My Top 2000 Songs #1093: Mambo Sun

You've gotta hand it to Marc Bolan--with all due respect, even his best songs were incredibly light on substance and heavy on repetition, getting by on pure charisma and groove. But when T. Rex nailed the groove, damn!

T. Rex's 1971 LP Electric Warrior, probably their best (and certainly best known), has far more obvious songs to choose from, with both "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" and "Jeepster" achieving legendary status on classic rock radio. But I'm a sucker for the slower, slinkier "Mambo Sun," arguably one of Bolan's purest examples of a song that's entirely about the groove. The telltale glam boogie of peak T. Rex is there in full force, but slowed down a bit while gradually building into something relentlessly soulful and exciting.

1972 tv:

Converted into 80s indie rock by The Bongos:

Further updated by Pixies: