superstar he was. There are of course guests on the show I’m in no hurry to see again, but the show, which included Bowie, would have been nice to see again.

I’m a huge Bolan fan so there is no way I’m going to criticise the performances some of ... more

Generally regarded as the father of glam rock Marc Bolan’s career although not totally dissipated was indeed in a slight decline towards the end of the 70’s. It was perhaps once again starting to incline with the release of “Dandy in the Underworld” on which I think he has shown his true potential as a musician. It was shortly after this release that he was given an afternoon slot on ITV with a music show called simply MARC. It was quite a simple formula where Marc performed some of his best known and some of his lesser-known work. Each week he would have along an invited guest, with the likes of Stephanie de Sykes getting a little TV boost. Other guest included David Bowie, Generation X and The Boomtown Rats. Before the final show was released the tragic accident that was to claim his life took place. This DVD is a commemoration of the TV show, which gave T.Rex fans an extra glimpse of their hero. (Me included)

In typical Bolan fashion he flaunts himself in a leopard suit on the front cover, which simply bears the title Marc. The DVD is region 2 only therefore is not suitable for perspective viewers outside of the EU. It will cost you £6.97 from Amazon and if you are a Bolan fan it is easily worth that kind of money. The DVD contains many clips from The TV series and many have been re-mastered to improve the quality. The one down side is that it doesn’t give an overall clear picture of the actual show, great to see the clips of Marc but there are no clips of the guests, who although maybe not as famous as the man himself did participate in his show are were contributing to his re-emergence as the superstar he was. There are of course guests on the show I’m in no hurry to see again, but the show, which included Bowie, would have been nice to see again.

I’m a huge Bolan fan so there is no way I’m going to criticise the performances some of which were not lets say his greatest. What you have to remember whilst viewing this DVD is that the 70’s were are fun decade and no one really took anything too seriously and in these clips from the show, Marc obviously didn’t either. Some of it would probably now be called corny although clearly in 1977 this was not the case. Some of my favourite tracks such as Born to Boogie are performed and bring back the fondest of memories. It is however the track Celebrate Summer which invokes the most emotional response. With lyrics such as

Hey little girl wanna take a chance,
Hey little girl want a quick romance
Hey little girl wanna take a chance
And celebrate summer with me.

Nothing exceptional until you reflect and realise that the summer of 77 was his last, and that he never got to celebrate all of it. Some other material on the DVD has not been re-mastered and hence the quality of this is not great. When I was watching this it was the fashions that amused me most, and took my back to my youth where I like many of you wore some ridiculous gear in the name of fashion. I had a bright yellow top with a huge collar with black stars on it. In the centre front of the top was yet another huge black star, but hey I was so cooooool or not. The performance of “Life’s a Gas” clearly demonstrates Marc’s enthusiasm for fashion and his flare for the somewhat outrageous, which is probably why I as a young impressionable teenager thought that top was so special. And yet again the lyrics significant in the fact that this was nearing the end.

Life’s a Gas
I hope its gonna last

I guess there are a few DVD’s like this out there where we can reminisce and forget about the crazy hazy world of the naughties, but this along with my collection of T.Rex/Marc Bolan CD’s/DVD’s take me back to a time where I had less worries and a lot less stress, and if only for the brief hour or so the DVD runs I am taken back to those days with a smile on my face then the £6.97 is already well spent. For a Bolan fan I could not with hand on heart say this was a necessity, but it will give you some footage you’ve never seen or perhaps not seen for a while, and for that alone it is worth considering.

 

...less