Billy Super Duper
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| AllMusic |    [1] |
Billy Super Duper is an album by English glam rock act T. Rex. Released in 1982 by record label Marc on Wax, it was the first LP of entirely new and unheard material released after Marc Bolan's death in 1977 as the previous posthumous release, You Scare Me to Death consisted of demos first released in 1974. Billy Super Duper consists of studio outtakes and home demos recorded by the band between 1972 and 1977, with arrangements produced by John and Shan Bramley (the heads of the Marc Bolan Fanclub at the time). The album was intended to "complete" the demos and bring them up to date with contemporary music.
Release
Billy Super Duper was released in 1982 by record label Marc on Wax. It did not chart in the United Kingdom.[2]
The concept behind the album was to release songs that would be on Bolan's next album, which was to be titled Jack Daniels had he survived; however, several songs were recorded for the aborted 1975 concept album Billy Super Duper, and the title track led to the album taking this name. The album bears little resemblance to Bolan's intended rock opera and is missing several key tracks that were recorded for the album and were readily available to the producers.
This album remains to be the only way of hearing the song "Billy Super Duper" and the versions of "Depth Charge" and "Write Me a Song", which were never released in their unedited format. This led to many rumours being speculated about the fate of these tracks, including speculation that the producers permanently erased Bolan's guitar tracks or damaged the original tapes whilst editing them; in particular, the song "Billy Super Duper", which was originally fifteen minutes long, exists on this release at less than a third of its original length.
Track listing
| 1. |
"Billy Super Duper" (recorded at the Chateau d'Herouville, France, 19 May 1975) |
3:39 |
| 2. |
"Shy Boy" (recorded at Decibel Studios, London in April 1977) |
2:36 |
| 3. |
"Depth Charge" (recorded at the Chateau d'Herouville, France, 19 May 1975; guitar overdubs recorded at Crescent Studios, Bath in March 1982) |
3:58 |
| 4. |
"Love Drunk" (recorded at Decibel Studios, London in April 1977) |
2:41 |
| 5. |
"Buick MacKane & the Babe Shadow" (recorded at the Chateau d'Herouville, France, 10 March 1972) |
3:24 |
| 1. |
"21st Century Stance" (recorded early 1977; bass, guitar and drum overdubs recorded at Crescent Studios, Bath in March 1982) |
2:35 |
| 2. |
"Foxy Boy" (recorded at Decibel Studios, London in April 1977) |
2:15 |
| 3. |
"Hot George" (recorded at Decibel Studios, London in April 1977; saxophone overdub recorded at Crescent Studios, Bath in March 1982) |
2:21 |
| 4. |
"Mellow Love" (recorded at Decibel Studios, London in April 1977; string overdub recorded at Crescent Studios, Bath in March 1982) |
3:15 |
| 5. |
"20th Century Baby" (recorded at Decibel Studios, London in April 1977) |
2:19 |
| 6. |
"Write Me a Song (Supertuff)" (recorded in 1976; bass, guitar and drum overdubs recorded at Crescent Studios, Bath in March 1982) |
3:08 |
| 7. |
"Billy Super Duper (Reprise)" |
0:40 |
Personnel
- 1982 overdubs
- Pete Allerhand – second guitar on "Depth Charge"
- Stuart Gordon – bass and drums on tracks 6 and 11, strings on "Mellow Love"
- Manny Elias – drums on tracks 6 and 11
References
External links
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