Album: T.Rex, Electric Warrior Super Deluxe Edition (A&M/Universal)

Forty years ago, Electric Warrior was one of the twin pillars upon which glam-rock was built (the other, Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, would arrive nine months later).

And it's tribute to the quixotic genius of both Marc Bolan and producer Tony Visconti that it still sounds great today, an alchemical blend of psychedelic folk whimsy, supercharged rockabilly sensibility, and at the root of it all, the blues: the glammed-up Howlin' Wolf riff that is "Jeepster" remains utterly irresistible, as does the twitchy boogie of "Get It On". Lyrically, it's replete with electric witches, cosmic dancers and star-encrusted beards, embellished with Visconti's ingenious wisps of backward guitars and stirring strings; but the most intriguing aspect, at this remove, is Bolan's delivery, which has a polite, prissy quality you simply don't hear in rock'n'roll now.

DOWNLOAD THIS Get It On; Jeepster; Hot Love; Life's a Gas